YEARBOOK OF THE

UNITED NATIONS
2015
Volume 69
 YEARBOOK OF THE UNITED NATIONS, 2015
Volume 69

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 YEARBOOK
OF THE
UNITED
NATIONS
2015
Volume 69  

Department of Global Communications

United Nations, New York
Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015
Volume 69

Published by the United Nations Department of Global Communications

New York, New York 10017, United States of America

Copyright © 2022 United Nations

All rights reserved

ISBN: 978-92-1-101456-3
eISBN: 978-92-1-001985-9
Print ISSN: 0082-8521
Online ISSN: 2412-1541
United Nations publication
Sales No. E.23.I.2H

Jacket design: Yearbook Unit, United Nations, New York

Foreword

T
he Yearbook of the United Nations details the annual activities of the United
Nations system and offers policymakers, academics, historians and journalists
a narrative of challenges and progress during the year, along with a record of
documents and resolutions.

This volume, covering 2015, recounts the pivotal year in which the global community
reached agreement on a number of crucial road maps for the future—including the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
These significant achievements for multilateralism and global partnership provide a blue-
print for advancing development, human rights and peace and security.

As the world moves ahead, we look forward to finding new, innovative and timely twenty-
first century tools and products to continue sharing the story of the United Nations for
posterity.

António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
New York, July 2022

v
Table of contents

Foreword v Development Fund mechanism, 170; Children and

armed conflict, 171; Security Council Committee
About the 2015 edition of the Yearbook xi established pursuant to resolution 1518(2003), 171;
The Yearbook online xii UN Iraq escrow account, 171. Iraq–Kuwait, 172:
UN mediation of bilateral issues, 172; UN Compen-
Abbreviations commonly used in the Yearbook xiii sation Commission and Fund, 172. Timor - Leste,
Explanatory note on documents xiv 173: UNAMET, 173; UNMIT, 173. Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, 173: Non-proliferation,
Report of the Secretary-General on the work 173. Iran, 176: Non-proliferation, 176. Yemen, 178:
of the Organization 3 Political and security developments, 178. Other
issues, 182: Cambodia, 182; India–Pakistan, 182; My-
anmar, 183; Turkmenistan, 183; United Arab Emir-
PART ONE ates–Iran, 183.
Political and security questions V Europe and the Mediterranean 185
I International peace and security 37 Bosnia and Herzegovina, 185: Implementation
Promotion of international peace and security, of peace agreement, 186. Kosovo, 188: Political and
37: Maintenance of international peace and security, security developments, 188; EULEX, 189; KFOR,
37; Conf lict prevention, 41; Peacemaking and 190. Georgia, 190. Armenia–Azerbaijan, 191;
peacebuilding, 43; Protection issues, 46; Special Cyprus, 192: UNFICYP, 192; Political and security
political missions, 48. Threats to international developments, 192. Ukraine, 194; Other issues,
peace and security, 50: International terrorism, 196: Strengthening of security and cooperation in the
50. Peacekeeping operations, 56: General aspects Mediterranean, 196; Organization for Democracy and
of UN peacekeeping, 56; Comprehensive review Economic Development–GUAM, 197.
of peacekeeping, 58; Peacekeeping Operations in
2015, 60; Financial and administrative aspects VI Middle East 198
of peacekeeping operations, 62. Peace process, 198: Diplomatic efforts, 198; Oc-
cupied Palestinian Territory, 199. Issues related
II Africa 66 to Palestine, 208: General aspects, 208; Assistance
Promotion of peace in Africa, 67; Central Africa to Palestinians, 210. Lebanon, 216: Political and
and Great Lakes region, 69: Democratic Republic of security developments, 217; Implementation of reso-
the Congo, 72; Burundi, 78; Central African Republic, lution 1559(2004), 218; Implementation of resolu-
83; Central African Republic and Chad, 90; Rwanda, tion 1701(2006) and UNIFIL activities, 219; Special
91. West Africa, 92: Regional issues, 92; Côte d’Ivoire, Tribunal for Lebanon, 223. Syrian Arab Republic,
95; Liberia, 99; Sierra Leone, 103; Guinea-Bissau, 104; 223: Political and security developments, 224; Use
Mali, 106; Cameroon–Nigeria, 112; Nigeria, 113; of chemical weapons, 234; The Syrian Golan, 236.
Guinea, 113; Mauritania, 114. Horn of Africa, 114: UNTSO, 240.
Sudan–South Sudan, 114; South Sudan, 125; Chad,
132; Somalia, 133; Eritrea, 141. North Africa, 142: VII Disarmament 241
Libya, 142; Western Sahara, 148. UN machinery, 242; UN role in disarmament,
244; Nuclear disarmament, 245: Comprehensive
III Americas 152 Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, 249; Advisory opinion of the
International Court of Justice, 250; Prohibition of the
Central America, 152; Haiti, 152: Political and
use of nuclear weapons, 251; Humanitarian approach
security developments, 153; MINUSTAH, 156.
to nuclear disarmament, 251. Non - proliferation,
Other Issues, 157: Cuba–United States, 157; Co-
252: Non-Proliferation Treaty, 252; Missiles, 254;
lombia, 157.
Non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, 254;
Multilateralism in disarmament and non-proliferation,
IV Asia and the Pacific 159 256; IAEA safeguards, 257; Radioactive waste, 259;
Afghanistan, 159: Political and security develop- Nuclear-weapon-free zones, 259; Bacteriological
ments, 160; UNAMA, 164; Children and armed (biological) weapons, 260; Chemical weapons, 261.
conflict, 165; Sanctions, 165. Iraq, 167: Political Conventional weapons, 262: Arms Trade Treaty,
and security developments, 167; UNAMI, 170; Post- 262; Small arms, 263; Convention on excessively

vii
viii Yearbook of the United Nations, 2014

injurious conventional weapons and Protocols, 264; social and cultural rights, 332; Right to development,
Cluster munitions, 265; Anti-personnel mines, 265; 332; Social Forum, 339; Extreme poverty, 339; Right
Practical disarmament, 266; Transparency, 266. to food, 340; Right to work, 341; Right to adequate
Other disarmament issues, 266: Prevention of housing, 342; Right to health, 342; World drug prob-
an arms race in outer space, 266; Observance of en- lem and human rights, 344; Cultural rights, 345;
vironmental norms, 268; Science and technology Right to education, 346; Environmental and scientific
and disarmament, 268. Studies, research and concerns, 347; Slavery and related issues, 348. Vul-
training, 268; Regional disarmament, 269: nerable groups, 349: Women, 349; Children, 352;
Regional centres for peace and disarmament, 270. The family, 355; Older persons, 355; LGBTI people,
356; Internally displaced persons, 356; Persons with
VIII Other political and security questions 272 disabilities, 357; Indigenous peoples, 358.
General aspects of international peace and
III Human rights country situations 361
security, 272: Support for democracies, 272; Seven-
tieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, General aspects, 361; Africa, 362: Burundi, 362;
272. Regional aspects of international peace Central African Republic, 363; Côte d’Ivoire, 363;
and security, 273: South Atlantic, 273; Indian Democratic Republic of the Congo, 364; Eritrea,
Ocean, 273. Decolonization, 273: Decade for the 365; Guinea, 366; Libya, 366; Mali, 366; Somalia,
Eradication of Colonialism, 273; Puerto Rico, 275; 367; Sudan, 367; South Sudan, 368. Americas, 369
Territories under Review, 275; Other issues, 277. Colombia, 369; Guatemala, 369; Haiti, 369. Asia,
Peaceful uses of outer space, 279: Scientific and 369: Afghanistan, 369; Cambodia, 370; Democratic
Technical Subcommittee, 279; Legal Subcommit- People’s Republic of Korea, 371; Iran, 372; Iraq,
tee, 282; UN system coordination, 284. Effects of 374; Myanmar, 375; Sri Lanka, 377; Yemen, 378.
atomic radiation, 285; Information security, Europe and the Mediterranean, 378: Belarus,
285; Public information, 286: Committee on 378; Cyprus, 380; Ukraine, 380. Middle East, 381:
Information, 286. Syrian Arab Republic, 381; Territories occupied by
Israel, 383.

PART TWO
PART THREE
Human rights
Economic and social questions
I Promotion of human rights 291
I Development policy
UN machinery, 291: Human Rights Council, 291; and international economic cooperation 389
Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights, 295;
Other aspects, 296. Human rights instruments, 296: International economic relations, 390:
Convention against racial discrimination, 297; Cove- Economic and social trends, 390; Development and
nant on civil and political rights and optional protocol, international economic cooperation, 391; Sustain-
297; Covenant on economic, social and cultural rights able development, 393; Eradication of poverty, 402;
and optional protocol, 298; Convention on elimination Science, technology and innovation for development,
of discrimination against women and optional proto- 404; Information and communications technologies,
col, 298; Convention against torture, 298; Convention 405. Development policy and public administra-
on the rights of the child, 300; Convention on mi- tion, 407: Committee for Development Policy, 407;
grant workers, 300; Convention on rights of persons Public administration, 408. Groups of countries in
with disabilities, 301; Convention for protection from special situations, 409: Least developed countries,
enforced disappearance, 301; Convention on genocide, 409; Small island developing states, 412; Landlocked
302; General aspects, 302. Other activities, 303: developing countries, 413.
Strengthening action to promote human rights, 303;
Human rights education, 306; International Decade II Operational activities for development 415
for People of African Descent, 306; Follow-up to the System-wide activities, 415; Technical coopera-
1993 World Conference, 306; Anniversaries, 307. tion, 417: UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive
Board, 417; UNDP, 417; UNFPA, 423; UNOPS,
II Protection of human rights 308 424; Joint matters, 425. Other cooperation,
426: Development Account, 426; UN Office for
Special procedures, 308; Civil and political
Partnerships, 427; Economic and technical coopera-
rights, 309: Racism and racial discrimination, 309;
tion among developing countries, 428.
Human rights defenders, 312; Reprisals for coopera-
tion with human rights bodies, 313; Protection of
migrants, 313; Discrimination against minorities, III Humanitarian and special
314; Freedom of religion or belief, 316; Right to self- economic assistance 430
determination, 317; Rule of law, democracy and human Humanitarian assistance, 430: Coordination, 430;
rights, 320; Other issues, 324. Economic, social Resource mobilization, 432; White Helmets, 433;
and cultural rights, 332: Realizing economic, Humanitarian action, 433. Disaster response, 442:
Table of contents ix

Disaster Reduction, 442; International cooperation, development, 549: United Nations research
444; Mine action, 445. Special economic assistance, and training institutes, 550.
446: African economic recovery and development,
446; Other economic assistance, 448. X Women 553
Follow - up to the Fourth World Conference
IV International trade, finance and transport 450 and Beijing+5, 553: Critical areas of concern, 554.
International trade and development, 450: UN Machinery, 559: Convention on elimination
Multilateral trading system, 451; United Nations of discrimination against women, 559; Commission
Conference on Trade and Development, 451; on the Status of Women, 561; UN-Women, 562.
Commodities, 454; Coercive economic measures,
455; Consumer protection, 456. International XI Children 567
financial system and development, 456: Debt Follow - up to 2002 General Assembly special
situation of developing countries, 456; Financing for session on children, 567; Promotion and
development, 458; Other matters, 459. Transport, protection of the rights of children, 569; United
460: Maritime transport, 460; Transport of danger- Nations Children’s Fund, 570: Executive Board, 570.
ous goods, 461.
XII Refugees and displaced persons 581
V Regional economic and social activities 462
Office of the United Nations High Commis-
Regional cooperation, 462; Africa, 463: Economic sioner for Refugees, 582: Programme policy, 582;
trends, 463; Activities, 464; Lessons Learned in im- Refugee protection and assistance, 582; Protracted
plementing the Millennium Development Goals, situations and durable solutions, 584; Internal dis-
470; Programme and organizational questions, placement, 585; Statelessness, 585; International instru-
471. Asia and the Pacific, 471: Economic trends, ments, 585; Regional activities, 585; Policy development
472; Activities, 473; Programme and organizational and cooperation, 591; Financial questions, 593.
questions, 482; Conference structure review, 482.
Europe, 483: Economic trends, 483; Activities, 484. XIII Health, food and nutrition 595
Latin America and the Caribbean, 488: Economic
trends, 488; Activities, 489. Western Asia, 498: Health, 596: AIDS prevention and control, 596; Non-
Economic trends, 498; Activities, 499. communicable diseases, 597; Tobacco, 598; Water and
sanitation, 599; Malaria, 599; Ebola outbreak in West
Africa, 600; Global public health, 604; Road safety,
VI Energy, natural resources
605. Food, agriculture and nutrition, 606: Food
and geospatial information 503
aid, 606; Food security, 607; Nutrition, 609.
Energy and natural resources, 503: Energy, 503;
Natural resources, 507. Geospatial information, 508. XIV International drug control
and crime prevention 612
VII Environment and human settlements 509 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 613;
Environment, 509: UN Environment Programme, International drug control, 616: Commission
509; Global Environment Facility, 513; International on Narcotic Drugs, 616; Conventions, 623. Crime
conventions and mechanisms, 515; Environ- prevention and criminal justice, 631: Thirteenth
mental topics, 520; Other matters, 521. Human UN Crime Congress, 631; Commission on Crime
settlements, 522: UN-Habitat, 522; Follow-up to Prevention and Criminal Justice, 634; World crime
the 1996 UN Conference on Human Settlements trends and emerging issues, 634; Integration and co-
(Habitat II), 525. ordination, 635; UN standards and norms, 639.

VIII Population 527 XV Statistics 643

Population and Development, 527: Further Statistical Commission, 643: Data in support of the
implementation of the Programme of Action, 527. post-2015 development agenda, 644; Demographic
International migration and development, 529; and social statistics, 645; Economic statistics, 648;
United Nations Population Fund, 529; Other Natural resources and environment statistics, 650;
population activities, 535. Other activities, 651.

IX Social policy, cultural development

and human resources development 537 PART FOUR
Social policy, 538: Social development, 538; Ageing Legal questions
persons, 540; Persons with disabilities, 541; Youth,
541; Family, 543. Cultural development, 543: I International Court of Justice 657
Culture of peace, 543; Sport for development and Judicial work of the Court, 657: Contentious pro-
peace, 547; Cultural property, 548; Culture and ceedings, 658. Other questions, 668: Trust Fund to
sustainable development, 549. Human resources Assist States in the Settlement of Disputes, 668.
x Yearbook of the United Nations, 2014

II International tribunals and court 669 722; Other matters, 723. UN and other
International Tribunal for the Former organizations, 723: Cooperation, 723; Participation
Yugoslavia, 669: The Chambers, 670; Office of the in UN work, 726.
Prosecutor, 671; The Registry, 672; Financing, 672.
International Tribunal for Rwanda, 673: The II United Nations financing and programming 729
Chamber, 674; Office of the Prosecutor, 674; The Financial situation, 729; UN budget, 730:
Registry, 674; Financing, 675. Functioning of the Budget for 2014–2015, 730; Programme budget
Tribunals, 676: Implementation of completion strat- for 2016 –2017, 732. Contributions, 735:
egies, 676; International Residual Mechanism, 678. Assessments, 735. Accounts and auditing, 737:
International Criminal Court, 681: The Cham- Financial management practices, 738; Review of
bers, 682. UN administrative and financial functioning, 738.
Programme planning, 738.
III International legal questions 686
Legal aspects of international political III Administrative and staff matters 740
relations, 686: International Law Commission, 686; Administrative matters, 741: Managerial reform
International State relations and international law, 693; and oversight, 741; Conference management, 744;
International terrorism, 693; Diplomatic relations, 695. UN information systems, 747; Global service de-
International economic law, 695: Commission livery model, 753; UN premises and property, 754.
on International Trade Law, 695. Other questions, Staff matters, 759: Selection of Secretary-General,
701: Rule of law at the national and international lev- 759; Conditions of service, 759; Human resources
els, 701; Strengthening the role of the United Nations, management, 763; Staff safety and security, 767;
702; Host country relations, 705 Other staff matters, 772; Administration of justice,
778; UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, 784.
IV Law of the sea 707
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 707;
Institutions created by the Convention,
Appendices
708; Other developments related to the
Convention, 710: Division for Ocean Affairs I Roster of the United Nations 789
and the Law of the Sea, 713. II Structure of the United Nations 791
III Agendas of the United Nations
PART FIVE principal organs 803
Institutional, administrative IV Intergovernmental organizations
and budgetary questions related to the United Nations 813
I United Nations restructuring and
institutional matters 717
Indices
Restructuring matters, 717: Programme of re-
form, 717. Institutional matters, 718: General Index of resolutions and decisions 817
Assembly, 718; Security Council, 720; Economic and Index of Security Council presidential statements 820
Social Council, 721. Coordination, monitoring
and cooperation, 722: Institutional mechanisms, Subject index 821
About the 2015 edition of the Yearbook
This sixty-ninth volume of the Yearbook of the United liberation and action. Substantive action by the Security
Nations both continues and concludes the intellectual Council is analysed and brief reviews of the Council’s de-
journey that began seventy-five years ago in the highest liberations are given, particularly in cases where an issue
traditions of public service by providing the most authori- was taken up but no resolution was adopted. Although
tative coverage of the annual activities and concerns of the resolutions adopted in 2015 by the General Assembly, the
United Nations. The Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015 Security Council and the Economic and Social Council
represents the final volume in this series, as the Department are no longer included in the book, procedural details giv-
of Global Communications—its publisher—moves to ing the date of adoption, meeting number and vote totals
pursue other means of public information and outreach. (in favour–against–abstaining), if any, and an indication
Sixty-nine volumes have been issued since the publica- of their approval by a sessional or subsidiary body prior to
tion of the Yearbook of the United Nations, 1946–47 as the final adoption are still provided. All resolutions and deci-
first in the series. Throughout its own history concurrent sions can be found in the corresponding books of resolu-
with the growth of the United Nations itself, the Yearbook tions and/or decisions adopted by the General Assembly
collection has proved to be an indispensable reference and (A/69/49 (Vol. III), A/70/49 (Vol. I–II)), the Security
springboard for diplomats, government officials, histori- Council (S/INF/70, S/INF/71) and the Economic and
ans, journalists, researchers and the general public seek- Social Council (E/2015/99, E/2016/99).
ing succinct, pointed and accurate information about as Major reports. Most reports of the Secretary-
well as a panoramic understanding of the United Nations General in 2015, along with those of main United
and its system of related organizations. Nations committees, regional and functional commis-
The present volume provides a definitive account of the sions, and Special Rapporteurs, as well as selected reports
work of the United Nations in 2015—the year in which from other UN sources, such as seminars and expert and
the global community unanimously reached agreement working groups, are summarized.
on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. That Views of States. Written communications sent to
demonstrative moment of multilateral ownership, which the United Nations by Member States and circulated as
reoriented the focus of global development, human rights documents of the principal organs have been summar-
and peace and security for the benefit of the present as ized, in selected cases, under the relevant topics.
well as future generations, resonates throughout the parts Multilateral treaties. Information on signatories
and pages of this Yearbook. and parties to multilateral treaties and conventions has
Readers can locate information by using the Table of been taken from the United Nations Treaty Collection
Contents, the Subject Index, the Index of Resolutions and (see treaties.un.org).
Decisions and the Index of Security Council Presidential
Statements. The volume also features four appendices: Terminology
Appendix I comprises a roster of Member States; Appen-
Formal titles of bodies, organizational units, conven-
dix II presents the structure of the principal organs of
tions, declarations and officials are normally given in
the United Nations in 2015; Appendix III provides the
full on first mention in each main section. They are also
agenda for each session of the principal organs in 2015;
used in resolution/decision texts, as well as in the Subject
and Appendix IV lists intergovernmental organizations
index under the key word of the title. Short titles, abbre-
related to the United Nations.
viations or acronyms are used in subsequent references
in the main text.
Structure and scope of articles
The Yearbook is subject-oriented and divided into Acknowledgements
five parts covering political and security matters; human The Yearbook Unit would like to express its apprecia-
rights issues; economic and social questions; legal issues; tion to the following persons for their contribution to the
and institutional, administrative and budgetary matters. Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015:
Chapters summarize pertinent UN activities, including
those of intergovernmental and expert bodies, as well as Contributing Editors/Writers: Rochelle Atizado,
major reports and, in selected cases, the views of States in Cate Attwood, Luisa Balacco, Edoardo Bellando,
written communications. Christine Koerner, Dmitri Marchenkov, Sandra
Activities of UN bodies. The Yearbook places the Rademacher, Qiuge Xiao
major activities of the principal organs of the United Interns: Rosie Dalheim, Wenbin Liu, Lin Lu, Mufaro
Nations and, on a selective basis, those of their subsid- Madzingira, Wei Wu
iary bodies in a narrative context of consideration, de- Indexer: Maria A. Sullivan

xi
The Yearbook online
All published volumes of the Yearbook of the United made available as a continuing service to readers and
Nations—from the 1946–47 edition onwards—can researchers. Pre-press outlines indicate the key themes
be accessed and read in full on the Yearbook website and topics and most relevant UN documentation on the
(un.org/yearbook). The multi-option search engine corresponding chapter subject and so provide a form of
of the website enables readers to quickly find specific continuity with the published Yearbook collection.
information in an individual volume, across a range of Express. The Yearbook Express (un.org/en/
volumes or throughout the entire Yearbook collection. yearbook/express) features the chapter introductions
Visitors to the website can download pdfs of Yearbook of recently published Yearbooks, along with the report of
pages and chapters for offline use. Additional resources the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization
include the Yearbook Pre-press and the Yearbook Ex- in those years, in all six United Nations official lan-
press, as well as links to the Yearbook Twitter account, guages—Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian
various United Nations databases and other selected and Spanish. To provide speakers of those languages
public information products. with such summary Yearbook content, the Yearbook
Pre-press. The Yearbook Pre-press (un.org/en/ Unit works with teams of volunteer translators. Only
yearbook/prepress) offers detailed, hyperlinked out- the annual report of the Secretary-General represents a
lines of Yearbook chapters. Following the discontinu- United Nations official translation.
ation with the present volume by the Department of Social media. The Yearbook of the United Nations
Global Communications of the Yearbook of the United can be also found on Twitter (twitter.com/UNYear-
Nations in its traditional researched, written and edited book), where @UNYearbook addresses current United
form as a unique narrative of United Nations consid- Nations activities and concerns in their historical per-
eration, deliberation and action, Pre-press material spective, linking readers to relevant information in the
should continue to be updated on a regular basis and Yearbook collection.

xii
Abbreviations commonly used in the Yearbook
ACABQ Advisory Committee on Administrative OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
and Budgetary Questions ODA official development assistance
AU African Union OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation
BNUB United Nations Office in Burundi and Development
BINUCA United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
Office in the Central African Republic for Human Rights
CARICOM Caribbean Community OIOS Office of Internal Oversight Services
CEB United Nations System Chief Executives OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Board for Coordination
PA Palestinian Authority
CPC Committee for Programme and Coordination
UNAIDS Joint United Nations Programme on hiv/aids
DPKO Department of Peacekeeping Operations
UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
DPRK Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
UNAMI United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo
UNAMID African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
ECA Economic Commission for Africa
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Organization
EU European Union UNFICYP United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus/acquired UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme
immunodeficiency syndrome
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
ICC International Criminal Court
UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
ICJ International Court of Justice
UNIOGBIS United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
in Guinea-Bissau
ICSC International Civil Service Commission
UNIPSIL United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office
ICTR International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Sierra Leone
ICTY International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia UNISFA United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
IDPs internally displaced persons UNMIK United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development UNMIL United Nations Mission in Liberia
ILO International Labour Organization UNMISS United Nations Mission in South Sudan
IMF International Monetary Fund UNOCA United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa
IMO International Maritime Organization UNOCI United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire
ITU International Telecommunication Union UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
JIU Joint Inspection Unit UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services
LDC least developed country UNOWA United Nations Office for West Africa
MDGs Millennium Development Goals UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
MINURSO United Nations Mission for the Referendum Refugees in the Near East
in Western Sahara UNSMIL United Nations Support Mission in Libya
MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization UNSOM United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia
Mission in the Central African Republic
UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in Mali UN-Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women
MINUSTAH United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
UNWTO World Tourism Organization
MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo WFP World Food Programme
NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development WHO World Health Organization
NGO non-governmental organization WMDs weapons of mass destruction
NPT Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons WMO World Meteorological Organization
NSGTs Non-Self-Governing Territories WTO World Trade Organization
OAS Organization of American States YUN Yearbook of the United Nations

xiii
Explanatory note on documents
The following principal United Nations document • S/- refers to documents of the Security Council. Its
symbols appear in this volume: resolutions are identified by consecutive numbers
followed by the year of adoption in parentheses,
• A/- refers to documents of the General Assembly, beginning with resolution 1(1946).
numbered in separate series by session. Thus, A/70/- • ST/-, followed by symbols representing the issuing
refers to documents issued for consideration at the department or office, refers to documents of the
seventieth session, beginning with A/70/1. Docu- United Nations Secretariat.
ments of special and emergency special sessions are
identified as A/S and A/ES-, followed by the session Documents of certain bodies bear special symbols,
number. including the following:
• A/C.- refers to documents of the Assembly’s Main
Committees. For example, A/C.1/- identifies docu- • CD/- Conference on Disarmament
ments of the First Committee, A/C.6/- documents of • CERD/- Committee on the Elimination of Racial
the Sixth Committee. A/BUR/- refers to documents Discrimination
of the General Committee. A/AC.- documents are • DC/- Disarmament Commission
those of the Assembly’s ad hoc bodies and A/CN.- • DP/- United Nations Development Programme
those of its commissions. For example, A/AC.105/- • HSP/- United Nations Human Settlements
identifies documents of the Assembly’s Committee Programme
on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, A/CN.4/- those • ITC/- International Trade Centre
of its International Law Commission. Assembly res- • TD/- United Nations Conference on Trade and
olutions and decisions since the thirty-first (1976) Development
session have been identified by two Arabic numerals: • UNEP/- United Nations Environment Programme
the first indicates the session of adoption, the second Many documents of the regional commissions bear
the sequential number in the series. Resolutions are special symbols, which are sometimes preceded by the
numbered consecutively from 1 at each session. following:
Decisions since the fifty-seventh (2002) session are
numbered consecutively from 401 for those con- • E/ECA/- Economic Commission for Africa
cerned with elections and appointments and from • E/ECE/- Economic Commission for Europe
501 for all other decisions. Decisions of special and • E/ECLAC/- Economic Commission for Latin
emergency special sessions are numbered consecu- America and the Caribbean
tively from 11 for those concerned with elections and • E/ESCAP/- Economic and Social Commission for
appointments and from 21 for all other decisions. Asia and the Pacific
• E/- refers to documents of the Economic and Social • E/ESCWA/- Economic and Social Commission for
Council, numbered in separate series by year. Thus, Western Asia
E/2015/- refers to documents issued for considera-
tion by the Council at its 2015 sessions, beginning Various other document symbols include the fol-
with E/2015/1. E/AC.-, E/C.- and E/CN.-, followed lowing:
by identifying numbers, refer to documents of the • L.- refers to documents of limited distribution, such
Council’s subsidiary ad hoc bodies, committees as draft resolutions.
and commissions. For example, E/CN.5/- refers • CONF.- refers to conference documents.
to documents of the Council’s Commission for • INF- refers to general information documents.
Social Development, E/C.2/- to documents of its • SR.- refers to summary records and is followed by a
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations. meeting number.
E/ICEF/- documents are those of the United Nations • PV.- refers to verbatim records and is followed by a
Children’s Fund. Symbols for the Council’s resolu- meeting number.
tions and decisions since 1978 consist of two Arabic
numerals: the first indicates the year of adoption All United Nations official documents cited in the
and the second the sequential number in the series. text in square brackets may be obtained through the
There are two series: one for resolutions, beginning United Nations Official Document System website:
with 1 (e.g. resolution 2015/1), and one for decisions, documents.un.org or the United Nations Digital Li-
beginning with 201 (e.g. decision 2015/201 A). brary website: digitallibrary.un.org.

xiv
Report of the Secretary-General
on the work of the Organization
Report of the Secretary-General
on the work of the Organization
Following is the Secretary-General’s report on the work of the Organization [A/70/1],
dated 22 July 2015, submitted to the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly. The
Assembly took note of it on 14 October 2015 (decision 70/508).

Chapter I the brutal tactics of violent extremists such as Boko

Haram, Al-Shabaab and Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq
Introduction and the Levant (isil), while many foreign fighters
1. From the ashes of war through seven dec- found the message of such groups alluring enough to
ades of profound turbulence and change, the vision join their cause. Environmental degradation, pollution
articulated in the Charter of the United Nations has and resource depletion continued almost unabated
stood the test of time, even as the world has become around the globe. There was little progress on the long-
transformed beyond anything our founders imag- stalled disarmament agenda. Countless people died of
ined. That vision—of Member States “uniting their curable diseases, went to bed hungry, buried children
strength” in pursuit of peace, prosperity and dignity who might have been saved with basic health care, and
for all—continues to underpin our global work. in many other ways suffered avoidable, unacceptable
2. As we mark the seventieth anniversary of levels of deprivation, fear and hopelessness.
the United Nations, we have much to be proud of. 5. People around the world looked to their
The world has avoided global conflict on the scale Governments and to the United Nations for leader-
seen twice in the first half of the twentieth century. ship in preventing and responding to these problems.
Numerous smaller wars were averted or brought to Looking forward, we have a confluence of opportuni-
an earlier end. We have made enormous strides in ties to set the world on a better course. We have the
building the long-term foundations of peace by lifting chance to end poverty, bring climate change under
millions out of extreme poverty, empowering women, control, and agree on shared approaches to funding
advancing human rights, international law and efforts and implementing a new development agenda.
to ensure justice for heinous crimes, and spearheading 6. Already in the past year we made signifi-
the decolonization movement. cant progress towards these interconnected ends.
3. In spite of all this, however, age-old prob- Political momentum on climate change was greatly
lems persist, from poverty to discrimination. Inequal- accelerated by the Climate Summit that I hosted in
ities are growing in all societies, and the poorest of the September 2014 in New York and by the twentieth
poor are being left farther behind. Shocking crimes of session of the Conference of the Parties to the United
violence against women and girls continue to occur, Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
especially in conflict situations, where sexual violence in Lima in December. An inspiring set of sustainable
becomes a tool of war. The newer threat of climate development goals has been put forward to guide our
change has only begun to show the potential sever- work for the next generation, and a comprehensive
ity of its impacts. In an increasingly fast-paced and framework for funding these plans was adopted at
interconnected world, problems have become more the third International Conference on Financing for
complex. Opportunities abound but risks are greater Development. The panels on peace operations and
and more contagious. Never before have the most peacebuilding produced important reports on how
pressing concerns and problems been so common to the United Nations can more effectively respond to
us all. Never has the need for the United Nations been the security challenges of the future. My Human
greater. Never have Member States had more reason Rights up Front initiative is designed to enhance our
to heed the Charter’s call to “unite our strength”. efforts to identify and respond to serious violations of
4. During the past year, more people were human rights and international human rights law at
displaced than at any time since the Second World an earlier stage. I welcome the recent comprehensive
War. Desperate migrants risked everything to flee agreement between the five plus one group and the
from hunger, persecution and violence, only to meet Islamic Republic of Iran, which I hope will contribute
with death, discrimination and greater desperation towards establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear
along the way. Conflict and crisis engulfed millions of weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.
people in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, 7. Finally, we have made progress on a number
Darfur, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gaza, of key transformational initiatives designed to make the
Libya, Iraq, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian Organization truly global and to maximize our capacity
Arab Republic, Ukraine and Yemen. Millions faced to deliver on mandates effectively and efficiently.

3
4 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

8. Looking forward to the year ahead, I am and the sustainable development goals. Further, the
optimistic that we will soon arrive at a new vision for non-legally binding instrument on all types of for-
sustainable development, new directions for the main- ests and the global objectives on forests must be
tenance of peace and security, a renewed embrace of implemented, as must the outcome document of the
human rights, and a stronger United Nations to help first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, held
bring our goals to life. in September 2014, and the Aichi Biodiversity Tar-
gets. To accelerate progress towards gender equality,
Chapter II urgent action will be needed in the six priority areas
agreed to by Member States during the 20-year review
The work of the Organization of the Beijing Platform for Action. After 10 years,
A. Promotion of sustained economic growth Member States are reviewing the implementation of
and sustainable development the 10 targets for connectivity and 18 Action Lines
1. The Millennium Development Goals adopted by the World Summit on the Information
Society to monitor implementation of its core vision:
9. Experience with the Millennium Develop­ a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented
ment Goals has shown the value of a clear, collective information society.
vision for galvanizing action, combined with focused 12. Bolder and more focused action is also
targets for measuring progress. We have made enor- needed to accelerate progress in the least developed
mous progress. Several targets have been met (see an- countries. If recommended by the High-level Panel of
nex). The global extreme poverty rate has been halved Experts on the feasibility study, a technology bank for
and continues to decline. More children than ever are the least developed countries will be operationalized
attending primary school. Child deaths have dropped during the seventieth session of the General Assembly.
dramatically. About 2.6 billion people gained access The comprehensive high-level midterm review of the
to an improved drinking water source. Targeted implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action
investments in fighting malaria, hiv/aids and for the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Tur-
tuberculosis have saved millions. Coherent national key in June 2016, will provide an important opportu-
policies aligned to global agreements have resulted in nity to strengthen the global partnership for structural
progress in combating both non-communicable and transformation and rapid poverty reduction in the least
acute diseases. developed countries. Many least developed countries
10. Significant gaps remain, however, includ- still depend heavily on official development assistance
ing in improving maternal and reproductive health, (oda) as the primary source of external and public fi-
achieving gender equality, achieving full and produc- nancing and, while overall flows may be stable, flows
tive employment especially for women and youth, to the poorest countries are still falling, the distribution
stemming the alarming global rate of deforestation, among those countries has been uneven and the impact
and accelerating progress across the board in least has not always been as successful as envisaged. Only
developed countries. In many cases, these lags have 5 of the 29 members of the Development Assistance
been mutually reinforcing. For example, gender Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-
equality and empowerment of women are precondi- operation and Development have met the United
tions for overcoming poverty, hunger and disease, Nations oda target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national
but progress towards Goal 3 has been slow on many income, while 9 meet the lower bound of the target
fronts. Deforestation exacerbates greenhouse gas by providing more than 0.15 per cent of their gross
emissions and climate change and undermines the at- national income as oda to the least developed countries.
tainment of other targets, since forest resources con- 13. The average tariff applied by developed
tribute to poverty eradication, food security and the countries to developing country exports has decreased
distribution of wealth, especially for the rural poor. notably, but tariff peaks and tariff escalation continue
The measurement of regional and national averages to impede developing countries’ access to developed
can mask large differences across and within regions country markets. Despite debt relief under the Heavily
and countries. Advances in many areas often bypass Indebted Poor Countries (hipc) Initiative and the
the poor and the most vulnerable. Policies and inter- Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, several hipc
ventions will be needed to eliminate the persistent or countries are again approaching moderate to high lev-
even increasing inequalities between the rich and the els of debt distress, some small States face significant
poor, between rural and urban areas, and to improve debt sustainability challenges, and some developed
the conditions of those disadvantaged by gender, age, countries also face severe debt overhangs. While some
disability, ethnicity, or geographic location, and those lower-middle-income countries have begun to access
who experience multiple and intersecting forms of international capital markets for the first time, when
discrimination, such as women and girls. interest rates rise globally some of these countries will
11. Member States are addressing these issues be unable to refinance their borrowings, running the
through the negotiations on financing for development risk of a new crisis.
Report of the Secretary-General 5

14. Monitoring progress towards the Millennium Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in March
Development Goals has led to the strengthening of 2015, investing in risk reduction pays high dividends
statistical systems to enable the provision of quality while saving lives.
data. However, data gaps, data quality issues, compli- 19. By building and expanding on the les-
ance with methodological standards, lack of disaggre- sons learned from the experience of the Millennium
gated data that allow for monitoring of progress by age, Development Goals and other internationally agreed
sex and other social categories, and lack of geospatial commitments, the post-2015 development agenda
information have been major challenges. Consider- will chart development efforts, for the next 15 years
able effort and investment will be needed to build a and beyond, in pursuit of poverty eradication and
solid data and information and communications sustainable development in its social, economic and
technology infrastructure to support the new sustain- environmental dimensions. It will be an agenda to im-
able development agenda until 2030. prove people’s lives and realize their human rights, in
15. Landlocked developing countries have full harmony with nature. In a new departure, it will
continued to face important challenges, but have be a universal agenda entailing national and global re-
nevertheless made tangible progress towards achiev- sponsibilities for all countries. Each and every country
ing the Millennium Development Goals, particularly will have a responsibility towards its own citizens and
in reducing the proportion of people living in extreme towards the international community for implement-
poverty. The Vienna Programme of Action for the ing this agenda. The inclusion of all stakeholders in
Decade 2014–2024, adopted at the Second United the implementation of the post-2015 agenda, includ-
Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing ing monitoring and review, is of the utmost impor-
Countries in November 2014, aims to address the tance to ensure ownership at all levels.
special development needs and challenges arising 20. The proposed 17 sustainable development
from landlockedness, remoteness and geographical goals and 169 targets developed by the Open Working
constraints. Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable
16. Small island developing States also continue Development Goals will be at the heart of the post-
to be among those most exposed to exogenous shocks 2015 development agenda. They are ambitious. They
and disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of have the potential to transform societies and mobilize
climate change, such as sea level rise and increased people and countries. They integrate the unfinished
frequency and severity of extreme weather events. In business of the Millennium Development Goals and
September 2014, the Third International Conference go beyond them by addressing inequality, new chal-
on Small Island Developing States adopted the sids lenges and structural issues such as climate change,
Accelerated Modalities of Action (samoa) Pathway. sustainable economic growth, productive capacities,
As 2014 was the International Year of Small Island peace and security and effective, accountable and in-
Developing States, many awareness-raising and other clusive institutions at all levels. They take a proactive
activities were conducted throughout the year. approach to achieving gender equality. They capture
the economic, social and environmental dimensions
2. Sustainable development of sustainable development in a balanced way. They
17. The year 2015 provides an unprecedented also spell out means of implementation under each
opportunity to put the world on a sustainable specific goal and in one stand-alone goal on the global
development path. The post-2015 development and partnership, bringing together Governments, civil
climate processes, which ultimately aim to eradicate society and other actors for a truly integrated approach
poverty, improve people’s lives, and rapidly transition to international development for people and planet.
to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy, are mu- 21. The elaboration of the agenda has engaged
tually reinforcing: when acted on together, they can Governments and non-State actors. The Open Working
provide prosperity and security for present and future Group produced a focused and ambitious outcome. It
generations. crafted a new way of working, with small groups of
18. This new agenda aims to address both Member States sharing seats. I welcome this willing-
existing and emerging challenges. Growing global ness on the part of Member States to try new ideas and
inequality, increasing exposure to natural hazards, approaches. It was also the most inclusive and “bottom-
rapid urbanization, new patterns of migration, and up” of processes, involving unprecedented numbers of
the overconsumption of energy and natural resources stakeholders. These discussions have confirmed the
by some threaten to drive disaster risk to dangerous importance of the United Nations as a global conven-
levels with systemic global impacts. Annual economic ing institution for sustainable development. Through
losses from disasters are estimated at an average of their recent main themes of drawing lessons from the
$250–300 billion. As underscored by the ambitious Millennium Development Goals and managing the
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015– transition from the Millennium Development Goals
2030, adopted at the Third United Nations World to the sustainable development goals, the 2014 and
6 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

2015 cycles of the Economic and Social Council have aligns all financing flows and policies with economic,
supported Member States through substantive policy social and environmental priorities. It contains
guidance in the transformative shift to the universal agreement on a comprehensive set of policy actions
post-2015 development agenda. The high-level by Member States, with a package of over 100 con-
political forum, which met this past year again under crete measures that are related to all sources of public,
the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, re- private, national and international finance, trade,
flected on the implications of the new universal and debt, systemic issues, science, technology, innova-
transformative agenda, and on how best to ensure its tion and capacity-building. The Action Agenda also
implementation and track progress, including through serves as a guide for actions by the private sector, civil
the forum’s role to review and follow-up on the post- society, and philanthropic organizations. Deliverables
2015 development agenda. The integration segment, announced at the sidelines of the Conference, along
which focused on the theme “Achieving sustainable with additional initiatives to be launched in the
development through employment creation and de- coming months, will further contribute to reach-
cent work for all”, also helped in generating ideas for ing our global goals. Together, they should support
policy integration. This is going to be the new key a revitalized and strengthened global partnership for
feature of the Economic and Social Council. On the sustainable development. The Action Agenda also
basis of this positive foundation, I am confident that strengthens data, monitoring and follow-up for the
the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 financing for development process. It establishes an
development agenda will produce a solid and universal annual Financing for Development Forum as part of
agenda, to be adopted at the summit at United Nations the Economic and Social Council, with intergovern-
Headquarters in September 2015. mentally agreed conclusions and recommendations
22. Implementation of the post-2015 develop­ that will feed into the high-level political forum.
ment agenda will require renewed efforts by all Gov- 25. During the dialogue in the Economic and
ernments to strengthen public institutions by enhanc- Social Council on the longer-term positioning of the
ing their responsiveness and accountability in order United Nations development system, Governments
to meet growing demands on service delivery, as set sought to ensure a coherent approach in responding
forth in the proposed goals and targets. Governments to the new and emerging challenges that the United
must therefore be ready to innovate and develop Nations system will face while implementing the
effective, accountable, participatory and transpar- post-2015 development agenda. The dialogue ana-
ent institutions at all levels, to ensure efficient and lysed the interlinkages between functions, funding,
effective use of public resources for the services and governance, organizational arrangements, capacity,
benefits of all citizens, particularly women and girls impact and partnership approaches and explored
and marginalized groups. ideas for further analysis and action to make the
23. To be realized, these goals must be matched United Nations development system fit to deliver the
by an equally ambitious agreement on financ- new agenda.
ing for development, technology facilitation and 26. In addition to new sustainable development
capacity-building, and by a universal and ambitious goals, Member States have a historic opportunity to
climate change agreement. New ways must be found finalize a meaningful, universal climate agreement in
to mobilize and allocate financial resources and other Paris in December 2015. In so doing, we will build a
means of implementation such as information and safer, healthier, more equitable world for present and
communications technologies more effectively. Only future generations. To that end, the Climate Summit I
by making progress on these tracks together can we hosted on 23 September 2014 created strong political
achieve a better future for humanity. momentum and advanced solutions to reduce emis-
24. On 13 July, I joined with Heads of State sions and strengthen resilience. At the Summit, more
and other high-ranking Government officials, the than 100 Heads of State or Government and 800 lead-
heads of international organizations, business lead- ers from finance, business and civil society announced
ers, nongovernmental organizations and prominent significant new actions on forests, energy, transport,
academics for the third International Conference on cities and other key issues. Public and private sector
Financing for Development, at which Member States leaders pledged to mobilize over $200 billion in
adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as the out- climate finance by the end of 2015 to finance low-
come document. The Action Agenda establishes a carbon, climate-resilient growth.
strong foundation to support implementation of the 27. Governments made important strides at
post-2015 development agenda including the sustain- the Conference of the Parties to the Framework
able development goals. It provides a new global Convention on Climate Change held in Lima in
framework for financing sustainable development. 2014, launching the Lima-Paris Action Agenda to ex-
It includes a policy agenda that incentivizes a shift pand climate partnerships, and pledging $10 billion
in investment towards areas of global need, and that to initially capitalize the Green Climate Fund. The
Report of the Secretary-General 7

task now is to ensure that projects are approved and bomber driving an explosive-laden vehicle in Bagh-
that funds are disbursed as soon as possible to where dad. In Somalia, on 20 April 2015, four unicef
they are needed most. personnel were killed in a suicide bomb attack on a
28. The Lima Work Programme on Gender was United Nations vehicle. From 1 September 2014 to
also adopted, with the aims, inter alia, of increas- 31 May 2015, 32 uniformed United Nations peace-
ing awareness and capacity to address the gender keepers were killed in Mali, accounting for nearly half
dimensions of climate change, improving women’s of the total of 73 fatalities of such personnel world-
participation and ensuring that climate policies and wide. One unicef staff member in Yemen was ab-
measures are gender responsive. ducted and kept in captivity for 399 days before being
29. Progress is still needed on several fronts, released on 8 November 2014. The security situation
however. Climate finance is critical for catalys- has a disproportionate impact on the ability of our
ing action and building political trust. Developed peace operations to implement their mandate, partic-
countries must define a politically credible trajectory ularly in non-permissive environments.
for achieving the goal of $100 billion per year by 2020 33. Amid these changes in security conditions,
announced in 2009 in Copenhagen. Adaptation and the High-level Independent Panel I appointed to carry
resilience efforts must be strengthened and supported, out a review of peace operations has provided many
especially in the small island developing States and the important recommendations to ensure that United
least developed countries. All countries should submit Nations operations remain fit for purpose. This review
ambitious national contributions that detail how they was undertaken alongside other important exercises
will address climate change in the post-2020 period. that involved extensive consultations with Member
States—the peacebuilding architecture review, which
30. Action must accelerate at every level, from will be considered through an intergovernmental pro-
the local to the global. We have no time to waste, and cess, and the global study on the implementation of
much to gain by moving quickly down a lower-carbon Security Council resolution 1325 (2000), as well as
pathway. All countries must be part of the solution the earlier Expert Panel on Technology and Innova-
if we are to stay within the global temperature rise tion in Peacekeeping, the report of which was released
threshold of 2°C. Working together, we can turn the in February 2015. Drawing on them, my forthcoming
climate challenge into a powerful opportunity to re- report on United Nations peace operations will set
duce poverty and inequality, strengthen sustainable out what I believe to be a critical agenda for reform
growth, improve public health and promote sustain- in peace operations for the coming years and how we
able development. can effectively implement the key recommendations
of the High-level Independent Panel.
B. Maintenance of international peace
and security 34. While the United Nations grappled with
these new realities, we strove to stay the course on
31. In the past year we faced increasingly com- longer-standing threats and conflicts, to continue our
plex, interconnected threats to international peace and quiet preventive diplomacy across the globe and to
security. Some were new. Others were long-standing remain vigilant to emerging threats.
threats that had intensified or taken on more viru-
lent forms. Extremist groups captured large swathes 1. Conflict prevention and mediation
of territory in the Middle East and West Africa and 35. In keeping with this sobering picture, our
significant sources of revenue while terrorizing and efforts in conflict prevention and mediation faced
abusing millions of people. Conflicts became in- significant challenges. Following the descent of the
creasingly transnational. Tensions between Member Central African Republic into sectarian violence and
States rose in some regions. The Security Council’s the subsequent establishment of a peacekeeping force,
agenda was dominated by concerns about terrorism the Organization—including through the good of-
and violent extremism. The 37 United Nations peace fices of my Special Representative for Central Africa
operations deployed around the world had to adapt and my Special Representative for the Central African
to increasingly non-permissive environments, while Republic—has focused on facilitating a political pro-
the outbreak of Ebola virus disease raised serious con- cess that includes the disarmament, demobilization
cern about the potential security risks posed by health and reintegration of former combatants, pursues
emergencies. peace and reconciliation, extends the reach of State
32. This evolving security environment re- authorities and culminates in free, fair and transpar-
sulted in severe risks for United Nations personnel ent elections. This process successfully culminated
and operations. Over the past year, there were sev- in the holding of local consultations and the Bangui
eral direct attacks involving the use of unconven- Forum, where a pact for peace, national reconciliation
tional tactics, such as suicide bombings and the use and reconstruction and a preliminary agreement on
of improvised explosive devices. In November 2014, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration were
a United Nations convoy was targeted by a suicide agreed upon.
8 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

36. Over the past year, Libya has witnessed a sig- also been working continuously to combat incitement
nificant political and security crisis alongside the most and hate speech, encourage preventive action and pro-
serious outbreak of armed conflict since the 2011 revo- mote interfaith dialogue. As the country faces general
lution. The political division and fighting have caused elections late in 2015, we will continue to encourage a
significant civilian casualties and displacement, as credible, inclusive and transparent electoral process.
well as severe social and economic damage. The 39. In Yemen, the conf lict between the
Organization has been at the forefront of international Government of President Hadi Mansour and the Hou-
efforts to promote a negotiated political solution. My this and their allies led to a significant deterioration of
Special Representative facilitated a multi-track dialogue the situation, in spite of the best efforts by the United
process, which enjoys wide support among the Libyan Nations to find a consensual power-sharing solution
actors, the international community and key regional between them. Although a United Nations-brokered
players. Although the situation remains delicate, the agreement had been signed in September, the Hou-
United Nations strongly believes that the formation of this continued to consolidate and expand their hold
a Government of National Accord is the best way for on power and territory. In January 2015, the President
Libya to solve the current crisis and confront the many and the Prime Minister tendered their resignations.
critical issues facing the country, including terrorism. The President escaped to Aden in February 2015, re-
37. The conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic re- scinded his resignation, and subsequently fled to Saudi
mains a stain on our collective conscience as it enters its Arabia. At the President’s request, a coalition of 10
fifth year. It has now resulted in over 220,000 deaths, countries led by Saudi Arabia commenced air strikes
and over 12 million people remain in need of humanita- on Houthi and Houthi-allied positions on 26 March.
rian assistance, including more than 5 million children. At the same time, fighting on the ground in Yemen
The Organization continues to promote a political solu- escalated, triggering a humanitarian emergency. With a
tion based on the 2012 Geneva communiqué. In the view to promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict,
Middle East, a third war in six years between Israel and my new Special Envoy for Yemen convened consulta-
armed militants in Gaza ended on 26 August 2014, dur- tions between the Yemeni parties in Geneva from 15 to
ing which more than 2,200 Palestinians and 70 Israelis 19 June. No consensus on resolving the situation was
were killed. I worked closely with all relevant stakehold- reached, however. His efforts are continuing.
ers to halt violence and, in the aftermath, established 40. While the reporting period may have been
a Board of Inquiry to review incidents in which death dominated by the challenges in the international spot-
or injuries occurred at, or damage was done to, United light, there were many other situations where we made
Nations premises in Gaza, or in which the presence important progress or continued to carry out essential
of weaponry was reported at those premises. In the preventive work, both visible and quiet, by facilitating
absence of progress on intra-Palestinian reconciliation dialogue and helping to de-escalate tensions. In Burkina
and stronger ceasefire arrangements between Israelis Faso, at the onset of the crisis and “popular uprising” that
and Palestinians, the situation in Gaza remains precari- led to the departure of then President Blaise Compaoré,
ous. An effort at reconstruction, facilitated by a United the rapid action taken by my Special Representative
Nations-brokered mechanism, did not receive sufficient for West Africa, together with representatives of the
funding. The peace process remains frozen, Israelis and African Union and the Economic Community of
Palestinians locked in a cycle of counterproductive ac- West African States, to support national stakeholders
tions and counteractions. to engage in an inclusive national dialogue process re-
38. The conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to sulted in an agreement on a transitional government.
devastate the country, posing a challenge to regional The Organization will continue to support Bur-
and even international peace and security. I continue kinabé stakeholders throughout the transition period.
to offer my full support towards a peaceful resolution. 41. In Lebanon, the International Support Group
I also made my good offices available to support Myan- worked to help preserve the country’s stability and unity
mar to bring about lasting peace through an agreement by mobilizing international assistance in a range of
on a nationwide ceasefire between the Government areas, including to the Lebanese Armed Forces and in
and major ethnic armed groups and political dialogue, support of Government efforts to deal with the excep-
after more than six decades of intermittent conflict. tional refugee presence as a consequence of the conflict
Meanwhile, in 2014, the United Nations provided in the Syrian Arab Republic. My Special Representative
support to Myanmar’s countrywide population and for Iraq continued his efforts to mediate between key
housing census, the first such exercise in 30 years. As Iraqi stakeholders, including by facilitating an impor-
Myanmar moves forward with its reform and democ- tant agreement on revenue-sharing and oil exports
ratization, the ongoing communal polarization, partic- between the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan
ularly in Rakhine State, places major responsibility on Regional Government. He also facilitated discus-
the country’s leaders. The United Nations has consist- sions on the Government of Iraq’s request, at a time
ently pressed for the urgent and comprehensive resolu- of financial strain, to defer its compensation payments
tion of the citizenship status of the Rohingyas. It has to Kuwait. I continue to be personally committed to
Report of the Secretary-General 9

facilitating a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus 44. Vulnerable populations continued to suffer
issue, where fully-fledged negotiations, facilitated by from or face severe risks of genocide, war crimes, eth-
my Special Adviser, resumed in May 2015. In Mau- nic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In order
ritania, the United Nations country team supported a to strengthen early warning, the Office on Genocide
national dialogue on social cohesion, slavery and land Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect produced
rights. I welcomed the convening of direct talks be- a new Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes that
tween the Government of Afghanistan and Taliban identifies key risk factors and provides a methodology
representatives, held in Pakistan in July 2015, as an for assessing situations of concern. The Special Adviser
encouraging development for a potential peace process. on the Prevention of Genocide also provided technical
42. Preventive efforts are also at the heart of my assistance and support for capacity-building to Member
Human Rights up Front initiative, which aligns the States and regional arrangements, including the Inter-
actions of the United Nations system to ensure that we national Conference on the Great Lakes Region and
meet our most fundamental collective responsibilities to the national committees set up by its member States to
prevent serious human rights violations. Over the past prevent genocide and other atrocity crimes.
year, efforts were made to improve the United Nations 45. Violations against children, especially by ex-
early warning and early action capabilities at both tremist groups, continued and increased, including an
Headquarters and in the field as part of this initiative. alarming new trend of mass abductions of children,
Additional support was provided to several United such as the abduction of the Chibok girls. My Special
Nations field presences to strengthen the Organiza- Representative for Children and Armed Conflict led
tion’s preparedness to meet its mandated obligations. the establishment of a key monitoring and reporting
43. With each passing year, our partnerships mechanism in Nigeria which will document these vio-
with regional and subregional organizations grow and lations and increase the accountability of perpetrators.
deepen. This past year was no exception, as demonstrated 46. The efforts of my Special Representative on
by the examples below, and indeed throughout this Sexual Violence in Conflict resulted in mobilizing
report. The European Union is an important partner of political will to address conflict-related sexual violence,
the United Nations on mediation, conflict prevention for example through structured frameworks including
and rapid response, including in the Central African specific commitments, with the Governments of the
Republic, Mali and Somalia. In Ukraine, we supported Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan,
the efforts of the Organization for Security Coopera- the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Op-
tion in Europe, including its monitoring mission. In position, and regional entities like the African Union
the Sudan and South Sudan, through my Special En- and the International Conference on the Great Lakes
voy, we supported efforts by the Intergovernmental Region. Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea all made
Authority on Development to mediate between the major strides in addressing sexual violence crimes.
warring factions in South Sudan, as well as those of 47. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
the African Union High-level Implementation Panel and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) also
to hold an inclusive and credible national dialogue to supported the meaningful participation or consultation
address the root causes of the multiple conflicts in the of women in peace processes in Colombia, Mali, My-
Sudan and reach a cessation of hostilities in Darfur anmar, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and
and in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States. Our Ukraine. In Colombia, those efforts resulted in women
regional office in Central Africa helped the Economic counting for approximately one third of the delegates
Community of Central African States to strengthen on each side of the peace table and at least half of the
its mediation architecture and worked together with participants in all public consultations.
our West Africa office to support the efforts of the 48. Another welcome trend in our peacemaking
Lake Chad Basin Commission to address the regional and mediation efforts, no matter how different and
impact of the crisis brought about by Boko Haram. In challenging those processes may be, is our progress
Madagascar, the United Nations worked closely with towards enhanced inclusivity. In all processes where
the Southern African Development Community and the United Nations was in a leading or co-leading role
the African Union to support the full implementation over the past year, we ensured regular consultation with
of the road map and to foster national reconciliation civil society, including women’s groups.
and democracy. In the Great Lakes region, my Special
Envoy continued to coordinate United Nations efforts 2. Democratic transitions and elections
with other “co-witnesses”—the African Union, the In- 49. Inclusivity was also a key goal in our efforts
ternational Conference on the Great Lakes Region and to support democracy around the world, where we ad-
the Southern African Development Community—in vised many Governments on ways to increase political
support of the implementation, by the signatories, of participation, for instance by removing barriers to
the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the participation of women as voters, candidates and
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Region. election officials. In cases where the United Nations
10 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

actively supported government and State formation Community to support the holding of elections in
processes, as in Iraq and Somalia, we advocated par- Lesotho and Zambia in 2014.
ticularly strongly the inclusion of women, youth and 54. The United Nations has also continued to
minority groups, as well as for the formation of an support national efforts to prevent election-related
inclusive government which would represent the in- instability and violence. Where this is appropriate
terests of all components in society. and requested, the Organization has sought to link
50. The United Nations assisted a wide variety of technical assistance and preventive diplomacy efforts
countries with constitutional reform in the reporting in order to strengthen public confidence in electoral
period. In Somalia, my Special Representative worked processes and their outcomes.
closely with the Federal Government, regional stake-
holders and international partners to maintain mo- 3. Peacekeeping
mentum on the country’s Vision 2016 agenda. 55. The reporting period was a challenging one
51. Countries seeking to consolidate gains in for peacekeeping. The ultimate goal of peacekeeping—
their democratic transitions often face continuing in- to support a political process and help a country to
stability due to weak institutional frameworks. There make the transition from conflict to lasting peace—
were instances of efforts to change presidential term remains the same. However, the context in which
limits or to interpret constitutional provisions in a way mandated tasks are implemented continues to evolve
that would be favourable to the office holder. While and the mismatch between the resources assigned to
constitutions are live documents and political systems our missions and the complex security environments
evolve, a removal of term limits can be seen as self- in which they operate has become increasingly glaring.
serving and lead to conflict if it is not based on an Several peacekeeping operations had to adapt to these
inclusive and broad national consensus. In Burundi, increasingly non-permissive security environments,
despite a ruling of the Constitutional Court, the can- with ongoing violence and no prospect of political
didacy of the incumbent President has been highly resolution in sight. Examples include Mali and
divisive, polarizing the people of Burundi. Violent Darfur, where the United Nations Multidimensional
confrontations between the police and opponents to Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the
the incumbent’s third term bid, as well as an attempted African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in
coup d’état on 13 May, have increased the prospects of Darfur (unamid) face deadly attacks and asymmetric
large-scale human rights violations with far-reaching threats, including from improvised explosive devices,
consequences for Burundi and the Great Lakes region. armed groups and criminal organizations.
The United Nations worked closely with Burundian 56. In other cases, missions were deployed to
stakeholders, regional leaders and the international active conflict zones where there is no peace to keep
community to defuse tensions and facilitate a dialogue and no peace agreement to support. In these instances,
process to help to create the conditions for the holding our operations have to first bring about a cessation of
of peaceful, credible and inclusive elections. hostilities, while also providing protection to civilians,
52. Many Member States turned to the United before they can focus on long-term, sustainable peace.
Nations for technical assistance in conducting credible This has been the case, for example, in the Central
elections. During the reporting period, such assistance African Republic, where there was no political road
was provided to over 65 countries at their request, map for a period of time and where the transnational
some on the basis of current and new Security Council nature of the conflict, difficulties in identifying the
mandates. In Tunisia, the Organization provided parties to the conflict, and blurry distinctions between
support to national authorities for the conduct of the combatants and civilians make the roles of peacekeep-
2014 presidential and legislative elections and a con- ers and the good offices of the Special Representatives
stitutional referendum, and extended support to civil of the Secretary-General more difficult than ever. The
society organizations for public outreach activities and Organization is developing a regular and open exchange
support to women candidates. In the Central African with the Security Council to ensure that peacekeeping
Republic, the United Nations has been providing mandates are realistic, feasible and accompanied by the
assistance in preparation for presidential and legislative appropriate level of political support and resources.
elections in 2015, while also helping to create a secure 57. Our peacekeeping partnership with the
environment for the elections and the protection of the African Union was also refined and consolidated dur-
long-suffering civilian population. ing the reporting period. Both Organizations have
53. My Special Representative for West Africa learned lessons from the transitions from African
worked with the Economic Community of West Union to United Nations missions which were effected
African States and the African Union to support the in Mali in 2013 and in the Central African Republic
holding of peaceful and credible elections in Benin, in September 2014.
Nigeria and Togo in 2015, and the Organization has 58. We worked to consolidate security and
worked with the Southern African Development governance gains in Côte d’Ivoire, Haiti and Liberia,
Report of the Secretary-General 11

with the eventual aim of drawing the missions to a While the cost of peacekeeping today exceeds $8.5
close. While mission drawdown plans in Liberia suf- billion, the per capita cost of peacekeeping today is
fered a setback as a result of the Ebola crisis, signifi- 17 per cent less than it was in 2008–2009 when ad-
cant progress was made in 2015 towards enhancing justed for inflation. With respect to conduct and dis-
the Government’s capacity to manage its own security cipline, I have proposed a strengthened programme
and deliver public services. In Haiti, the mission con- of action against sexual exploitation and abuse for the
tinues to engage with the Government on prepara- consideration of the General Assembly in my report
tions for national elections, but risks remain for the [A/69/779]. In recent months, allegations have surfaced
full adherence to the electoral calendar, which will of sexual abuse and other serious crimes by non-United
require sustained political engagement from the in- Nations international troops deployed to the Central
ternational community. The Organization will work African Republic under a Security Council mandate.
to establish a clear framework for a smooth transfer of Further incidents were later also alleged to have been
tasks to partner organizations and host Governments. committed by peacekeepers in the United Nations
59. In the Democratic Republic of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission
Congo, the United Nations worked closely with the in the Central African Republic. The Mission, the
Government to ramp up the second phase of the Inter- Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field
national Security and Stabilization Support Strategy Support and the Office of the United Nations High
which, it is hoped, will consolidate political and Commissioner for Human Rights are working closely
security gains and extend State presence and authority together to follow up on all of those allegations, both
to new areas of the east. At the same time, in March, through internal mechanisms with regard to mis-
the Organization launched a strategic dialogue with conduct of United Nations troops and also through
the Government on key issues including contin- engagement with concerned Member States and the
ued support of the United Nations Organization African Union. I have also appointed an independent
Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic external review panel to examine the Organization’s
of the Congo (monusco) to the operations of the handling of such allegations, assess the adequacy of
national Armed Forces in accordance with the human the procedures in place and make recommendations
rights due diligence policy and a road map for the end on how the United Nations should respond to similar
state of monusco in the country. allegations in the future.
60. In a sign of how the world is changing, we 4. Peacebuilding
leveraged our experience in deploying support and 62. The Peacebuilding Commission, Fund
humanitarian missions in highly innovative ways dur- and Support Office celebrate their tenth anniversary
ing the reporting period to help Member States to cope in 2015. As foreseen, the Security Council and the
with unanticipated global challenges. In response to General Assembly jointly sought a review of their role
a request from the Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and and position, as well as that of the operational en-
Sierra Leone for the United Nations to lead coordi- tities of the United Nations system, with respect to
nation of the international response to the unprec- peacebuilding. On 29 June, the Advisory Group of
edented Ebola outbreak, the United Nations Mission Experts on the Review of the Peacebuilding Archi-
for Ebola Emergency Response was designed, author- tecture, which the two bodies asked me to appoint,
ized and deployed in a span of 10 days—a record pace submitted its report [A/69/968-S/2015/490] providing a
for the Organization—to harness the capabilities set of interrelated recommendations on how to im-
and competencies of all relevant United Nations ac- prove performance in “sustaining peace” and prevent-
tors under a singular operational crisis management ing lapse and relapse into conflict. I look forward to
system to reinforce unity of purpose, effective ground- the outcomes of the second, intergovernmental phase
level leadership and operational direction to ensure of the review. In my recent report on peacebuilding in
a rapid, effective, efficient and coherent response to the aftermath of conflict [A/69/399-S/2014/694], I identi-
the Ebola crisis. It was the first-ever United Nations fied a number of lessons that are highly relevant for
emergency health mission. This flexibility and vision the review. The Peacebuilding Commission also held
was similarly exercised with the deployment of the some pertinent deliberations during the reporting,
United Nations partnership with the Organization for example on how conflict-affected countries can
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which led generate domestic resources and fight against illicit
to the dismantling and destruction of 98.8 per cent of financial flows. I applaud this move by the Commis-
the officially declared chemical weapons stock of the sion towards more practical means of performing
Syrian Arab Republic. its core function of resource mobilization beyond
61. Throughout the reporting period, we con- traditional fundraising and towards global policy
tinued to place the highest priority on rapidity, ef- development. Meanwhile, the Peacebuilding Fund
ficiency, effectiveness, credibility, accountability and achieved its target through the allocation of $99.3
conduct and discipline in all our peace operations. million to 16 countries emerging from conflict or
12 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

political crisis, continuing the upward trend from 65. Despite the persistence of security threats
previous years. A total of 9.3 per cent of allocations and the impact of climate change in some parts of
went to projects promoting women’s empowerment the continent, some progress was made in addressing
and gender equality as their principal objective. This election-related threats and in strengthening the nexus
was up from 7.4 per cent in 2013, but still below my between peace, security and development. Given the
target of 15 per cent, which is particularly disap- importance of women’s and girls’ empowerment and
pointing as we approach the anniversary of Security leadership in peace, security and development, the
Council resolution 1325 (2000) and the review of its United Nations also worked to enhance global visibility
implementation. We must intensify these and other and awareness of the African Union’s agendas in this
efforts to undertake gender-responsive peacebuilding. regard, including through a possible continental results
Overall, the Fund was active in just over 20 countries. framework on women and peace and security in Africa,
During the same period, total contributions to the and 2015 was proclaimed by the African Union as the
Fund in the amount of $78.2 million were made by Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development
21 Member States. Two new countries were declared towards Africa’s Agenda 2063.
eligible for funding from the Fund—Madagascar and
Mali. On the basis of a programming target of $100 D. Promotion and protection of human rights
million and forecasted contributions of approximately 66. As human rights abuses are so often a cause
$60 million in 2015, the Peacebuilding Fund is seek- and a major consequence of strife, unrest, displace-
ing support from Member States to cover a funding ment and humanitarian crises, it is no surprise that the
gap and sustain Fund activities of at least $40 million. gloomy picture painted elsewhere in this report prevails
in this section too. The reporting period was marked by
C. Development of Africa brutal disregard for human rights, extreme violence,
63. Africa’s development gains continued in the persisting impunity and by the worst displacement the
reporting period. The economic growth rate is projected world has seen since the Second World War, exposing
to rise to 4.6 per cent in 2015, up from 3.5 per cent in millions of innocent people to long-term uncertainties.
2014. With support from the United Nations, progress It is hard not to rue missed opportunities to prevent
was made in priority sectors of the New Partnership such widespread human misery.
for Africa’s Development, including infrastructure, 67. More priority to timely, effective prevention
agriculture and food security, health, education, is one of the purposes of the Human Rights up Front
science and technology, transport, gender equality initiative. This was an important component of United
and governance. Within the framework of the United Nations efforts to prevent and respond to serious
Nations monitoring mechanism, the Organization human rights violations throughout the year, and led
worked to strengthen international support to Africa’s to much more consistent integration of a human rights
development through a review of implementation of perspective in the peace and security, humanitarian and
commitments. The first biennial report of the United other work of the Organization both at Headquarters
Nations monitoring mechanism was submitted to the and at country levels. The initiative helped to ensure
General Assembly at its sixty-ninth session. Through that the risk of serious human rights violations—in-
the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa and cluding violations of economic, social and cultural
the interdepartmental task force on African affairs, the rights—were recognized early and that the whole
Organization worked to ensure coherent and better coor- United Nations system understood them as possible
dinated United Nations system-wide support to Africa. threats to development or to peace and security, and as
64. This past year was notable in several re- a shared responsibility.
spects, with the end of the Millennium Development 68. Many countries and subregions experienced
Goals and the Framework for the Ten-Year armed conflict involving a variety of non-State actors
Capacity-Building Programme for the African Union who spread terror across borders, were often implicated
approaching. United Nations support was therefore in organized crime and perpetrated gross violations of
focused in particular on ensuring that the continent’s the human rights of children and women. While such
priorities as encapsulated in the African Common actions are unforgiveable, a deeper understanding of
Position on the post-2015 development agenda and the root causes of violent extremism is required. Al-
Agenda 2063, the long-term strategic vision for the ienation can be fed by years of corruption, repression,
continent’s development, were taken into considera- discrimination, deprivation and neglect of basic human
tion in the successor agreements, namely the post- rights. More attention is needed to the long-term work
2015 development agenda including the sustainable of building rule of law-based institutions and inclusive
development goals. The Organization also provided governance, education and trust. The United Nations
technical support for African countries participating drew attention throughout the reporting period to the
in the third International Conference on Financing need to address comprehensively these broader condi-
for Development and the upcoming United Nations tions, including by combating hate speech, promoting
summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda. dialogue, protecting human rights and enhancing
Report of the Secretary-General 13

social cohesion, as the most effective means for counter- 72. The human rights-based approach to United
ing the spread of extremism. I was heartened by the fact Nations programming continued with the deploy-
that Member States also reaffirmed important com- ment of 11 new human rights advisers to country
mitments and principles with respect to their collective teams in Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, Ja-
responsibility to protect people from genocide, war maica, Malawi, Maldives, Nigeria, the Philippines,
crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, the United Republic
While these commitments are welcome, we have a long of Tanzania and Zambia, and to United Nations
way to go before they are fully upheld in practice. Development Group regional teams in Bangkok and
69. A strong focus on inclusivity and equality Panama. Human rights standards and principles were
was a key thread across the pillars of United Nations also taken into account in the design of the post-2015
activity in the reporting period. Global human rights development agenda.
challenges, such as migration, disabilities, rights of 73. The United Nations human rights mech-
women and children, sexual orientation, and the rights anisms continued to draw attention to a wide
of various minorities, were addressed through pro- range of human rights issues, both thematic and
motion of equality and countering discrimination. A country-specific, brought new issues to the fore and
higher number of ratifications in the past year of the provided early warning functions. The number of
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities special procedures mandates increased and an un-
demonstrates that States are receptive to new approaches precedented number of commissions of inquiry and
on this issue. Some progress has also been made in se- fact-finding missions/investigations were deployed,
curing the human rights of women and children but namely in relation to the Central African Republic,
it is slow and uneven. The same cannot be said of mi- the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea,
grants. There are more international migrants on the Iraq, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic and the
move now than ever before in human history, many Occupied Palestinian Territory. The recommenda-
of them facing unacceptable levels of human rights tions in the report of the commission of inquiry on
abuses throughout the migration cycle, in countries human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic
of origin, transit and destination. In response, the of Korea, including the establishment of a field-
United Nations appealed for protection of the human based structure, were also vigorously pursued. The
rights of all migrants and called on Governments universal periodic review mechanism continues to
to embrace migration as essential for inclusive and benefit from 100 per cent participation of States
sustainable social and economic development. In this and the overwhelming support of Member States.
connection, we issued Recommended Principles and The process of strengthening the treaty body system
Guidelines on Human Rights at International Borders. (General Assembly resolution 68/268) was success-
70. Growing threats to civil society, particularly fully concluded.
acute in conflict situations, but also in the context 74. Faced with the multiple challenges in the
of electoral processes, in countries in political transi- protection of human rights, an increasingly difficult
tion, as well as in the framework of counter-terrorism financial situation and heightened demands stem-
policies, are a matter of great concern. The United ming from new and sometimes unfunded mandates
Nations continues to assist States to ensure that civil from the Human Rights Council in particular, my
society can operate freely and without harassment. At- new High Commissioner led a prioritization and
tacks on human rights defenders continued, as did, restructuring process in his office to ensure that
while repeatedly condemned at all levels, intimidation resources are channelled to areas of highest impact
of those who cooperate with the United Nations and re- on people’s lives. I fully support these efforts but re-
prisals against them. I fully support discussions on the call that Member States are ultimately responsible for
protection of journalists at the Human Rights Council, human rights protection and promotion and that the
the General Assembly and the Security Council and United Nations can only support them to that end.
welcome the recent adoption by the Security Council
of resolution 2222 (2015). E. Effective coordination of humanitarian
71. The United Nations High Commissioner assistance efforts
for Human Rights addressed the Security Council on 75. This reporting period saw several deplor-
many critical situations, including those concerning the able humanitarian benchmarks. More than 76 mil-
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iraq, Myan- lion people from 31 countries needed assistance. The
mar, South Sudan and Ukraine, as well as providing number of people displaced by conflict exceeded 51
regular briefings on protection of civilians and other million—the highest number since the Second World
thematic briefings, for example in relation to small War. There were more than 400 natural disasters in
arms. The Human Rights Council considered Burundi, 2014, which led to the loss of over 17,000 lives and
the Central African Republic, the Democratic People’s which cost over $82 billion in damages. The year
Republic of Korea, Iraq, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, the was dominated by six level 3 emergencies (Central
Syrian Arab Republic and Ukraine. African Republic, Iraq, Philippines, South Sudan,
14 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen) and the Ebola cri- development and humanitarian sectors. The World
sis. They unfolded in tandem with many other on- Humanitarian Summit to be held in May 2016,
going crises that caused tremendous suffering. While in Istanbul, Turkey, will set an ambitious and bold
funding grew, so too did the funding shortfall, from forward agenda for humanitarian work and will ad-
37 per cent ($3.3 billion) in 2011 to 40 per cent ($7.4 dress some of these fundamental challenges.
billion) in 2014. Nearly $11 billion was received for
interagency appeals, an unprecedented $479 million F. Promotion of justice and international law
for the global Central Emergency Response Fund 79. At the close of the reporting period, the
and $600 million for 22 country-based pooled funds. International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Growing humanitarian needs continue to outpace the remained seized of three appeals and was continu-
resources available to meet them. ing four trials of senior political and military figures.
76. During 2014, the continuing lack of com- The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda is
pliance by parties to conflict with international seized of its final appeal and is scheduled for formal
humanitarian law was of particular concern; so was closure at the end of 2015. The International Residual
the lack of accountability for perpetrators of viola- Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, which continues
tions. I was alarmed by the humanitarian impact of the essential functions of the ad hoc tribunals and
the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and maintains their legacy, delivered its first appeal judge-
by the effects of conflict on civilians in general, partic- ment in December.
ularly women and girls, and the increasing number of 80. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts
people displaced. Millions of people remain without of Cambodia, in August 2014, convicted two Khmer
protection or adequate assistance, owing to hostilities, Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity, although
insecurity and obstacles to humanitarian access put in further proceedings continue. The international co-
place by the parties. investigating judge issued charges against three indi-
77. Despite the scale of the challenges, many viduals. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon continued
Governments have greater capacity to handle crises, the trial in absentia of five accused with respect to the
and therefore are requesting assistance less frequently, attack against Rafiq Hariri and began the first of two
preferring that the international humanitarian system contempt trials against commercial media entities.
work in a more tailored manner to fill specific gaps, 81. During the reporting period, the United
provide specific services, or further develop national
Nations celebrated the tenth anniversary of the entry
expertise. There are many more actors, including
into force of its Relationship Agreement with the In-
national and local civil society groups and private
ternational Criminal Court. The United Nations has
sector companies. While this can pose a challenge to
continued to promote accountability for serious crimes
coherence, it can also be an opportunity to increase
of international concern and to advocate universal rati-
effectiveness if everyone works together towards the
fication of the Rome Statute. The Court upheld the
shared goal of meeting the needs of the affected
conviction of Thomas Lubanga in December and in
population.
March the Appeals Chamber established the princi-
78. To address the growing gap between needs ples and procedures for reparations for his victims. The
and resources, the donor base must expand. Increased Prosecutor opened a preliminary examination into the
funding alone is not the answer, however, and I have situation in Palestine, and opened a second investiga-
appointed a High-level Panel on Humanitarian Fi-
tion into the situation in the Central African Republic,
nancing to consider necessary changes. We need to
marking the ninth situation before the Court.
operate differently, including working towards reduc-
ing and not just meeting humanitarian needs. The av- 82. War crimes, crimes against humanity, geno-
erage length of a humanitarian appeal is now 7 years, cide and other gross violations of human rights under-
and the average time that people are displaced is 17 mine the very foundations of the rule of law at both
years. Planning and raising money on a yearly basis the international and national levels. While the Inter-
for protracted crises, such as long-term displacement national Criminal Court was established to investigate
crises, is not the most effective or efficient approach. and prosecute those crimes, the primary responsibility
A longer-term, outcome-driven approach that brings rests with the Member States. For that reason, we con-
humanitarian and development planning closer tinue to accord high priority to activities in support of
together is needed. However, without substantially strengthening national capacity to combat impunity
higher political commitment to address the underly- for those crimes, in line with international law.
ing causes, it will not be possible to cover constantly 83. The authorities of the Central African
increasing needs. The post-2015 development agenda, Republic adopted a law establishing a national
the new disaster risk reduction framework, and the special criminal court to address serious crimes, in-
ongoing discussions around climate change and the cluding serious violations of international human
new urban agenda are unique opportunities to bet- rights and humanitarian law. The United Nations
ter address these global challenges common to the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
Report of the Secretary-General 15

the Central African Republic will continue to provide I commissioned a study on armed unmanned aerial
support to the national authorities in connection with vehicles, which included a focus on humanitarian and
the establishment and operationalization of the court. human rights issues related to their use. The Vienna
I have developed options addressing accountability Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear
and transitional justice in respect of the international Weapons, held in December 2014, contributed to
crimes committed in South Sudan. growing awareness of the risks posed by nuclear
84. The Organization has continued to support weapons. Such conferences deepen our knowledge of
the efforts of Member States to strengthen the legal the risks of use and the fundamental challenges to
regime for oceans, as reflected in the United Nations our emergency response capability. The more we un-
Convention on the Law of the Sea and its imple- derstand about the humanitarian impacts, the more it
menting agreements. The implementation of those becomes clear that we must pursue disarmament as an
instruments contributes to sustained and inclusive urgent imperative. The United Nations also continued
economic growth, social development and environ- to support the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention
mental protection. Oceans have featured promi- and the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
nently in the work of the Open Working Group on 88. I deeply regret the inability of the 2015
Sustainable Development Goals. The Organization Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on
has also continued to strengthen inter-agency co- the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to reach
ordination and the coherence of United Nations consensus on a substantive outcome. While increas-
system activities related to ocean and coastal areas, ing international tension demonstrates the need for
in particular through UN-Oceans. tangible progress in nuclear disarmament, a wide
gap persists on how to move this agenda forward.
G. Disarmament States must not let this setback stop the momentum
85. Multilateral disarmament forums continued they have built in recent years for new initiatives in
to struggle in this reporting period to deliver results, the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and continuing
although there were some breakthroughs and reasons efforts to strengthen nuclear non-proliferation.
for optimism. 89. In the field of conventional arms regula-
86. The international community came together tion, we saw the rapid entry into force of the land-
to ensure the rapid and verified elimination of mark Arms Trade Treaty, on 24 December 2014.
Syrian chemical weapons. The Joint Mission of the This is a testament to the collective will of the inter-
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons national community to put an end to the irresponsi-
(opcw) and the United Nations for the Elimination of ble transfers of conventional arms and their diversion.
the Chemical Weapons Programme of the Syrian Arab Unregulated arms transfers to conflict zones, terror-
Republic completed its mandate and drew to a close on ists and organized crime groups should be a thing of
30 September 2014. This effort was, in many ways, a the past. For the Arms Trade Treaty to be truly effec-
bright spot amid truly dark circumstances. Challenges tive, universal participation in the treaty—as well as
remain on some outstanding issues, which need to be rigorous implementation by all—are essential.
addressed by the Syrian authorities in cooperation with 90. More sobering was the continuing in-
opcw. The Office for Disarmament Affairs continues ability—after 19 years—of the Conference on
to engage with opcw and the Syrian authorities on Disarmament to overcome its differences and agree
the remaining work, and to keep the Security Council on a programme of work that would allow for the
briefed, on issues relating to the implementation of resumption of substantive negotiations. I call again on
resolution 2118 (2013). The opcw fact-finding mission the Conference on Disarmament to rise to the chal-
on allegations of the use of toxic chemicals as weapons lenge and live up to its mandate as the world’s single
in the Syrian Arab Republic also continued its work. negotiating forum for multilateral disarmament.
Concerns regarding the increasing number of such 91. As a concrete first step towards revalidating
allegations were reflected in resolution 2209 (2015), its relevance, the Conference should start to conduct
in which the Security Council expressed support for substantive work on the basis of an agreed programme
the continuing work of the opcw fact-finding mission of work, including by heeding the recommendations
and, inter alia, stressed that those responsible for any of the group of governmental experts with respect to
use of chemicals as weapons must be held accountable. a ban on the production of fissile material for nuclear
87. Humanitarian approaches to disarmament weapons or other explosive devices. I look forward to
saw momentum in the reporting period. I am par- an early beginning of negotiations on this ban, which
ticularly encouraged by the growing interest in ad- is an important step towards a world free of nuclear
dressing the humanitarian, legal, military and ethi- weapons.
cal dimensions of autonomous weapon systems and 92. I regret to see that, despite tireless efforts
other emerging technologies under the auspices of by the facilitator, little progress was made on
the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. bringing the States of the Middle East together to
16 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

find agreement on how to free the region of nuclear these new challenges through a number of landmark
weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction. I resolutions, such as Security Council resolution 2178
continue to stand ready to support efforts to promote (2014) on foreign terrorist fighters and countering
and sustain the inclusive regional dialogue necessary violent extremism; the revitalized working groups of
to achieve this goal. the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force;
93. Finally, the United Nations responded to an and a newly resourced Counter-Terrorism Centre
increasing number of requests from Member States to that is stepping up capacity-building. Work has be-
support strengthening of national capacities to fulfil gun on a plan of action on preventing violent extrem-
their obligations under multilateral disarmament ism, which I will present to the General Assembly at
treaties and other instruments. its seventieth session.
97. United Nations presences in the field also
H. Drug control, crime prevention and played a part in tackling the cross-border nature of
combating international terrorism in all its terrorism, organized crime and corruption. Our
forms and manifestations regional offices in Central and West Africa have sup-
94. International terrorism rose to the top of ported Governments and subregional organizations
the international agenda in the past year, consum- affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in countries
ing a greater portion of Security Council attention of the Lake Chad Basin region. In Central Africa,
and world headlines and, most tragically, affecting a we supported the development of strategies for
larger number of lives than in the past. I found my- counter-terrorism and small arms and light weapon
self having to repeatedly condemn brutal acts perpe- control and, in the light of the role poaching and
trated against innocent civilians by a new generation illicit wildlife trafficking have played in financing
of transnational terrorist groups. Too often, though, the activities of armed groups such as the Lord’s
I also found it necessary to recall that failure to ad- Resistance Army, the ex-Séléka in the Central African
dress conditions conducive to terrorism produces en- Republic, and Janjaweed groups from the Sudan,
vironments in which extremist groups prove alluring, supported the Economic Community of Central
while responses that are not human rights compliant African States in developing a regional emergency
undermine the very values we hold most dear and can anti-poaching action plan. We also assisted with the
inadvertently fuel radicalization. I continued to advo- development of a comprehensive regional anti-piracy
cate counter-terrorism activities that respect all their strategy for the Gulf of Guinea—the region of Africa
obligations under international law. now most affected by piracy and armed robbery at
95. Failure to resolve the conflict in the Syrian sea. We also continued to address piracy off the coast
Arab Republic produced an enabling environment of Somalia to achieve the objective “zero ship, zero
for isil and Al-Qaida-affiliated groups. The former seafarer” in the hands of Somali pirates. In Tunisia,
has spread outwards from Iraq and the Syrian Arab we supported reforms to strengthen border security
Republic to pose a threat to regional and interna- to prevent transnational crime along porous borders.
tional peace and security. Meanwhile, in Libya, pro- In the Asia-Pacific region, United Nations support
longed chaos and conflict provided fertile ground for was provided to the Association of Southeast Asian
violent extremist groups to organize and carry out Nations on issues including maritime security, coun-
attacks and local radical groups increasingly pledged tering violent extremism and transnational crime,
allegiance to international terrorist networks. In while two high-level counter-terrorism political dia-
Somalia, despite continued progress in joint Somali/ logues were held with the European Union.
African Union military operations supported by the 98. The United Nations also continued to assist
United Nations, the Al-Shabaab group poses a grow- Member States in building their response capacities
ing threat to the wider region, demonstrated by the through the ratification and implementation of inter-
egregious killing of 147 students at Garissa University national legal instruments. These include the 19 inter-
College in Kenya on 2 April. national legal instruments against terrorism, as well
96. These developments reveal the limits of as the United Nations Convention against Corrup-
conventional approaches to counter-terrorism, which tion, which now has 175 States parties. Ten additional
have been reactive and focused on security and countries and territories became parties to the United
military operations, and reminded us afresh of the Nations Convention against Transnational Organ-
need to focus on pillar I of the United Nations Global ized Crime in the past year. Specialized technical
Counter-Terrorism Strategy (General Assembly reso- assistance and capacity-building was also available
lution 60/288), which pertains to addressing the to criminal justice and law enforcement officials on
conditions conducive to terrorism, as well as the issues related to criminal justice reform in general and
broader challenge of violent extremism at the local, in specialized areas of counter-terrorism, including on
national, regional and global levels. The United illicit financial flows, the financing of terrorism and
Nations took steps in the reporting period to address the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, foreign
Report of the Secretary-General 17

terrorist fighters, kidnapping for ransom, the recovery Chapter III

of stolen assets and human rights-compliant responses
to terrorism. Strengthening the Organization
99. The connections between drug trafficking, 102. The General Assembly made important
organized crime, corruption and terrorism are be- strides in the past year to enhance the Organization’s
coming more diverse and sophisticated, and fuel decision-making capabilities and to make it more re-
insecurity and political instability globally. From flective of the twenty-first century. Intergovernmental
Afghanistan to West and Central Africa, and more negotiations continued on Security Council reform
recently in the Middle East, North Africa and East and the Assembly placed a new emphasis on coordi-
Africa, these links have become increasingly appar- nation among the principal organs on topical issues.
ent. The recent tragic events resulting from migrant Enhanced interaction between the Assembly and civil
smuggling in the Mediterranean and Andaman Seas society was also prioritized. There was a 21 per cent
have further highlighted the shared responsibility of rise in the frequency of Security Council meetings
States in addressing these issues. The Organization and a 36 per cent increase in the number of General
provided evidence-based knowledge on the evolution Assembly meetings, and the Secretariat provided quan-
of drug markets, organized crime dynamics and the titatively more but qualitatively consistent conference
nature and magnitude of violence, informing Govern- service support. Delivery of conference services was
ments and providing actionable information to assist modernized in a variety of ways, including with a
in designing appropriate and effective responses. global United Nations platform for computer-assisted
100. At the global level, flagship reports on the and machine translation.
world drug problem, human trafficking, homicide and 103. The Secretariat made notable progress
synthetic drugs helped to shape policy discussions. throughout the year on a number of key transforma-
According to the World Health Organization (who), tional initiatives designed to make the Organization
each year, some 200,000 people die from the use of truly global and to maximize our capacity to deliver
drugs and approximately 27 million people in the on mandates effectively and efficiently. For exam-
world suffer from drug use disorders. According to the ple, Umoja, the enterprise resource planning system,
estimates of the United Nations Office on Drugs and reached another critical milestone in June with its de-
Crime, who, the Joint United Nations Programme ployment to the Nairobi-based entities (United Nations
on hiv/aids and the World Bank, 1.7 million and Office at Nairobi, United Nations Environment
6.6 million people who inject drugs are infected with Programme, UN-Habitat) as well as to the Office for
hiv and hepatitis C, respectively. Many more die the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the
as a result of the violence that permeates the illicit Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
drug trade. The Organization, including through the Pacific. It will be deployed to all other duty stations in
United Nations system task force on transnational or- November, thereby enabling an integrated and stream-
ganized crime and drug trafficking, has continued to lined management of financial, human and physical
support Member States in the lead-up to the special resources for the global Secretariat. This standardized
session of the General Assembly on the world drug solution will in turn support a global service deliv-
problem to be held in 2016, including in ensuring that ery model that will provide high-quality, timely and
it would consider the issue from a perspective that standardized administrative services across the global
is grounded in a concern for health and well-being Secretariat, including services to peacekeeping and
while continuing to provide an effective multilateral special political missions. I will present a framework
space to address the root causes of drug production, proposal on the global service delivery model to the
trafficking and related transnational organized crime. General Assembly at its seventieth session.
The session will provide a valuable opportunity for a 104. In addition, the mobility and career
comprehensive and inclusive exchange of ideas and development framework will soon become a real-
lessons on what has and has not worked in address- ity with the launch on 1 January 2016 of the first
ing the world drug problem. The United Nations ad- job network (polnet), which includes departments
vocates a rebalancing of the international policy on and offices working on political, peacekeeping and
drugs, to increase the focus on public health, human humanitarian affairs. This new approach to staff-
rights, prevention, treatment and care, and economic, ing will permit the movement of staff to meet the
social and cultural measures. strategic needs of the Organization arising from
101. The Organization continued efforts to main- mandate requirements and organizational priorities.
stream issues related to drug abuse prevention, drug 105. The implementation of the International
dependence treatment, hiv prevention, treatment Public Sector Accounting Standards in 2014 has in-
and care and, in close coordination with who, pi- creased transparency by making available much more
loted programmes to ensure the availability of pain detailed information about the Organization’s financial
medication in countries with low levels of access. position and the use of its resources and has led to
18 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

greater traceability of management decisions, thereby objectives for which a partnership facility had been
strengthening accountability. proposed. It also allows any subsequent proposals in
106. In view of the endorsement by the General this area to be informed both by the discussions held
Assembly of an information and communications in the context of the consideration of the proposed
technology strategy, I will continue to address the partnership facility and by decisions of Member States
highly fragmented technology landscape, including on financing for development and on the post-2015
by transitioning technology services and programme development framework.
delivery to a model with both enterprise-wide and 112. With respect to existing partnership we con-
regional components that comply with standards, best tinue to focus on increasing the impact of our work
practice and governance requirements. I continue to with a broad range of partners, including Govern-
accord the highest priority to information security and ments, civil society, the private sector, philanthropy,
operational resilience. academia, and other multilateral organizations.
107. Given the level of inherent risk the Through the United Nations Global Compact, over
Organization faces as well as the additional risk gener- 8,000 companies in more than 150 countries are al-
ated by the magnitude of organizational change under ready advancing responsible business practices. In
way, the Secretariat is in the process of implement- addition, consultations were held across the United
ing an enterprise-wide coherent and integrated risk Nations system to revise the Guidelines on Coopera-
management system to mitigate the risks to our work. tion between the United Nations and the Business
108. The renovation and refurbishment of the Sector. The Department of Public Information
Headquarters complex in New York has been success- raised global awareness of the work and goals of the
fully concluded with the dissolution of the Office of the Organization through partnerships with traditional
Capital Master Plan in July 2015 and the transfer of re- and new media outlets across multiple languages, the
sponsibilities to the Office of Central Support Services creative community, and over 1,000 universities that
in the Department of Management. have committed themselves to the United Nations
Academic Impact. Outreach programmes mandated
109. Considerable management attention was by the General Assembly, including those related to
dedicated this year to the increasingly critical question the Holocaust, the Rwanda genocide and the transat-
of the safety and security of United Nations personnel lantic slave trade, continued to be strengthened with
around the world. The Organization worked towards the association of new partners and the enlargement
strengthening its duty of care in high-risk environ- of audiences. The Organization also signed a Revised
ments, ending impunity for serious crimes and acts of and Restated Relationship Agreement with the United
violence committed against United Nations personnel, Nations Foundation, to reflect the evolving nature of
and ensuring consistency in the implementation of the the Foundation’s activities, from primarily grant mak-
programme criticality methodology in order to weigh ing to advocacy and resource mobilization and cross-
security risks against programme imperatives. In ad- sector partnerships.
dition, the Organization remains committed to the
strengthening of security management.
Chapter IV
Partnerships Conclusion
110. Multi-stakeholder initiatives such as Sustain- 113. In this seventieth anniversary year, I am
able Energy for All, Every Woman, Every Child, Global convinced that the world needs the United Nations
Education First Initiative, the Zero Hunger Challenge more than ever before. The Millennium Development
and Global Pulse demonstrate the great potential in Goals we adopted 15 years ago have helped to lift more
partnership to harness the strengths of various actors than a billion people out of extreme poverty, and have
towards achieving the goals of the United Nations. The saved millions of lives and improved conditions for
Climate Summit in September 2014 mobilized lead- millions more around the world. Governments have a
ers from the private sector, finance and civil society to window of opportunity to chart a sustainable future;
commit to ambitious actions to reduce emissions and they are poised to adopt a new universal development
strengthen resilience. The Organization should con- agenda for the next 15 years in September 2015, and
tinue to seize the great potential of partnership, while to agree on an ambitious climate change agreement
ensuring oversight and accountability. in December. The increasingly complex and intercon-
111. Taking heed of the positions of Member nected threats to international peace and security chal-
States, I informed the General Assembly that I no lenge us to review and update our approach to conflict
longer wished Member States to consider the proposals prevention, peacekeeping and peacebuilding. These
related to the establishment of a partnership facility are but a few of the challenges that lie ahead, which
which had been made in the context of the proposed call for an unprecedented spirit of cooperation among
programme budget for the biennium 2014–2015. This Member States. Let us work together to achieve these
allows further consideration of how best to achieve the common goals.
Report of the Secretary-General 19

Annex Target 1.B

Achieve full and productive employment and decent
Millennium Development Goals, targets and work for all, including women and young people
indicators, 2015: statistical tables
Indicator 1.4
Goal 1 Growth rate of gross domestic product (gdp) per
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger person employed
(a) Annual growth rate of gdp per person employed
Target 1.A
(Percentage)
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of
2001 2014a
people whose income is less than one dollar a day
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 1.8
Indicator 1.1 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 3.1
Proportion of population living below $1.25 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 1.2
purchasing power parity (ppp) per daya, b Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 1.7
(Percentage) Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1.4 -0.1
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 1.6
1990 1999 2005 2011
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1.7 -0.2
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.7 36.5 26.5 18.1
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 6.4
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.0 4.5 2.7 1.5
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.5 2.9
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.7 59.4 52.8 46.8
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 3.3
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 12.6 11.0 7.4 4.6
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 1.8
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.5 27.7 26.8 22.4
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 2.8
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 10.2 6.5 3.9
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1.1 0.5
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.7 36.0 15.8 6.3
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -2.7 2.4
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.7 43.0 37.6 23.4
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 3.0
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 52.6 36.4 29.5 20.1
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.7
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.4 35.7 18.6 12.1
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.7
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 4.9 3.2 1.5
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 2.4
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.1 32.4 19.9 6.9
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 1.3
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.9 19.2 7.5 3.6
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.7 62.0 53.5 44.8 (b) Gdp per person employed
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 52.8 51.7 41.0 35.1 (2005 United States dollars (ppp))
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.5 28.5 25.1 19.6
1991 2000 2014a
a High-income economies, as defined by the World Bank, are excluded. World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 699 23 648 32 094
b Estimates by the World Bank, 4 May 2015. Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 479 12 115 21 418
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 013 28 758 35 332
Indicator 1.2
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 870 6 544 9 070
Poverty gap ratioa, b, c Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . 26 127 27 394 30 836
(Percentage)
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 586 28 425 34 585
1990 1999 2005 2011 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 091 27 321 30 597
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 11.8 8.0 5.3 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 923 7 862 23 202
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.3 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . 22 164 32 748 50 573
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.5 26.6 22.4 19.2 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 258 8 065 14 633
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 5.2 4.8 3.2 2.2 Southern Asia excluding India . . . 10 293 11 112 14 478
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4 14.2 13.2 10.7 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 042 12 154 18 991
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 4.4 2.7 1.8 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 456 72 701 85 795
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.0 11.2 3.9 1.3 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 869 6 071 7 130
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.6 11.6 9.4 4.9 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 16 625 11 472 24 937
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 18.1 10.6 7.5 4.4 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 745 66 577 78 706
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.1 9.6 4.2 2.2 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 985 3 235 4 887
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 0.9 0.5 0.3 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . 6 796 5 391 8 863
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.2 10.9 5.5 1.1 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . 26 984 31 795 41 203
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 5.3 2.0 0.9
a Estimates.
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.7 26.1 21.2 17.0
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 23.3 20.5 15.0 12.4 Indicator 1.5
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.9 12.9 10.9 8.3 Employment-to-population ratio
a The poverty gap ratio at $1.25 a day (2005 ppp) measures the mag-
nitude of poverty. Expressed as a percentage of the poverty line, it is (a) Total
the result of multiplying the proportion of people who live below the (Percentage)
poverty line by the difference between the poverty line and the average 1991 2000 2014a
income of the population living under the poverty line. World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 61.1 59.7
b High-income economies, as defined by the World Bank, are excluded. Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.1 62.7 60.8
c Estimates by the World Bank, 4 May 2015. Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.5 40.2 42.6
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.1 63.0 64.6
Indicator 1.3
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.4 58.3 61.8
Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74.4 73.0 67.7
No global or regional data are available. Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.0 56.2 53.3
20 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

1991 2000 2014a 1991 2000 2014a

South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.3 66.8 67.4 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 1.0 0.03
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.2 44.2 46.1 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.5 62.2 33.9
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.0 67.4 67.6 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.1 47.4 25.7
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.6 56.5 60.2 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.4 16.4 10.8
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.6 55.8 55.5 a Estimates.
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.1 68.9 69.6
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.3 67.1 69.5 Indicator 1.7
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.3 55.6 58.0 Proportion of own-account and contributing family
workers in total employment
(b) Men, women and youth, 2014 a

(Percentage) (a) Both sexes

Men Women Youth
(Percentage)
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.4 47.1 41.2 1991 2000 2014a
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74.8 46.6 41.6 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.8 52.2 45.0
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.5 18.0 22.4 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.3 63.3 53.1
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.2 58.0 47.0 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.4 32.4 28.2
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 75.1 49.3 45.3 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81.5 80.1 76.6
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74.1 61.1 49.7 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.6 35.6 31.0
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.2 28.4 35.0 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.2 57.2 40.4
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.7 56.5 45.2 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.8 79.9 73.9
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.9 20.3 25.8 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.1 65.9 49.2
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.9 63.2 51.8 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.5 32.9 20.5
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.5 51.4 37.2 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.2 71.5 71.9
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 49.2 38.2 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.6 47.9 37.3
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.3 61.2 53.6 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.7 11.1 9.8
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 78.0 61.4 55.7 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.3 85.7 80.5
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.4 47.9 36.8 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.5 75.8 71.7
a Estimates. Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.8 36.0 38.5

Indicator 1.6 (b) Men

(Percentage)
Proportion of employed people living below $1.25
(ppp) per day 1991 2000 2014a
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.3 50.4 44.3
(a) Total number of employed people living below $1.25 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.8 59.8 51.0
(ppp) per day Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.5 29.3 24.3
(Millions) Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.7 75.1 70.1
1991 2000 2014a Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.6 35.2 31.1
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 899.5 708.4 319.5 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.5 51.7 38.3
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 898.8 707.3 319.4 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.3 76.7 71.7
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 0.9 0.4 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.9 62.1 42.6
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101.3 132.5 132.4 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.0 28.6 18.2
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 13.5 15.2 6.7 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.9 68.3 68.2
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453.8 238.1 30.2 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.3 48.0 37.4
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228.7 227.7 124.3 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 11.6 10.9
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.9 87.6 23.6 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.2 81.2 74.5
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 0.5 0.4 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.9 72.4 67.4
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 1.2 0.9 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.0 36.2 39.3
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 3.6 0.5
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 1.0 0.04 (c) Women
(Percentage)
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137.6 160.5 128.7
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 49.5 59.3 48.4 1991 2000 2014a
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 3.3 2.8 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.7 55.0 46.1
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.5 68.9 56.6
(b) Proportion of total employment Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.7 45.6 42.6
(Percentage) Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.0 86.4 84.5
1991 2000 2014a Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.4 36.4 30.9
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.9 32.7 11.8 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.1 63.8 43.0
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.0 34.4 12.3 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89.0 88.2 80.3
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 2.3 0.7 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.8 71.0 58.0
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.6 57.1 37.8 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.0 49.0 29.3
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 7.3 2.4 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.4 75.2 76.3
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.4 32.2 3.7 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.0 47.9 37.1
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.9 43.4 18.7 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4 10.5 8.4
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.1 36.6 7.6 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.6 91.7 88.0
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 1.1 0.6 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.1 80.1 76.9
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.3 44.5 23.4 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.1 35.6 37.3
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.5 13.5 1.5 a Estimates.
Report of the Secretary-General 21

Target 1.C harmonize anthropometric data used for the computation and estima-
tion of regional and global averages and trend analysis.
Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of
b Owing to differences in source data and estimation methodology, these
people who suffer from hunger prevalence estimates are not comparable to the averages published in
previous editions of the present report.
Indicator 1.8 c Projections.
Prevalence of underweight children under 5 years d Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
of agea, b during the period specified.
e Excluding China.
(a) Total
(Percentage) Indicator 1.9
1990 2015c Proportion of population below minimum level of
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 14 dietary energy consumption
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4 (Percentage)
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 20 1990– 2000– 2010– 2014–
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 1992 2002 2012 2016a
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.6 14.9 11.8 10.9
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 28 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.3 18.2 14.1 12.9
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 16 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <5 <5 <5 <5
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 4 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.2 30.0 24.1 23.2
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 19 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 14.7 11.4 6.4 5.5
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.0 24.4 19.8 19.8
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.9 10.5 5.5 <5
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.2 16.0 11.8 9.6
(b) By sex, 2006–2010d Eastern Asia excluding China . . . 9.6 14.6 15.1 14.6
(Percentage) Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.9 18.5 16.1 15.7
Boy-to- Southern Asia excluding India . . 24.5 21.0 17.5 17.0
Boys Girls girl ratio South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.6 22.3 12.1 9.6
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
d
28 27 1.04 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 8.6 8.8 8.4
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4 1.50 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.7 16.5 13.5 14.2
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 19 1.21 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . 14.1 15.3 8.9 7.0
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 5 4 1.25 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <5 <5 <5 <5
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – – Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.0 36.5 27.7 26.7
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 42 0.95 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . 35.6 33.6 24.1 22.7
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – – Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . 24.5 22.5 18.2 18.0
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – – a Projections.
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5 1.20 Goal 2
Achieve universal primary education
(c) By residence, 2006–2010d
(Percentage) Target 2.A
Rural Urban Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and
Developing regionsd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 17 girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5 primary schooling
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 15
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 3 Indicator 2.1
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Net enrolment ratio in primary educationa
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 33 (a) Total
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – (Percentage)
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4
1991 2000 2005 2015b
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – –
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.1 85.1 88.7 91.5
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.8 83.5 87.7 91.0
(d) By household wealth, 2006–2010d Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.7 89.5 93.9 99.5
(Percentage) Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.5 60.3 69.9 79.7
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 86.0 93.8 94.4 93.6
Poorest Richest
quintile quintile Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.7 81.7 80.1 81.9
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
d
38 14 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.1 94.8 95.6 94.5
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95.7 95.7 96.4 96.8
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 11 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . 96.7 96.7 96.5 97.9
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.3 80.2 90.2 94.8
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 66.7 68.0 79.5 85.8
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 20 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.3 92.7 92.1 94.3
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.7 86.0 90.2 95.0
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.5 – – 95.4
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 95.0 94.5 94.6
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.3 97.1 96.2 95.8
a The prevalence of underweight children is estimated according to Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.0 59.6 73.0 84.2
World Health Organization (who) child growth standards. The Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 53.8 63.7 72.1 86.3
United Nations Children’s Fund and who have initiated a process to Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74.2 80.4 77.6 87.4
22 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

(b) By sex 1991b 2000b 2015c

(Percentage) Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
1991 2000 2015b Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 94.2 90.9 97.9 98.6
Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Eastern Asia
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.6 77.3 87.9 82.1 91.8 91.2 excluding China . . . . 82.3 81.8 92.3 93.0 – –
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.1 74.3 86.7 80.1 91.4 90.6 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.0 52.8 62.4 61.9 61.0 66.0
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.0 73.1 92.5 86.4 99.9 99.1 Southern Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . 58.5 48.4 63.9 56.5 82.0 77.4 excluding India . . . . . – – 70.4 70.1 63.1 70.8
Latin America South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . 67.8 70.9 78.1 81.5 86.8 92.3
and the Caribbean . . . . . . – – 94.9 92.7 93.2 94.1 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.8 75.7 81.8 80.1 80.6 78.3
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 81.4 82.0 82.3 81.4 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.8 55.1 58.1 58.9 47.5 46.1
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . – – 96.0 93.6 94.0 95.1 Caucasus and Central Asia . . – – 97.0 95.1 97.8 97.0
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98.2 93.1 95.6 95.8 96.7 97.0 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 93.2 94.6 94.6 96.5
Eastern Asia Least developed countries . . . . . . – – 58.2 54.7 50.0 53.0
excluding China . . . . 96.4 97.0 96.8 96.7 98.2 97.5 Landlocked developing
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85.2 64.7 86.9 72.9 94.1 95.6 countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.1 55.6 65.3 63.6 49.7 50.3
Southern Asia Small island developing States . . 47.1 49.9 56.2 59.7 56.8 58.3
excluding India . . . . . 74.4 58.5 73.6 62.0 88.1 83.3 a Since there are no regional averages for the official indicator, the table
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . 94.7 91.8 93.5 91.8 93.1 95.5 displays the gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary, which cor-
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.8 79.5 90.7 81.1 97.0 92.9 responds to the “total number of new entrants in the last grade of
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.9 63.8 – – 96.2 94.6 primary education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the
population of the theoretical entrance age to the last grade” (United
Caucasus and Central Asia . . – – 95.3 94.7 94.9 94.2
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco),
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.1 96.5 97.1 97.1 95.6 96.1 Institute for Statistics, Global Education Digest 2009: Comparing
Least developed countries . . . . . . 59.0 46.9 63.5 55.6 86.4 81.9 Education Statistics Across the World, annex B.
Landlocked developing b The primary completion rates correspond to school years ending in the
countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.7 46.9 68.2 59.1 88.5 84.0 years displayed.
Small island developing States . . 74.8 73.4 81.4 79.4 87.8 87.1 c Projections.
a Defined as the number of pupils of the theoretical school age for pri- d Values refer to 1992.
mary education enrolled either in primary or secondary school, ex-
pressed as a percentage of the total population in that age group. Indicator 2.3
b Projections. Literacy rate of women and men, aged 15 to 24 years

Indicator 2.2 (a) Total

(Percentage of the population aged 15 to 24 years who can read
Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last
and write)
grade of primary schoola, b
1990a 2000a 2015b
(a) Total World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.2 87.3 91.3
1991b 2000b 2015c Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80.0 85.1 90.1
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.5 75.3 75.4 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.1 79.7 91.3
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.4 73.0 73.1 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.3c 68.7 74.1
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.9 90.7 96.4 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 93.1c 96.3 98.3
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.7 61.4 58.9 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 91.6 93.5
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 63.9 77.0 76.1 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.3c 96.7 98.7
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.4 53.9 – Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.6 98.9 99.7
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65.5 78.8 77.9 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . – – –
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89.1 92.6 98.3 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.4 73.8 87.4
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . 82.1 92.7 – Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 56.4c 67.4 80.8
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.3 62.2 63.4 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91.6 96.3 98.0
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . – 70.3 66.8 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.8 91.6 94.6
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.3 79.7 89.5 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.6 74.7 77.0
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.4 81.0 79.5 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99.8c 99.8 99.9
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.1 58.5 – Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 99.7c
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.2d 96.1 97.4 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.9c 65.6 71.3
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91.5 93.9 95.5 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 63.5 69.1 76.2
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.4 56.6 51.4 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … 88.3 90.4
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 56.4 64.5 50.0
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4 57.8 57.5 (b) By sex
(Percentage of the population aged 15 to 24 years who can read
(b) By sex and write)
1991b 2000b 2015c 1990a 2000a 2015b
Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Men Women Men Women Men Women
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.1 69.9 75.0 75.7 74.1 76.8 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.7 78.6 90.5 84.0 92.8 89.7
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.3 66.4 72.8 73.3 71.8 74.5 Developing regions . . . . . . 85.4 74.5 88.9 81.2 91.8 88.3
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76.5 70.8 90.2 91.1 96.8 96.1 Northern Africa . . . . . . . 77.1 56.6 85.5 73.8 93.8 88.6
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . 57.0 54.3 62.4 60.2 58.2 59.7 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . 72.8c 58.1c 75.8 62.2 77.9 70.3
Latin America Latin America and
and the Caribbean . . . . . . 61.9 66.1 74.7 79.6 74.7 77.5 the Caribbean . . . . 92.8c 93.4c 96.0 96.7 98.1 98.5
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 52.1 55.8 – – Caribbean . . . . . . . . – – 91.3 92.0 93.3 93.7
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . 63.5 67.7 76.4 81.4 76.6 79.3 Latin America . . . . 92.9c 93.7c 96.3 97.0 98.5 98.9
Report of the Secretary-General 23

1990a 2000a 2015b 1991 2000 2015b

Men Women Men Women Men Women Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.07 1.06 1.07
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . 97.1 91.9 99.2 98.6 99.8 99.7 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 1.06 1.04
Eastern Asia Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.07 1.06 1.07
excluding Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.77 0.94 1.01
China . . . . . . . . – – – – – – Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.97 0.99 0.99
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . 71.4 48.6 81.3 65.7 90.0 84.6 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.61 0.76 0.98
Southern Asia Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.63 0.88 0.94
excluding South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.90 0.97 1.02
India . . . . . . . . . 66.0c 46.7c 74.1 60.8 82.9 78.7 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.66 0.76 0.95
South-Eastern Asia . . . 93.4 89.8 96.6 96.0 97.8 98.1 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 0.89 0.86
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . 93.8 81.4 95.4 87.7 96.1 92.9 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.98 0.99 0.97
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.0 68.9 76.7 72.6 72.1 82.3 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.02 1.01 0.99
Caucasus and Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.60 0.79 0.90
Central Asia . . . . . . 99.8c 99.8c 99.8 99.9 99.8 99.9 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.87 0.84 0.90
Developed regions . . . . . . . – – – – 99.7c 99.6c Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.06 1.03 1.01
Least developed countries 65.2c 48.8c 72.6 59.0 73.4 69.2
(c) Tertiary educationa
Landlocked developing
countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69.5 57.8 75.6 63.2 78.6 73.8 1991 2000 2015b
Small island developing World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.91 1.00 1.08
States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – 88.8 87.9 89.5 91.3 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.71 0.85 1.01
a The regional averages presented in this table are calculated using Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.69 0.83 1.20
a weighted average of the latest available observed data point for Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.54 0.67 0.62
each country or territory for the reference period. Estimates by the Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.98 1.19 1.29
unesco Institute for Statistics have been used for countries with Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.36 1.42 –
missing data. Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.95 1.17 1.29
b Projections. Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.51 0.69 1.15
c Partial imputation owing to incomplete country coverage (between 33 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.54 0.66 0.87
and 60 per cent of the population).
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.50 0.66 0.82
Goal 3 Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.40 0.69 0.89
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.96 1.03 1.08
Promote gender equality and empower women
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.63 0.77 0.99
Target 3.A Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 0.84 –
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.99 0.97 1.05
education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.10 1.21 1.29
education no later than 2015 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.43 0.61 0.64
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.83 0.85 0.71
Indicator 3.1 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.25 1.34 –
Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary a Using gross enrolment ratios.
and tertiary education b Projections.
(a) Primary educationa
Indicator 3.2
1991 2000 2015b
Share of women in wage employment
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.89 0.92 0.98
in the non-agricultural sector
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.87 0.91 0.98
(Percentage of employees)
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.82 0.91 0.96
1990 2000 2005 2013
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.84 0.85 0.93
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.98 0.96 0.98 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.4 37.6 38.5 39.9
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.98 0.98 0.96 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.2 31.8 32.8 34.7
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.98 0.96 0.98 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.1 18.8 18.7 19.6
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.92 1.00 0.99 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.6 27.8 29.6 32.9
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 0.99 0.98 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 38.1 41.8 43.2 44.0
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.76 0.84 1.03 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.1 39.7 40.9 42.7
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.76 0.83 0.97 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . 40.1 42.2 43.9 45.5
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.97 0.97 1.01 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.5 17.2 18.1 20.1
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.85 0.86 0.94 Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 15.5 18.5 18.0 18.6
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.90 0.90 – South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.7 36.8 36.8 39.2
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.00 0.99 0.99 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.3 17.3 18.1 20.6
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.99 0.99 1.00 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.8 35.6 36.2 38.7
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.80 0.85 0.94 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.8 43.1 43.8 44.2
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.83 0.83 0.95 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.7 46.2 47.0 47.8
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.96 0.96 0.95
Indicator 3.3
(b) Secondary educationa Proportion of seats held by women in national
1991 2000 2015b parliamenta
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.84 0.92 0.98 (Percentage in single or lower houses only)
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.77 0.89 0.98 1990 2000 2010 2015
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.79 0.95 0.98 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.8 13.8 19.2 22.4
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.77 0.81 0.87 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 12.5 17.8 21.1
24 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

1990 2000 2010 2015 Indicator 4.3

Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.8 3.9 11.4 24.6 Proportion of 1-year-old children immunized against
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.6 12.6 18.4 22.7 measlesa
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 11.9 15.2 22.7 27.4 (Percentage)
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.1 20.6 29.4 33.1 1990 2000 2013
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 13.2 20.1 25.1 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 73 84
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.2 19.9 19.5 21.7 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 71 83
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . 17.8 14.6 14.5 16.2 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 93 96
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.7 6.8 18.2 17.6 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 53 74
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 5.9 5.9 20.1 19.1 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 95 92
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4 12.3 19.3 17.8 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 77 79
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 4.2 8.8 12.4 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 84 99
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 3.6 2.5 4.4 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 62 76
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 7.0 15.1 17.9 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 82 89
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.1 16.3 22.5 25.6 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 86 83
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 9.9 19.3 21.7 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 67 73
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 7.8 21.6 24.9 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 93 97
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2 14.0 20.5 23.3 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 92 93
a As at 31 January 2015.
a Children aged 12 to 23 months who received at least one dose of mea-
b Egypt is not included in the Northern Africa regional aggregates be- sles vaccine.
cause no parliament data was available for 2015.
Goal 4 Goal 5
Reduce child mortality Improve maternal health
Target 4.A Target 5.A
Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015,
the under-5 mortality rate the maternal mortality ratio
Indicator 4.1 Indicator 5.1
Under-5 mortality ratea Maternal mortality ratioa
1990 2000 2013
1990 2000 2013
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 76 45
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380 330 210
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 83 50
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430 370 230
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 44 25
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 110 69
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 156 92
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 32 18 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 990 830 510
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 37 13 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 110 85
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 31 14 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 230 190
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 92 55 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 98 77
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 94 60 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 63 33
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 48 29 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 66 54
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 43 25 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530 360 190
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 67 54 Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 350 170
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 64 35 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320 220 140
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 10 6 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 97 74
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 138 79 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390 290 190
a Number of children who died before reaching the age of 5, per 1,000 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 65 39
live births. Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 17 16
a Number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Indicator 4.2
Infant mortality ratea Indicator 5.2
1990 2000 2013 Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 53 33 (Percentage)
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 58 37
1990 2000 2014
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 37 21
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 61 71
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 95 61
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 60 70
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 27 15
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 69 90
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 30 11
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 45 52
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 24 12
Latin America and the Caribbeana . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 88 92
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 68 43
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 97 100
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 71 48
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 38 52
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 37 24
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 25 52
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 33 20
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 50 42 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 66 82
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 53 31 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 72 86
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 8 5 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 88 55 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 89 96
a Number of children who died before reaching the age of 1, per 1,000 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
live births. a Including only deliveries in health-care institutions.
Report of the Secretary-General 25

Target 5.B 1990 2000 2014

Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 58 89
health Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 72 80
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 92 97
Indicator 5.3 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 88 95
Contraceptive prevalence ratea, b Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 93 97
(Percentage of women aged 15 to 49 years, married or in union, Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 89 95
who are using any method of contraception) Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 57 72
1990 2000 2013 Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 40 64
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.3 61.5 63.4 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 89 96
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.8 59.7 62.5 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 62 85
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.5 57.8 60.6 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.6 18.7 26.6 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.3 69.9 72.8 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 58 79
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.4 59.4 62.3 Subregions of Africab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.8 70.7 73.5 Central Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 62 72
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.2 85.7 83.4 Eastern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 73 89
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.5 75.8 74.7 North Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 63 89
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.1 48.2 57.6 Southern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 87 95
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.1 46.3 54.4 West Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 67 72
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4 57.2 63.6
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.7 50.5 57.5 (b) At least four visitsa
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.5 31.6 37.7 (Percentage)
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.3 57.6 56.0 1990 2000 2014
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68.4 70.1 69.7 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 42 52
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 26.7 37.8 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 35 75
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.2 28.7 38.7 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 47 49
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.7 53.3 56.0 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 82 89
a The averages are based on the data available as at 31 March 2015. Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
b Data available prior to 1990 have been used to estimate the regional Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 27 36
averages. Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 20 34
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 71 84
Indicator 5.4 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
Adolescent birth ratea, b Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
(Number of live births per 1,000 adolescent women aged 15 to 19) Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – – –
1990 2000 2012 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 32 41
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58.8 51.6 51.0 a Defined as the percentage of women aged 15 to 49 years who received
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.7 56.1 55.7 antenatal care during pregnancy from skilled health personnel.
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.3 32.3 36.8 b Based on the subregional classification adopted by the Economic
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123.3 120.7 117.8 Commission for Africa.
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 85.8 86.2 75.5
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.9 78.8 65.5
Indicator 5.6
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.3 86.7 76.2 Unmet need for family planninga, b
(Percentage of women aged 15 to 49, married or in union, who
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.3 5.8 6.0
have an unmet need for family planning)
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . 4.0 3.2 3.2
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87.6 60.8 50.0 1990 2000 2013

Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 117.7 83.2 76.1 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.1 12.7 11.9
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.2 43.4 44.9 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4 13.4 12.2
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.9 50.5 44.7 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.0 13.7 12.3
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84.1 64.5 58.5 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.5 26.4 24.5
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44.6 28.5 32.7 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.2 12.7 10.6
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.7 25.5 18.1 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.1 17.9 16.4
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130.8 117.8 112.9 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.0 12.3 10.2
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 107.4 105.8 96.4 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.6 3.1 3.9
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77.2 72.7 60.3 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.4 17.6 14.1
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.3 20.2 15.7
a The averages are based on the data available as at 31 March 2015.
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.6 15.4 11.9
b Data available prior to 1990 have been used to estimate the regional
averages. Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.5 19.2 14.6
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.8 27.1 24.9
Indicator 5.5 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.0 14.1 14.2
Antenatal care coverage (at least one visit and at least Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 9.5 9.7
four visits) Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.9 26.5 22.6
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.9 26.1 22.6
(a) At least one visita Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.0 19.2 18.0
(Percentage)
a The averages are based on the data available as at 31 March 2015.
1990 2000 2014 b Data available prior to 1990 have been used to estimate the regional
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 72 83 averages.
26 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

Goal 6 Landlocked developing

Combat hiv/aids, malaria and other diseases countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 52 4.2 57 2.8 57
Small island developing
Target 6.A States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 48 1.2 51 1.0 52
Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread a “Hiv prevalence among population aged 15 to 24 years” was chosen
of hiv/aids as a proxy indicator for the incidence rate when the indicators for the
United Nations Millennium Declaration were developed. However,
Indicator 6.1 the estimated incidence rate among people aged 15 to 49 years is now
Hiv prevalence among population aged 15 to 24 years available for all regions and from 60 countries. The hiv incidence rate
is therefore presented here together with hiv prevalence data among
(a) Hiv incidence ratesa, b people aged 15 to 49 years.
(Number of new hiv infections per year per 100 people aged 15 b Lower and upper bounds in parentheses.
to 49 years) c Based on the subregional classification adopted by the Economic
Commission for Africa.
2001 2013 d Trend data for the indicator 6.1 are available from only 35 countries,
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.09 (0.08:0.09) 0.05 (0.04:0.06) almost all in sub-Saharan Africa, and are therefore not presented here.
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.10 (0.07:0.14) 0.05 (0.01:0.12)
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.01 (0.00:0.01) 0.01 (0.00:0.01) Indicator 6.2
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.68 (0.64:0.70) 0.29 (0.26:0.32) Condom use at last high-risk sex,a 2009–2014 b
Latin America and the Women Men
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.04 (0.02:0.06) 0.03 (0.00:0.06) Percentage Percentage
Number of who used Number of who used
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.12 (0.10:0.15) 0.06 (0.04:0.06) countries a condom countries a condom
covered by at last covered by at last
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.03 (0.02:0.05) 0.03 (0.00:0.06) the surveys high-risk sex the surveys high-risk sex
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.01 (0.01:0.01) 0.01 (0.00:0.02) Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 37 37.2 33 54.6
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.03 (0.02:0.05) 0.02 (0.00:0.03) Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 22.2 2 37.1
South-Eastern Asia a Percentage of women and men aged 15 to 24 years reporting the use of a
(including Oceania) . . . . . . . . . 0.04 (0.03:0.06) 0.03 (0.01:0.08) condom during sexual intercourse with a non-regular (non-marital and
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.00 (0.00:0.00) 0.00 (0.00:0.01) non-cohabiting) sexual partner in the past 12 months, among those
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . 0.03 (0.02:0.03) 0.02 (0.01:0.02) who had such a partner in the past 12 months.
b Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.03 (0.02:0.04) 0.03 (0.01:0.05)
during the period specified.
Subregions of Africac
Central Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.67 (0.61:0.73) 0.25 (0.21:0.29) Indicator 6.3
Eastern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 (0.34:0.42) 0.20 (0.17:0.24) Proportion of population aged 15 to 24 years with
North Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.01 (0.01:0.02) 0.01 (0.01:0.02) comprehensive correct knowledge of hiv/aids,a
Southern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.15 (2.06:2.23) 0.95 (0.88:1.04) 2009–2014 b
West Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 (0.35:0.42) 0.14 (0.12:0.17)
Women Men
Number of Percentage Number of Percentage
(b) Hiv prevalence among population aged 15 to 24 years d countries who have
covered by comprehensive
countries who have
covered by comprehensive
(Percentage) the surveys knowledge the surveys knowledge

1990 2001 2013 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 43 27.3 38 34.8

Estimated Estimated Estimated Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 16.9 4 30.1
adult hiv adult hiv adult hiv
prevalence Women prevalence Women prevalence Women Southern Asia (excluding
(people over 15 (people over 15 (people over 15
aged 15 living aged 15 living aged 15 living India) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9.8 3 11.0
to 49) with hiv to 49) with hiv to 49) with hiv
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 7 27.1 5 20.8
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 43 0.8 50 0.8 50
a Percentage of women and men aged 15 to 24 years who correctly iden-
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . 0.3 48 0.9 52 0.8 53 tify the two major ways of preventing the sexual transmission of hiv
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . <0.1 54 <0.1 55 <0.1 39 (using condoms and limiting sex to one faithful, uninfected partner),
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . 2.3 53 5.7 58 4.4 59 reject two common local misconceptions and know that a healthy-
Latin America looking person can transmit hiv.
and the Caribbean . . 0.3 30 0.5 34 0.5 33 b Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
during the period specified.
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 48 1.4 51 1.1 52
Latin America . . . . . . . 0.3 25 0.4 30 0.4 30 Indicator 6.4
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 23 0.1 27 0.1 29 Ratio of school attendance of orphans to school
Eastern Asia attendance of non-orphans aged 10 to 14 years,a
excluding China <0.1 29 <0.1 29 <0.1 29 2009–2014 b
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 29 0.3 35 0.2 38
Ratio of school
Southern Asia attendance of
Number of orphans to school
excluding India <0.1 37 <0.1 19 0.1 28 countries attendance of
with data non-orphans
South-Eastern Asia
(including Oceania) 0.1 11 0.4 31 0.5 38 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 0.96
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 21 <0.1 21 <0.1 28 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0.74
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 37 0.6 55 0.6 57 Southern Asia (excluding India) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0.82
Caucasus a Ratio of the current school attendance rate of children aged 10 to 14
and Central Asia . . . . <0.1 37 0.1 27 0.2 29 years whose two biological parents have died to that of children aged
10 to 14 years whose two parents are still alive and who currently live
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 19 0.3 24 0.4 26 with at least one biological parent.
Least developed b Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 52 2.4 57 1.9 58 during the period specified.
Report of the Secretary-General 27

Target 6.B 2015

Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
for hiv/aids for all those who need it Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Indicator 6.5 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Proportion of all population living with hiv infection a For populations at risk of malaria in malaria-endemic countries.
with access to antiretroviral drugsa
(Percentage) Indicator 6.7
2010 2013 Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under
Worldb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 (21:23) 37 (35:39) insecticide-treated bednets, 2010–2014a
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 (37:52) 36 (34:38)
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 (9:16) 19 (14:28) (a) Totalb
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 (18:20) 37 (35:38) (Percentage)
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 34 (27:38) 44 (35:49) Sub-Saharan Africa (38 countries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37a
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 (23:30) 41 (36:46)
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 (28:39) 45 (35:50)
(b) By residenceb
(Percentage)
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 (10:12) 29 (27:33)
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 (16:20) 34 (31:38) Urban Rural
Sub-Saharan Africa (37 countries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 38
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . 6 (5:7) 10 (9:11)
South-Eastern Asia and Oceania . . . . . . . . 23 (21:26) 31 (28:35) a Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
during the period specified.
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 (19:24) 29 (26:32)
b Calculation includes data available as at February 2014.
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 (6:7) 19 (17:22)
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 (19:21) 36 (34:40)
Indicator 6.8
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . 26 (25:27) 44 (41:46)
Proportion of children under 5 with fever who
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 (23:26) 38 (36:40)
are treated with appropriate antimalarial drugs,
a “Proportion of population with advanced hiv infection with access 2010–2014a
to antiretroviral drugs” was chosen when the indicators for the
United Nations Millennium Declaration were developed. According (a) Totalb
to the new hiv-treatment guidelines provided by the World Health (Percentage)
Organization in 2013, this indicator was revised to antiretroviral
treatment coverage among all people living with hiv. Sub-Saharan Africa (40 countries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
b Including only low- and middle-income economies, as defined by the
World Bank. (b) By residenceb
(Percentage)
Target 6.C
Urban Rural
Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the
Sub-Saharan Africa (36 countries) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 34
incidence of malaria and other major diseases
a Data were calculated on the basis of the most recent surveys carried out
Indicator 6.6 during the period specified.
Incidence and death rates associated with malaria b Calculation includes data available as at April 2015.

(a) Incidence Indicator 6.9

(Number of new cases per 1,000 people)a Incidence, prevalence and death rates associated with
2015 tuberculosis
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
(a) Incidence
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
(Number of new cases per 100,000 people, including those who
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 are living with hiv)a
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
1990 2002 2013
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 (144:158) 151 (148:153) 126 (121:131)
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . 184 (176:193) 177 (174:181) 148 (142:154)
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . 64 (59:70) 55 (53:57) 50 (46:54)
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . 278 (252:304) 346 (330:362) 282 (252:311)
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Latin America
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
and the Caribbean . . . 84 (77:91) 56 (55:58) 44 (42:46)
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . 95 (82:107) 91 (86:95) 70 (64:77)
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Latin America . . . . . . . 83 (76:91) 54 (52:55) 42 (40:45)
(b) Deaths Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 (138:175) 106 (101:111) 78 (72:83)
(Number of deaths per 100,000 people)a Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 212 (194:229) 210 (203:217) 179 (168:190)

2015 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . 259 (237:282) 242 (234:249) 205 (193:216)

Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 (49:57) 39 (37:40) 24 (23:25)

Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242 (196:288) 265 (237:293) 266 (209:324)
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Caucasus and Central Asia 113 (105:122) 212 (195:228) 94 (84:105)
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . 30 (29:31) 38 (37:39) 24 (23:25)
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Least developed countries . . . 289 (270:308) 280 (273:288) 223 (215:231)
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Landlocked developing
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 (238:286) 299 (286:312) 178 (168:189)
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Small island developing States 115 (104:126) 123 (118:129) 115 (104:125)
28 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

(b) Prevalence 1990 2002 2013

(Number of existing cases per 100,000 people, including those South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . 45 (42:50) 40 (39:41) 73 (69:77)
who are living with hiv)a Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 (75:87) 80 (77:83) 76 (73:81)
1990 2002 2013 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 (22:32) 56 (50:62) 87 (71:110)
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 (250:286) 240 (223:258) 159 (143:176) Caucasus and Central Asia . . 43 (40:46) 48 (45:52) 87 (78:97)
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . 332 (309:354) 286 (265:307) 188 (169:208) Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 (75:79) 73 (71:74) 87 (80:88)
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . 111 (73:149) 78 (51:106) 72 (47:97) Least developed countries . . . . . . 24 (22:26) 40 (39:41) 59 (57:61)
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . 426 (373:480) 385 (343:426) 309 (272:347) Landlocked developing
Latin America countries 35 (32:39) 48 (46:50) 63 (59:66)
and the Caribbean . . . 137 (106:169) 76 (59:93) 58 (44:72) Small island developing States . . 21 (19:23) 53 (50:55) 76 (69:84)
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . 163 (103:223) 121 (74:169) 87 (50:124) a Lower and upper bounds in parentheses.
Latin America . . . . . . . 135 (101:169) 72 (54:90) 56 (42:70)
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 (206:236) 165 (143:187) 103 (89:118) (b) Patients successfully treated under directly observed
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 445 (397:494) 401 (349:453) 235 (178:292) treatment short course
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . 572 (430:713) 473 (364:582) 298 (231:366) (Percentage)
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 (48:95) 52 (36:67) 33 (22:43) 1994 2002 2012
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519 (233:805) 413 (214:612) 341 (142:540) World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 76 86
Caucasus and Central Asia 221 (153:289) 378 (265:492) 127 (91:163) Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 76 87
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . 44 (35:53) 53 (38:68) 30 (21:39) Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 88 88
Least developed countries . . . 535 (439:631) 432 (362:501) 314 (265:362) Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 73 81
Landlocked developing Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 81 74
countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 (321:431) 351 (308:395) 203 (180:226) Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 76 81
Small island developing States 211 (153:269) 178 (133:222) 149 (107:190) Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 82 73
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 92 94
(c) Deaths South Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 64 88
(Number of deaths per 100,000 people, excluding those who are South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 86 87
living with hiv)a Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 78 83
1990 2002 2013 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 64 75
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 (26:32) 26 (23:29) 16 (14:18) Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73a 78 85
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . 36 (32:40) 30 (27:234) 18 (15:20) Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 72 71
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 (1.6:12) 6.4 (1.1:12) 5.4 (1.3:9.5) Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 78 86
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . 73 (62:83) 59 (53:66) 43 (32:54) Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 73 83
Latin America Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 74 79
and the Caribbean . . . 8.3 (6.7:9.8) 4.9 (4.5:5.4) 2.7 (2.2:3.1) a 1995 data.
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . 14 (8.8:20) 17 (12:22) 8.1 (4.8:11)
Latin America . . . . . . . 7.8 (6.2:9.4) 4 (3.7:4.3) 2.3 (1.9:2.7) Goal 7
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 (18:22) 9 (7.7:10) 3.5 (3.2:3.8) Ensure environmental sustainability
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 43 (32:55) 43 (32:53) 23 (16:29)
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . 67 (57:78) 53 (46:60) 26 (20:31) Target 7.A
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.1 (4.9:11) 4.2 (3:5.4) 1.7 (0.74:2.6) Integrate the principles of sustainable development
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 (54:95) 46 (33:59) 25 (2.4:48) into country policies and programmes and reverse
Caucasus and Central Asia 9.8 (9.2:10) 20 (19:22) 8.7 (8.1:9.4) the loss of environmental resources
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . 3 (3:3.1) 4.7 (4.6:4.8) 2.6 (2.6:2.7)
Indicator 7.1
Least developed countries . . . 83 (74:92) 60 (55:65) 36 (32:40)
Landlocked developing
Proportion of land area covered by forest
(Percentage)
countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 (44:60) 43 (38:48) 21 (18:25)
Small island developing States 23 (18:27) 22 (18:26) 13 (8.9:18) 1990 2000 2010
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.0 31.4 31.0
a Lower and upper bounds in parentheses.
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.4 28.2 27.6
Indicator 6.10 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.4 1.4 1.4
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2 29.5 28.1
Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 52.0 49.6 47.4
under directly observed treatment short course
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.8 28.1 30.3
(a) New cases detected under directly observed Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.3 49.9 47.6
treatment short course (dots) Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.4 18.0 20.5
(Dots smear-positive case detection rate: percentage)a Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . 15.2 14.0 12.8
1990 2002 2013 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.1 14.1 14.5
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 (45:49) 43 (43:44) 64 (61:66) Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . 7.8 7.3 7.1
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 (43:48) 42 (41:43) 63 (61:66) South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.9 51.3 49.3
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 (53:63) 79 (76:82) 73 (68:79) Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 2.9 3.3
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . 29 (26:32) 42 (40:44) 51 (46:57) Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.5 65.1 62.5
Latin America Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 3.9 3.9
and the Caribbean . . . . . . 54 (50:59) 71 (70:73) 77 (73:81) Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.3 36.6 36.7
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 (10:13) 50 (48:53) 78 (71:86) Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.7 31.0 29.6
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . 58 (54:64) 74 (72:76) 77 (73:81) Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.3 18.2 17.1
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 (21:26) 38 (36:39) 87 (82:94) Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64.6 63.7 62.7
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 (64:76) 40 (39:41) 58 (54:62) Note: The latest available update was in July 2010.
Report of the Secretary-General 29

Indicator 7.2 1990 2000 2005 2011

Carbon dioxide emissions, total, per capita Eastern Asia excluding
and per $1 gdp (ppp) China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.41 0.40 0.33 0.32
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.38 0.40 0.36 0.34
(a) Totala Southern Asia excluding
(Millions of tons) India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.28 0.32 0.31 0.31
1990 2000 2005 2011 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.23 0.26 0.26 0.27
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 995 23 807 27 771 32 425 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.29 0.32 0.33 0.33
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 190 9 935 13 505 19 064 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.27 0.23 0.32 0.28
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 330 395 464 Caucasus and Central Asiab . . . . . . . . . 1.43 1.07 0.81 0.65
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448 554 632 751 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.40 0.37 0.34 0.30
Latin America Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.10 0.12 0.13 0.14
and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 1 005 1 330 1 474 1 746 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . 0.19 0.61 0.49 0.42
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 98 105 138 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . 0.34 0.28 0.20 0.18
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 921 1 232 1 370 1 608 Annex I countriesc, d, e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.42 0.39 0.35 0.31
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 991 3 979 6 387 9 743 Note: The latest available update was in July 2010.
Eastern Asia excluding a Total carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels (expressed in millions
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531 574 597 724 of tons) include emissions from solid fuel consumption, liquid fuel
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 993 1 709 2 072 2 915 consumption, gas fuel consumption, cement production and gas flar-
ing (Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center).
Southern Asia excluding
b The 1990 column shows 1992 data.
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 522 661 841 c Including all annex I countries that report under the United Nations
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423 7 734 999 1 397 Framework Convention on Climate Change. Countries that are not
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 094 924 1 148 1 541 listed in annex I do not have annual reporting obligations.
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7 11 12 d National reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Caucasus and Central Asiab . . . . . 501 328 387 495 Climate Change that follows the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change guidelines is based on national emission inventories and cov-
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 805 13 872 14 266 13 361 ers all sources of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. It can be
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . 65 105 149 216 calculated as the sum of emissions for the sectors of energy, industrial
Landlocked developing countries . . . 50 400 461 600 processes, agriculture and waste.
Small island developing States . . . . . . 139 159 151 178 e Excluding emissions and removals from land use, land-use change and
forestry.
Annex I countriesc, d, e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 006 14 446 14 915 14 038
Indicator 7.3
(b) Per capita
Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
(Tons)
(Consumption of all ozone-depleting substances in tons of
1990 2000 2005 2011 ozone-depletion potential)
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.17 3.92 4.30 4.68 1986 1990a 2000 2013
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.77 2.04 2.58 3.36 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 774 954 1 211 193 263 241 29 219
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.91 2.34 2.61 2.79 Developing regions . . . . . . . . 285 496 241 670 209 605 30 448
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.92 0.87 0.86 0.87 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . 14 214 6 203 8 129 636
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 2.26 2.54 2.63 2.90 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . 36 408 23 451 9 597 1 371
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.56 2.69 2.72 3.42 Latin America
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.24 2.52 2.62 2.87 and the Caribbean 78 663 76 048 31 104 3 851
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.42 2.93 4.57 6.71 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 2 216 2 177 1 669 99
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . 7.42 7.31 7.39 8.64 Latin America . . . . . . 76 448 73 871 29 435 3 752
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.83 1.18 1.32 1.71 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 445 103 217 105 762 17 675
Southern Asia excluding India . . 0.94 1.29 1.49 1.74 Eastern Asia
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.96 1.48 1.78 2.31 excluding China 25 436 12 904 14 885 1 985
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.90 5.75 6.32 7.29 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . 13 473 3 338 28 161 1 661
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.94 0.92 1.18 1.24 Southern Asia
Caucasus and Central Asiab . . . . . . . . . 7.40 4.63 5.24 6.25 excluding India . 6 159 3 338 9 466 705
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.15 11.63 11.72 10.66 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . 17 926 21 108 16 831 2 149
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.13 0.17 0.21 0.27 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . 21 254 8 258 9 891 3 093
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . 0.26 1.23 1.26 1.43 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 47 129 11
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . 3.06 3.03 2.62 2.88 Caucasus and
Annex I countriesc, d, e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.07 11.72 11.84 10.83 Central Asia . . . . . . . . 11 607 2 738 928 127
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . 1 477 850 966 784 52 708 -1 356
(c) Per $1 gdp (2011 United States dollars (ppp)) Least developed
(Kilograms) countries 3 551 1 458 4 812 568
1990 2000 2005 2011 Landlocked developing
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.41 0.38 0.37 0.35 countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 678 3 355 2 395 296
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.42 0.40 0.41 0.40 Small island developing
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.26 0.29 0.28 0.27 States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 419 7 162 2 147 244
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.36 0.37 0.31 0.26 a For years prior to the entry into force of the reporting requirement for
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 0.22 0.22 0.21 0.20 a group of substances, missing country consumption values have been
estimated at the base-year level. This applies to substances in annexes
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.31 0.32 0.26 0.29
B, C and E to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.22 0.22 0.21 0.20 Ozone Layer; annexes B and C entered into force in 1992 and annex E
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.14 0.66 0.70 0.61 in 1994.
30 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

Indicator 7.4 (b) Terrestriala, b

Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits (Percentage of total surface area)
(Percentage) 1990 2000 2014
1990 2000 2009 Worldc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 11.8 15.2
Non-fully exploited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 25.4 12.7 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 11.4 15.6
Fully exploited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50.0 47.2 57.4 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 3.4 7.7
Overexploited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.6 27.4 29.9 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.5 11.3 15.3
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 14.4 23.4
Indicator 7.5 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3 9.3 13.9
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 14.4 23.3
Proportion of total water resources useda
(Percentage) Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 14.9 16.8
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 11.9 15.7
around 2011
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 6.1 6.8
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 7.0 8.1
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 12.6 14.0
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78.3 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.7 15.2 15.4
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.0 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.0 3.2 5.0
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.3 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 3.5 4.6
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 12.2 14.4
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 10.1 12.9
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 11.2 14.3
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.8 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 6.2 8.4
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47.5
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.5 (c) Marinea, b, c
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7 (Percentage of total territorial waters)
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54.5 1990 2000 2014
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.06 Worldc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 1.9 8.4
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.6 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.6 4.2
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.5 0.9
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.2 2.6
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 1.6 3.1
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 1.3 1.7
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.7
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 1.6 3.3
Note: The latest available update was in July 2013.
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.5 0.9
a Defined as surface water and groundwater withdrawal as a percentage
of total actual renewable water resources. Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.6 0.8
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.2 0.2
Target 7.B Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.2 0.3
Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.6 2.3
a significant reduction in the rate of loss Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.4 0.8
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.1 7.4
Indicator 7.6 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.7 0.7
Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 4.2 12.4
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.2 0.5
(a) Terrestrial and marinea, b, c
Landlocked developing countries d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.0 0.0
(Percentage of total territorial area and sea areas under national
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0 0.2 1.5
jurisdiction (0–200 nautical miles))
a Differences in figures when compared with the statistical annex of pre-
1990 2000 2014
vious Millennium Development Goals reports are due to new available
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 6.7 11.7
c
data, revised methodologies and revised regional groupings.
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 6.1 10.0 b Protected areas whose year of establishment is unknown are included
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 2.8 6.3 in all years.
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 7.6 11.1 c Marine areas include marine protected areas in sea areas under national
jurisdiction (0–200 nautical miles).
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 8.0 13.3
d Including territories that are not considered in the calculations of
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.9 2.1 2.9 developed and developing region aggregates.
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 8.5 14.0 e Excluding territorial water claims within inland seas by some
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.8 13.4 15.1 landlocked developing countries.
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 9.7 12.7
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 3.8 4.2
Indicator 7.7
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 4.6 5.3
Proportion of species threatened with extinctiona
(Percentage of species not expected to become extinct in the
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8 4.4 6.0 near future)
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 11.0 11.3
1988 1990 2000 2012
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.1 7.4
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1 92.1 91.7 91.3
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 3.5 4.5
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.4 92.4 92.1 91.7
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.0 8.3 13.4 98.0 98.0 97.5 96.9
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8 6.3 8.1 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.6 93.6 93.4 93.3
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7 11.2 14.3 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . 93.0 93.0 92.9 92.1
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 0.4 1.7 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96.1 96.1 95.9 95.6
Report of the Secretary-General 31

1988 1990 2000 2012 Target 7.D

Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95.8 95.8 95.5 95.2 By 2020, to have achieved a significant
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.2 93.2 92.4 92.4 improvement in the lives of at least 100 million
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97.8 97.7 97.3 96.8 slum dwellers
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91.6 91.6 91.3 91.2
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98.1 98.1 97.7 97.1 Indicator 7.10
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93.9 93.9 93.6 93.1 Proportion of urban population living in slumsa
a Red List Index of species survival for vertebrates (mammals, birds and (Percentage)
amphibians). The Red List Index is an index of the proportion of spe- 1990 2000 2014
cies expected to remain extant in the near future without additional Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.2 39.4 29.7
conservation action, ranging from 1.0 (equivalent to all species be-
ing categorized as “of least concern” on the International Union for Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34.4 20.3 11.1
Conservation of Nature Red List) to zero (equivalent to all species Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70.0 65.0 55.2
having become extinct). Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.7 29.2 20.5
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.7 37.4 25.2
Target 7.C Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.2 45.8 30.7
Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49.5 39.6 27.4
sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.5 20.6 24.7
sanitation
Oceaniab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.1 24.1 24.1
Indicator 7.8 a Represented by the urban population living in households with at least
Proportion of population using an improved drinking one of the following four characteristics: lack of access to improved
drinking water; lack of access to improved sanitation; overcrowding
water source (three or more persons per room); and dwellings made of non-durable
(Percentage) material. Half of the urban dwellers using pit latrines are considered
1990 2015 to be using improved sanitation.
Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural b Trend data are not available for Oceania.
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 95 62 91 96 84
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . 70 93 59 89 95 83 Goal 8
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 87 95 80 93 95 90 Develop a global partnership
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . 48 83 34 68 87 56 for development
Latin America
and the Caribbean . . . . 85 94 63 95 97 84 Target 8.A
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 97 56 96 98 93 Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable,
Eastern Asia non-discriminatory trading and financial system
excluding China . . 96 97 92 98 99 96 Includes a commitment to good governance, development and
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 90 66 93 96 91 poverty reduction—both nationally and internationally.
Southern Asia
excluding India . . . 79 93 73 89 92 86 Target 8.B
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . 72 90 63 90 95 86 Address the special needs of the least developed
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 95 70 95 96 90 countries
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 92 37 56 94 44 Includes: tariff- and quota-free access for least developed
Caucasus and Central Asia 87 95 79 89 98 81 countries’ exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . 98 99 93 99 100 98 heavily indebted poor countries and cancellation of official bi-
lateral debt; and more generous official development assistance
Indicator 7.9 (oda) for countries committed to poverty reduction.
Proportion of population using an improved
sanitation facility Target 8.C
(Percentage) Address the special needs of landlocked developing
1990 2015 countries and small island developing States
Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 79 35 68 82 51 Development of Small Island Developing States
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . 43 69 29 62 77 47 and the outcome of the twenty-second special session
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . 71 90 54 89 92 86 of the General Assembly)
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . 24 39 18 30 40 23
Latin America
Target 8.D
and the Caribbean . . . . 67 80 36 83 88 64 Deal comprehensively with the debt problems
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 71 41 77 87 64 of developing countries through national and
Eastern Asia international measures in order to make debt
excluding China . . – – – 68 82 51 sustainable in the long term
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 54 11 47 67 36
Southern Asia
Official development assistance
excluding India . . . 37 66 26 65 77 57 Indicator 8.1
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . 48 69 38 72 81 64
Net oda, total and to the least developed countries,
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 94 58 94 96 89 as a percentage of Organization for Economic
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 75 22 35 76 23 Cooperation and Development/Development
Caucasus and Central Asia 90 95 86 96 95 96 Assistance Committee (oecd/dac) donors’ gross
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . 94 96 90 96 97 91 national income
32 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

(a) Annual total assistancea Market access

(Billions of current United States dollars)
1990 2000 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2014b
Indicator 8.6
Proportion of total developed country imports (by
All developing
value and excluding arms) from developing countries
countries . . . . . . . . 52.8 54.0 108.3 104.9 120.6 134.7 135.1 135.2
and least developed countries, admitted free of duty
Least developed (Percentage)
countries . . . . . . . . 15.0 13.7 25.9 32.4 37.5 44.7 44.5 – 1996 2000 2005 2010 2014
Excluding arms
(b) Share of oecd/dac donors’ gross Developing countriesa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 62 75 82 83
national income
of which, preferentialb. . . . . . . . . . . . 17 15 18 16 18
(Percentage)
Northern Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 57 97 98 97
1990 2002 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2014b Sub-Saharan Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 80 93 98 98
All developing Latin America and the Caribbean 66 75 93 95 95
countries . . . . . . . . 0.32 0.22 0.32 0.27 0.31 0.31 0.30 0.29 Eastern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 52 62 67 71
Least developed Southern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 48 58 73 72
countries . . . . . . . . 0.09 0.06 0.08 0.08 0.10 0.10 0.10 – South-Eastern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 75 77 82 80
Western Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 39 66 96 96
a Including non-oda debt forgiveness but excluding forgiveness of debt
for military purposes. Oceania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 83 89 94 96
b Preliminary data. Caucasus and Central Asia. . . . . . . 91 84 94 98 97
Least developed countries. . . . . . . . . . . 68 75 83 89 89
Indicator 8.2 of which, preferentialb. . . . . . . . . . . . 29 42 28 30 41
Proportion of total bilateral, sector-allocable Excluding arms and oil
oda of oecd/dac donors to basic social services Developing countriesa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 65 75 79 79
(basic education, primary health care, nutrition, of which, preferentialb. . . . . . . . . . . . 19 17 21 20 21
safe water and sanitation) Northern Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 26 95 96 96
Sub-Saharan Africa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 83 91 96 96
2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
Latin America
Percentage of bilateral, and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . 73 81 93 94 94
sector-allocable aid . . . . 14.0 15.7 16.0 19.9 21.2 18.8 18.0 Eastern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 52 62 69 71
Billions of Southern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 46 58 67 72
United States dollars . . . 3.5 5.8 8.2 12.4 17.0 14.8 14.5 South-Eastern Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 76 77 81 79
Western Asia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 44 87 93 91
Indicator 8.3 Oceania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 79 87 93 95
Proportion of bilateral official development Caucasus and Central Asia. . . . . . . 90 69 84 90 81
assistance of oecd/dac donors that is untieda Least developed countries. . . . . . . . . . . 78 70 80 80 84
of which, preferentialb. . . . . . . . . . . . 35 35 49 54 60
1990 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
a Including least developed countries.
Percentage of aid b The true preference margin is calculated by subtracting from the total
that is untied . . . . . . . . . . 67.6 91.1 91.4 83.9 84.5 83.3 85.4 duty-free access all products receiving duty-free treatment under the
Billions of most-favoured-nation regime. The indicators are based on the best
available treatment, including regional and preferential agreements.
United States dollars . . . 16.3 30.1 49.0 60.3 71.3 64.4 72.8
a Excluding technical cooperation and administrative costs as well as Indicator 8.7
oda for which the tying status is not reported. The percentage of bi-
lateral oda, excluding technical cooperation and administrative costs, Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on
with reported tying status was 99.6 per cent in 2008. In 2011, in-donor agricultural products and textiles and clothing from
refugee costs are also excluded from the tying status reporting. developing countries
(Percentage)
Indicator 8.4 1996 2000 2010 2014
Oda received in landlocked developing countries Agricultural goods
as a proportion of their gross national incomes Developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4 9.2 7.3 8.0
1990 2003 2005 2007 2009 2012 2013 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 7.3 6.0 5.6
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.4 6.2 3.2 3.6
Percentage of recipients’
gross national incomes 10.2 8.2 7.0 5.9 5.9 4.1 3.6 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 12.0 10.3 7.6 8.6
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 9.5 10.5 10.6
Billions of
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 5.3 5.5 4.2
United States dollars . . . 7.0 12.2 15.1 19.9 25.0 27.0 26.1
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 10.1 9.0 10.1
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 7.5 5.3 5.3
Indicator 8.5 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 9.4 2.9 3.5
Oda received in small island developing States Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 3.8 3.0 2.8
as a proportion of their gross national incomes Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.8 3.6 1.0 0.9
1990 2003 2005 2007 2009 2012 2013 Textiles
Developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 6.6 5.0 4.5
Percentage of recipients’
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 7.2 3.7 3.6
gross national incomes 1.9 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.1 3.3 3.0
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 3.4 2.8 2.9
Billions of Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 4.7 3.5 1.2 1.2
United States dollars . . . 2.1 1.8 2.5 3.3 4.2 4.7 4.5 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 6.6 5.7 5.1
Report of the Secretary-General 33

1996 2000 2010 2014 Indicator 8.12

Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 6.5 5.7 4.6 Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 8.4 5.4 5.2 and servicesa
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 8.2 4.4 4.4 1990 2000 2009 2010 2013
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.9 5.4 4.9 5.0
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.4 12.0 3.8 3.0 3.1
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 6.3 5.6 5.6
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.8 15.3 4.8 4.4 3.8
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 4.1 3.2 3.2
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.5 9.2 3.4 2.4 3.6
Clothing
Latin America
Developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.5 10.8 8.0 7.7
and the Caribbean 20.6 20.8 8.0 6.7 6.4
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.9 11.1 5.6 5.3
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.9 8.0 17.9 11.2 11.5
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 7.9 2.6 1.5
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.7 21.3 7.8 6.6 6.3
Latin America and the Caribbean . . . 8.8 7.8 1.2 1.4
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.6 4.9 0.6 0.6 0.4
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 11.5 11.0 10.2
Eastern Asia
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 9.6 8.5 8.2
excluding China – 6.5 4.1 4.3 4.5
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 13.5 9.2 9.2
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.6 13.8 3.2 2.6 3.7
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.6 11.8 8.2 8.3
Southern Asia
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.8 8.3 8.8 8.8
excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 11.5 4.5 4.5 5.4
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . 12.9 11.8 10.7 11.0
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.9 6.5 4.1 3.1 2.3
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.2 7.8 6.7 6.5
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.8 16.1 8.7 8.0 5.7
Indicator 8.8 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.0 6.0 1.9 1.5 2.0
Agricultural support estimate for oecd countries as a Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . – 8.6 1.1 1.1 2.1
percentage of their gross domestic product Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.5 11.6 4.9 3.3 5.0
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . 14.3 8.9 1.9 1.6 2.3
1990 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . 13.9 8.7 10.1 6.0 7.5
As percentage of oecd
countries’ gdp . . . . . . . . . 2.27 0.97 0.94 0.79 0.82 0.79 0.75 a Including countries reporting to the World Bank Debtor Reporting
System. Aggregates are based on available data and for some years
Billions of United States
might exclude countries that do not have data on exports of goods and
dollars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 312 336 314 326 342 344 services and net income from abroad.
Indicator 8.9 Target 8.E
Proportion of oda provided to help build trade capacitya In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies,
2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 provide access to affordable, essential drugs in
Trade policy and developing countries
regulations and trade-
related adjustmentb . . . 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.3 Indicator 8.13
Economic infrastructure . . . 21.5 14.8 17.2 13.6 15.1 16.0 22.9 Proportion of population with access to affordable
Building productive essential drugs on a sustainable basis
capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.0 13.4 12.8 13.3 12.8 14.2 14.2 No global or regional data are available.
Total aid for trade . . . . . . . . . 38.5 29.0 30.7 27.7 28.8 31.2 28.4
a Worldwide aid-for-trade proxies as a percentage of bilateral sector- Target 8.F
allocable oda. In cooperation with the private sector, make
b Reporting of trade-related adjustment data started in 2007. Only available the benefits of new technologies, especially
Canada and the European Commission reported.
information and communications
Debt sustainability
Indicator 8.14
Indicator 8.10 Fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
Total number of countries that have reached their 1995 2000 2013
heavily indebted poor countries (hipc) decision points World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.0 16.0 16.0
and number that have reached their hipc completion Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 7.9 10.6
points (cumulative) Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 7.2 8.6
2000a 2012b Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 1.4 1.1
Reached completion point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 35 Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 14.5 18.1
Reached decision point but not completion point . . . . . . . 21 1 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 11.3 10.5
Yet to be considered for decision point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 14.8 18.7
Total eligible countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 39 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 13.6 21.4
a Data for 2000 show the status at the end of the year. Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.0 43.1 49.0
b Including only heavily indebted poor countries as at 2012. Data for Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 3.2 4.0
2012 show the status at the end of August 2013.
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.2 3.5 8.2
Indicator 8.11 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.9 4.8 9.3
Debt relief committed under heavily indebted poor Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.2 17.2 14.2
countries and multilateral debt relief initiativesa Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 5.2 5.2
(Billions of United States dollars, cumulative) Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0 8.9 14.1
2000 2012 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.8 49.2 40.9
To countries that reached decision or completion point 32 95 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.5 1.0
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 2.8 3.8
a Expressed in net present value terms at the end of 2012. Commitment
status as at December 2012. Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3 13.0 11.7
34 Yearbook of the United Nations, 2015

Indicator 8.15 Indicator 8.16

Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants Internet users per 100 inhabitants
1995 2000 2013 1995 2000 2013
World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 12.1 93.1 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 6.6 38.0
Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 5.4 87.7 Developing regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 2.1 29.9
Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 2.8 119.3 Northern Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 0.7 41.7
Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 1.7 65.9 Sub-Saharan Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.5 16.9
Latin America Latin America and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 3.9 46.7
and the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 12.1 114.8 Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 2.9 34.7
Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 7.5 67.6 Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 4.0 47.6
Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.8 12.5 118.2 Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 3.7 47.0
Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 9.8 89.6 Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 28.6 61.7
Eastern Asia excluding China . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 50.2 101.0 Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 0.5 14.5
Southern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 0.4 72.1 Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1a 0.3 13.1
Southern Asia excluding India . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 0.5 75.3 South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 2.4 26.2
South-Eastern Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.7 4.2 115.4 Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 3.1 41.2
Western Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 13.1 106.9 Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.1 1.8 14.0
Oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.2 2.4 50.4 Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 0.5 39.2
Caucasus and Central Asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 1.3 111.9 Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 25.1 76.1
Developed regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 39.8 118.3 Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1b 0.1 7.0
Least developed countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1a 0.3 56.2 Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1a 0.3 14.6
Landlocked developing countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <0.1 1.1 65.2 Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 5.2 33.0
Small island developing States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5 11.0 74.8 a 1996 data.
a 1996 data. b 1998 data.

Sources: Inter-agency and Expert Group on Millennium Development Goal Indicators and
Millennium Development Goal Indicators website (http://mdgs.un.org).
Notes: Except where indicated, regional groupings are based on United Nations geographical regions,
with some modifications necessary to create, to the extent possible, homogeneous groups of countries
for analysis and presentation. The regional composition adopted for the 2014 reporting on Millennium
Development Goal indicators is available at http://mdgs.un.org, under “Data/Regional groupings”.
Where shown, the expression “developed regions” comprises Europe (except the Commonwealth
of Independent States), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States. The expression
always includes transition countries in Europe.
For some Millennium Development Goal indicators, data are presented separately for smaller subre-
gions in Africa, based on the classification adopted by the Economic Commission for Africa.
 PART ONE

Political and security questions

Chapter I

International peace and security

In 2015, the United Nations continued its efforts to ad­ As at 31 December, the United Nations was carry­
dress complex and interconnected threats to interna­ ing out 16 peacekeeping operations and 11 political or
tional peace and security. Though some were new, others peacebuilding missions. During the year, the United
were long-standing threats that had intensified or taken Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Burundi
on more virulent forms. The Security Council’s agenda started its operations to monitor and report on the elec­
was dominated by concerns about terrorism and vio­ toral process conducted between May and September.
lent extremism. UN peace operations deployed around The Mission drew to a close at the end of the year.
the world faced increasingly non-permissive environ­ The Special Committee on Peacekeeping Opera­
ments which affected the implementation of their man­ tions, which met in February and March, reviewed
dates. Amid those changes in security conditions, the the question of peacekeeping operations in all their
Secretary-General appointed a High-level Independent aspects, and considered proposals, recommendations
Panel to carry out a review of peace operations. The and conclusions on guiding principles, definitions
Panel provided a number of recommendations to ensure and implementation of mandates; restructuring of
that UN operations remained fit for purpose. That exer­ peacekeeping; and safety and security of peacekeepers.
cise was undertaken alongside a comprehensive review Regarding the financial position of UN peacekeeping
of the UN peacebuilding architecture. operations, expenditures increased by 9.1 per cent,
Throughout the year, the Security Council debated from $7.61 billion in the previous fiscal year to $8.30
inclusive development, explicitly linking peace with billion; while total unpaid assessments increased by
social inclusion and access to justice for all; climate 66.8 per cent, from $673.7 million to $1,123.6 million.
change vulnerabilities faced by small island developing
States; and the role of youth in maintaining peace and
security. In December, the Council adopted a resolution Promotion of international
requesting the Secretary-General to carry out a progress
study on the positive contribution of youth to peace peace and security
processes and the role of youth in conflict resolution.
The Council also discussed security-sector reform; Maintenance of international
commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and peace and security
the protection of human rights; prevention and the root
causes of conflict; and the relationship between the Security sector reform
United Nations and regional organizations, particularly Security Council consideration. On 20 August
the African Union. [S/PV.7508], the Security Council held an open de­
Acts of terrorism in 2015 resulted in the death and bate on security sector reform (ssr) and the further
injury of countless civilians in Afghanistan, France, implementation of Council resolution 2151(2014)
Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Saudi Ara­ [YUN 2014, p. 36]. It had before it a concept note
bia, Somalia, Tunisia and Turkey. In December, the [S/2015/614] submitted by Nigeria. In briefing the
Secretary-General presented a plan of action to prevent Council, the Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of
violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Law and Security Institutions said that well-trained,
The General Assembly adopted resolutions on well-supported, accountable and service-oriented police
comprehensive reviews of peacekeeping operations and and military professionals were the best defense against
of special political missions; the support account for the violence and instability that were threatening lives
peacekeeping operations; scale of assessments for the ap­ and livelihoods in many countries and depending on
portionment of the expenses of peacekeeping operations; specific circumstances, security-sector management
the financing of the United Nations Logistics Base and professionalization should be at the core of peace
at Brindisi, Italy; and the criminal accountability of operations’ mandates and activities.
United Nations officials and experts on missions. The Assistant Secretary-General pointed to the
On 28 September, a Leaders’ Summit on Peace­ fact that the United Nations had chosen to focus on
keeping took place at UN Headquarters in New York. four central priorities in resolution 2151(2014). First,
Nearly 50 heads of state and Government representa­ the Organization viewed ssr as a political process as
tives issued a declaration recommitting to modernize much as a technical one; while to train and equip was
UN peacekeeping operations to ensure their success. indispensable in post-conflict situations, security-sector

37
38 Part One: Political and security questions

management was most effective when linked to broader and the post-2015 development agenda; and presented
reforms. The second focus highlighted the need to inte­ the outcomes of that high-level event, respectively.
grate sector-wide delivery. Ssr covered not only defence
but included justice and corrections, policing, border Inclusive development
management and other areas which could balance
and mutually reinforce each other. The third focus Security Council consideration. On 19 January
was on supporting Governments in their efforts to [S/PV.7361] the Secretary-General briefed the Security
develop State security plans and convene international Council on inclusive development for the maintenance
partners around those plans. Fourth, building strong of international peace and security. The Council had be­
and accountable security sectors helped the United fore it a concept note [S/2015/6] submitted by Chile. The
Nations to deliver on key mandated activities, includ­ Secretary-General said that the founders of the United
ing the protection of civilians and prevention of sexual Nations well understood that if any one of the three
and gender-based violence. The Assistant Secretary- pillars of peace and security, development, and human
General, however, acknowledged that in South Sudan, rights was ignored, it imperilled the other two. Silos
for example, the United Nations did not manage the had to be broken to work together on all three areas
security dialogue effectively, which contributed to the simultaneously. The year 2015 was a year of action to
unravelling of peace. The lack of success in that instance launch a sustainable development agenda and to reach
demonstrated the political imperative for sustained and an agreement of climate change. He underscored the
well-resourced efforts towards ssr in peace operations. importance of justice to build peaceful and inclusive so­
It was understandable, according to the Assistant cieties by promoting strong and responsive institutions.
Secretary-General, that some Member States had ex­ There was growing consensus that the high levels of in­
pressed caution about UN engagement in security- equality seen in recent decades were socially, politically
sector management. UN practice, however, had been and environmentally damaging. Development that ex­
simple: ssr could be achieved only if host countries cluded part of the population could be socially corrosive.
agreed to it. The Organization’s role was to support Despite that consensus, however, exclusion and inequal­
nationally owned ssr efforts when mandated or ity persisted. In many countries, the poor, migrants,
requested to do so; at the same time, it was the obli­ people with disabilities, indigenous groups and older
gation of the United Nations to share the best inter­ people had little or no access to basic services and could
national practices with recipient States. not participate in political dialogue. Discrimination
against women and girls was a blatant injustice and
Three recommendations were provided for the more than half of the world’s people lacked any social
Council’s consideration. First, ssr should not only protection— no pensions or safety net in times of illness
concentrate on post-conflict situations, but it could or unemployment. Even in countries at peace, inclusive
also be used for prevention purposes; and the Special development would not happen unless Governments,
Representatives of the Secretary-General should be the private sector and civil society demonstrated their
empowered and encouraged to take initiative and commitment to education, health, job creation and
ownership on security-sector management issues. other pertinent measures. The Secretary-General said
Second, the Council could consider requesting that that the Peacebuilding Commission was providing co­
host States and the United Nations agree on special ordinated international support targeted at countries
compacts—which the Council had already discussed emerging from conflict, and the review of the United
informally—in the security sector and wider gover­ Nations peacebuilding architecture (see p. 45) would
nance areas. Third, the Council could encourage the help to make that support more robust and flexible.
Department of Peacekeeping Operations, through the
Secretary-General’s reports, to provide more detailed SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
information on national and international efforts in
that vital area, as well as on the whole issue of peace On 19 January [meeting 7361], following consulta­
sustainment. tions among Security Council members, the President
issued statement S/PRST/2015/3 on behalf of the
The meeting was also addressed by the Special Council.
Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual
Violence in Conflict and the Assistant Administrator
of the United Nations Development Programme. Commitment to the United Nations Charter
Communications. In letters to the Secretary- Security Council consideration. On 23 Febru­
General dated 21 April [A/69/879-S/2015/269] and ary [S/PV.7389], the Security Council held a debate on
12 November [A/70/550-S/2015/868], Slovakia and South the maintenance of international peace and security,
Africa, respectively, on behalf of the Group of Friends reaffirming its strong commitment to the purposes
of ssr, informed that the Group intended to hold a and principles of the United Nations Charter. The
ministerial meeting during the seventieth session of Council had before it a concept note [S/2015/87] sub­
the General Assembly to consider the link between ssr mitted by China.
Chapter I: International peace and security 39

The Secretary-General, in addressing the Council, Climate change was not the only peace and security
said that on the seventieth anniversary of Organiza­ challenge facing the peoples and Governments of small
tion’s founding, the United Nations had major achieve­ island developing States; transnational organized crime,
ments to its credit, multiple crises on its agenda and including drug trafficking, human trafficking, piracy
tremendous opportunities ahead. Collective security and wildlife crime, were also a menace. Caribbean
was the core purpose of the Organization. Unlike in small island developing States were vulnerable to drug-
1945, however, there was no longer a full meeting of trafficking and gang-related violence, which affected
minds on what that meant. The Charter was very clear security and development. With exclusive economic
that the primary responsibility for preventing conflict zones often larger than their land areas, small island
lay with Member States, yet in too many instances developing States also faced the challenge of manag­
Member States were still falling short. The shared ing fisheries and preventing illegal, unreported and
work was based on consent and respect for the sover­ unregulated fishing, which undermined economies
eign equality of all Member States, which the Charter and contributed to insecurity. On piracy, Mauritius
recognized as a basic principle. Early action to prevent and Seychelles had been at the forefront of interna­
conflict and protect human rights helped to strengthen tional cooperation in the Indian Ocean to apprehend
sovereignty, rather than challenge or restrict it. and prosecute Somali pirates. Small island developing
A major obstacle to UN human rights action States, however, did not have the resources to combat
had been a concern among Member States that such the threats by themselves, and only through global
action could harm national sovereignty. In reality, it partnership could their peaceful futures be secured.
was serious violations of human rights that weakened Communication. In a 2 October letter [S/2015/754]
sovereignty, for such abuses killed and displaced peo­ to the Security Council President, New Zealand shared
ple, divided communities, undermined economies, a summary of some of the key themes and proposals
destroyed cultural heritage, and, at times, silenced raised by participants during the Council meeting on
Government officials, parliamentarians, civil servants, small island developing States.
and judges, all of whom played major roles in national
institutions that were essential to sovereignty. The role of youth
The primary goal of UN action on human rights
was to support all those actors. Doing so was, most Security Council consideration. On 23 April
fundamentally, a support to national sovereignty. A [S/PV.7432], the Security Council debated the role of
conceptual shift in understanding UN human rights youth in countering violent extremism and promoting
action would have a positive and transformational peace. The Council had before it a concept note
effect on the role of the Security Council in peace [S/2015/231] submitted by Jordan.
and security. The Secretary-General added that sov­ The Secretary-General, in addressing the Council,
ereignty remained part of the bedrock of international said that the world should encourage young people
order, but the less sovereignty was viewed as a wall or to take up the causes of peace, diversity and mutual
a shield, the better the prospects for protecting people respect. Youth represented promise, not peril and
and solving shared problems. while some young people did commit heinous acts
of violence, the overwhelming majority yearned for
Small island developing States peace, especially in conflict situations. Many of those
who committed violence were victimized by depraved
Security Council consideration. On 30 July adults who abused youthful innocence. Over and over,
[S/PV.7499], the Security Council debated the peace young people bore the brunt of violent extremism, such
and security challenges facing small island developing as the girls in Chibok, Nigeria, and the students killed
States. The Council had before it a concept note by Al-Shabaab in Garissa, Kenya, as well as those mas­
[S/2015/543] circulated by New Zealand. The meeting sacred by the Taliban in Peshawar, Pakistan. Violent
was also attended by the Prime Minister of Samoa, extremists deliberately targeted youth for exercising
the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the President of their human rights. Youth suffered on the front lines
Kiribati. of war, but were rarely in the back rooms where peace
The Secretary-General, in addressing the Council, talks were held. The Secretary-General joined the call
noted that the first priority was to support small of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
island developing States in achieving the Millennium Rights for deploying “weapons of mass instruction” to
Development Goals, whose progress had been uneven foster a culture of peace. That was more than a clever
in spite of considerable efforts; second, a post-2015 slogan, it was an effective strategy, he said.
development agenda and sustainable development
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
goals had to address the needs of small island
developing States; and third, there was a need to On 9 December [meeting 7573], the Security Council
achieve a meaningful and universal global climate unanimously adopted resolution 2250(2015). The
agreement in Paris in December. draft [S/2015/935] was submitted by 13 Member States.
40 Part One: Political and security questions

United Nations and regional organizations on the transitions from au peace operations to UN
peacekeeping operations in Mali and in the Central
Security Council consideration. On 18 August African Republic, and provided specific recommen­
[S/PV.7505], the Security Council held a meeting on dations that could be used for possible future tran­
regional organizations and contemporary challenges sitional arrangements. The Secretary-General added
of global security. The Council had before it a concept that operational planning and coordination in the
note [S/2015/599] submitted by Nigeria. process leading up to the transfer of authority from
The Secretary-General, in addressing the Council, the African-led International Support Mission in
said that the United Nations increasingly shared re­ the Central African Republic to the United Nations
sponsibilities for peace and security with regional Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission
organizations. Technological advances in warfare, in­ in the Central African Republic (minusca) benefited
cluding cyberthreats, posed grave dangers to civilians from lessons drawn from the transition from the
and, against that shifting security landscape, the United African-led International Support Mission in Mali to
Nations was deploying into fragile and remote environ­ the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Sta­
ments with little peace to keep. The Security Council bilization Mission in Mali (minusma).
had rightly given Blue Helmets ambitious mandates to
Clear command and control structures were
protect civilians, but too often they lacked the proper
very important during transitions when operations
equipment, resources and training for that life-saving
were undertaken in coordination with another
mission. The United Nations was analysing the report
organization. During the transitions in Mali and the
of the High-level Independent Panel on United Nations
Central African Republic, the au encountered chal­
Peace Operations (see p. 58)—that called for a stronger
lenges due to the lack of means of communication
global-regional partnership to ensure that the Council
between force headquarters and sector headquarters,
could draw on a more resilient and capable network of
as well as a lack of clarity on reporting procedures.
actors—and was reviewing the Panel’s recommenda­
The rehatting of police and force contingents operating
tions for immediate implementation, as well as those
under African-led peace operations was a central ele­
that would require action by legislative bodies, Member
ment of the operational planning process during tran­
States and partners. Besides the practical cooperation
sitions. Despite capability assessments conducted by
with the African Union (au) and the European Union
the United Nations and communicated to troop-and
(eu) that enhanced progress in Africa—where almost
police-contributing countries and bilateral donors to
two thirds of the Organization’s peace operations and
raise capacities, most minusma and minusca contin­
90 per cent of uniformed peacekeepers were deployed—
gents inherited on the date of their respective transfers
the United Nations had to also be open to different
of authority equipment and self-sustainment capabili­
forms of engagement with other organizations, includ­
ties that remained below UN standards.
ing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the
Collective Security Treaty Organization, the League of The Secretary-General observed that the transitions
Arab States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Mali and the Central African Republic highlighted
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation the importance of early engagement by the United
in Europe. The Secretary-General said he agreed with Nations and the au in joint assessments and planning
the Panel’s recommendations that the United Nations from the outset, taking into account the political and
should deepen its strategic partnership with the au; and security dimensions of the conflicts concerned. There
for greater support to Security Council-authorized au was also a need to ensure greater predictability by
peace operations. Towards that end, the Panel called identifying context-specific benchmarks that could
for more predictable financing, including using UN- be used to determine the conditions under which a
assessed contributions. transition from an au operation to a UN peacekeeping
Report of Secretary-General. In April, the mission should take place; by taking into considera­
Secretary-General submitted a report [S/2015/229] on tion the role of post-transition, au led presences and
assessments and recommendations on the progress of mechanisms, and assessing the support that the United
the partnerships between the United Nations and rele­ Nations would be able to continue providing to sustain
vant regional organizations in peacekeeping operations, such multidimensional presences; and by considering
prepared in consultation with the au and the eu. an early deployment of UN expertise and military
enablers, including engineering assets and tactical lift
African Union capabilities.
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 2 January
letter [S/2015/3] to the Security Council President, the European Union
Secretary-General said that in response to Council res­ Security Council consideration. On 9 March
olution 2167(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 39], the Department [S/PV.7402], the Secretary-General briefed the Security
of Peacekeeping Operations, in full and close coopera­ Council on cooperation between the United Nations
tion with the au, had led a lessons-learned exercise and the eu in maintaining international peace and
Chapter I: International peace and security 41

security. The meeting was also attended by the eu High On 13 October [S/2015/788], the Secretary-General
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. said that none of the acts of the nominated eight can­
The Secretary-General said that in a time of multiple didates met the very high standards required for the
crises, it was more necessary than ever to strengthen Captain Diagne Medal. He therefore decided not to
the partnership between the United Nations and the eu organize a ceremony to award the Captain Diagne
for peace, human rights and sustainable development; Medal, but instead to hold an event with the Diagne
and it was also more necessary than ever that Europe family later in 2015 to recognize the extraordinary
overcame the frictions and its internal difficulties to courage of Captain Diagne and his acts of bravery as
remain effective in the major missions it undertook a United Nations peacekeeper.
beyond its borders. The eu, with the capabilities of
its Member States, was an indispensable UN partner
on rapid response. The eu was a key actor in many Conflict prevention
international negotiations, such as the P5+1 nuclear Letter of Secretary-General. On 27 July
negotiations with Iran, the Middle East peace process [S/2015/580], the Secretary-General informed the
and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and eu support President of the Security Council that the High-
for UN diplomatic efforts in Libya had been invalu­ level Independent Panel on Peace Operations, estab­
able. The United Nations and the eu were not acting lished to comprehensively assess the state of United
alone in Africa; the partnership of the au with both Nations peace operation, issued its report (see p. 58)
organizations and its role in addressing conflict were on 16 June. The Panel made specific recommenda­
key components of the peace and security architecture tions on conflict prevention, calling for prevention
in Africa. The three organizations were also playing and mediation to be “brought back to the fore” of the
important roles in addressing the threat of Ebola in United Nations work. The Secretary-General was pre­
West Africa. The Secretary-General was grateful for paring his response to the Panel’s recommendations
the financial contributions that the European External (see p. 58), and requested an extension, until 30 Sep­
Action Service had made to key UN counter-terrorism tember, for submission to the Council. The Council
capacity-building initiatives. took note of the request on 30 July [S/2015/581].
On 11 May [S/PV.7439], the Council held a meeting Security Council consideration. On 17 No­
on cooperation between the United Nations and vember [S/PV.7561], the Secretary-General addressed
regional and subregional organizations in maintaining the Security Council at an open debate on conflict
international peace and security, which was attended prevention. The Council had before it a concept note
by the eu High Representative for Foreign Affairs and [S/2015/845] prepared by the United Kingdom and the
Security Policy. September report of the Secretary-General (see below).
(For more information on cooperation between the The Secretary-General said that violent conflicts
United Nations and regional and other organizations, and violent extremism were often rooted in a mix
see p. 723.) of exclusion, inequality, mismanagement of natural
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION resources, corruption, oppression, governance failures,
and the frustration and alienation among the general
On 5 May [meeting 86], the General Assembly population that resulted from a lack of jobs and op­
adopted resolution 69/277 [draft: A/69/L.60] (Political portunities. He emphasized that there was a need to
declaration on strengthening cooperation between focus on prevention and human rights, and for the
the United Nations and regional and subregional United Nations to pool its strengths to bring strong
organizations) without vote [agenda item 123]. analysis to the Security Council and the Peacebuilding
Commission. There was also a need for adequate, pre­
Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal dictable financing for good offices and mediation work
for Exceptional Courage for UN country teams and for the Peacebuilding Fund.
Letters of Secretary-General. On 20 May Report of Secretary-General. In September
[S/2015/385], the Secretary-General informed the Presi­ [S/2015/730], pursuant to Security Council resolution
dent of the Security Council that in order to elevate the 2171(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 47], the Secretary-General
profile of the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Ex­ issued a report entitled “The United Nations and con­
ceptional Courage, he intended to move the awarding flict prevention: a collective recommitment” that con­
ceremony to coincide with the peacekeeping summit sidered the evolution of conflict and the prevention
to be held in September 2015, in the context of the landscape in recent years. The report presented an
Organization’s seventieth anniversary; and in view of overview of efforts to strengthen United Nations
the small number of nominations received, he also in­ prevention tools and initiatives, highlighting coopera­
tended to extend the period of eligibility for the award tion with regional and subregional organizations, and
of the Captain Diagne Medal. The Council took note pointed to key challenges and opportunities for con­
of the intentions on 27 May [S/2015/386]. flict prevention.
42 Part One: Political and security questions

A deteriorating global peace and security landscape national support for nationally owned and nationally
had led to a growth in the number, size and responsibili­ led peacebuilding efforts.
ties of peace operations—both special political missions On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
and peacekeeping operations. The prevention landscape Assembly decided that the item on the prevention of
had also been shifting in recent decades, with greater armed conflict would remain for consideration during
intensity of effort in the area of conflict prevention, and its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
with the normative framework for conflict prevention
strengthened at the regional and global levels. Member Mediation and settlement of disputes
States made history in September 2015, during the
United Nations summit for the adoption of the post- Report of Secretary-General. In August
2015 development agenda (see p. 395), when they [A/70/328], in accordance with General Assembly reso­
adopted an ambitious and transformative sustainable lution 68/303 [YUN 2014, p. 50], the Secretary-General
development agenda for the next 15 years. There was submitted a report on cooperation between the United
an increase in the number and diversity of prevention Nations and regional and subregional organizations.
actors and a growing network of international, national Research suggested that the regionalization and
and local non-governmental organizations (ngos), es­ internationalization of conflict was on the rise, with
pecially women’s groups, with in-depth knowledge and more conflicts transcending borders. External military
experience in mediation and reconciliation. support—often for the opposing sides of conflicts—
The Secretary-General’s Human Rights Up Front risked prolonging conflicts and making them bloodier
initiative focused on prevention of large-scale human and more difficult to resolve through negotiations as
rights violations which often led to an increased risk of the number of interested actors increased. There was
conflict. In essence, the initiative was a push for cultural also the emergence and ascendancy in some regions
change throughout the UN system so that the prevention of violent extremist groups with a propensity for hor­
of serious violations of human rights would be reaffirmed rific attacks against civilians, with appalling violations
as a system-wide, core responsibility for all. of international humanitarian and human rights law,
The report noted the importance, among other including sexual and gender-based violence, and an in­
things, of analysis and early warning in identifying tensification of the phenomenon of the multiplication
potential conflict situations; good offices, preventive and fragmentation of conflict actors, both political and
diplomacy and mediation; deepening partnerships military groups. Mediators were increasingly grappling
with regional and subregional organizations; and the with not only growing numbers, but also diverse mo­
establishment of the Mediation Support Unit to pro­ tives and fluid and ever-changing alliances, and with
fessionalize prevention work at UN Headquarters and situations of uncertain command and control. Divisions
in the field. were seen in the international community, including in
Among key challenges and opportunities, the the Security Council, while the cost and complexity of
Secretary-General noted that rhetorical commit­ conflict had focused renewed attention on reinforcing
ments—a broad and strong Member State consensus good offices and mediation in support of effective con­
on conflict prevention—had not always translated flict prevention. Some of the more successful examples
into early and effective action to prevent violence. of effective mediation cooperation between the United
Beyond improving technical tools and streamlining Nations and regional and subregional organizations, in
bureaucracy, there was a need for at least three other places such as Guinea, suggested that prevention was
ingredients, too frequently missing, for more effective an area of potentially fruitful cooperation in the future.
preventive engagement. First among those was Member Given those trends, the Secretary-General noted
States consent. Governments and leaders worried that that the United Nations viewed effective partnerships
preventive engagement on the part of the United with regional and subregional organizations as a central
Nations would undermine their sovereignty, interna­ element of effective mediation. He highlighted some
tionalize a problem or legitimize an adversary. Not­ broad areas for consideration, such as institutionalizing
withstanding those apprehensions, it was important to early UN engagement with regional and subregional
recognize that early preventive action to address brew­ organizations in early warnings and conflict analysis,
ing tensions protected rather than undermined State which allowed for a better common understanding of
sovereignty by warding off the threat of devastating the root causes and drivers of conflict; strengthening
violence. The second missing ingredient was interna­ regional offices and presences of the Department of
tional unity and the third was adequate resources. The Political Affairs that had enhanced the agility and ef­
resourcing gap for prevention was made more dire not fectiveness of preventive good offices undertaken by
only by the deteriorating peace and security landscape, the United Nations; increasing support to Resident
but also by a higher rate of conflict relapse. That was Coordinators and UN country teams; enhancing and
precisely why the Peacebuilding Support Office was es­ institutionalizing interaction and consultations on me­
tablished — to help sustain peace in countries making diation initiatives, including joint assessment missions,
the transition out of violent conflict by garnering inter­ conflict analysis and planning and high-level dialogue,
Chapter I: International peace and security 43

as well as the development of groups of friends, contact Experts concerning the development of a fingerprint
groups and donor support mechanisms in specific set­ for diamonds from the Central African Republic as
tings; undertaking joint lessons-learned reflections and requested pursuant to the administrative decision of
knowledge management; continuing to develop media­ 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 52] on ensuring that diamonds from
tion frameworks and guidance; professionalizing the the Central African Republic were not introduced into
cadre of envoys and mediation teams, including iden­ the legitimate trade. The Working Group informed
tifying the future generation of mediators and building the meeting about the developments in improving the
their capacity, with a particular focus on increasing the footprint of the eastern and western production zones
number of women; supporting national capacities; and in the Central African Republic, and the creation of a
achieving better synergy between mediation efforts and dedicated space on the Kimberley Process website by
UN sanctions, including improving systematic coor­ the Administrative Support Mechanism. The database
dination between the Security Council, the sanctions contained statistical footprint data and digital pictures
committees, sanctions expert panels and mediators. that could be used to support and enhance vigilance
Communication. In identical letters dated 25 June by participants. The meeting agreed to engage with the
[A/69/970-S/2015/492] to the Secretary-General and the Financial Action Task Force—the intergovernmental
Security Council President, Morocco and Spain trans­ global money laundering and terrorist financing
mitted the conclusions from a seminar on the role of watchdog—by inviting the authors of a Task Force
regional and subregional organizations in mediation in report related to the risks associated with the supply
the Mediterranean, which took place in Madrid, Spain, chain of rough diamonds to a discussion at the next
on 17 March. intersessional meeting.
In 2015, review visits were conducted to Arme­
Conflict diamonds nia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mexico, the Congo, Swaziland,
the United Arab Emirates and the eu; in addition, a
The Kimberley Process at its thirteenth annual review visit was conducted to Côte d’Ivoire pursuant to
session (Luanda, Angola, 16–20 November), con­ Security Council resolution 2153(2014). Expressions of
tinued its work related to the Kimberley Process interests in hosting a review visit were made by Cam­
Certification Scheme (kpcs), which was established eroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana,
in 2003 [YUN 2003, p. 55] to stop the trade in conflict Lesotho, Norway, Panama, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkey
diamonds from fuelling armed conflict, protect the le­ and the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as from
gitimate diamond industry and ensure implementation Belarus, Brazil, Japan, the Lao People’s Democratic
of UN resolutions on trade in conflict diamonds. As at Republic and Mauritius. The United Arab Emirates
1 December, kpcs had 54 participants, representing 81 would succeed Angola as Chair of the Kimberley Pro­
countries, including the 28 members of the eu. cess, effective 1 January 2016.
On 2 December, in accordance with General On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
Assembly resolution 69/136 [YUN 2014, p. 52], Angola, Assembly decided that the item on the role of diamonds
in its capacity as Chair of the Kimberley Process, trans­ in fuelling conflict would remain for consideration dur­
mitted to the Secretary-General the 2015 Kimberley ing its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
Process report [A/70/596]. During the course of 2015,
seven review visits and one review mission to Kimberley (For information on the import of rough diamonds
Process members took place to ensure peer-review from Côte d’Ivoire, and its Expert Group, see p. 97.)
monitoring and compliance with the minimum re­
quirements of the Process. The annual session took Implementation of 1970 Declaration
note of steps taken by the countries of the Mano River
Union (Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone) to In October, the General Assembly considered the
create a new impetus for further regional cooperation agenda item entitled “Review of the implementation of
towards kpcs compliance, an initiative that had been the Declaration on the Strengthening of International
highlighted in Security Council resolution 2153(2014) Security” [YUN 1970, p. 101]. It took note of the report
[YUN 2014, p. 247], which lifted the embargo on the
of the First Committee [A/70/454] on 7 December
export of rough diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire. The (decision 70/513), and on 23 December (decision
meeting also took note of a report on the preliminary 70/554) decided that the item would remain for con­
findings and observations of the review visit team sideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
to Côte d’Ivoire, conducted pursuant to resolution
2153(2014), encouraged Côte d’Ivoire to further im­ Peacemaking and peacebuilding
plement its transition strategy and post-United Nations
embargo action plan and requested the review visit Post-conflict peacebuilding
team to finalize its report before the end of the year. Security Council consideration. On 14 January
The meeting reviewed the important work of the [S/PV.7359],
the Security Council held a meeting on
scientific subgroup of the Working Group of Diamond post-conflict peacebuilding. The Deputy Secretary-
44 Part One: Political and security questions

General briefed the Council on the Secretary-General’s methods, including follow-up on the work of its first
2014 report [YUN 2014, p. 55] on peacebuilding in the annual session to commemorate Peacebuilding Day (in
aftermath of conflict. June 2014) [YUN 2014, p. 59] and forging closer interac­
The Deputy Secretary-General noted that tion and engagement among the relevant stakeholders
peacebuilding was most effective when political, secu­ in New York and those from Member States’ capitals
rity and development actors supported a common, on key international peacebuilding challenges.
comprehensive and clear strategy for consolidating Second annual session. The second annual
peace. Strong and well-functioning institutions that session of the Peacebuilding Commission (New York,
were central to peacebuilding had to be based on effec­ 23 June) was convened to discuss “Predictable financ­
tive and inclusive political agreements as they provided ing for peacebuilding: breaking the silos”. The dis­
legitimacy and support for institutional development cussion followed closely on the heels of the issuance
and reform. While peacebuilding required sustained on 17 June of the High-level Independent Panel on
international political, technical and financial support, Peace Operations report on “Uniting our strengths
noticeable gaps remained in several places, particularly for peace: politics, partnership and people” (see p. 58).
where the establishment of basic Government func­ Advisory function. The Commission continued
tions was needed to sustain peace. As conflicts were to explore ways to strengthen the advisory function to,
increasingly taking on a regional dimension, regional and improve interaction with, the General Assembly
actors and neighbouring countries, working together and the Security Council. The Commission had pur­
with the United Nations, could play a critical role sued three tracks in its relations with the Council,
in creating an environment conducive to sustainable consisting of the fourth informal interactive dialogue
peace. Promoting inclusion meant ensuring wom­ co-organized by the President of the Council and the
en’s equal participation in post-conflict political and Chair of the Commission; a periodic stocktaking, at
development processes. the expert level, coordinated by Malaysia; and formal
The Peacebuilding Commission was intended to briefings to the Council on country-specific and the­
be a diverse, flexible and dynamic political forum that matic issues.
would focus international attention on the challenges Other topics covered included drawing attention
facing countries at risk of relapse into violence. Al­ to the peacebuilding-related implications of the Ebola
though the Commission had made some important crisis; a strategy for mainstreaming a gender perspec­
progress, its structure and working methods needed tive in its country-specific engagement; the Com­
review, improvement and adaptation to a rapidly mission’s working methods; emerging cross-cutting
changing environment. issues, such as young people’s role in sustaining peace;
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
institution-building as a key requirement for sustain­
ing peace; and extension of State authority.
On 14 January [meeting 7359], following consulta­ Appointment. On 13 March [S/2015/188], the
tions among Security Council members, the President Secretary-General informed the Security Council
issued statement S/PRST/2015/2 on behalf of the President of his intention to appoint Petko Dra­
Council. ganov (Bulgaria) as his Special Representative and
Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for
Peacebuilding Commission Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat,
In response to Security Council resolu­ Turkmenistan, succeeding Miroslav Jenča (Slovakia).
tions 1645(2005) [YUN 2005, p. 94] and General The Council took note of his intention on 17 March
Assembly resolution 60/180 [ibid.], the Peacebuilding [S/2015/189].
Commission submitted a report on its ninth session Security Council consideration. On 25 June
[A/70/714-S/2016/115], reviewing its activities in 2015. In [S/PV.7472], the Council considered the report of the
January, the Secretary-General appointed an advisory Peacebuilding Commission on its eighth session
group of experts on the review of the peacebuilding [YUN 2014, p. 59] during a briefing on post-conflict
architecture, whose report (see below) was discussed peacebuilding.
by the Commission at a number of informal meetings. On 23 December (decision 70/554), the
Through its country-specific configurations and its Assembly decided that the item on the report of the
broader policy advisory role, the Commission contin­ Peacebuilding Commission would remain for consid­
ued to carry out its three core functions of advocacy, eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
accompaniment and sustaining attention; resource Report of Advisory Group. Pursuant to the
mobilization and partnerships; and forging coherence. terms of reference set by the General Assembly and
It further strengthened linkages at the country level the Security Council for the 2015 review of the United
with the programmatic activity of the Peacebuilding Nations peacebuilding architecture [YUN 2014, p. 60],
Fund. The Commission continued to explore ways the Secretary-General appointed a seven-member
in which to adopt more flexible and lighter working Advisory Group of Experts on the Review of the
Chapter I: International peace and security 45

Peacebuilding Architecture consisting of Anis Bajwa Secretary-General that the Council had agreed on the
(Pakistan), Saraswathi Menon (India), Funmi Olo­ selection of Chad and Chile as the two elected mem­
nisakin (Nigeria), Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah (Mau­ bers of the Council to participate in the Organizational
ritania), Charles Petrie (France), Gert Rosenthal Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission for a
(Guatemala) and Edith Grace Ssempala (Uganda) term of one year, until the end of 2015.
to prepare a review report [A/69/968-S/2015/490]. The
Group noted that the Organization’s peacebuilding ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
architecture could not be understood as limited to On 4 March [meeting 14], the Economic and Social
the Peacebuilding Commission, the Peacebuilding Council adopted resolution 2015/1 [draft: E/2015/L.4]
Fund and the Peacebuilding Support Office. Rather, (Membership of the Economic and Social Council in
the shortcomings in efforts to fill the gaping hole the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding
in the Organization’s institutional machinery for Commission) without vote [agenda item 2].
building peace were systemic in nature, resulting
from a generalized misunderstanding of the nature Elections. On 5 March (decision 69/418), the
of peacebuilding, which was underprioritized and General Assembly elected Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Ma­
under-resourced. laysia and Morocco as members of the Organizational
The Advisory Group, proposed promoting co­ Committee for a two-year term of office, beginning
herence at the intergovernmental level, with the 1 January 2015, to fill five vacancies occurring on the
Peacebuilding Commission becoming the advisory expiration of the terms of office of Brazil, Kenya, Ma­
bridge between the relevant intergovernmental or­ laysia, Peru and South Africa.
gans; paying more attention to the timing and On 17 December (decision 70/416), the General
management of transitions between various forms Assembly elected El Salvador and Montenegro as
of United Nations engagement and accompanying members of the Organizational Committee for a two-
and facilitating national reconciliation for sustaining year term of office, beginning on 1 January 2016, to fill
peace; closer strategic and operational partnerships two vacancies occurring on the expiration of the terms
with international financial institutions and with of office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Guatemala.
regional and subregional organizations; ensuring more
predictable peacebuilding financing; and supporting Peacebuilding Fund
the building of national leadership as an integral part In response to Assembly resolution 63/282
of a reconciliation and nation-building agenda. [YUN 2009, p. 49], the Secretary-General submitted the
The Advisory Group recommended that the annual report [A/70/715] on the Peacebuilding Fund,
Peacebuilding Commission should diversify its which was established in 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 58] as
working methods, including by moving away from the a mechanism for extending critical support at the
strictures of a formal agenda, to enable it to consider a early stages of a peace process. The report covered the
larger and more diverse array of countries and regions, Fund’s operations and activities during 2015.
with a greater emphasis on conflict prevention.
The Peacebuilding Fund allocated $77.9 million to
Organizational Committee 14 countries in 2015. By contrast, the Fund received
$53.5 million in donor contributions, recording
The Peacebuilding Commission’s Organizational its third-weakest year since initial pledges in 2006.
Committee, at its 11 March meeting [PBC/9/OC/SR.1], The year 2015 marked the first time that the Fund
elected for one year Olof Skoog (Sweden) as the new had successfully met the Secretary-General’s target
Chair of the Commission, replacing Antonio de Aguiar on funding to support gender equality and women’s
Patriota (Brazil), who was elected as a new Vice-Chair. empowerment, by allocating 15.7 per cent to women-
The Committee also carried out elections for Chairs of centred initiatives. The Fund celebrated several
the country-specific configurations on Burundi, the milestones during the year, including the launch of
Central African Republic, Guinea, Sierra Leone and its first cross-border initiative along the Kyrgyzstan-
of the Working Group on Lessons Learned. Tajikistan border. Flexible management of the Fund
The Chair said that 2015 was a critical year for the in crisis-affected countries, including Burundi, Mali
United Nations peace and security strategy, as both and Yemen and Ebola-affected countries, ensured that
the ten-year review of the peacebuilding architecture critical human rights and security initiatives were
(see p. 43) and the review of peace operations (see maintained in settings from which most donors had
p. 58) would take place. Noting that 2015 marked withdrawn their support.
the tenth anniversary of the Commission, the Chair On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
recalled that it had been established with the goal of decided that the item on the report of the Secretary-
filling an institutional gap in the UN system. General on the Peacebuilding Fund would remain for
Communication. On 9 January [S/2015/15], consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
the President of the Security Council informed the session.
46 Part One: Political and security questions

Protection issues Protection of civilians in armed conflict

Responsibility to protect Security Council consideration. On 30 January,
the Security Council held a debate [S/PV.7374] on the
Report of Secretary-General. In response to the protection of civilians in armed conflict. It had before
2005 World Summit Outcome [YUN 2005, p. 48], which it a concept note [S/2015/32] submitted by Chile. Brief­
dealt with, among other things, the responsibility to ings were given by the Assistant Secretary-General
protect populations from genocide, war crimes, eth­ for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency
nic cleansing and crimes against humanity (“atrocity Relief Coordinator; the Director for International
crimes”) [ibid., p. 62], and General Assembly resolu­ Law and Policy of the International Committee of
tion 63/308 on the same topic [YUN 2009, p. 50], the the Red Cross (icrc); and the NGO Working Group
Secretary-General submitted a July report [A/69/981- on Women, Peace and Security.
S/2015/500] on implementing the responsibility to pro­
On 13 November [S/PV.7558], the Council held
tect, taking stock of ten years of efforts to advance
an open debate on United Nations peacekeeping
such efforts.
operations: the challenges of policing within a
The Secretary-General assessed the range and protection of civilians mandate. It had before it a
impact of implementation efforts under each of the concept note [S/2015/844] submitted by the United
three pillars of the principle, including actions by Kingdom. The meeting was addressed by the Under-
States to ratify relevant legal instruments and build Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations; the
national resilience to atrocity crimes; international Deputy Police Commissioner of the United Nations
initiatives to assist States in fulfilling their primary Mission in South Sudan; the Police Commissioner
responsibility to protect; and efforts by the interna­ of the United Nations Organization Stabilization
tional community to respond to protection crises, us­ Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
ing a variety of tools. and the Police Commissioner of the United Nations
Notable successes over the previous ten years Mission in Liberia.
included Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Kenya, and Kyr­ Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant
gyzstan, where international engagement helped to Security Council presidential statement S/
avert recurrence of atrocity crimes. Intercommunal PRST/2013/2 [YUN 2013, p. 46], the Secretary-General
violence in the Central African Republic and South submitted a June report [S/2015/453] on the protection
Sudan, however, represented significant failures to of civilians in armed conflict. The report reviewed the
prevent atrocity crimes. In the Democratic People’s state of the protection of civilians in key conflict-related
Republic of Korea, international action had not crises; identified existing and emerging protection
proved effective, notwithstanding the conclusions of challenges; highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen
a commission of inquiry [YUN 2014, p. 905] that sys­ the protection of civilians; and provided recommen­
tematic, widespread and gross violations of human dations for strengthening the protection of civilians
rights that in many instances amounted to crimes in armed conflict and promoting a more consistent
against humanity were being committed. In Iraq and and systematic approach by the Security Council. In
the Syrian Arab Republic, the rise of Islamic State in key conflict-related crises, despite some progress, the
Iraq and the Levant (isil) and other violent extremist general state of protection on the ground remained
groups had resulted in an increase in atrocity crimes bleak. Civilians continued to constitute the vast major­
and the deliberate targeting of religious minorities. ity of victims of armed conflict, and widespread viola­
The conflicts in Yemen and in the Gaza Strip of the tions of international humanitarian and human rights
Occupied Palestinian Territory had generated high law were frequently accompanied by a complete lack
numbers of civilian casualties, raising concern about of accountability in Afghanistan, the Central African
the indiscriminate use of force by all parties and pos­ Republic, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the
sible acts of war crimes. Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, the Oc­
The Secretary-General highlighted six core cupied Palestinian Territory, Pakistan, Somalia, South
priorities for the responsibility to protect over the next Sudan, the Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen.
decade, namely, signalling political commitment at The Secretary-General noted that the five core
the national, regional and global levels to protect pop­ challenges to the protection of civilians still remained
ulations from atrocity crimes; elevating prevention as relevant: compliance with international law by parties
a core aspect of the responsibility to protect; clarify­ to conflict had to be strengthened, in particular in
ing and expanding options for timely and decisive the conduct of hostilities, where a united Security
response; addressing the risk of recurrence; enhanc­ Council had a critical role to play; more systematic
ing regional action to prevent and respond to atroc­ engagement with non-State armed groups had to be
ity crimes; and strengthening international networks ensured to press for their compliance with the law
dedicated to genocide prevention and the responsi­ and their assurance of the protection of civilians and
bility to protect. humanitarian access to people in need; the role of
Chapter I: International peace and security 47

peacekeeping operations in the protection of civilians Trafficking in persons

had to be furthered strengthened; and peacekeepers Security Council consideration. On 16 December
had to be given the resources and capabilities necessary [S/PV.7585], the Council held a meeting, attended by the
to fulfil mandates while actively engaging national Deputy Secretary-General, on trafficking in persons in
authorities in fulfilling their primary responsibility to situations of conflict. The Deputy Secretary-General
protect civilians; more concerted action was needed said that human trafficking was slavery in the modern
from all relevant actors, including those with leverage age and most of the victims were vulnerable women
over parties to conflict, to ensure rapid and unimpeded and children, including boys and men, while the plight
humanitarian access to people in need of protection of women and girls held by groups such as isil/Da’esh
and assistance; and, lastly, there still remained an over­ and Boko Haram was well known. Thousands of Yazidi
whelming need to ensure that those who violated the women in Iraq had been abducted and enslaved by isil.
law were held accountable for their actions, for any­ The United Nations Convention against Transnational
thing less promoted a culture of impunity. Organized Crime [YUN 2000, p. 1048] and its Protocol to
On ongoing efforts to strengthen the protection Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
of civilians, the Secretary-General noted important Especially Women and Children [ibid. p. 1063], provided
advances, such as the entry into force of the Arms a framework for action, and with 169 States parties,
Trade Treaty in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 664] which repre­ the Protocol was close to universal adherence. There
sented a significant step towards preventing the flow was also the United Nations Global Plan of Action
of weapons and ammunition to areas affected by con­ to Combat Trafficking in Persons [YUN 2010, p. 1111],
flict and violence; the signing of joint communiqués which included provisions on addressing trafficking in
between the United Nations and the Governments conflict settings. More needed to be done, however, to
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South robustly implement the Protocol and the Plan of Action,
Sudan, as well as a framework of cooperation with the particularly in international conflict settings and post-
au, to address conflict-related sexual violence; the pro­ conflict reconstruction work. The important work of the
gress seen in some countries, including Afghanistan, Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking
the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, in Persons also needed support, and Member States
in implementing action plans to end and prevent the were encouraged to contribute to the United Nations
recruitment and use of children; the important verdicts Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in
for the victims of horrific crimes against civilians, inter­ Persons, Especially Women and Children.
national justice and the fight against impunity, such as
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
the International Criminal Court securing its second
conviction in 2014, finding Germain Katanga guilty On 9 October [meeting 7531], the Security Council
of five counts of war crimes and crimes against human­ adopted resolution 2240(2015) by vote (14-0-1). The
ity [YUN 2014, p. 1501] committed in the Democratic draft [S/2015/768] was submitted by 35 Member States.
Republic of the Congo and, in December 2014, the VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2240(2015):
upholding by the Court’s Appeals Chamber of the con­ In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan,
viction and sentence of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo [ibid.]. Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russian Federation,
The Secretary-General recommended that his Spain, United Kingdom, United States.
report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict Against: None.
Abstaining: Venezuela.
be submitted on an annual basis, rather than every
18 months; that the Security Council should resume On 16 December [meeting 7585], following consulta­
its practice of holding biannual open debates on the tions among Security Council members, the President
protection of civilians, in June and December; and made statement S/PRST/2015/25 on behalf of the
that the Expert Group on the Protection of Civil­ Council.
ians be used to monitor protection trends in a greater
number of situations of concern, including in the ab­ Protection of journalists
sence of peace operations. The General Assembly, by resolution 70/162 of
Communication. On 15 October [S/2015/794], 17 December (see p. 323), welcomed the report of the
Spain transmitted to the Secretary-General a letter Secretary-General (see p. 323) on the safety of journal­
from the icrc President containing the “Ethical prin­ ists and the issue of impunity, and condemned all at­
ciples of health care in times of armed conflict and tacks and violence against journalists and media work­
other emergencies”. ers. The resolution called on States to pay attention to
the safety of journalists covering events where persons
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION were exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and
On 25 November [meeting 7568], following consul­ freedom of expression, taking into account their spe­
tations among Security Council members, the Pres­ cific role, exposure and vulnerability.
ident made statement S/PRST/2015/23 on behalf of Security Council consideration. On 27 May
the Council. [S/PV.7450], the Council held a meeting on the
48 Part One: Political and security questions

protection of journalists in conflict situations with more than 70 actions designed to strengthen peace
a concept note submitted by Lithuania [S/2015/307]. operations.
Briefing the Council, the Deputy Secretary-General
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
said that of the 593 cases of killings of journalists be­
tween 2006 and 2013, almost half occurred in con­ On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
flict zones. Commending Reporters Without Borders on the recommendation of the Fourth (Special Political
for their work, he said that armed conflict not only and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/499], adopted
endangered the lives and safety of journalists, but resolution 70/92 (Comprehensive review of special
also limited the free flow of information, eroding the political missions) without vote [agenda item 57].
rule of law and democracy. Threats and attacks were On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
committed by State and non-State actors alike, often decided that the item on the comprehensive review of
to silence journalists seeking information or opin­ special political missions would remain for considera­
ions on subjects perceived to be off-limits, such as tion during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
human rights violations, political repression, or drug
trafficking. The United Nations Plan of Action on the Political and peacebuilding missions in 2015
Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity aimed
to help tackle those challenges; the Plan was being During 2015, 11 UN political and peacebuilding
piloted and laid out in several countries, including missions were in operation: 6 in Africa, 3 in the Asia
Iraq, Nepal, Pakistan and South Sudan. and the Pacific region, and 2 in the Middle East.
(For Financing of UN political and peacebuilding
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION missions, see part five, Chapter II.)
On 27 May [meeting 7450], the Security Council
unanimously adopted resolution 2222(2015). The UNOWA
draft [S/2015/375] was submitted by 49 Member States. United Nations Office for West Africa
Established: 29 November 2001.
Special political missions Mandate: To enhance the contribution of the
United Nations towards the achievement of peace
Comprehensive review and security in West Africa. On 19 December 2013
of special political missions [S/2013/753] and 23 December 2013 [S/2013/759], re­
Report of Secretary-General. In accordance with spectively, the Secretary-General and the Security
General Assembly resolution 69/95 [YUN 2014, p. 124], Council exchanged letters through which the mandate
the Secretary-General issued a September report of unowa was extended until 31 December 2016.
[A/70/400] on the overall policy matters pertaining to Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Mo­
special political missions, including efforts towards hamed Ibn Chambas (Ghana).
ensuring transparency, accountability, geographical
representation, gender participation, expertise and ef­ UNIOGBIS
fectiveness in respect of all special political missions. United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in
Following two decades of consistent decline, the Guinea-Bissau
number of active civil wars increased almost three­ Established: 1 January 2010.
fold between 2007 and 2014. The number of refugees Mandate: To support an inclusive political dia­
and internally displaced persons around the world logue and a national reconciliation process; assist
had reached a peak of 60 million people, and global in strengthening democratic institutions; provide
humanitarian needs for 2015 were close to a record- strategic and technical advice and support for national
setting $20 billion. Special political missions had security sector reform and rule of law; and assist
been particularly affected by those developments. national authorities in the promotion and protection
Seven of the 11 countries facing the highest levels of human rights. By resolution 2203(2015) of
of threat from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant 18 February (see p. 104), the Security Council ex­
(isil) and Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist groups hosted tended the mandate until 29 February 2016.
special political missions. In view of that complex
Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
new reality, and the challenges it posed not only for
Miguel Trovoada (São Tomé and Príncipe).
special political missions but also for peacekeeping
operations, the Secretary-General had appointed the UNOCA
High-level Independent Panel on Peace Operations
[YUN 2014, p. 157]. He had also submitted to Member United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa
States his report on the future of United Nations peace Established: 1 January 2011.
operations (see p. 58), outlining his priorities through Mandate: To assist Member States and sub-regional
the end of his tenure, as well as an agenda containing organizations in consolidating peace and preventing
Chapter I: International peace and security 49

potential conflicts. On 16 July [S/2015/554] and 21 July able peace and development. The Council, by resolu-
[S/2015/555], respectively, the Secretary-General and the tion 2210(2015) of 16 March (see p. 161), extended
Security Council exchanged letters through which the the mandate of unama until 17 March 2016.
mandate of unoca was extended until 31 August 2018. Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Ab­ Nicholas Haysom (South Africa).
doulaye Bathily (Senegal).
UNAMI
UNSMIL
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
United Nations Support Mission in Libya
Established: 14 August 2003.
Established: 16 September 2011.
Mandate: To promote political dialogue, assist the
Mandate: To support to the Libyan political process
Government and the Independent High Electoral
towards the formation of a Government of National Ac­
Commission in electoral processes, promote human
cord and security arrangements, through the security
rights, regional dialogue, and reconstruction and
track of the UN-facilitated Libyan political dialogue;
development. By resolution 2233(2015) of 29 July
undertake human rights monitoring; control unse­
(see p. 169), the Security Council extended the
cured arms and related material and counter their
mandate until 31 July 2016.
proliferation; and build governance capacity. By reso-
lution 2238(2015) of 10 September (see p. 145), the Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Ján
Security Council extended the mandate of unsmil until Kubiš (Slovakia).
15 March 2016.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Mar­ UNRCCA
tin Kobler (Germany). United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive
Diplomacy for Central Asia
UNSOM Established: 10 December 2007.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia Mandate: To liaise with Governments of the re­
Established: 3 June 2013. gion and other parties on preventive diplomacy issues;
Mandate: To provide policy advice to the Federal monitor and analyse the situation on the ground and
Government and the African Union Mission in Somalia provide the Secretary-General with information re­
on peacebuilding and state-building in the areas of: lated to conflict prevention; maintain contact with
governance, security sector reform and rule of law (in­ regional organizations; and support the UN system
cluding the disengagement of combatants), development in promoting an integrated approach to preventive
of a federal system (including state formation), constitu­ development and humanitarian assistance.
tional review, democratisation (including preparations Special Representative of the Secretary-General:
for the 2016 political transition) and coordination of Petko Draganov (Bulgaria).
international donor support. By resolution 2232(2015)
of 28 July (see p. 134), the Security Council extended of UNSCO
the mandate of unsom until 30 March 2016. Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator
Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Mi­ for the Middle East Peace Process
chael Keating (United Kingdom). Established: 1 October 1999.
MENUB Mandate: To act as the focal point for the UN con­
tribution to the peace process and to enhance UN
United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in humanitarian and development assistance.
Burundi
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Pro-
Established: 1 January 2015. cess and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General
Mandate: To monitor the electoral process in Burundi, to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the
the Security Council, by resolution 2137(2014) Palestinian Authority: Nickolay Mladenov (Bulgaria).
[YUN 2014, p. 209], established menub.
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General: Cassam Uteem UNSCOL
(Mauritius). Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator
for Lebanon
UNAMA Established: 16 February 2007.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Mandate: To represent the Secretary-General po­
Established: 28 March 2002. litically and coordinate UN work in Lebanon.
Mandate: To assist the Government and the people Special Coordinator for Lebanon: Sigrid Kaag
of Afghanistan in laying the foundations for sustain­ (Netherlands).
50 Part One: Political and security questions

and national systems to promote and protect the

Threats to international peace rights of victims of terrorism; putting in place autono­
and security mous financial intelligence units; the need to include
women and young people, community and faith-based
organizations in designing solutions to enhance State
International terrorism
legitimacy; addressing conflict prevention and reso­
Security Council consideration. On 30 March lution, in particular, by strengthening Pillar I of the
[S/PV.7421], the Council held a briefing on threats to in­ United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
ternational peace and security caused by terrorist acts. on measures to address the conditions conducive to
The Council was briefed by the Special Representative the spread of terrorism; strengthening international
of the Secretary-General and Head of the United and regional cooperation; ratifying and implementing
Nations Office for West Africa and by the Assistant international legal instruments; strengthening human
Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. rights-compliant law enforcement and intelligence co­
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to reso­ operation; effective prevention of cross-border terror­
lution 2195(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 127] the Secretary- ists’ movement; and preventing the use of organized
General submitted a May report [S/2015/366] on the crime proceeds to fund terrorism by developing strong
threat of terrorists benefiting from transnational or­ national legal, regulatory and supervisory frameworks.
ganized crime.
Terrorist groups included in the Al-Qaida Sanc­ Threats to international peace and security
tions List pursuant to Security Council resolu­ caused by terrorist acts
tions 1267(1999) [YUN 1999, p. 265] and 1989(2011)
[YUN 2011, p. 341] and groups that had committed In January (see p. 51), the Security Council ex­
terrorist acts in violation of the international legal pressed concern that the activities of Boko Haram
framework against terrorism, including matters were undermining the peace and stability of the
with which the Council was seized, were considered. West and Central African region and deplored Boko
Groups involved in transnational organized crime Haram’s violence against civilian populations, notably
typically engaged in clandestine operations in order women and children.
to avoid the attention of State authorities and the me­ In July (see p. 51), the Council expressed its
dia. Rather than aiming to impose political change, readiness to consider listing individuals, groups, un­
criminal organizations exploited the status quo to en­ dertakings and entities providing support to Boko
rich themselves. Nonetheless, both organized crime Haram, including those who were financing, arm­
and terrorist groups played a role in perpetuating ing, planning or recruiting for Boko Haram and all
instability, which in turn provided fertile ground to other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities
support their operations. Terrorist groups benefitted associated with Al-Qaida through information and
from transnational organized crime through coercion communications technologies, including the Internet
or taxation, cooperation and direct engagement. and social media or through any other means.
At the national level, the United Nations supported The Security Council, by resolution 2249(2015) of
several Member States in their efforts to build capacity November (see p. 232), condemned the terrorist attacks
and facilitate technical assistance to counteract the perpetrated by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
benefits that terrorist groups were gaining from part­ (isil) in Sousse, Tunisia; in Ankara, Turkey; in the Si­
nering with transnational organized criminal groups. nai, Egypt; in Beirut, Lebanon; and in Paris, France.
At the regional level, United Nations offices brought The Council called upon Member States to redouble
together the efforts of multiple agencies, funds and and coordinate their efforts to prevent and suppress
programmes to address such threats. At the global terrorist acts committed specifically by isil, as well as
level, the United Nations shaped norms and instru­ Al-Nusrah Front and all other individuals, groups, un­
ments to mitigate the effects of terrorism and trans­ dertakings, and entities associated with Al Qaida, and
national organized crime, while also developing global other terrorist groups, as designated by the Council.
projects, such as workshops to build the capacity of Security Council consideration. In December
Member States to prevent kidnapping for ransom and [S/PV.7587], the Secretary-General briefed the Council
train human rights-compliant law enforcement. The at its meeting on countering the financing of ter­
United Nations partnered with other entities, includ­ rorism. The Secretary-General noted that terrorists
ing regional organizations, the International Criminal circumvented formal channels to avoid detection
Police Organization (interpol), the Financial Action and exploited new technologies and tools to transfer
Task Force, ngos, think tanks, research institutes and resources; they forged destructive and profitable links
universities. with drug and criminal syndicates, among others, and
In order for Member States to strengthen their abused charitable causes to trick individuals to con­
capabilities, the Secretary-General recommended tribute. More Member States had signed and ratified
ensuring independent and well-functioning judicial the International Convention for the Suppression of
Chapter I: International peace and security 51

the Financing of Terrorism, adopted legislation to Communication. On 18 June [S/2015/460], Aus­

criminalize terrorist financing and strengthened regu­ tralia transmitted to the Security Council President
latory systems to counter funding flows to terrorists. the official statement of the regional summit to coun­
The Secretary-General suggested, among other things, ter violent extremism (Sydney, Australia, 11–12 June),
that Member States increase international cooperation which was attended by ministers and officials from 24
and share information and expertise, especially in stop­ countries, the eu and the United Nations, as well as
ping the illegal transfer of and trade in cultural arte­ representatives from civil society and the private sector.
facts; expand United Nations programming on coun­ Report of Analytical Support and Sanctions
tering the financing of terrorism, which included the Monitoring Team. Pursuant to resolution 2178(2014)
United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation [YUN 2014, p. 135], the Analytical Support and Sanc­
Task Force Working Group; work more closely with tions Monitoring Team submitted a report [S/2015/358]
the private and charitable sectors to identify suspected on the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters. More
transactions and invest in credible and manageable than half the countries in the world were generating
regulatory systems to block terrorist funds; and take foreign terrorist fighters. Among the various Al-Qaida
special measures to ensure that migrants or refugees associates around the world, including the splinter
and their communities were not harmed. group isil, there were more than 25,000 foreign ter­
The Council adopted resolution 2253(2015) (see rorist fighters involved, travelling from more than 100
below) to intensify efforts, identify new vulnerabili­ Member States. The rate of flow mainly focused on
ties and advance stronger and more efficient financial movement into Syria and Iraq, with a growing prob­
regulatory regimes, with due regard for human rights; lem also evident in Libya. Those individuals that had
and decided that the Security Council Committee returned or would return to their States of origin or
pursuant to resolutions 1267(1999) and 1989(2011) to third countries could pose a continuing threat to
concerning Al-Qaida would henceforth be known as national and international security. Disrupting the
the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolu­ flow of foreign terrorist fighters and the threat that
tions 1267(1999), 1989(2011) and 2253(2015) con­ they posed presented an unprecedented challenge and
cerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil) would involve significant expense for Member States.
(Da’esh) and Al-Qaida, and that the Al-Qaida Sanc­ The Monitoring Team made recommendations for
tions List would henceforth be known as the isil implementation (see below) to the Security Council.
(Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. Report of Security Council Committee on
Al-Qaida. In November [S/2015/860], the Security
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Council Committee established pursuant to reso­
On 19 January [meeting 7362], following consulta­ lutions 1267(1999) and 1989(2011) concerning
tions among Security Council members, the President Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities
made statement S/PRST/2015/4 on behalf of the reviewed the report of the Analytical Support and
Council. Sanctions Monitoring Team on the threat posed by
foreign terrorist fighters.
On 28 July [meeting 7429], following consultations
among Security Council members, the President made The Committee supported the recommendations
statement S/PRST/2015/14 on behalf of the Council. of the Monitoring Team and agreed to send letters
to competent international, regional and subregional
On 17 December [meeting 7587], the Security Council organizations and donors to encourage them to pro­
unanimously adopted resolution 2253(2015). The vide further financial and technical assistance to con­
draft [S/2015/972] was submitted by 68 Member States. cerned Member States with the aim of reinforcing
border-control capacities; remind Member States of
Foreign terrorist fighters the crucial value of effective information-sharing on
Security Council consideration. On 29 May foreign terrorist fighters at the national and interna­
[S/PV.7453], the Council held a meeting on the threats tional levels, including the timely sharing of passen­
to international peace and security caused by foreign ger information, national watchlist material, relevant
terrorist fighters. The Secretary-General briefed the analysis and good practices; encourage Member States
Council, followed by a briefing by the Secretary to propose for listing under the Al-Qaida sanctions
General of interpol. The Council had before it a regime individuals and entities that have a key role
concept note submitted by Lithuania [S/2015/324]; in financing, recruiting or facilitating foreign terror­
a report [S/2015/338] from the Chair of the Security ist fighters, including through the Internet and social
Council Committee established pursuant to resolu­ media, as provided for under resolution 2161(2014)
tion 1373(2001) concerning counter-terrorism (see [YUN 2014, p. 285]; encourage Member States to design
below); and a report [S/2015/358] from the Chair of the programmes to counter violent extremism that em­
Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions phasized a preventive approach; underline the value
1267(1999) and 1989(2011) concerning Al-Qaida and to Member States of developing screening and reha­
associated individuals and entities (see below). bilitation programmes for returning foreign terrorist
52 Part One: Political and security questions

fighters; encourage Member States to highlight the 1267(1999) and 1989(2011) concerning Al-Qaida
private sector’s important role in countering foreign and associated individuals and entities transmitted
terrorist fighters by proactively engaging with relevant to the Security Council President a Chair’s summary
authorities; encourage Member States to work in close [S/2015/739] of the assessment by the Analytical Support
collaboration with all relevant national stakehold­ and Sanctions Monitoring Team on the impact of
ers to develop red-flag indicators to assist financial the measures imposed in resolution 2199(2015) (see
institutions and other relevant sectors to detect and above). The Monitoring Team pointed out that the
report possible cases of foreign terrorist fighters; high­ resolution had had a noteworthy effect in raising
light to Member States the risks of the abuse of non- awareness concerning the revenue generation of isil,
profit organizations, informal/alternative remittance listed as Al-Qaida in Iraq, and of Al-Nusrah Front
systems and the physical transborder movement of for the People of the Levant (anf), and in galvaniz­
currency; and write to the President of the Security ing Member States. That was especially the case with
Council to request that the Council address specific respect to the smuggling of antiquities and efforts to
capacity gaps that Member States may experience in prevent isil and anf from gaining access to the inter­
countering foreign terrorist fighters and encourage do­ national financial system.
nors, including the United Nations Counter-Terrorism With regard to the issue of kidnapping for ransom,
Centre, to direct capacity-building support to areas the public murders of hostages by isil signalled that it
and Member States with the greatest need. was less dependent on that fundraising tactic for the
Implementation of Security Council resolu- time being, but that this could change as other sources
tion 2178(2014). Pursuant to resolution 2178(2014) diminished and/or isil was able to capture further
[YUN 2014, p. 135], the Counter-Terrorism Committee hostages; while anf had also raised funds through
Executive Directorate submitted to the President of kidnapping for ransom. The Monitoring Team re­
the Security Council three reports during the year on ported that a small percentage of isil income was gen­
the capacity of Member States to respond to the chal­ erated through external donations, while anf, on the
lenges posed by the foreign terrorist fighter threat. other hand, was more dependent on such donations.
The first report in May [S/2015/338] reviewed the
major risks posed by foreign terrorist fighter and as­ International cooperation on combating terrorism
sumed that the threat of terrorist acts resulting from a and violent extremism
range of terrorist organizations was rapidly changing Report of 1373 Committee. Pursuant to Security
and would not be fully geographically contained; that Council presidential statement S/PRST/2014/23
there appeared to be virtually no short-term possibil­ [YUN 2014, p. 139], the Chair of the Security Council
ity of ending certain threats; and that a significant Committee established pursuant to resolution
longer-term risk would derive from foreign terrorist 1373(2001) concerning counter-terrorism submitted
fighters upon their return to their own countries or a May report [S/2015/377] on gaps in the use of advance
upon their arrival in third countries. The second report passenger information and recommendations for ex­
in September [S/2015/683] followed a regional approach panding its use to stem the flow of foreign terrorist
in assessing the efforts of 32 States in Central Asia, the fighters.
Maghreb, East Africa/Horn of Africa, Western Europe
and Oceania/Americas. The third report in December Measures to eliminate international terrorism
[S/2015/975] focused on seven more regions (the Lake
Chad Basin, West Africa/the Sahel, States either in or In 2015, the United Nations continued its efforts
neighbouring the conflict zones in the Middle East, to combat and eliminate international terrorism. The
South Asia, South-East Asia, the southern Caucasus General Assembly examined the Secretary-General’s
and South-East Europe) and included regional and July report [A/70/211] on measures to eliminate inter­
thematic recommendations aimed at strengthening national terrorism, submitted in response to Assembly
States’ responses to the foreign terrorist fighter threat. resolutions 50/53 [YUN 1995, p. 1330] and 69/127
[YUN 2014, p. 1517]. The report contained information
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION on measures taken at the national and international
On 12 February [meeting 7379], the Security Council levels based on submissions from Governments and
unanimously adopted resolution 2199(2015). The international organizations; a list of international and
draft [S/2015/100] was submitted by 56 Member States. regional legal instruments relating to the prevention
On 29 May [meeting 7453], following consultations and suppression of international terrorism; and
among Security Council members, the President made information on workshops and capacity-building
statement S/PRST/2015/11 on behalf of the Council. efforts.
By resolution 70/36 of 7 December on meas­
Implementation of Security Council resolu- ures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of
tion 2199(2015). In September, the Chair of the mass destruction (see p. 256), the Assembly appealed
Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions to Member States to consider early accession to and
Chapter I: International peace and security 53

ratification of the International Convention for the was assisted in its work by the Counter-Terrorism
Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism; and also Committee Executive Directorate.
urged them to strengthen measures to prevent terror­ On 12 May [S/2015/2/Rev.4], the Security Council
ists from acquiring such weapons, their means of de­ announced that it had elected Raimonda Murmokaitė
livery and materials and technologies related to their (Lithuania) as Chair of ctc for the period ending
manufacture. 31 December 2015.
Communications. On 6 February [A/69/762- On 18 February [S/2015/123], the ctc Chair sub­
S/2015/93], Iran transmitted to the Secretary-General mitted to the Security Council the report on the sixth
a letter from its Foreign Minister on attempts in parts prosecutors’ seminar (Valletta, Malta, 15–17 De­
of the world to spread Islamophobia. cember 2014) on bringing terrorists to justice.
In identical letters dated 25 May [A/69/912- On 15 December [S/2015/939], the ctc Chair sub­
S/2015/371], Syria informed the Secretary-General and mitted to the Council the conclusions of the Com­
the Security Council President that isil had overran mittee’s special meeting (Madrid, 27–28 July) with
the historic city of Tadmur (Palmyra), and wreaked Member States and relevant international and regional
destruction, terrorized peaceful civilians and com­ organizations on stemming the flow of foreign terror­
mitted massacres of the city’s defenceless population. ist fighters and the guiding principles on foreign ter­
Those acts of terrorism, according to Iran, would rorist fighters, adopted following the meeting.
not have occurred were it not for the many forms
of support that the terrorist groups received from a On 15 December [S/2015/984], the ctc Chair sub­
number of States. mitted to the Council the report of the Counter-
Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate for
On 3 June [S/2015/406], Albania transmitted to the period from 2014 to 2015 on the monitoring,
the Security Council President conclusions from the promoting and implementing Council resolu­
regional summit on countering violent extremism tions 1373(2001) [YUN 2001, p. 61] and 1624(2005)
(Tirana, Albania, 19–20 May), which was attended [YUN 2005, p. 102] and the implementation of tasks set
by ministers from the Western Balkans and officials forth in resolution 2178(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 135].
from partner countries and organizations, including
the eu, the Organization for Security and Coopera­ Security Council Consideration. On 30 Sep­
tion in Europe, the Regional Cooperation Council, tember [S/PV.7527], the Council held a meeting on main­
the United Nations and civil society. tenance of international peace and security: settle­
ment of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa
In identical letters dated 12 June [A/69/937-
and countering the terrorist threat in the region. It
S/2015/429], Syria informed the Secretary-General and
had before it a concept note submitted by the Russian
the Security Council President that Al-Nusrah Front
Federation [S/2015/678]. In briefing the Council, the
and Ahrar al-Sham had killed dozens of civilians,
Secretary-General said that terrorist groups, such as
including religious figures and children, and burned
isil and Al-Qaida affiliates, were elevating the hor­
down homes in the village of Qalb Lawzah, in the
ror and complicating the search for solutions in the
Idlib countryside.
Middle East and North Africa, regions that were in
In a 16 June letter [S/2015/442], Syria informed that the midst of some of the deadliest conflicts and worst
36 civilians, including 12 children, had been killed humanitarian emergencies. While each of the crises
when armed terrorist groups fired more than one hun­ and conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen were
dred rockets into neighbourhoods in Aleppo city. very different, they all exposed similar horrors, with
On 29 June [A/69/969-S/2015/487], Syria drew at­ Syria proving to be the most intractable, generating
tention to terrorist attacks against civilians and State one peril after another, such as the use of chemical
institutions in the cities of Dar’a, Hasakah, Ayn al- weapons, the rise of isil and other extremist groups,
Arab, among other towns, with the direct and open the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War
support from a number of States. and the displacement of 8 million people inside the
On 14 December, the General Assembly adopted country. It was not enough to counter terrorism; there
resolution 70/120 on measures to eliminate interna­ was a need to prevent violent extremism, while taking
tional terrorism (see p. 695). care not to take steps that only increased the resent­
ment and alienation on which violent extremism fed.
Counter-Terrorism Committee The Secretary-General said he would present to the
In 2015, the Committee established pursuant to Member States a comprehensive plan of action outlin­
Security Council resolution 1373(2001) [YUN 2001, ing ways to work together (see p. 54). The reviews of
p. 61], known as the Counter-Terrorism Committee peace operations and peacebuilding also underscored
(ctc), held 12 formal meetings. The ctc Chair the importance of addressing root causes (see p. 58).
submitted on 13 May its work programme for The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (see
2015 [S/2015/337]. The Chair briefed the Council on p. 396), with its focus on justice, inclusive institutions
16 June [S/PV.7463] and 17 December [S/PV.7586]. Ctc and resilience, had a strong preventive dimension.
54 Part One: Political and security questions

Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy The Plan of Action of the Secretary-General rec­

ommended that Member States develop national
Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism
plans with a focus on dialogue and conflict prevention;
Letter of Secretary-General. On 22 December strengthening good governance, human rights and
[A/70/675], the Secretary-General informed the Pres­ the rule of law; engaging communities; empower­
ident of the General Assembly that he was putting ing youth; gender equality and empowering women;
forward a comprehensive Plan of Action to Prevent education, skill development and employment
Violent Extremism. The Plan of Action was developed facilitation; and strategic communications, includ­
through an extensive United Nations inter-agency ing through the Internet and social media. In terms
process and was based on the outcomes of high-level of using strategic communications, the Internet and
meetings of the Assembly and the Security Council, social media to combat violent extremism, Member
interactive briefings with Member States and out­ States were recommended to develop and implement
comes of international and regional meetings. national communications strategies, in close coopera­
Report of Secretary-General. In a December tion with social media companies and the private
report [A/70/674] to the General Assembly, the sector, that were tailored to local contexts, gender
Secretary-General presented the Plan of Action to sensitive and based on international human rights
Prevent Violent Extremism. Violent extremism is a standards; empower and enable victims to transform
diverse phenomenon without clear definition. While their loss and suffering into a constructive force for
violent extremism was conducive to terrorism it was preventing violent extremism by providing them with
neither new nor exclusive to any region, nationality or online forums where they could tell their stories; and
system of belief. In recent years, terrorist groups such protect journalists.
as isil, Al-Qaida and Boko Haram had shaped the The Secretary-General also intended to adopt an
image of violent extremism and the debate on how to All-of-UN approach in order to support national,
address that threat. Those groups’ message of intol­ regional and global efforts to prevent violent extrem­
erance—religious, cultural, social—had had drastic ism through the United Nations Chief Executives
consequences for many regions of the world. Those Board for Coordination, as well as through existing
groups held territory and used social media to spread United Nations inter-agency bodies and the Counter-
their ideas and exploits, and sought to challenge shared Terrorism Implementation Task Force and its entities,
values of peace, justice and human dignity. Narratives which bore the primary responsibility for supporting
of grievance, actual or perceived injustice, promised Member States in implementing all four pillars of the
empowerment and sweeping change became attrac­ United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
tive where human rights were being violated, good On 21 July, the Economic and Social Council
governance was being ignored and aspirations were adopted resolution 2015/22 (see p. 639) on technical
being crushed. Violent extremists had been able to assistance for implementing the international conven­
recruit over 30,000 foreign terrorist fighters from over tions and protocols related to counter-terrorism.
100 Member States to travel to Syria and Iraq, as well
as to Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen. On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
Assembly decided that the item on the United Nations
Countries struggling to cope with widespread Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy would remain for
violence had fared poorly in reaching the Millennium consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
Development Goals which had shaped the development session.
agenda over the previous 15 years. Violent extremism
had aggravated perceptions of insecurity and had the
potential to lead to repeated outbreaks of unrest which Terrorist attacks in 2015
compromised sustained economic growth. In establish­ In 2015, terrorist attacks resulted in the deaths of
ing the sustainable development goals to guide work many innocent civilians and injuries to others. Such
over the next 15 years until the year 2030, Member attacks were condemned by the Security Council,
States warned that violent extremism threatened to Member States and the Secretary-General.
reverse much of the development progress made in
recent decades. There was credible information indi­ Afghanistan
cating that terrorists and violent extremist groups like
isil and its affiliates may have committed serious viola­ On 11 December, the Security Council, by a press
tions of international law, including genocide, crimes statement [SC/12158], condemned the terrorist attack in
against humanity and war crimes. Among the con­ Kabul, which resulted in at least two deaths, as well as
ditions conducive to violent extremism were the lack a number of wounded persons, for which the Taliban
of socioeconomic opportunities, marginalization and had claimed responsibility.
discrimination, poor governance, violations of human On 22 December [SC/12181], the Council con­
rights and the rule of law, unresolved and prolonged demned the terrorist attack on 21 December, which re­
conflicts and radicalization in prisons. sulted in the deaths of at least six United States service
Chapter I: International peace and security 55

members as well as a number of wounded persons, for gion of Timbuktu during which six peacekeepers from
which the Taliban had claimed responsibility. Burkina Faso were killed and others were injured.
On 20 November [SC/12133], the Council con­
Turkey demned the terrorist attack at the Radisson hotel in
On 22 July [SC/11979], the Security Council con­ Bamako during which at least 18 people were killed
demned the terrorist attack of 20 July in Suruc, Turkey, and many more were injured.
which resulted at least 31 and injured over 100 people.
Nigeria
On 10 October [SG/SM/17206], the Secretary-
General condemned the terrorist bombings in Ankara On 11 January [SG/SM/16456], the Secretary-
during a peaceful gathering that reportedly claimed General expressed concern over reports of hundreds
the lives of dozens of people and injured more than of civilians killed around the town of Baga, Borno
126 others. State, near Nigeria’s border with Chad.
On 2 February [SC/11763], the Security Council
France condemned the continued escalation of attacks perpe­
On 26 June [SC/11947], the Security Council con­ trated by Boko Haram terrorists, including on 1 Feb­
demned the terrorist attacks against a chemical prod­ ruary in Maiduguri, Borno State. The Council also
ucts factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, which trig­ condemned the attacks in the Lake Chad Basin re­
gered an explosion and killed at least one person while gion, including against the army contingent of Chad
injuring others. deployed to fight Boko Haram in Cameroon at the
request, and with the collaboration, of the Cameroo­
On 13 November [SG/SM/17325], the Secretary- nian authorities, which killed four Chadian soldiers
General condemned the terrorist attacks carried out and injured 12 others in January.
in various locations in and around Paris.
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
On 22 May [SC/11903], the Security Council con­
On 26 June [SC/11947], the Security Council con­ demned the terrorist attack claimed by isil/Da’esh at
demned the bomb attack in a Shiite mosque in Ku­ a mosque in Qatif, resulting in the death of at least
wait City which killed at least 24 people and injured 21 people.
many more.
On 6 August [SC/12000], the Council condemned
Lebanon the terrorist attack claimed by isil/Da’esh at a mosque
at the headquarters of the Special Emergency Security
On 13 November [SC/12120], the Security Council Forces in the Asir region, resulting in the death of at
condemned the terrorist attack on 12 November in least 15 people.
Beirut, which killed at least 43 and injured more than
200 people. Somalia
Libya On 20 February [SC/11791], the Security Council
condemned the attack on the Central Hotel in Mog­
On 27 January [SC/11754], the Security Council adishu, perpetrated by Al-Shabaab, which caused
condemned the terrorist attack against the Corinthia the death and injury of many Somalis, including
Hotel in Tripoli which resulted in several deaths and Government officials and Members of Parliament.
injuries. On 28 March [SC/11844], the Council condemned
the attack on 27 March on the Maka al-Mukarama
Mali hotel in Mogadishu, perpetrated by Al-Shabaab,
On 7 March [SC/11811], the Security Council con­ which caused the death and injury of many Somalis.
demned the terrorist attack in Bamako that resulted On 15 April [SC/11863], the Council condemned the
in the death of five civilians, including personnel of attack by Al-Shabaab on 14 April at the Ministry of
the United Nations Mine Action Service of the United Higher Education in Mogadishu, which killed Somali
Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization civilians, as well as members of the Somalia National
Mission in Mali (minusma) and the eu. Security Forces and one African Union Mission in
On 8 March [SC/11812], the Council condemned Somalia soldier, while injuring others.
the coordinated attacks against a minusma camp in
Kidal resulting in the death of two children and one Tunisia
Chadian peacekeeper of minusma, and many more On 18 March [SC/11823], the Security Council
injured. condemned the terrorist attack at the National Bardo
On 2 July [SC/11959], the Council condemned the Museum in Tunis, resulting in the death of at least
terrorist attack against a minusma convoy in the re­ 20 people.
56 Part One: Political and security questions

On 26 June [SC/11947], the Council condemned the between the Security Council, troop- and police-
attack by gunmen against a tourist hotel near Sousse, contributing countries and the Secretariat. It also
which resulted in the killing of at least 37 people and held special meeting with the High-level Independent
the injuring of many others. Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (see p. 58).
On 24 November [SC/12135], the Council con­
demned the terrorist attack against the Tunisian Conduct and discipline
Presidential Guard bus in Tunis, which resulted in
the death of at least 12 people. Sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping
operations
In response to General Assembly resolution 57/306
Peacekeeping operations [YUN 2003, p. 1237], the Secretary-General submitted a
February report [A/69/779] providing data on allega­
tions of sexual exploitation and abuse in the United
In 2015, the General Assembly and the Security
Nations system for 2014, and information on actions
Council continued to oversee the management taken to prevent and address sexual exploitation and
and operation of UN peacekeeping missions. The abuse by UN personnel. The number of allegations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations contin­ reported by departments and offices of the Secretariat
ued to implement the recommendations of the and agencies, funds and programmes of the UN
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, system totalled 79, compared with 96 in 2013.
whose mandate was to review the whole question of
peacekeeping operations in all their aspects. For peacekeeping and special political missions
supported by the Department of Field Support, 51 al­
Security Council consideration. On 17 June legations were received in 2014, the lowest recorded
[S/PV.7464], the Security Council held a briefing
since special measures for protection from sexual ex­
on UN peacekeeping operations. The Force Com­ ploitation and abuse were first put in place and a slight
mander of the United Nations Mission in South decrease compared with 66 allegations in 2013. With
Sudan spoke on the challenges on protecting civilians respect to the categories of personnel involved, 24 alle­
in their area of peacekeeping operations; the Force gations involved military personnel in 2014, compared
Commander and Chief of Staff of the United Nations with 37 allegations in 2013. In addition, 14 allegations
Truce Supervision Organization drew attention to involved civilians compared with 21 allegations in
the issue of asymmetric threats; and the Force Com­ 2013, and 13 allegations involved police or assimilated
mander of the United Nations Multidimensional personnel, compared with 7 allegations in 2013.
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (minusma)
spoke of the difficulty of the caveats imposed by The majority (38 allegations or 75 per cent) of alle­
troop-contributing countries. gations of sexual exploitation and abuse were received
from three peacekeeping missions that also figured in
2013: the United Nations Organization Stabilization
General aspects of UN peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(monusco) and the United Nations Stabilization
Security Council Working Group
Mission in Haiti (minustah), with 13 allegations each
on Peacekeeping Operations (51 per cent) and the United Nations Mission in South
On 29 December, the Chair of the Security Sudan (unmiss) with 12 allegations (24 per cent). The
Council Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations remaining 13 allegations (25 per cent) were from the
submitted to the Council a report [S/2015/1050] cover­ United Nations Mission in Liberia (unmil), with five
ing its work in 2015. In nine meetings held on 20 Feb­ allegations, and the United Nations Multidimensional
ruary, 23 March, 6 May, 26 June, 31 July, 31 August, Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (minusma)
19 October, 27 November and 11 December, the with three allegations. The United Nations Assistance
Working Group discussed traditional peacekeeping Mission in Afghanistan (unama), the United Nations
versus peace enforcement; asymmetric threats Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (unficyp), the United
against UN peacekeepers; lessons learned through Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (unifil), the
the au Mission in Somalia; peacekeeping operations United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
within a counter-terrorism setting with reference to (unisfa) and the United Nations Operation in Côte
minusma; bilateral and multilateral capacity-building d’Ivoire (unoci) all reported one allegation each.
for troop- and police-contributing countries; lessons During the reporting period, 18 (35 per cent) of
learned through the United Nations Organization the total number of allegations involved the most
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo egregious forms of sexual exploitation and abuse,
Intervention Brigade; importance of partnerships in with 13 allegations of sexual activities with minors
regional peacekeeping initiatives; and objectives and (25 per cent) and five allegations of non-consensual
challenges towards a more inclusive strategic dialogue sex with persons aged 18 or older (10 per cent). Those
Chapter I: International peace and security 57

allegations originated in six peacekeeping missions: with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
monusco, with nine of 13 allegations; unmil with and the Empowerment of Women and improving the
three of five allegations; unmiss with three of 13 al­ accountability of senior managers. The Department
legations; minusma with two of three allegations; of Political Affairs had highlighted the need to de­
minustah with one of 13 allegations; and unoci with ploy gender advisers to all special political missions.
one allegation. The Department of Field Support was implement­
As at 31 January 2015, investigations had been ing strengthened measures to address sexual exploi­
completed for 18 allegations received in 2014. tation and abuse, and to increase the representation
Those included investigations conducted by troop- of women in peacekeeping, especially at the senior
contributing countries into five allegations (four sub­ management level. The Office for the Coordination
stantiated and one unsubstantiated) and investigations of Humanitarian Affairs would ensure that the out­
conducted by the United Nations into 13 allegations comes and commitments of the upcoming World
(five substantiated and eight unsubstantiated). Humanitarian Summit, to be held in Istanbul in May
The Secretary-General identified areas where (see p. 526), had a strong focus on gender equality. The
efforts could be made to further strengthen the Secretary-General was personally committed to do all
response of the Organization in the prevention, he could to ensure the target of devoting 15 per cent of
enforcement and remediation of sexual exploitation peacebuilding funds to projects that addressed gender
and abuse. In the area of prevention, emphasis was equality and the empowerment of women.
placed on raising awareness and improving training. On the same day, the Security Council adopted
An e-learning programme on sexual exploitation and resolution 2242(2015) (see p. 557), deciding to in­
abuse would be made mandatory first in peacekeeping tegrate women, peace and security concerns across all
missions, then in the Secretariat and throughout the country-specific situations on the Council’s agenda,
UN system. The Secretary-General also requested taking into account the specific context of each
that Member States commit to a six-month timeline country.
to conclude investigations of alleged sexual exploita­
tion and abuse and indicated that the same bench­ Sexual Violence in conflict
mark should be adopted by UN investigative entities.
Security Council consideration. On 15 April
Women in peacekeeping [S/PV.7428], the Council considered the report of the
Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence
Security Council consideration. On 13 October [S/2015/203] (see p. 557). It had before it a concept
[S/PV.7533], the Council considered the report of the note [S/2015/243] submitted by Jordan. The Special
Secretary-General on women and peace and security Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual
[S/2015/716] (see p. 556). The Council had before it a Violence in Conflict briefed the Council, stating that
concept note [S/2015/749] submitted by Spain. Speaking five years after the creation of the mandate of her
at the meeting, the Secretary-General noted that in office, there was a possibility to turn back the tide
2000 the Council had adopted resolution 1325(2000) of conflict-related sexual violence. The report of the
[YUN 2000, p. 1113] underscoring the pivotal link be­ Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence,
tween gender equality and international peace and for the first time, articulated how sexual violence was
security, and that the Council had also adopted sev­ integrally linked to the strategic objectives, ideology
eral resolutions on women and peace and security, and funding of extremist groups, and noted there­
which he was personally committed to implement. The fore that women’s empowerment and sexual violence
Secretary-General had appointed five women who were prevention should be central to the international
serving as his Special Representatives in peacekeeping response. That represented a critical new challenge
missions in Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire, Western Sahara, for the conflict-related sexual violence agenda. The
South Sudan and Cyprus; he also had appointed the Special Representative underscored the Secretary-
first-ever female Force Commander, Major General General’s recommendation to fully integrate the issue
Kristin Lund, in Cyprus. In 2015, the United Nations of conflict-related sexual violence into the work of rel­
had conducted three major reviews of United Nations evant Security Council sanctions committees, includ­
peace operations (see p. 59), the peacebuilding archi­ ing the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, as part of the criteria
tecture (see p. 45), and women and peace and security for the imposition of targeted measures, and begin to
(see p. 556). One common theme had emerged: any focus on sexual violence as a tactic of terrorism.
reforms had to include gender equality and women’s
leadership as central ingredients and had to be strongly
grounded in human rights. Oversight activities
The Department of Peacekeeping Operations was The Office of Internal Oversight Services reported
restructuring the gender architecture at Headquarters in February [A/69/308 (Part II)] on its peacekeeping
and in field missions, strengthening the partnership oversight activities in 2014. The Office issued 191
58 Part One: Political and security questions

oversight reports related to peace operations and made consultation with UN resident coordinators; reinforc­
495 audit recommendations, of which 46 were clas­ ing global-regional partnerships with the au as a key
sified as critical to the Organization, classified by five partner; tailoring peace operations with effective
integrated components of internal control: control analysis and planning that included considerations
environment, risk assessment, control activities, of human rights and threats to civilians, as well as
information and communication, and monitoring the political, security, social, economic, gender and
activities. It opened 83 investigations during the year regional dimensions of a conflict; and sustaining dia­
and closed 119, while 69 remained open. The Investi­ logue between the Security Council, the Secretariat
gation Division issued 115 reports, which were classi­ and troop and police contributors.
fied into seven categories: financial; inventory/assets; The Secretary-General also spoke of regular impact
management; personnel; procurement; sexual exploi­ assessment of mission progress for peacekeeping
tation; and sexual harassment. operations to adapt to a fast-evolving environment,
facilitate realistic benchmarks and a more results-
Comprehensive review of peacekeeping focused formulation of budgets. Tailored peace
operations would remain an elusive goal unless the
Report of High-level Independent Panel way missions were supported changed. The average
on Peace Operations length of time to recruit and deploy rostered civilian
Communication. In a 17 June communication staff to a peace operation was 180 days, 120 of which
to the Presidents of the General Assembly and the were required to complete reference checks, medi­
Security Council [A/70/95-S/2015/446], the Secretary- cal clearance and travel to the duty station. In that
General requested to bring to the attention of Member regard the United Nations intended to complete a
States the report of the High-level Independent Panel review of the key processes that may not have been
on Peace. The Secretary-General noted that he would supportive of field operations by September 2016, and
study the report carefully and would send his propo­ the Secretary-General requested a broader review of
sals on how to take forward the report’s findings (see Secretariat policies and procedures, to be completed
below). The report was another major external review by September 2017. The case for rapid deployment of
after the one undertaken in 2000 [YUN 2000, p. 83]. uniformed capabilities was incontestable, as well as
Report of Secretary-General. In a September the need for enhanced pre-deployment training.
report [A/70/357-S/2015/682], the Secretary-General, af­ To better ensure the safety and security of UN
ter reviewing the report of the High-level Independent personnel, the Secretary-General said he would
Panel on Peace Operations, presented an agenda to take consolidate all Secretariat security resources under
forward the Panel’s recommendations. He noted that the Department of Safety and Security, in line with
the term “peace operations” referred to all field-based General Assembly resolution 59/276 [YUN 2004,
peace and security operations mandated or endorsed p. 1383], which would improve the Organization’s abil­
by the Security Council and/or the General Assembly, ity to analyse threats and risks and deploy personnel
including peacekeeping operations and special political according to field needs and priorities.
missions, as well as the envoys and regional offices car­ On sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping
rying out the Secretary-General’s good offices at a time operations, immediate response teams would be set
when the number of people displaced by war was ap­ up by the end of 2015 to gather and preserve evidence
proaching 60 million, and global humanitarian needs within 72 hours of receipt of an allegation. Field
for 2015 amounted to some $20 billion. operations and Member States had been informed
The High-level Independent Panel had urged to that investigations of sexual exploitation and abuse
restore the search for peaceful political settlement to allegations had to be concluded within six months.
the centre of UN efforts to prevent and resolve con­ Better follow-up and investigation required Member
flicts and protect civilians. It emphasized partnerships State cooperation, and troop-contributing countries
with regional organizations, host Governments and were urged to embed national investigation officers
local communities. in their contingents.
The Secretary-General’s agenda for UN peace
operations included strengthening UN capacities for Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping
conflict prevention and mediation; establishing addi­ On 28 September, at UN Headquarters in New
tional UN regional offices to support national actors; York, the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
strengthening preventive capacities of UN country Ban Ki-moon, and the President of the United
teams; identifying earlier signs of serious human States of America, Barack Obama, joined nearly 50
rights abuses and potential conflict and enable pro­ heads of state and Government representatives from
active and more effective responses; deploying small, around the world to announce new contributions to
flexible and time-limited teams operating under the UN peacekeeping. There were 125,000 peacekeep­
Secretary-General’s good offices and under or in close ers deployed around the world. Pledges amounted to
Chapter I: International peace and security 59

more than 40,000 troops and police, as well as criti­ GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
cal enablers including more than 40 helicopters, 22 On 3 November [meeting 45], the General Assembly
engineering companies, 11 naval and riverine units, adopted resolution 70/6 [draft: A/70/L.6] (Strength-
and 13 field hospitals. The Governments of Arme­ ening of the United Nations system) without vote
nia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, China, [agenda item 122].
Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Ethiopia, Finland, Fiji, France, Georgia, Germany, SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Ghana, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Ne­ On 25 November [meeting 7567], following consul­
pal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Republic tations among Security Council members, the Pres­
of Korea, Romania, Rwanda, Turkey, Senegal, Serbia, ident made statement S/PRST/2015/22 on behalf of
Sierra Leone, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the Council.
Ukraine, United States, United Kingdom, Uruguay On 31 December [meeting 7599], following consulta­
and Vietnam jointly issued a declaration recommit­ tions among Security Council members, the President
ting to modernize UN peacekeeping operations to made statement S/PRST/2015/26 on behalf of the
ensure their success. Council.
Security Council consideration. On 20 No­
vember [S/PV.7564], the Council considered the report Special Committee on Peacekeeping
of the Secretary-General on the future of United Operations
Nations peace operations (see p. 58). It had before it
a concept note [S/2015/846] submitted by the United As requested by the General Assembly in resolu­
Kingdom. The Secretary-General briefed the Council tion 68/277 [YUN 2014, p. 157], the Special Committee
on its role in strengthening peace operations; he said on Peacekeeping Operations and its Working Group
that the High-level Panel on Peace Operations offered continued their comprehensive review of the question
a number of recommendations that covered three of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.
broad areas: first, political engagement; second, the The Special Committee held its 2015 substantive
design and implementation of UN peace operations; session from 17 February to 13 March [A/69/19]. It con­
and, third, reinvigorated partnerships. The Coun­ sidered proposals, recommendations and conclusions
cil’s political engagement even before authorizing a on guiding principles, definitions and implementation
peace operation was critical and remained essential of mandates; restructuring of peacekeeping; safety and
throughout the life of a mission; and committed security of peacekeepers; conduct and discipline issues;
efforts among Council members to unite around a strengthening operational capacity; strategies for
shared political strategy to de-escalate tensions could complex peacekeeping operations; cooperation with
have a powerful effect. troop-contributing countries; triangular cooperation
A second area where Council action could between the Security Council, the Secretariat and
strengthen peace operations was in better design troop- and police-contributing countries; cooperation
and implementation of mandates that needed to be with regional arrangements; enhancement of African
tailored to a specific conflict environment, and to peacekeeping capacities; developing stronger UN field
adapt as conflicts evolved. A sequenced approach support arrangements; best practices and training;
could reinforce efforts to focus on urgent protection and personnel and financial issues.
and political tasks. Sequenced and prioritized man­ The Special Committee renewed its call on the
dates would depend on the Council receiving better Secretariat to consult with the troop-contributing
and more regular assessments from the Secretariat. countries in a timely manner when planning any
The Secretary-General was putting in place a range change in military tasks, mission-specific rules of
of measures to strengthen UN analysis and planning engagement, operational concepts or command
at Headquarters, in field missions and across the and control structure or early peacebuilding tasks
UN system. that would impact personnel, equipment, training
The third area for the Council’s action was strong and logistics requirements, so as to enable troop-
dialogue with partners, which was crucial for devis­ contributing countries to contribute their advice dur­
ing more tailored mandates and strengthening the ing the planning process and to ensure that their per­
Council’s political engagement. Deeper engagement sonnel had the capacity to meet the new demands. The
with regional partners by institutionalizing consulta­ Special Committee reiterated the necessity for troop-
tion and dialogue and, where appropriate, collaborat­ and police- contributing countries to be provided
ing in planning and conducting peace operations was with comprehensive briefings by the Secretariat on a
a must; and that had to start with the au, the key regular basis on the situation of each peacekeeping
regional partner of the United Nations. Similarly, operation, and for the Secretariat to respond rapidly
the relationship between the Council and troop and to requests for information on latest developments in
police contributors was fundamental to effective peace current operations, technical assessment missions and
operations. on urgent situations that affected their operations. It
60 Part One: Political and security questions

recognized the need to broaden the base of countries On 9 December (decision 70/519), the General
contributing to UN peacekeeping operations, and Assembly took note of the report of the Special Political
in that regard called on the Secretariat to continue and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee).
to improve its information-sharing and consulta­ On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
tion processes with all Member States. The Special decided that the item on the comprehensive review of
Committee took note of General Assembly resolution the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all
67/287 [YUN 2013, p. 70] and noted the establishment of their aspects would remain for consideration during its
the Office for the Peacekeeping Strategic Partnership resumed seventieth (2016) session.
and the initial functions established for the Office.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Peacekeeping Operations in 2015
On 8 June [meeting 93], the General Assembly, on the As at 31 December, there were 16 peacekeeping
recommendation of the Fourth Committee [A/69/455/ missions in operation—9 in Africa, 1 in the Americas,
Add.1], adopted resolution 69/287 (Comprehensive 1 in Asia, 2 in Europe and the Mediterranean and 3 in
review of the whole question of peacekeeping the Middle East.
operations in all their aspects) without vote [agenda
item 52]. Africa
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to reso­ MINURSO
lution 68/277 [YUN 2014, p. 157] the Secretary-General United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
submitted a November report [A/70/579] on key de­ Western Sahara
velopments in UN peacekeeping since the previous
report [ibid.], and issues for consideration by the Established: April 1991.
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations. Mandate: To monitor and verify the implementation
The report provided, among other things, a detailed of a settlement plan for Western Sahara and assist in the
analysis of safety and security issues in peacekeeping holding of a referendum in the Territory. The Security
missions, and the operation of unarmed, unmanned Council, by resolution 2218(2015) of 28 April (see
aircraft systems in the United Nations Organization p. 149), extended the mandate of minurso until
Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of 30 April 2016.
the Congo. An addendum [A/70/579/Add.1] provided
the status of specific requests made by the Special UNMIL
Committee on its 2015 substantive session. United Nations Mission in Liberia
The Secretary-General observed that the strategic, Established: September 2003.
political and operational environment of UN peace­ Mandate: To protect civilians; assist the country in
keeping operations in 2016 would continue to be the reform of justice and security institutions; carry
volatile, requiring flexibility in addressing unforeseen out promotion, protection and monitoring activities
or fast changing situations. Improving strategic and of human rights; and to protect UN personnel instal­
operational planning, enhancing the performance of lations and equipment. The Council, by resolution
peacekeepers, including by effectively addressing cases 2239(2015) of 17 September (see p. 102), extended
of misconduct, and strengthening mission support the mandate of unmil until 30 September 2016.
would remain key priorities, particularly when it came
to the complex challenge of implementing protection UNOCI
of civilians mandates, while ensuring the safety and United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire
security of personnel.
Established: April 2004.
Peacekeeping operations had reached a critical junc­
ture and in the face of unprecedented demands, there was Mandate: To protect civilians; to provide, through
an opportunity to collectively support a comprehensive the Special Representative of the Secretary-General,
reform effort. The report of the High-level Independent good offices support to the Ivorian authorities for and
Panel on Peace Operations, together with the new ini­ throughout the 2015 electoral period; to assist the
tiatives that the Secretariat had spearheaded in 2015, Government of Côte d’Ivoire with the 2015 presiden­
including the meeting of Chiefs of Defence and the tial election and other peace-related tasks. The Council,
Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping (see p. 58), had ral­ by resolution 2226(2015) of 25 June (see p. 96), ex­
lied global efforts to improve UN peacekeeping. The tended the mandate of unoci until 30 June 2016.
Secretary-General observed that he counted on the con­ UNAMID
tinued engagement and support of Member States, in­
cluding through the Fourth Committee and the Special African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, to implement in Darfur
the agenda for change. Established: July 2007.
Chapter I: International peace and security 61

Mandate: To protect civilians; facilitate the de­ cember (see p. 130)—to 30 November 2015, 15 De­
livery of humanitarian assistance and the safety and cember 2015 and 31 July 2016, respectively.
security of humanitarian personnel; mediate between
the Government of Sudan and non-signatory armed MINUSMA
movements on the basis of the Doha Document for United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Sta­
Peace in Darfur, while taking into account ongoing bilization Mission in Mali
democratic transformation at the national level; and
provide support to the mediation of community con­ Established: April 2013.
flict, including through measures to address its root Mandate: To support, monitor and supervise
causes, in conjunction with the UN country team. implementation of ceasefire arrangements; support the
The Council, by resolution 2228(2015) of 29 June political and institutional reforms provided for by the
(see p. 117), extended the mandate of unamid until Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali; pro­
30 June 2016. vide good offices towards reconciliation and social cohe­
sion; protect civilians and stabilize population centres;
MONUSCO promote and protect human rights in the country;
support humanitarian assistance and projects for stabil­
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission ization; protect UN personnel; and support the country
in the Democratic Republic of Congo in protecting cultural and historical sites. The Council,
Established: July 2010. by resolution 2227(2015) of 29 June (see p. 108), ex­
Mandate: To protect civilians and provide support tended the mandate of minusma until 30 June 2016.
to the Government in stabilization and peace con­
solidation. The Council, by resolution 2211(2015) MINUSCA
of 26 March (see p. 74), extended the mandate of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Sta­
monusco, including, on an exceptional basis and bilization Mission in the Central African Republic
without creating a precedent or any prejudice to the Established: April 2014.
agreed principles of peacekeeping, its Intervention Bri­
gade, until 31 March 2016. Mandate: To protect civilians; support the tran­
sition process; facilitate humanitarian assistance;
UNISFA promote and protect human rights; support justice
and the rule of law; assist in the establishment of the
United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei national Special Criminal Court; protect UN per­
Established: June 2011. sonnel; and support in disarmament, demobilization,
Mandate: To monitor and verify the redeployment reintegration and repatriation processes. The Council,
of any Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s by resolution 2217(2015) of 28 April (see p. 85), ex­
Liberation Army or its successor from the Abyei area; tended the mandate of minusca until 30 April 2016.
facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the
free movement of relief workers in the area; provide Americas
security for the region’s oil infrastructure; protect UN MINUSTAH
personnel, facilities, installations and equipment; pro­
tect civilians from the threat of violence; and assist the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
process of border normalization between the Sudan Established: June 2004.
and South Sudan. The Council extended the mandate Mandate: To provide support in ensuring a secure
of unisfa three times—by resolution 2205(2015) and stable environment; assist in monitoring and re­
of 26 February (see p. 121), resolution 2230(2015) forming the National Police; help with disarmament,
of 14 July (see p. 122) and resolution 2251(2015) of demobilization and reintegration programmes; pro­
15 December (see p. 123)—to 15 July 2015, 15 De­ tect civilians, as well as UN personnel and property;
cember 2015 and 15 May 2016, respectively. support the constitutional and political process; assist
in maintaining the rule of law, public safety and public
UNMISS order; promote and protect human rights; and pro­
mote an inclusive political dialogue and national rec­
United Nations Mission in South Sudan
onciliation. The Council, by resolution 2243(2015)
Established: July 2011. of 14 October (see p. 155), extended the mandate of
Mandate: To protect civilians; monitor human rights; minustah until 15 October 2016.
support the delivery of humanitarian assistance; and
support the implementation of the Cessation of Hos­ Asia
tilities Agreement. The Council extended the mandate
of unmiss three times—by resolution 2223(2015) of UNMOGIP
28 May (see p. 127), resolution 2241(2015) of 9 Octo­ United Nations Military Observer Group in India
ber (see. p. 128) and resolution 2252(2015) of 15 De­ and Pakistan
62 Part One: Political and security questions

Established: January 1949. 2257(2015) of 22 December (see p. 240)—until

Mandate: To supervise the ceasefire between India 31 December 2015 and 30 June 2016, respectively.
and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir.
UNIFIL
Europe and the Mediterranean United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNFICYP Established: March 1978.
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus Mandate: To restore peace and security and assist
Established: March 1964. the Lebanese Government in ensuring the return of its
Mandate: To prevent the recurrence of fighting effective authority in the area; monitor the cessation
between the two Cypriot communities and to con­ of hostilities; support the deployment of the Lebanese
tribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and armed forces throughout southern Lebanon; and help
order and a return to normal conditions. The Council to ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations
extended the mandate of unficyp twice—by resolu- and the return of displaced persons. The Council, by
tion 2197(2015) of 29 January (see p. 193) and reso- resolution 2236(2015) of 21 August (see p. 222), ex­
lution 2234(2015) of 29 July (see p. 193)—to 31 July tended the mandate of unifil until 31 August 2016.
2015 and 31 January 2016, respectively.
Financial and administrative aspects
UNMIK
of peacekeeping operations
United Nations Interim Administration Mission
in Kosovo The General Assembly considered a number of
Established: June 1999. issues related to financial and administrative aspects of
UN peacekeeping operations, including the financial
Mandate: To help ensure conditions for a peaceful performance of UN peacekeeping operations; the
and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and support account for peacekeeping operations; funds
advance regional stability in the Western Balkans. for closed missions; financial reports and audited
The Council, by resolution 2247(2015) of 10 No­ financial statements; management and financing of
vember (see p. 188), authorized the Member States the United Nations Logistics Base (unlb) at Brindisi,
acting through or in cooperation with the European Italy; restructuring issues; the global field support
Union to establish, for a further 12-month period, a strategy; personnel matters; and criminal account­
multinational stabilization force (the European Union ability of UN staff and experts on mission.
Force-Althea) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
Middle East Assembly decided that the item on the administrative
and budgetary aspects of the financing of the United
UNTSO Nations peacekeeping operations would remain for
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
Established: May 1948. session.
Mandate: To monitor ceasefires, supervise ar­
mistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from Financing
escalating and assist other peacekeeping operations The financial report on the United Nations
in the region. In the Middle East, groups of untso peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July
military observers were attached to the peacekeeping 2014 to 30 June 2015 [A/70/5 (Vol. II)] was prepared
forces in the area: the United Nations Disengagement in accordance with the International Public Sector
Observer Force on the Golan and the United Nations Accounting Standards. Expenditures for UN
Interim Force in Lebanon. peacekeeping operations increased by 9.1 per cent, to
UNDOF $8.30 billion for 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 from
$7.61 billion in the prior year. An amount of $0.27
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force billion was unutilized. Total assessed contributions in­
Established: May 1974. creased by 9.0 per cent ($703.7 million), from $7,799.9
Mandate: To maintain the ceasefire between million in the prior year to $8,503.6 million. The net
Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic; supervise the increase was due to the speeding up of the deploy­
disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the ment of minusca (an increase of $688.3 million); the
Golan Heights; and supervise the areas of separa­ expansion of minusma (an increase of $286.9 million)
tion and limitation, as provided in the May 1974 and unmiss (an increase of $120.7 million); and the
Agreement on Disengagement. The Council ex­ decreases in unamid ($257.0 million). Total unpaid
tended the mandate of undof twice—by resolution assessments increased by 66.8 per cent, from $673.7
2229(2015) of 29 June (see p. 239) and resolution million as at 30 June 2014 to $1,123.6 million as at
Chapter I: International peace and security 63

30 June 2015. Available cash for active peacekeeping for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 of the
missions as at 30 June 2015 totalled $1,844.1 million, support account for peacekeeping operations.
while liabilities amounted to $2,565.1 million.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Notes of Secretary-General. The Secretary-
General, in a 14 January note [A/C.5/69/17] to the On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
Fifth (Administrative and Budgetary) Committee, on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
provided information on the approved resources for [A/69/963], adopted resolution 69/308 (Support ac-
peacekeeping operations, unlb and the support ac­ count for peacekeeping operations) without vote
count for peacekeeping operations for the period [agenda item 148].
from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, which amounted
to $8,466,777,380. Funds for closed missions
On 10 April [A/C.5/69/21], in accordance with In March [A/69/827], acabq recommended, sub­
General Assembly resolution 49/233 A [YUN 1994, ject to comments and observations provided in its
p. 1338], the Secretary-General submitted to the Fifth report, that the Assembly take note of the report of
Committee information on proposed budgetary levels the Secretary-General on the updated financial posi­
for peacekeeping operations, unlb and the support tion of closed peacekeeping missions [YUN 2014, p. 168];
account for peacekeeping operations for the period requested the Secretary-General to return to Member
from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, which amounted States the amount of $28,765,000 out of the balances of
to $8,496,397,200. $90,765,000 in 20 closed peacekeeping operations as at
On 23 June, the Secretary-General submitted to 11 February 2015, leaving a balance of $62 million; and
the Fifth Committee a note [A/C.5/69/23] reflecting the further recommended that the updated balances in the
resources to be approved by the Assembly in respect 20 closed peacekeeping operations be provided to the
of each peacekeeping mission, including the pro­ Assembly at the time of its consideration of the report
rated shares of the support account and unlb, which of the Secretary-General.
amounted to $8,256,748,900. In November [A/70/552], the Secretary-General pro­
vided information on the updated the financial posi­
Financial performance tion of 26 closed peacekeeping missions as at 30 June
2015. The net cash surplus in the account of 21 closed
In April, the Secretary-General submitted an missions available for credit to Member States as at
overview report [A/69/751/Rev.1] on the financing of that date totalled $70,019,000. That amount did
UN peacekeeping operations: budget performance not include loans totalling $10,816,000 owed by
for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 and two closed missions—the United Nations Support
the budget for 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. Dur­ Mission in Haiti/United Nations Transition Mission
ing the former period, total expenditure amounted in Haiti/United Nations Civilian Police Mission in
to $7,520.3 million, against an approved budget of Haiti ($7,366,000) and the United Nations Mission in
$7,833.2 million, exclusive of voluntary contributions the Central African Republic ($3,450,000)—and an­
in kind. The budget for peacekeeping operations for other $23,500,000 owed by two active peacekeeping
the latter period was estimated at $8,491.8 million, missions ($6,000,000 by minurso and $17,500,000 by
exclusive of voluntary contributions in kind. unmik). Five of the 26 closed missions had cash deficits
totalling $86,475,000, owing to outstanding payments
Peacekeeping support account of assessed contributions.
In January [A/69/750 & Corr.1], the Secretary- The Secretary-General requested the General
General submitted the budget for the support account Assembly to consider proposals to address the cash re­
for peacekeeping operations for the period from July quirements of active peacekeeping operations, and to al­
2015 to 30 June 2016, amounting to $305,945,200. low the retention of the net cash balance of $70,019,000
In February [A/69/791], the Independent Audit available in 21 closed peacekeeping missions if no new
Advisory Committee submitted its comments on the mechanism was approved to address the cash require­
proposed budget for the Office of Internal Oversight ments of active peacekeeping operations.
Services under the support account for peacekeeping By decision 69/553 C of 25 June, the General
operations for 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. Assembly deferred consideration until the second part
In April [A/69/860], the Advisory Committee on of its resumed seventieth (2016) session further reports
Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) of the Secretary-General on closed peacekeeping
provided its observations and recommendations on missions and the related acabq reports.
the Secretary-General’s reports on the budget perfor­
mance for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June Accounts and auditing
2014 [YUN 2014, p. 161], financing for the period from At its resumed sixty-ninth (2015) session, the
1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 and the proposed budget General Assembly considered the financial report
64 Part One: Political and security questions

and audited financial statements [A/69/5 (Vol. II)] for ment and Control of Contingent-Owned Equipment
UN peacekeeping operations for the period from of Troop/Police Contributors Participating in
1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014; the Secretary-General’s Peacekeeping Missions (COE Manual).
report [A/69/781] on the implementation of the rec­
ommendations of the Board of Auditors concerning
Restructuring Issues
UN peacekeeping operations for the financial period
ended 30 June 2014; and acabq report [A/69/838] on Global field support strategy
the report of the Board of Auditors on the accounts of In an April report [A/69/751/Rev.1] on the overview
the UN peacekeeping operations and the Secretary-
of the financing of UN peacekeeping operations:
General’s report on the implementation of the Board’s
budget performance for the period from 1 July 2013
recommendations for the financial period ended
to 30 June 2014 and budget for the period from
30 June 2014.
1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, the Secretary-General,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION in Annex I, provided details on the implementation
of each pillar of the global field support strategy (gfss)
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, [YUN 2013, p. 79] during the 2013/14 period, including
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee performance results against the global field support
[A/69/688/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/249 B strategy pillar end states and benefits reporting.
(Financial reports and audited financial state-
ments, and reports of the Board of Auditors) with­ As gfss entered its final six months of imple­
out vote [agenda item 130]. mentation, progress was being made towards the end-
state achievements under each pillar. Not all achieve­
Scale of assessment ments in each pillar would have been realized by June
2015, however, and those would therefore be pursued
In August, the Secretary-General submitted a as priority tasks during the 2015/16 period. In paral­
report [A/70/331 & Add.1] on the implementation of lel, a major objective for 2015/16 would be the success­
General Assembly resolutions 55/235 [YUN 2000, ful mainstreaming of the completed tools, structures
p. 102] and 55/236 [ibid., p. 104]. The report provided and approaches of gfss into the ongoing work of the
information on the updating of the composition of Secretariat. The Department of Field Support was
contribution levels for peacekeeping operations for committed to focusing on the continuous improve­
the period of 2016–2018, and on changes in the ment of the field service delivery model established
peacekeeping levels of Member States based on aver­ under gfss. The Secretariat would also use the accom­
age per capita gross national income during the period plishments and lessons learned from the development
2008–2013. of gfss tools and structures to ensure that a new
generation of benefits could be realized through the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
continued alignment with Secretariat-wide enterprise
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General resource planning tools and from alignment with the
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth future global service delivery model. In that regard,
Committee [A/70/636], adopted resolution 70/246 the Secretariat remained committed to preserving
(Scale of assessments for the apportionment of and strengthening the essential strategic dialogue
the expenses of United Nations peacekeeping with Member States on field support issues, and was
operations) without vote [agenda item 147]. committed to pursuing the continuous improvement
On the same day, by decision 70/554, the Assembly of UN field support.
decided that the item on scale of assessments for the In April [A/69/839], acabq reported on its observa­
apportionment of the expenses of UN peacekeeping tions and recommendations on cross-cutting issues
operations would remain for consideration during its relating to the financing of peacekeeping operations,
resumed seventieth (2016) session. noting that it had issued a stand-alone report [A/69/874]
that contained its observations and recommendations
Reimbursement issues on the fifth annual report [YUN 2014, p. 171] of the
Secretary-General on progress in the implementation
Reimbursement for contingent-owned equipment of gfss issued in accordance with Assembly resolu­
The Fifth Committee, during its consideration tion 64/269 [YUN 2010, p. 97]. In its general observa­
of the agenda item on administrative and budgetary tions and recommendations in the stand-alone report,
aspects of the financing of the UN peacekeeping acabq requested the Secretary-General to make
operations [A/69/963], had before it, among other docu­ every effort to fully implement the activities envis­
ments, a 28 February 2014 letter [A/C.5/69/18] from the aged under the implementation plan; and stressed the
Chair of the 2014 Working Group on Contingent- need to establish, at the five-year mark of gfss, a clear
Owned Equipment transmitting the Manual on record of the goals, achievements and lessons learned
Policies and Procedures Concerning the Reimburse­ as well as the costs incurred and benefits accrued.
Chapter I: International peace and security 65

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION $68,410,442 for the maintenance of unlb for the
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
[A/69/963], adopted resolution 69/307 (Cross-cutting GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

issues) without vote [agenda item 148]. On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
Management of peacekeeping assets [A/69/963], adopted resolution 69/309 (Financing
of the United Nations Logistics Base at Brindisi,
UN Logistics Base Italy) without vote [agenda item 148].
The General Assembly, at its resumed sixty-ninth
(2015) session, considered the budget performance Personnel matters
report [A/69/585 & Corr.1] of the United Nations
Logistics Base (unlb) at Brindisi, Italy, for the period Criminal accountability of UN staff and experts
from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014. Expenditure to­ on mission
talled $68,496,200 gross ($62,060,100 net) against In response to General Assembly resolution 69/114
an appropriation of $68,517,000 gross ($62,600,600 [YUN 2014, p. 171], the Secretary-General submitted a
net), resulting in an unencumbered balance of July report [A/70/208] on the criminal accountability of
$20,800. The Secretary-General recommended that UN officials and experts on mission. The Secretary-
the Assembly decide on the treatment of the unen­ General provided information received from Govern­
cumbered balance of $20,800; and of other income/ ments on the extent to which their laws established
adjustments for the period ended 30 June 2014 jurisdiction, in particular over serious crimes com­
amounting to $1,833,700 from investment revenue mitted by their nationals while serving as UN officials
($304,500), other revenue ($1,265,600) and cancel­ or experts on mission, as well as information on co­
lation of prior-period commitments ($263,600). operation among States and with the United Nations
The General Assembly also considered the in the exchange of information and the facilitation
proposed unlb budget, set out in a report of the of investigations and prosecution. The Secretary-
Secretary-General [A/69/733/Rev.1], for 1 July 2015 to General also detailed Secretariat activities conducted
30 June 2016, which amounted to $71,696,000 and in the implementation of the resolution.
provided for the deployment of 142 international
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
staff and 314 national staff, including 39 temporary
positions. In April [A/69/839/Add.9], acabq recom­ On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,
mended that the estimated budget requirement on the recommendation of the Sixth (Legal) Committee
be reduced by $3,285,558—from $71,696,000 to [A/70/506], adopted resolution 70/114 (Criminal ac-
$68,410,442. Accordingly, the Committee recom­ countability of United Nations officials and experts
mended that the Assembly approve the amount of on mission) without vote [agenda item 80].
Chapter II

Africa

In 2015, the United Nations continued to support representing 95 per cent of the estimated electorate,
the pursuit of peace, security and stability in Africa demonstrated a strong desire for change throughout
by assisting its countries through nine peacekeeping the population.
operations and five political and peacebuilding In the Sahel countries, electoral processes contin-
missions. ued to be a source of tension. The security situation also
The Security Council conducted a mission to the remained volatile, with the continuing crises in Libya
Central African Republic, Ethiopia and Burundi. In and Mali, and the persistence of illicit trafficking and
March, the ninth consultative meeting between the terrorism constituting the main threats to regional
United Nations Security Council and the African security. The coup d’état carried out in Burkina Faso
Union (au) Peace and Security Council was held in in September, followed by peaceful presidential and
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss peace and security parliamentary elections, as well as the signing of the
issues in Africa within the context of partnership be- peace agreement in Mali represented significant devel-
tween the au and the United Nations. The provisions opments in the region.
of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations In Libya, the political dialogue led to an agreement
on the role of regional arrangements in the settlement establishing a nine-member Presidency Council of the
of local disputes were reaffirmed at the meeting. Government of National Accord. Libya, however, was
The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa mo- still a safe haven for terrorist groups operating in the
bilized global advocacy for Africa’s development, in Sahel, including those with alleged ties to Al-Qaida
particular, by supporting the New Partnership for and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
Africa’s Development. In Mali, the Agreement on Peace and Reconcil-
The United Nations Regional Office for Central iation was signed by all parties to the conflict: the
Africa (unoca) continued to address the threat and Government, the Coordination des mouvements de
impact of the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army. l’Azawad and the Platform coalition. The improved
A strategic review recognized the need to maximize relationship among the signatories notwithstanding,
the potential of unoca to continue to serve as an im- the northern and central parts of Mali remained
portant preventive diplomacy tool in Central Africa. threatened by criminal, violent extremist and ter-
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc), rorist groups, which took advantage of the limited
the political situation was marked by the electoral pro- presence of law enforcement institutions. The Security
cess with political tensions running high. M-23 ex- Council extended the mandate of the United Nations
combatants still sojourned in camps in Rwanda and Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
Uganda and all efforts towards reintegration on the Mali until 30 June 2016.
basis of the Nairobi Declaration had not succeeded. In Nigeria, attacks by the Boko Haram ter-
In the eastern drc, the Allied Democratic Forces rorist group continued, despite increased military
had been weakened, and the existence of the Forces operations. Between July and December, Boko
démocratiques de libération du Rwanda remained one Haram carried out at least 49 attacks, causing more
of the most important hindrances to peace in that than 1,200 fatalities.
region. In Guinea-Bissau, just a little over a year after the
Burundi experienced a deep political crisis and restoration of the constitutional order, the country
rapid escalation of violence that had serious implica- was again experiencing political turbulence follow-
tions for stability and ethnic harmony in the country, ing the dismissal by President José Mário Vaz of the
as well as for peace and security in the region. The Government of Prime Minister Domingos Simões
United Nations Electoral Observation Mission in Pereira. The president later decided to resign. The
Burundi observed that the environment was not political crisis within the ruling political party, the
conducive for holding free, credible and inclusive African Party for the Independence of Guinea and
elections. Cabo Verde (paigc), and among the political leader-
The Central African Republic experienced ship, had prevented the country from moving forward
political transition with the successful holding of a with its national reform agenda.
constitutional referendum and the start of legislative Of the three countries most affected by the Eb-
and presidential elections in December. An unprec- ola outbreak, Sierra Leone was declared free of Eb-
edented registration of nearly two million voters, ola transmission in November. Guinea, however, re-

66
Chapter II: Africa 67

corded a few active cases, while Liberia recorded new out the country for the first time since the inception
cases in November. of the civil war in 1991. In May and July, the Security
In Côte d’Ivoire, President Alassane Ouattara was Council extended the mandate of the United Nations
re-elected and sworn in for a second and final term. Assistance Mission in Somalia until 7 August and
Following peaceful elections, the Secretary-General 30 March 2016, respectively.
recommended the drawdown of the military com- The ceasefire in Western Sahara between Morocco
ponent of the United Nations Operation in Côte and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de Saguía
d’Ivoire (unoci), leaving a residual presence of 4,000 el-Hamra y de Río de Oro continued to hold, but
military personnel by 31 March 2016. In June, the there was no progress towards a resolution of the
Security Council extended the mandate of unoci un- status of the disputed territory.
til 30 June 2016.
The Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission
continued to make progress towards the complete Promotion of peace in Africa
demarcation of the land boundary. The parties held
technical planning meetings in November and De-
In 2015, the United Nations continued to identify
cember for the construction of the remaining 1,800
and address the causes of conflict in Africa and pro-
pillars and to resolve other outstanding issues.
mote sustainable peace and development on the conti-
In Liberia, the political discourse focused on the nent. Angola chaired the Ad Hoc Working Group on
expectation that the Government would fully assume Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, which
security responsibilities from the United Nations focused on improving cooperation between the UN
Mission in Liberia (unmil) by 30 June 2016. This, Security Council and the African Union (au) Peace and
in turn, led to increased scrutiny of the performance Security Council, and on the promotion of and respect
and accountability of the State security agencies. for the rule of law and justice in the prevention and
Public perceptions of widespread corruption and the resolution of conflicts in Africa. The Security Council
proposal—made in the context of the constitutional conducted a mission to the Central African Republic
review process—that Liberia should be declared (car), Ethiopia and Burundi from 9 to 13 March.
a Christian nation also captured public attention.
The United Nations continued its cooperation
In September, the Security Council extended the
with the au, including through the ninth consulta-
mandate of unmil until 30 September 2016.
tive meeting between the Security Council and the
A continued lack of progress towards a political au Peace and Security Council in March.
resolution marked the year in Darfur. With their
The Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, headed
internal political and conflict resolution processes
by Maged Abdelfatah Abdelaziz (Egypt), promoted
taking centre stage, the Sudan and South Sudan paid
international support for Africa’s development and
limited attention to their responsibilities regarding
security, including through the New Partnership for
Abyei. The last meeting of the Abyei Joint Oversight
Africa’s Development (nepad), and continued to un-
Committee was held in March 2015. In June, the
dertake advocacy and promote public information for
Security Council extended the mandate of the African
nepad jointly with the au.
Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
until 30 June 2016.
In South Sudan, the Sudan People’s Liberation Conflict prevention and resolution
Movement/Army in Opposition (splm/a) and the Working Group. The Ad Hoc Working Group
former detainees signed the Agreement on the Reso- on Conflict Prevention and Resolution in Africa, a
lution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, subsidiary organ of the Security Council established
which was later signed by South Sudan, leading to in 2002 [YUN 2002, p. 93], continued to monitor the
a permanent ceasefire between the Government and implementation of Council recommendations relating
splm/a in Opposition. The Security Council extended to conflict prevention and resolution on the continent.
the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Angola, in its capacity as Chair, submitted a Decem-
Sudan twice during the year, until 15 December 2015 ber report [S/2015/1013] on the Group’s 2015 activities.
and then 31 July 2016. In its February meeting, the Group discussed prepara-
In Somalia, a National Consultative Forum tions for the ninth annual joint consultative meeting
adopted the Mogadishu Declaration on 16 Decem- between the UN Security Council and the au Peace
ber through which Somalis, including a significant and Security Council. The Chair noted that the four
number of women and youth, pledged to ensure that Working Group meetings held during the year had
Somalia’s electoral colleges and the new Parliament yielded potentially useful ideas regarding the rela-
would be more inclusive and representative. The ad- tionship between the Security Council and the au in
ministration of a centralized examination to some the areas of peacebuilding, mitigating pre- and post-
7,000 secondary school students took place through- electoral challenges and preventive diplomacy.
68 Part One: Political and security questions

Security Council Mission and security, and that the mandate of the au Peace and
Security Council was to promote peace and security
On 5 March [S/2015/162], the Security Council in- in Africa, as provided in the au Protocol establishing
formed the Secretary-General that the Council would the Peace and Security Council. The meeting dis-
send a mission to the car, Ethiopia, and Burundi from cussed the situation in the Great Lakes Region and the
9 to 12 March. The mission’s activities were detailed Democratic Republic of the Congo, the car, Mali and
in a June report [S/2015/503]. The primary purpose of the Sahel, Libya, Darfur, Somalia and South Sudan. It
the car and Ethiopia segments (5–6 October) was to
also reviewed issues related to the UN peace operations
assess the situation a year after the adoption of resolu-
(see p. 56); women, peace and security; cooperation
tion 2149(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 220], in which the Council
between the Security Council and the au Peace and
established the United Nations Multidimensional In-
Security Council; and combating the Boko Haram
tegrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African
Terrorist Group.
Republic (minusca). The mission met with the Head of
State of the Transition of car, Catherine Samba-Panza,
and called upon her to ensure that the political pro- Causes of conflict and promotion of durable
cess was inclusive, transparent and included women, peace and sustainable development in Africa
internally displaced persons and refugees. The mission GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
called for the implementation of the Brazzaville pro-
cess, notably the holding of the Bangui Forum and On 19 June [meeting 96], the General Assembly
the legislative and presidential elections; and expressed adopted resolution 69/291 [draft: A/69/L.63/Rev.1 &
Add.1] (Implementation of the recommendations
hope that the nearly 440,000 internally displaced
persons and more than 425,000 refugees in neigh- contained in the report of the Secretary-General
bouring countries could soon return. The mission also on the causes of conflict and the promotion of du-
met with the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, the rable peace and sustainable development in Africa)
National Transitional Council and civil society. without vote [agenda item 62 (b)].
On 12 March, the mission visited Addis Ababa Report of Secretary-General. In response to
for the annual consultations with the au Peace and General Assembly resolution 69/291, the Secretary-
Security Council. On Libya, there was a broad call for General submitted a July report [A/70/176-S/2015/560]
all parties to engage in negotiations, and the au Peace on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable
and Security Council expressed support for the medi- peace and sustainable development in Africa. He took
ation efforts under the Special Representative of the stock of major peace and security developments dur-
Secretary-General for Libya, Bernardino León (Spain). ing the past year and highlighted the growing linkages
The Burundi segment (13 March) coincided with between political, social and economic exclusion and
preparations for the elections in Burundi, with the conflict. Countering that trend would require inclu-
Security Council-mandated United Nations Electoral sive and people-centred approaches in the promotion
Observer Mission in Burundi (menub) (see p. 81) hav- of peace, security and socioeconomic development.
ing been in the country only a little over two months. The Secretary-General also addressed the role of
The delegation held meetings with menub, the UN regional and subregional organizations in promoting
country team and its Resident Coordinator, the Min- democratic governance in Africa, concluding with
ister of Interior, the Minister of External Relations and recommendations for strengthening the institutional
International Cooperation, the Independent National capacities of those organizations and for enhancing
Electoral Commission, the Independent National their cooperation with the United Nations and other
Human Rights Commission, political parties and partners in the promotion of democratic governance.
young people affiliated with political parties, civil Since his previous report [YUN 2014, p. 181], Africa
society and faith-based organizations and media rep- had made progress in defining its vision for an in-
resentatives. The delegation was also received by Pres- tegrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven and
ident Pierre Nkurunziza. managed by its own citizens and representing a dy-
namic force in the international arena. At its twenty-
fourth summit, held in Addis Ababa in January, the
Cooperation with the African Union
au adopted Agenda 2063 as its 50-year transformative
Annual consultative meeting. The Security agenda for peace, security and development. The au
Council and the au Peace and Security Council Assembly also declared 2015 the “Year of Women’s
held their ninth consultative meeting (Addis Ababa, Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s
12 March). In a joint communiqué adopted at the Agenda 2063”, reaffirming the role of women and
meeting and transmitted to the President of the girls in driving the implementation of Agenda 2063.
Security Council on 14 October [S/2015/212], members African countries and the regional economic commu-
reaffirmed the primary responsibility of the Security nities were expected to align their development plans
Council for the maintenance of international peace with Agenda 2063 and its first 10-Year Implementa-
Chapter II: Africa 69

tion Plan (2014–2023), which was adopted by the the Central Africa subregion on issues of peace
twenty-fifth au summit in South Africa in June. The and security, including peacebuilding and conflict
Secretary-General recommended that Member States prevention. It was also mandated to coordinate the
extend support for the implementation of the UN/au implementation of the UN regional strategy to ad-
Partnership on Africa’s Integration and Development dress the threat and impact of the Lord’s Resistance
Agenda, which would succeed the Ten-Year Capacity- Army (lra). In 2015 (see below), the Security
Building Programme for the au; and that the Council extended the mandate of unoca until
international community and the United Nations 31 August 2018.
increase support to the African Peer Review Mech- Abdoulaye Bathily (Senegal), who was appointed
anism, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 185], continued as the Special
Rights and the Pan African Parliament. He also Representative of the Secretary-General for Central
recommended that the United Nations: strengthen Africa and Head of unoca.
the role of the Regional Coordination Mechanism Communications. On 16 July [S/2015/554], the
and the Interdepartmental Task Force on African Secretary-General recommended to the Security
Affairs so as to enhance coherence and coordination Council an extension of the mandate of unoca
among the United Nations, the au, nepad, and the for a period of three years. The Council noted the
African Peer Review Mechanism; enhance joint field- Secretary-General’s intention on 21 July [S/2015/555].
based actions with African regional and subregional
organizations in strengthening early warning and Report of Secretary-General (May). The
democratic security-oversight capacities, preventing Secretary-General, pursuant to Security Council pres-
election-related violence and addressing conditions idential statement S/PRST/2014/25 [YUN 2014, p. 186],
conducive to the spread of terrorism and violent ex- submitted a May report [S/2015/339] on the activities
tremism; accelerate action to support African regional of unoca and the progress in the implementation
and subregional organizations in the implementation of the United Nations regional strategy to address
of the “Silencing the guns” flagship project; and con- the threat and impact of lra since the last report
[YUN 2014, p. 185].
tinue to support response efforts led by governments
to get to zero Ebola virus disease cases and address the In the Central African subregion, the political
socioeconomic impact of the outbreak. environment was marked by upcoming elections in
2015 and 2016 amid rising tensions. The sharp fall in
Office of the Special Adviser on Africa oil prices and the sudden decline in income also led
a number of countries in the subregion to revise their
In 2015, the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa national budgets.
(osaa), established by General Assembly resolution In Burundi, preparations for the parliamentary
57/7 [YUN 2002, p. 910], continued to strengthen its and presidential elections, scheduled for May and
support to Africa and, in particular, nepad in mo- June 2015, respectively, continued in an increas-
bilizing international support and raising awareness ingly tense political environment. On 25 April, the
through mobilization of resources and global advo- announcement by the ruling party, the National
cacy for Africa’s development. During the year, the Council for the Defence of Democracy-Forces for
Office helped raise awareness on the management the Defence of Democracy, to nominate President
of Africa’s extractive industries and their potential Nkurunziza as its candidate for the upcoming pres-
as drivers for sustainable development and inclu- idential elections, led to violent confrontations be-
sive growth; and through high-level events focused tween demonstrators and the police. As at 4 May, the
on priorities of African women and girls in peace, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
security and development. Refugees (unhcr) reported that 25,000 Burundians
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General had sought refuge in Rwanda, 5,000 more had ar-
Assembly decided that the agenda item on nepad: rived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc)
progress in implementation and international support and 2,100 in Tanzania.
remained for consideration during its resumed seven- Chad continued its preparations for legislative
tieth (2016) session. and presidential elections scheduled for 2015 and
2016, respectively, while in the drc protests broke
out from 19 to 23 January over a new electoral law
Central Africa and Great Lakes region linking the organization of the 2016 presidential
and legislative elections to a population census. The
UN Office for Central Africa United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission
in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (monusco)
The United Nations Regional Office for Central documented the killing of at least 20 civilians and the
Africa (unoca) was established in 2011 [YUN 2011, injury of 64 others by the country’s police and the
p. 97] to coordinate the work of the UN system in Republican Guard during the period in Kinshasa and
70 Part One: Political and security questions

Goma, which the opposition claimed was a move by coordination in UN peace and security work in the
the Government to delay the presidential elections. In subregion; and strengthening capacity to advise the
the Congo, more than 60 political parties expressed Secretary-General and UN entities in the region
concern as the ruling party, the Parti congolais du on significant peace and security developments in
travail, began holding internal consultations on a re- Central Africa.
vised constitution that would enable the President to Sixteen incidents of piracy and armed robbery
run for a third consecutive term. at sea in the Gulf of Guinea were reported in the
Central African States and subregional organiza- reporting period. Little progress was achieved in
tions continued to support the political transition the implementation of the decisions adopted by the
in the Central African Republic (car) by focusing Heads of State and Government of the Economic
on preparations for the Bangui Forum on National Community of Central African States (eccas),
Reconciliation. the Economic Community of West African States
During the reporting period, Boko Haram perpe- (ecowas) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission at
trated frequent attacks along the Nigeria-Cameroon Yaoundé in June 2013, owing to the region’s primary
border and in the northern provinces of Cameroon. focus on addressing the Boko Haram threat and the
Following agreement between Chad and Cameroon, lack of logistical and financial resources to implement
about 2,500 Chadian troops engaged Boko Haram the agreed road map.
directly along the Cameroon–Nigeria border as well SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
as in northern Nigeria. Moreover, on 29 January,
the au Peace and Security Council authorized the On 11 June [meeting 7461], following consultations
deployment of the Multinational Joint Task Force among Security Council members, the President
for an initial period of 12 months against Boko made statement S/PRST/2015/12 on behalf of the
Haram. At the extraordinary Conference of Heads Council.
of State and Government of the Council for Peace
Report of Secretary-General (November). Pur-
and Security in Central Africa (Yaoundé, Cameroon,
suant to Security Council presidential statement
16 February), Central African leaders decided to es-
S/PRST/2015/12, the Secretary-General issued a No-
tablish an emergency fund to support the military
vember report [S/2015/914] on unoca activities and on
efforts of Cameroon and Chad against Boko Haram. efforts to counter the threat and impact of lra.
Unoca engaged with countries and key stakehold- The political environment in the Central African
ers using its good offices for preventive diplomacy subregion had continued to be dominated by prepara-
and peacebuilding. The Special Representative for tions for elections and national dialogues, the impact
Central Africa and Head of unoca, Abdoulaye Bath- of the crisis in the car and the threat posed by Boko
ily, undertook a number of country-specific activities Haram, as well as cross-cutting and security issues.
and visits throughout the year. The International Monetary Fund assessed that an-
Lra, estimated at between 150 and 200, mostly nual growth in 2015 was projected to slow down to
Ugandan, fighters continued to pose a regional 2.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent in 2014. The muni-
security threat, particularly in the car and the cipal and legislative elections held on 29 June and
drc. The au Regional Task Force, established to the presidential election held on 21 July in Burundi
combat lra, continued to make steady progress. The took place in a very tense and polarized environment
Secretary-General said he was concerned by continu- that was not conducive to an inclusive, free and cred-
ing reports of poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking ible electoral process. The ruling party, the National
in Central Africa and the links between the illicit Council for the Defence of Democracy–Forces for
wildlife trade and armed groups in the subregion, the Defence of Democracy, won 77 out of 100 parlia-
including lra. He also noted that the surrender of mentary seats. President Nkurunziza was re-elected.
former lra commander Dominic Ongwen was a sig- Cameroon and Chad reshuffled their respective
nificant achievement. Governments. In the Congo, President Denis Sas-
In advance of the renewal of the unoca mandate sou Nguesso convened a national dialogue, from 13
in August, the UN Department of Political Affairs to 17 July, on the revision of the 2002 constitution
led an inter-agency strategic review mission to Libre- that was opposed by an umbrella coalition of oppo-
ville, Gabon, from 26 to 28 March. The review rec- sition parties. A referendum on a new constitution,
ommended that unoca focus on: strengthening good however, took place on 25 October and a new con-
offices, preventive diplomacy and mediation, includ- stitution promulgated on 6 November; that was re-
ing international mediation on the crisis in the car; jected by the opposition that called for the United
supporting UN, regional and subregional initiatives Nations to facilitate dialogue with the Government.
on peace and security, including promoting and sup- On 9 November, President Joseph Kabila of the drc
porting regional and subregional efforts to address announced the holding of a national dialogue by the
emerging security threats; enhancing coherence and end of November. In Equatorial Guinea, the ruling
Chapter II: Africa 71

Partido Democrático de Guinea Ecuatorial (pdge) his efforts to defuse election-related tensions by en-
nominated President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo as its couraging Gabonese political actors to engage in con-
candidate for the 2016 presidential elections. structive dialogue; and travelled five times—before,
In Gabon, an advisory body tasked with providing during and after the constitutional referendum—to
institutional space for political dialogue, whose pro- the Congo to meet with President Sassou Nguesso
ceedings were boycotted by the opposition coalition, and other stakeholders, including leaders of the op-
the Front union de l’opposition pour l’alternance, sub- position.
mitted recommendations to the Parliament and the Lra continued to pose a regional security threat,
Government for the reinstatement of presidential term in particular in the eastern part of the car and the
limits, two-round presidential and legislative elections north-eastern part of the drc, and was responsible
and an age limit of 80 years for presidential candi- for 131 attacks, 19 deaths and 317 abductions. On
dates; the holding of an inclusive national dialogue; 18 May, the au Peace and Security Council renewed
and the establishment of the Conseil national de la the mandate of the Regional Cooperation Initiative
démocratie as a constitutionally mandated institution. for the Elimination of lra for another year, stress-
The revision of the electoral roll for the 2016 presiden- ing the need for closer operational coordination be-
tial election commenced on 30 October and would tween the au Regional Task Force and relevant UN
last until 13 December. peacekeeping operations. On 10 September, Pre-Trial
In Rwanda, the Lower House of Parliament unani- Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (icc)
mously approved the draft revised constitution, which terminated proceedings against former lra com-
shortened presidential terms from seven to five years mander, Okot Odhiambo, following confirmation
and maintained term limits, but removed existing of his death. Mr. Odhiambo was reportedly killed
ones for the serving President. in the car during a battle with the Uganda People’s
In the car, violence broke out again on 26 Sep- Defence Force.
tember in Bangui, resulting in 77 dead and 414 in- In October, the President of the United States,
jured, according to Government sources. Attacks Barack Obama, reauthorized for an additional year
also targeted the personnel and premises of minusca. Operation Observant Compass, which supported
On 9 November, the new electoral calendar was re- the au Regional Task Force; while the Presidency
leased, announcing the holding of the constitutional of the icc decided that the confirmation of charges
referendum on 13 December, the first round of Pres- hearing in the case concerning lra commander,
idential elections on 27 December and the second Dominic Ongwen, scheduled for 21 January 2016,
round on 31 January 2016. International mediation, would be held at the seat of the icc at The Hague,
composed of the Congo, the au and the United Netherlands. The Secretary-General noted that the
Nations, had continued to support national authori- lra continued to have a disproportionate impact on
ties in their efforts to restore constitutional order. the civilian population, and it was critical that the
During the reporting period, the Boko Haram troop-contributing countries to the au Regional Task
terrorist group perpetrated a series of deadly attacks Force remained committed and closely cooperated
in Cameroon and Chad. On 20 May, the Parliament with each other.
of Chad voted to extend indefinitely the mandate of Seven incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea
the Chadian troops conducting counter-Boko Haram in the Gulf of Guinea were reported. Little progress
operations in Cameroon and Nigeria. On 25 May, the was achieved in the implementation of the decisions
Headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force of the June 2013 Yaoundé summit, including the
was officially inaugurated in N’Djaména. operationalization of the Interregional Coordina-
Unoca continued to engage with countries tion Centre.
and key stakeholders using its good offices for The Secretary-General remained deeply concerned
preventive diplomacy and peacebuilding. The about the continuing attacks by Boko Haram and
Special Representative for Central Africa and Head their destabilizing impact on the Lake Chad Basin
of unoca, Abdoulaye Bathily (Senegal), undertook region, including reported violations of international
a number of country-specific activities and visits. In human rights and humanitarian law by the group.
Burundi he facilitated dialogue to ensure that con- He called on the international community to support
ditions for the holding of peaceful, inclusive, free the Multinational Joint Task Force headquarters
and fair elections were met prior to the holding of in N’Djaména. He also expressed concern about
elections; in the car he continued his role as the maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
UN representative in the international mediation; in Security Council consideration. On 8 Decem-
Chad, he exchanged views with President Déby Itno ber [S/PV.7572], the Security Council held a meeting
and opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo in the context to consider the November report of the Secretary-
of upcoming elections and Chad’s military engage- General on the situation in Central Africa and the
ment against Boko Haram; in Gabon, he continued activities of unoca (see above).
72 Part One: Political and security questions

Financing while the continued presence of illegal armed groups,

In October 2014 [A/69/363/Add.3], the Secretary- including the Forces démocratiques de libération du
General proposed total requirements of $5,727,900 Rwanda (fdlr), the Allied Democratic Forces (adf),
for unoca for 2015. The General Assembly, in section the Forces de résistance patriotiques de l’Ituri (frpi)
IV of resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p. 1634] approved and several Mai-Mai militias, continued to threaten the
the budgets of 35 special political missions listed in security and stability of the region and negatively affect
table 6 of the Secretary-General’s report [A/69/363/ the implementation of the Framework. In September,
Corr.2], including unoca.
the UN Human Rights Council expressed its concerns
regarding the state of human rights in the country
In October [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary-General where more than 2,200 human rights violations af-
submitted resource requirements for unoca for 2016 fecting 5,400 victims had taken place during the year.
totalling $8,212,800, which the Advisory Committee In November, a UN team confirmed that there
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) had been some progress in the security situation in a
endorsed in November [A/70/7/Add.13]. number of areas, including in the Provinces of Bas-
In section XX of resolution 70/248 A of 23 De- Uélé, Haut-Uélé, Ituri, South Kivu and Tshopo. The
cember (see p. 734), the Assembly endorsed the rec- humanitarian situation remained dire with 7.5 mil-
ommendations of acabq and approved the budgets lion people in need of humanitarian assistance, partic-
for 36 special political missions, including unoca, ularly in eastern drc. The full and timely implementa-
totalling $567,252,400. tion of the Nairobi Declarations and, particularly, the
repatriation of the ex-Mouvement du 23 mars (M23)
Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions elements cantoned in Rwanda and Uganda, were crit-
In 2015, the United Nations Standing Advisory ical for peace and stability in the drc and the Great
Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa Lakes region. By the end of the year, however, little
held its fortieth (Luanda, Angola, 1–5 June) and forty- progress had been made towards the repatriation and
first (Libreville, Gabon, 23–27 November) ministerial demobilization of ex-combatants, including from the
meetings [A/70/682-S/2016/39]. former M23 and fdlr. The crisis in Burundi and its
far-reaching impact had also contributed to the dete-
In July [A/70/165], the Secretary-General transmit-
rioration of the political, security and humanitarian
ted to the General Assembly the outcome of the Com-
situation in the region.
mittee’s thirty-ninth [YUN, 2014 p. 189] and fortieth
meetings. In a later report [A/71/293], the Secretary- In March, the Security Council decided by reso-
General provided information on the Committee’s lution 2211(2015) (see p. 74) to extend the mandate
forty-first meeting. of monusco for one year, including the Mission’s in-
tervention brigade, and to reduce the total monusco
On 11 December, the General Assembly, in reso- force by 2,000 troops while maintaining an author-
lution 70/64 (see p. 270), reaffirmed its support for ized troop ceiling of 19,815 military personnel.
efforts aimed at promoting confidence-building meas-
Communication. In a 6 January letter [S/2015/9]
ures at the regional and subregional levels, in order to
to the Security Council President, the drc noted that
ease tensions and conflicts in Central Africa and to
the fdlr voluntary disarmament process had not
further sustainable peace, stability and development.
yielded the expected results.
(For information on the Committee’s activities re- Security Council consideration. During the year
lated to disarmament and arms limitation, see p. 270.) the Council discussed the issue of the drc in its meet-
ings on 8 January [S/PV.7356], 22 January [S/PV.7367],
Democratic Republic of the Congo 29 January [S/PV.7371], 17 March [S/PV.7406], 19 March
[S/PV.7410], 26 March [S/PV.7415], 14 July [S/PV.7484],
The political situation in the Democratic Republic 7 October [S/PV.7529], 9 November [S/PV.7552] and
of the Congo (drc) was increasingly marked by the 17 December [S/PV.7586].
electoral process with tensions running high ahead of
the scheduled 2016 elections. In June, President Joseph SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Kabila indicated that consultations between the Gov- On 8 January [meeting 7356], following consulta-
ernment and political stakeholders would eventually tions among Security Council members, the Pres-
lead to a national dialogue among the ruling major- ident made statement S/PRST/2015/1 on behalf of
ity coalition, the political opposition and civil society. the Council.
The Government indicated that the possibility of On 29 January [meeting 7371], the Security Council
international mediation or facilitation of the dialogue unanimously adopted resolution 2198(2015). The
was still under consideration. The Peace, Security and draft [S/2015/66] was submitted by France.
Cooperation Framework was entering its third year of
implementation. Progress in the implementation of Communication. On 26 February [S/2015/146],
regional and national commitments remained limited, the drc asked the Security Council not to take action
Chapter II: Africa 73

on the report of the Secretary-General on monusco fdlr continued to be linked to the strategic dialogue
[YUN 2014, p. 204] without first having heard the posi- between the Government and monusco, which was
tion of the drc. ongoing as at September.
Progress in the implementation of the Nairobi
Political and security developments Declarations continued, including the repatriation of
the ex-M23 combatants from Uganda and Rwanda.
Reports of Secretary-General (March and Following a four-day visit by Congolese Govern-
September). The Secretary-General issued a report ment officials to Rwanda from 20 to 24 April, 13 of
in March [S/2015/173] pursuant to Security Council the estimated 144 ex-M23 combatants granted am-
resolution 2147(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 193] and a report nesty by the drc were repatriated; some 309 ex-M23
in September [S/2015/735] pursuant to Council resolu- combatants remained in Rwanda. Despite efforts in
tion 2211(2015) (see p. 74), on the implementation of August by the drc and Uganda, with the support
the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for of the International Conference on the Great Lakes
the drc and the region. The implementation of the Region (icglr) and the United Nations, to acceler-
Framework continued to face challenges, such as the ate the implementation of the Nairobi Declarations,
continuing presence of armed groups in the eastern the mission did not result in any new repatriations of
drc, particularly the fdlr, adf, frpi and other armed M23 combatants.
groups, and the slow progress in the implementation
of the Nairobi Declarations, which concluded the In Burundi, on 25 April, the nomination of out-
Kampala Dialogue [YUN 2013, p. 119] between the drc going President Pierre Nkurunziza as the ruling par-
and the former M23 rebel movement. The political ty’s candidate in the presidential election triggered
and security situation in the region was also signifi- a crisis, including the displacement of more than
cantly affected by the crisis in Burundi. 185,000 Burundians, as well as killings, arrests and
detentions; an emergency summit of the East African
During the six months granted to the movement Community appointed President Yoweri Museveni
to disarm and surrender, the fdlr reportedly contin- of Uganda on 6 July to facilitate talks between the
ued to commit human rights violations, recruit com- Burundian parties. Despite the region’s efforts and
batants and send mixed signals about its willingness the Secretary-General’s appeal for postponement of
to disarm fully. In view of the lack of progress, the elections, Burundi proceeded with parliamentary
Security Council, the witnesses to the Peace, Security and presidential elections on 29 June and 21 July, re-
and Cooperation Framework and the Governments spectively. President Nkurunziza was re-elected with
of the region continued to exert diplomatic pressure 69.41 per cent of the vote, followed by opposition
on fdlr to lay down its weapons peacefully. On leader Agathon Rwasa, who secured 18.99 per cent of
2 January, UN envoys and representatives for the the vote.
Great Lakes region, Special Representative of the
au Boubacar Diarra, Special Envoy of the United On 4 May, Rwanda expressed concern over reports
States Russ Feingold, Senior Coordinator of the that members of fdlr were crossing into Burundi.
eu Koen Vervaeke, and Special Envoy of Belgium Subsequently, at the request of the East African
Frank De Coninck, issued a joint statement calling Community, icglr dispatched missions from the
for immediate military action against fdlr by the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism and the
drc, supported by monusco and its Force Interven- joint intelligence fusion centre to Burundi from 10 to
tion Brigade. South Africa and Tanzania reiterated 15 July to investigate the allegations. As at September,
their support. Monusco had, however, previously the findings were not available.
identified two newly appointed generals as allegedly The drc made some progress in implementing
bearing command responsibility for human rights vi- its national commitments. The Ministry of Justice
olations committed by units under their command. organized a national review that identified 200 rec-
Consequently, in line with UN human rights due dil- ommendations to reform and reorganize the judicial
igence policy, monusco informed the Government system in the country. On 30 May, President Kabila
that it would not be in a position to support the units initiated national consultations involving members
involved in operations against fdlr as long as they of the ruling majority, opposition, international
were under the command of the two generals. community, media and religious leaders on the 2015
The Forces armées de la République démocratique and 2016 elections.
du Congo (fardc) of the drc conducted military Efforts by the signatory States to neutralize armed
operations against adf and frpi with the support of groups that were fuelling instability in the region
monusco, significantly weakening the operational continued. In an important development relating
effectiveness of the targeted groups. While fardc to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework
conducted military operations against fdlr, the re- commitments and the provisions of Security Council
sumption of military cooperation between fardc resolution 2136(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 189], in which the
and the monusco Force Intervention Brigade against Council called upon all States to deny support to
74 Part One: Political and security questions

armed groups, Jamil Mukulu, the leader of the adf Kabila launched consultations with a range of stake-
who had been on the Sanctions List since 12 October holders and held a series of meetings with religious
2011 for the recruitment of child soldiers, killings, leaders; ten days later he briefed the diplomatic corps
maiming, sexual violence and attacks on peacekeep- in Kinshasa, including the United Nations, on his
ers, was arrested in Tanzania in April. On 2 Septem- consultations. Delays were registered by the national
ber, Bosco Ntaganda, former fardc Commander independent electoral commission in the completion
and leader of the rebel group Union des patriotes of key tasks in the electoral calendar. The draft law
congolais, pleaded not guilty before the International on the allocation of seats for the elected local bod-
Criminal Court (icc) after having voluntarily surren- ies, based on the number of voters per electoral dis-
dered himself to be transferred to the Court in March trict, which had been expected to be promulgated
2013 for crimes against humanity and war crimes by 20 April, was only submitted to the National
committed in Ituri in 2002/2003. Assembly on 5 June but rejected on 16 June, on the
The Secretary-General observed that the swift neu- grounds that its provisions violated the Constitution
tralization of all armed groups in the eastern drc, ac- by excluding some 8 million voters who had reached
celerating the repatriation of ex-M23 combatants and the age of civil majority since the 2011 national elec-
dependants, implementing all other provisions of the tions. On 4 April, the Constitutional Court, pro-
Nairobi Declarations and convening a summit of the vided for in the 2006 Constitution, was installed,
Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries with the swearing-in of its nine members, including
should remain among the region’s top priorities. He four women. It was an important step as the body
also noted that the regional repercussions of the crisis was mandated to adjudicate on any dispute relating
in Burundi should not be underestimated. to presidential and legislative elections.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
The United Nations and the Government held
four meetings to jointly develop a road map and exit
On 26 March [meeting 7415], the Security Council strategy for monusco. On 15 April, monusco and
unanimously adopted resolution 2211(2015). The the Government adopted terms of reference to assess
draft [S/2015/209] was submitted by France. the situation in eastern drc, which considered aspects
relating to the security situation, the protection of
Reports of Secretary-General (March and June). civilians, the restoration of State authority and the
In a separate report [S/2015/172] in March issued pursu- activities of fardc and monusco. The issue of the
ant to resolution 2147(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 193], and in resumption of support to fardc operations against
a June report [S/2015/486] issued pursuant to resolution fdlr was raised in a number of meetings with the
2211(2015), the Secretary-General reviewed progress Government in the context of the strategic dialogue.
made by the drc on implementation of its commit-
ments under the Peace, Security and Cooperation Communication. In an 8 May letter [S/2015/323]
Framework; the electoral process; and the progress of to the President of the Security Council, the drc
monusco in the implementation of its mandate and said that despite efforts to re-establish dialogue
on its exit strategy. with monusco, including discussing the latter’s exit
The controversy over the revision of the electoral strategy, the United Nations had made no progress on
law marked the extraordinary session of Parliament reaching consensus so that concrete proposals could
that concluded on 26 January. The Government sub- be made to the Council.
mitted to Parliament a draft electoral law that con- Reports of Secretary-General (September and
ditioned the holding of the 2016 presidential and December). Pursuant to Security Council resolu-
legislative elections on updated demographic data tion 2211(2015) (see above), the Secretary-General
to be obtained through a population census. The issued reports in September [S/2015/741] and December
political opposition interpreted that clause as an at- [S/2015/1031] highlighting progress made by the drc on
tempt to delay the 2016 elections and allow President implementation of its commitments under the Peace,
Kabila to remain in power beyond his second and last Security and Cooperation Framework; the electoral
term. On 25 January, following protests and riots, process; and the progress of monusco in the imple-
both houses of Parliament adopted a revised text of mentation of its mandate.
the electoral law without the clause referring to the The Government, through the National Oversight
population census, which was promulgated by Pres- Mechanism, took steps to ensure that in the draft 2016
ident Kabila on 12 February. budget sufficient funding was allocated to priority ac-
By June, the political situation remained tense. tions to further the implementation of the six national
The electoral calendar published by the national engagements of the Peace, Security and Cooperation
independent electoral commission was criticized by Framework: decentralization; security-sector reform;
some in the opposition, which questioned its feas- consolidation of State authority; national reconcili-
ibility. Their concerns were echoed by some political ation, tolerance and democratization; and structural
actors from the ruling coalition. On 1 June, President reforms, including financial reforms. While guberna-
Chapter II: Africa 75

torial elections, initially scheduled for 6 October, had committee to launch the national dialogue with
been indefinitely postponed, on 29 October, President international facilitation. From 2 to 5 December, the
Kabila appointed by decree 21 special commissioners Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great
and their deputies to govern the 21 new provinces Lakes Region, Said Djinnit, travelled to Kinshasa to
resulting from the découpage process. They assumed seek the views of all stakeholders before responding to
their functions between 9 and 23 November. Most President Kabila’s request for UN facilitation of the
opposition parties protested the move; the “G7”—a proposed dialogue.
group of seven political parties, which had been ex- Regarding preparations for the elections, no sub-
cluded from the ruling coalition and formally created stantive technical progress was made. On 12 Novem-
a platform on 10 October—criticized the appoint- ber, the International Organization of la Francophonie
ment of special commissioners exclusively from the released the final report on its audit of the voters’
presidential majority as a means of further restricting registry. It concluded that the National Independent
political space and facilitating electoral fraud. Electoral Commission needed to take several actions
Some progress was achieved in the implementation to create an up-to-date, credible and inclusive voters’
of the Law on the Status of Military Personnel, with registry. It also recommended that the authorities con-
salaries and emoluments of the Armed Forces of the tinue working on longer-term reforms, which would
drc—fardc—increased by the Ministry of Defence include an administrative census of the population.
between 17 and 50 per cent, according to rank. A sup- By September, although the formal talks within
plementary census of police personnel was launched the framework of the strategic dialogue had stalled,
to complete the census exercise conducted in 2010. the process of jointly developing an exit strategy for
On consolidation of State authority, on 10 No- monusco, as mandated by the Security Council,
vember, the Stabilization Coherence Fund, a multi- remained an important shared objective for both
partner trust fund in support of the implementa- the drc and the United Nations. Given the numer-
tion of the International Security and Stabilization ous political and security challenges that remained,
Support Strategy and the Provincial Stabilization further discussions were needed to develop a common
Strategies and Action Plans, was established with vision for how monusco would eventually be able to
contributions totalling $13 million from the Neth- leave the drc without reversing the gains achieved.
erlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, which The protection of civilians remained a central fo-
triggered $4 million in additional funding from the cus for monusco. Joint military activities between
UN Peacebuilding Fund. With regard to national rec- monusco and fardc increased, particularly in Beni
onciliation, in addition to President Kabila’s efforts territory, North Kivu, and Ituri, where adf and frpi
to convene a national dialogue, provincial authorities remained a significant threat to civilians. Monusco
and local actors in Ituri, North Kivu and Tanganyika carried out seven joint assessment missions and three
provinces continued, with the support of monusco, Joint Protection Team missions to assess protection
to implement reconciliation activities to prevent concerns in those areas.
intercommunal, land and pre-electoral violence and The Secretary-General recommended that the
promote peaceful cohabitation. Security Council, when reviewing the mandate of
On 30 June, President Kabila indicated that the monusco, consider a further reduction of 1,700
consultations between the Government and stake- military personnel, in addition to the reduction of the
holders across the political spectrum on the electoral 2,000 military personnel endorsed by the Council in
process would eventually lead to a national dialogue resolution 2211(2015) (see p. 74), taking into account
among the ruling majority coalition, the political op- progress towards developing a joint exit strategy and
position and civil society. The proposal continued to reducing the threat posed by armed groups.
generate debate and revealed divisions among various Communication. On 5 October [S/2015/760], the
political actors about participation in the dialogue: drc transmitted to the Security Council President
the Union pour la démocratie et le progrès social, an its response to some of the issues raised in the June
opposition party, asked the UN Secretary-General report of the Secretary-General on monusco (see
to appoint a neutral international facilitator. Eight- p. 74) and the September report of the Secretary-
een civil society organizations issued a declaration General on the implementation of the Peace, Security
in favour of a national dialogue as the sole way to and Cooperation Framework for the drc and the Re-
preserve the nation from danger; the “G7” claimed gion (see p. 74).
that the dialogue would only be used to legitimize
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
efforts by the presidential majority to remain in power
in violation of the Constitution; and the Conférence On 9 November [meeting 7552], following consulta-
épiscopale nationale du Congo welcomed the Presi- tions among Security Council members, the President
dent’s dialogue initiative. On 28 November, President made statement S/PRST/2015/20 on behalf of the
Kabila announced the establishment of a preparatory Council.
76 Part One: Political and security questions

Letter of Secretary-General. In a 16 December the formal meeting held on 14 December, the Com-
letter [S/2015/983], the Secretary-General informed mittee exchanged views on the midterm report of the
the Security Council President that, pursuant to the Group of Experts (see below) with the representa-
5 October letter from the drc (see p. 75), he had dis- tives of Angola, Burundi, the drc, Rwanda, South
patched a UN team to visit the country from 23 to Africa, Uganda and Tanzania. The Committee made
28 November to take a fresh look at the situation and no new addition to the list of individuals and entities
evaluate progress made by the Government with re- subject to the travel ban and assets freeze imposed
gard to the security situation and the development by paragraphs 13 and 15 of resolution 1596(2005)
of national capacities to manage the threat posed by [YUN 2005, p. 192], as renewed by paragraph 3 of reso-
armed groups and prevent violence against civilians. lution 2198(2015) (see p. 72).
In light of the increasingly complex situation and the
need for more effective mandate implementation, the Group of Experts
time had come to take concrete steps towards facilitat- The Group of Experts on the drc was established
ing the resumption of the strategic dialogue between pursuant to Security Council resolution 1533(2004)
the United Nations and the Government, with a view to gather and analyse information on flows of arms
to achieving a common goal: the gradual and progres- and related materiel, as well as networks operating
sive exit of monusco, while preserving the gains and in violation of the measures imposed by paragraph
investments made and averting a relapse into insta- 20 of resolution 1493(2003). As requested by resolu-
bility or conflict. tion 2198(2015), the Secretary-General, on 12 March
The Government expressed its willingness to [S/2015/179] and 22 April [S/2015/272], appointed six
monusco and the UN team to re-engage in discus- experts to constitute the Group for a period until
sions on an exit strategy for monusco, and to enhance 1 August 2016.
cooperation with monusco. Reports of Group of Experts. On 16 Octo-
ber, pursuant to Council resolution 1533(2004) and
Arms embargo 2198(2015), the Security Council Committee on the
The Security Council Committee on the drc—es- drc submitted to the Council the Group’s midterm
tablished pursuant to resolution 1533(2004) [YUN 2004, report [S/2015/797] with recommendations for the drc;
p. 137] to review and monitor the arms embargo on Rwanda; Member States; the Security Council; and
armed groups imposed by resolution 1493(2003) monusco.
[YUN 2003, p. 130]—reported on its 2015 activities in In its recommendation to the drc, the Group said
December [S/2015/993]. that the Government should open an independent
The Committee met six times in informal consul- investigation into the failure of the leadership of the
tations, on 9 January, 31 March, 28 April, 10 July, Sukola I operations under the command of Brigadier
14 October and 20 November, and twice in formal General Muhindo Akili Mundos to protect civilians
meetings, on 6 March and 14 December. from the killings that occurred in the Beni area be-
During the informal consultations held on 9 Jan- tween October 2014 and June 2015; ensure the mark-
uary, the Group of Experts briefed the Committee ing and registration of all fardc weapons, as well as
on the main findings contained in its final report the security of weapon and ammunition storage; and
(see below), after which the Committee considered re-establish and maintain government control of areas
the Group’s recommendations contained therein. At taken during military operations to prevent reoccupa-
the formal meeting held on 6 March, the Committee tion by armed groups.
exchanged views on the final report of the Group of The Group recommended that Rwanda investigate
Experts with the representatives of Angola (on behalf and prosecute, as necessary, the companies involved
of the International Conference on the Great Lakes in the illegal sale of tags and paperwork for tin, tanta-
Region), Burundi, the drc, Rwanda, South Africa lum and tungsten in Rwanda. To Member States, the
(on behalf of the Southern African Development Group recommended they earmark funds for the UN
Community), Uganda and Tanzania. During the in- Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Action,
formal consultations held on 14 October, the Group with an emphasis on the construction of weapons
of Experts briefed the Committee on the main find- depots in eastern drc. The Group recommended to
ings contained in its midterm report (see below), the Security Council that it conduct an independent
after which the Committee considered the Group’s inquiry into the inability of monusco to protect ci-
recommendations contained therein. During the vilians in Beni territory since October 2014, and that
informal consultations held on 20 November, the such inquiry should determine with what additional
Committee was briefed by the Special Representative support monusco should be provided in order to pro-
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed tect civilians more effectively.
Conflict, who provided information on violations or In a later report [S/2016/466], the Group noted that
alleged violations of the sanctions’ measures. During there was no large-scale rebellion against the Govern-
Chapter II: Africa 77

ment, and many armed groups had fragmented and and without creating a precedent or any prejudice to
decreased in troop strength, but the level of security the agreed principles of peacekeeping, its interven-
for civilians in eastern drc did not improve signif- tion brigade; and endorsed the recommendation of
icantly where foreign armed groups from Burundi, the Secretary-General to reduce the monusco force
Rwanda and Uganda continued to operate. The by 2,000 troops.
number of ex-combatants involved in armed criminal Appointments. In a 5 October letter [S/2015/766],
activities, such as kidnapping for ransom, demon- the Secretary-General informed the Security Council
strated the necessity of improving demobilization and of his intention to appoint Maman Sambo Sidikou
reintegration efforts. (Niger) as his Special Representative for the drc
The Group expressed concern with the lack of a and Head of monusco, replacing Martin Kobler
functioning traceability system for gold, for gold from (Germany), who would complete his assignment on
non-validated mining sites, which most likely benefit- 31 October. The Council took note of the Secretary-
ted armed groups, was laundered into the legitimate General’s intention on 7 October [S/2015/767].
supply chain and, subsequently, into the international On 24 December [S/2015/1046], the Secretary-
market. Exporters based in the drc regularly bought General informed the Council of his intention to ap-
gold without knowing its actual origin and some point Lieutenant General Derick Mbuyiselo Mgwebi
exporters significantly underdeclared the volumes (South Africa) as Force Commander of monusco to
exported, with discrepancies of at least $174 million replace Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos
in 2015. Armed groups had fewer opportunities to Cruz (Brazil), whose term ended on 2 December. The
benefit from illegal involvement in the tin, tantalum Council took note of the Secretary-General’s inten-
and tungsten sector, as due diligence and traceability tion on 29 December [S/2015/1047].
systems expanded to more mining sites. The Group
therefore recommended that Burundi, Uganda and Financing
the United Arab Emirates report to the Committee
twice a year on measures taken to stop gold exported The General Assembly considered the performance
illegally from eastern drc from being trafficked and report [A/69/620] on the monusco budget for the period
sold in their countries. The Group also recommended from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, showing a total
that the Security Council consider revising the sanc- expenditure of $1,432,275,100 gross ($1,401,007,700
tions criteria to include entities and individuals sup- net) against an appropriation of $1,453,358,000
porting armed groups or leaders through gold-related ($1,427,586,100 net); and the proposed budget of
illicit financial flows or money laundering. monusco for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June
2016 [A/69/797], amounting to $1,369,790,300 gross
The Group noted that violations of international ($1,339,584,900 net).
humanitarian law continued unabated. Armed groups
were still using children in 2015, and mass killings In a March note [A/69/832], the Secretary-General
were carried out by a range of armed elements in North requested additional appropriation for monusco for
Kivu province. In its continued monitoring of the arms the 2014/15 financial period for ensuring the con-
embargo, the Group found that some Member States tinued operation of the Mission. He asked that the
had exported materiel to the drc without notifying the Assembly appropriate the amount of $38,577,700 for
Security Council Committee established pursuant to the maintenance of the Mission for the 12-month
resolution 1533(2004). period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, in addition
to the amount of $1,397,036,000 already appropri-
ated for the same period under the terms of Assembly
MONUSCO resolution 68/287 [YUN 2014, p. 208]; and that the
The United Nations Organization Stabilization Assembly assess the total amount above, in addition
Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the amount of $1,397,036,000 already assessed
(monusco), first established as the United Nations for the Mission for the period from 1 July 2014 to
Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic 30 June 2015.
of the Congo (monuc) by Security Council resolu- Acabq in May [A/69/839/Add.5] recommended that
tion 1279(1999) [YUN 1999, p. 92], continued to dis- the Assembly authorize the Secretary-General to en-
charge its mandate as established in Council reso- ter into commitments in an amount not to exceed
lution 1925(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 123], including the $38,577,700 for the maintenance of the Mission for
protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and the 12-month period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June
human rights defenders under imminent threat of 2015, in addition to the amount of $1,397,036,000
physical violence and to support the Government in already appropriated; and for the Secretary-General
its stabilization and peace consolidation efforts. By to provide detailed information on actual expendi-
resolution 2211(2015) of 26 March (see p. 74), the tures incurred in the context of the performance
Council extended the mandate of monusco until report of monusco for the period from 1 July 2014
31 March 2016 including, on an exceptional basis to 30 June 2015.
78 Part One: Political and security questions

Acabq also recommended appropriation of the provincial independent electoral commissions and
$1,362,393,500 for the maintenance of the Mission transmitted to the communal independent electoral
for the 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June commissions.
2016—reduced by $7,396,800 in the overall require- The United Nations Electoral Observation Mission
ment proposed by the Secretary-General—should the (menub) ended it mandate on 31 December. The
Security Council decide to extend the mandate of the Secretary-General noted that the legacy of the Arusha
Mission. Acabq also recommended that the unen- Agreement and the political and developmental pro-
cumbered balance of $21,082,900 for the period from gress that Burundi had enjoyed over the past 15 years
1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, as well as other income/ad- had come dangerously close to unravelling. By the
justments in the amount of $14,616,000 for the period end of the year, approximately 700,000 people were
ended 30 June 2014, be credited to Member States. food-insecure, while 217,757 Burundian refugees had
been documented in neighbouring countries, the vast
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
majority in Rwanda, Tanzania, the drc and Uganda.
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on
the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative Political and security developments
and Budgetary) Committee [A/69/957], adopted res-
olution 69/297 (Financing of the United Nations Security Council consideration. During the
Organization Stabilization Mission in the year, the Security Council discussed the situation
Democratic Republic of the Congo) without vote in Burundi on 21 January [S/PV.7364], 18 February
[agenda item 154]. [S/PV.7388], 18 March [S/PV.7407], 9 July [S/PV.7482],
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General 28 October [S/PV.7546], 9 November [S/PV.7553] and
Assembly decided that the agenda items on monusco 12 November [S/PV.7557].
financing and on armed aggression against the drc Report of Secretary-General. In response to
would remain for consideration during its resumed Security Council resolution 2137(2014) [YUN 2014,
seventieth (2016) session. p. 209], the Secretary-General submitted a January
report [S/2015/36] on the situation in Burundi pro-
viding an update since his previous report [YUN 2014,
Burundi p. 212] on progress made in the implementation of the
In 2015, Burundi was marked by elections in June mandate of the United Nations Office in Burundi
to the national legislature, in July to the office of the (bnub) and on the transition of bnub to the UN
president and in August to local bodies, and by a failed country team.
coup attempt in May. The candidature of President The political situation remained tense. Opposition
Pierre Nkurunziza dominated the political discourse leaders had increasingly objected to the stance of the
in the lead-up to the 21 July election. The various at- Independent National Electoral Commission (ceni)
tempts at facilitating a solution to the disagreement on electoral issues, its perceived lack of transparency
regarding the President’s third term and the other in the implementation of the electoral calendar and
issues identified at inter-Burundian dialogue meet- its interpretation of the electoral law, which led to the
ings yielded no concrete results. Street demonstra- exclusion from ceni consultations of former leaders
tions were sparked by the late-April announcement of key opposition parties who represented wings that
of the President’s third presidential bid. Despite that, were not recognized by the Government. Political ten-
President Nkurunziza won the elections, while the sions and the deep mistrust between the ruling party
ruling party, the Conseil national pour la défense de and other stakeholders, including opposition parties
la démocratie-Forces pour la défense de la démocratie and civil society organizations, persisted, notwith-
(cndd - fdd) obtained 77 seats in the national leg- standing the efforts to foster political dialogue and
islature, the independent coalition Amizero y’Aba- the reduction in political violence perpetrated by “Im-
rundi won 21 seats and the Union pour le progrès bonerakure”, the youth wing of the ruling cndd-fdd.
national (uprona) two seats. The inaugural session Despite such hurdles, all stakeholders, including op-
of the National Assembly was held on 27 July, with position parties, had continually reaffirmed their
final results confirmed on 18 August. In the absence determination to take part in the 2015 elections.
of complaints, the Constitutional Court officially de- The security situation remained relatively stable de-
clared the election of President Nkurunziza and he spite a temporary spike in crime and increased concern
was sworn into office on 20 August. In September the about possible terrorist attacks. The period between
President established the National Commission for August and October also witnessed an increase in
the Inter-Burundian Dialogue. Since the presidential crime, especially grenade attacks, assaults and armed
elections, there had been a number of political assas- robberies, mostly in Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura
sinations of and attacks on high-profile members of Rural, Bururi and Mwaro Provinces. Since the prom-
the ruling party, the opposition and civil society. The ulgation of the law on the Truth and Reconciliation
final results of the local elections were announced by Commission on 15 May, the process of establishing
Chapter II: Africa 79

Burundi’s transitional justice mechanisms had con- a youth organization affiliated with the ruling party,
tinued to come under criticism from many stakehold- and that Burundi was on the verge of a serious crisis.
ers, including the Conference of Catholic Bishops. In On 29 April [S/2015/297], Burundi conveyed a
an open letter signed on 4 September, the bishops declaration concerning the security situation in the
deplored the lack of consultation in the lead-up to country noting that the country was at peace, despite
the adoption of the law by the National Assembly on an insurgency that erupted in some parts of Bujum-
17 April, and insisted that the commissioners should bura following the calls from several civil society
be individuals of the utmost integrity and able to organizations to oppose the decision of cndd - fdd
conduct their work on the basis of the principles of to nominate the President of the Republic as its can-
inclusiveness and participation. During the reporting didate for the presidential elections scheduled for
period, the number of extrajudicial killings and cases 29 June 2015.
of torture and ill-treatment, as well as politically mo- On 6 May [S/2015/313], Burundi stated that no el-
tivated acts carried out by Imbonerakure substantially ements of the Forces démocratiques de libération du
decreased. Rwanda (fdlr) were present on Burundian territory.
On 31 December 2014, the mandate and On the same day [S/2015/315], Burundi noted that,
drawdown of bnub came to an end on the basis of in an address to the nation, President Nkurunziza
the Joint Transition Plan submitted to the Council had said that violence had increased particularly since
on 14 May. The Secretary-General observed that the cndd - fdd had nominated him as a candidate for the
country had come a long way since the signing of the upcoming presidential election, triggering demonstra-
2000 Arusha Agreement on Peace and Reconcilia- tions, as it was regarded in some quarters as unconsti-
tion in Burundi [YUN 2000, p. 146], which marked the tutional. In accordance with article 228 of the Con-
beginning of a transitional period underpinned by a stitution, the Senate had placed the matter before the
commitment to power-sharing, ethnically balanced Constitutional Court, which had ruled that a decision
institutions, the development of a new Constitu- by direct universal suffrage to renew the mandate of
tion, the establishment of a transitional government, the incumbent President would not violate the Burun-
elections and the promise of national reconciliation. dian Constitution of 18 March 2005.
Furthermore, progress had not been limited to those
achievements. Ethnic-based hostilities and tensions On 8 May [S/2015/322], Burundi shared a press
had declined significantly over the past decade and release issued by its Government on the security
the political landscape was dominated by competition and political situation in the country. On 18 May
between the ruling party and the opposition, not by [S/2015/349], Burundi noted that the rebels who had
ethnicity. Burundi had organized two elections since attempted a coup d’état on 13 and 14 May—the cul-
2005 and was preparing for a third one. In a clear mination of violent demonstrations that had begun
break with the past, the past two elections did not in Bujumbura on 26 April at the behest of certain
lead to large-scale killings, despite the country’s long civil society officials and some opposition leaders—
history of election-related violence. Burundi had seen had been defeated and arrested; that it took seriously
the number of displaced persons dwindle from over 1 the threats by terrorists from the Somalia-based Al-
million to fewer than 100,000, while the participation Shabaab movement warning countries contributing
of women in political and economic life had risen sig- troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia
nificantly. Those achievements, and the spirit of Aru- (amisom) of imminent attacks on their territories,
sha on which they were built, had resulted in almost including that of Burundi; and that it supported any
a decade of peace. proposal by ceni that conformed with the recommen-
dations of the African Union (au), the International
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Conference on the Great Lakes Region (icglr) and
the Heads of State of the East African Community
On 18 February [meeting 7388], following consul-
tations among Security Council members, the Pres- in support of adjusting the timetable for the muni-
ident made statement S/PRST/2015/6 on behalf of cipal and legislative elections within the timeframes
the Council. set forth in the Constitution.
On 21 May [S/2015/367], while reassuring the people
Communications. Between and April and July, of Burundi following a failed attempt at coup d’état,
Burundi addressed a series of communications to the President Nkurunziza said that, taking into account
President of the Security Council. the proposal of ceni, he had decreed that the local and
On 17 April [S/2015/262], Burundi noted that the parliamentary elections originally scheduled to take
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, during place on 26 May should be postponed until 5 June.
his visit to the country and despite discussions with On 26 May [S/2015/376], Burundi noted that it would
the Government, took into account unsubstantiated not negotiate or discuss matters that undermined the
claims and allegations to the effect that there were country’s constitutional institutions. Respecting the
militias in Burundi belonging to the “Imbonerakure”, constitutional institutions was the red line that had
80 Part One: Political and security questions

to guide those seeking to engage in discussions with SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION

the Government. President Nkurunziza had reiterated On 28 October [meeting 7546], following consulta-
that, if elected, that would be his last term. tions among Security Council members, the President
On 4 June [S/2015/407], Burundi submitted the made statement S/PRST/2015/18 on behalf of the
communiqué of the Emergency Summit of Heads Council.
of State of the East African Community (Dar es Sa- On 12 November [meeting 7557], the Security Council
laam, Tanzania, 31 May) on the situation in Burundi. unanimously adopted resolution 2248(2015). The
The Summit welcomed the return to constitutional draft [S/2015/865] was submitted by France.
order after the attempted coup d’état of 13 May and
called for the postponement of elections for a period Communications. On 9 November [S/2015/849],
of not less than one and a half months. The Summit Burundi submitted to the Security Council President
appealed to institutions in Burundi, including the a statement by its Government clarifying the inac-
Parliament, to facilitate that postponement. curate interpretations of the message that President
On 15 June [S/2015/436], Burundi submitted a Nkurunziza made to the nation on 2 November
communiqué of the au Peace and Security Council on the disarmament of civilians. On 13 November
adopted at its 515th meeting, held at the level of [S/2015/871], Burundi welcomed the relevant contents
Heads of State and Government, noting with disap- of resolution 2248(2015).
pointment that the political dialogue initiated by the Letter of Secretary-General. On 1 Decem-
UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, with ber [S/2015/926], pursuant to resolution 2248(2015)
the participation of the East African Community, wherein the Council requested the Secretary-General
the icglr and the au had not produced the expected to update it on the situation in Burundi and to present
results. options for the future presence of the United Nations
On the same day [S/2015/424], Burundi informed that in the country, the Secretary-General said that political
it found the statement, issued by the High Commis- discord and violence had erupted in April when Pres-
sioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and ident Nkurunziza announced his intention to run for
concerning the situation in Burundi following his visit another term. As at December, there had been very
to the country on 9 June, very pessimistic and biased. limited progress in launching a credible and transpar-
The statement was released only a few days before the ent process that enjoyed the confidence of all stake-
forthcoming municipal and legislative elections. holders and that allowed for political differences to
On 18 June [S/2015/458], Burundi shared a press re- be resolved through dialogue. The Secretary-General
lease issued by its Government on the 515th meeting presented two options for the future presence of the
of the au Peace and Security Council (Johannesburg, United Nations in Burundi: one, a multidimensional
South Africa, 13 June). integrated peacekeeping operation under Chapter
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 25 June letter VII of the United Nations Charter; and two, a fully-
[S/2015/483] to the Security Council President, the fledged integrated special political mission. The first
Secretary-General transmitted an 18 June letter from option would support the political process; carry out
the au Commissioner for Peace and Security on the security-related stabilization tasks; provide support to
outcomes of the 515th meeting of the au Peace and the Government in its disarmament, demobilization
Security Council. and reintegration and security sector reform efforts;
protect civilians; monitor and promote respect for
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION human rights; and create the conditions for the pro-
On 26 June [meeting 7473], following consultations vision of humanitarian assistance and the return of
among Security Council members, the President displaced persons and refugees. The second option
made statement S/PRST/2015/13 on behalf of the would focus on good offices and support for an in-
Council. clusive national dialogue; monitoring and the promo-
tion of respect for human rights; support for the au-
Communications. On 9 July [S/2015/519], Burundi thorities in strengthening the areas of rule of law and
submitted to the Security Council President a press re- security; support for disarmament, demobilization
lease regarding measures undertaken by the meeting and reintegration; broader issues of governance;
of the Heads of States of the East African Community and socioeconomic development. While those two
(Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 6 July). On the same day options were being considered, the United Nations
[S/2015/525], Burundi submitted the statement of its would proceed with the deployment of a support team
Minister of External Relations and International to the Special Adviser, as mandated in paragraph 7
Cooperation, issued during the extraordinary session of resolution 2248(2015). The team would pursue
of the Ministerial Council on the Burundi situation work with the Government and other stakeholders to
(Dar es Salaam, 5 July). On 30 September [S/2015/748], support a credible and inclusive political dialogue that
Burundi complained about Rwanda’s aggressive was nationally owned; and advise the authorities on
behaviour. strengthening security and rule of law institutions, as
Chapter II: Africa 81

well as the design and implementation of a credible since the announcement on 25 April that President
disarmament programme. Nkurunziza would run for a third term, a position
Communication. On 18 December [S/2015/1000], that many within his party, the political opposition
Nigeria transmitted to the Security Council President and civil society considered constitutionally question-
the communiqué adopted by the Peace and Security able. Against the backdrop of violent confrontations
Council of the au at its 565th meeting (Addis Ababa, between the police and opponents of the incumbent’s
Ethiopia, 17 December) on the situation in Burundi. bid, a coup d’état was attempted on 13 May, increas-
The au Council decided to deploy an African ing the level of political instability and violence. At
Prevention and Protection Mission in Burundi least 40 people died, hundreds were injured and more
(maprobu), for an initial period of six months. than 90,000 sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 24 December The Heads of State of the East African Community,
letter [S/2015/1032] to the Security Council President, the at an emergency summit on 31 May, urged the
Secretary-General transmitted a letter from the Chair- Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to continue the
person of the au Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini- political dialogue and called for postponing the elec-
Zuma, by which she forwarded a communiqué on tions for a period of not less than one and a half months.
Burundi adopted by the au Council at its 565th Menub would need to play an even more prominent
meeting. and robust role in supporting credible elections and
therefore its capacity needed to be strengthened, in
Elections particular between mid-June and mid-September.
In letters on 22 April [S/2015/270], 23 April [S/2015/274] While menub would manage its resources as flexibly
and 24 April [S/2015/278] to the Security Council Pres- as possible to meet the new requirements and various
ident, Burundi shared information about a code of funding sources were being examined, the Secretary-
good conduct for the media during the elections in General counted on the support of the Security
Burundi; a press release providing an update on the Council to strengthen menub.
electoral process; and a press release issued by the mem- The Council took note of the letter [S/2015/448] on
bers of the diplomatic community and of regional or- 17 June.
ganizations that met on 24 April under the auspices of Communications. On 2 July, in two separate
the United Nations to assess the situation in Burundi. letters [S/2015/501, S/2015/502] to the President of the
On 8 May [S/2015/312], Burundi transmitted to the Security Council, Burundi submitted a statement by
Security Council President the decision of the coun- its Government on the local and parliamentary elec-
try’s Constitutional Court on the compliance with the tions held on 29 June, and a statement by the Heads
Burundian Constitution, adopted by referendum in of African diplomatic missions in Burundi of Kenya,
2005, of the candidacy of President Nkurunziza in South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania on the political
the 2015 presidential election, adopted on 5 May. and security situation in Burundi.
On 10 June [S/2015/419], Burundi submitted a press Report of Secretary-General (July). In response
release issued by its Government on the measures it to Security Council resolution 2137(2014) [YUN 2014,
took to prepare for fair and transparent elections. p. 209], the Secretary-General submitted a July report
On 16 June, in two separate letters [S/2015/437, [S/2015/510] on the situation in Burundi providing an
S/2015/438] to the Security Council President, Burundi overview of the electoral process and the political and
noted that, following the recommendations adopted security situation. The report also highlighted the
at the Summit of Heads of State of the East African start-up of menub and its activities.
Community (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 31 May) Since January 2015, the political situation had been
and following discussions between the East African tense with further restrictions on democratic space for
Community delegation, the President of Burundi had the expression of political views and positions diver-
decreed an extension of the electoral calendar, with gent to those of the Government. The issue of the el-
the local and parliamentary elections that were ini- igibility of President Nkurunziza as the presidential
tially scheduled on 26 May postponed to 29 June, the candidate for the ruling party dominated the political
presidential election that was initially scheduled on landscape. Supporters of the ruling party argued that
26 June postponed to 15 July, and the elections to the President Nkurunziza was eligible to serve a third
senate to be held on 24 July. term because he had been first installed as President
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 11 June letter in 2005 by the Parliament and not by universal suf-
[S/2015/447] to the Security Council President, written frage, while opponents argued that the Constitution
pursuant to Council resolution 2137(2014) [YUN 2014, referred to the 2000 Arusha Peace and Reconciliation
p. 209], the Secretary-General provided an update on Agreement for Burundi [YUN 2000, p. 146], which lim-
the establishment of the UN Electoral Observation ited presidential mandates to two five-year terms.
Mission in Burundi (menub), which was conceived On 25 April, cndd - fdd nominated President
as a team of 88 personnel. Political tensions rose Nkurunziza as its candidate for the 2015 presidential
82 Part One: Political and security questions

elections, which drew sharp criticism from opposition after the legislative and communal elections, and in
leaders and civil society who demonstrated against the lead-up to the presidential election.
the nomination. On 28 April, in accordance with the Communications. In a 22 July letter [S/2015/557] to
Constitution, 14 members of the Senate submitted a the Security Council President, Burundi brought the
request to the Constitutional Court to seek an inter- Council’s attention to the ruling of the East African
pretation of articles 96 and 302 of the Constitution. Court of Justice regarding the electoral process in the
The Vice-President of the Constitutional Court, Syl- country. On 27 August [S/2015/673], Burundi transmit-
vère Nimpagaritse, subsequently fled to Rwanda so ted the speech of President Nkurunziza to the nation
as not to “cede to the pressure” that he claimed was after the formation of the new Government.
exerted on the Court’s judges. On 5 May, the Con- Report of Secretary-General (December). In
stitutional Court ruled in favour of President Nku- response to Security Council resolution 2137(2014)
runziza’s third presidential bid. On 13 May, while [YUN 2014, p. 209], the Secretary-General submitted a
President Nkurunziza was attending an emergency December report [S/2015/985] providing an overview of
summit of the East African Community in Dar es the electoral process and the political and security sit-
Salaam, an attempt at a coup d’état by senior military uation following the parliamentary elections held on
and police officers was foiled after two days of fight- 29 June, and major developments up to 18 November,
ing between them and soldiers loyal to the President. the date of the official closing of menub.
On 1 June, two key members of the Independent The political situation was dominated by contin-
National Electoral Commission (ceni) resigned and ued confrontation between supporters of the ruling
fled the country, putting into question the ability of party cndd - fdd and opposition parties and civil
ceni to continue to function, as decision-making re- society organizations over the legality of the candi-
quired a quorum of five members. On 25 and 28 June, dacy of the incumbent President, Pierre Nkurunziza,
respectively, the Second Vice-President of Burundi, who won the 21 July polls by a substantial margin.
Gervais Rufyikiri, and the President of the National Efforts to relaunch an inclusive political dialogue
Assembly, Pie Ntavyohanyuma, fled Burundi, citing proved largely unsuccessful. On 20 August, President
security concerns following their opposition to the Nkurunziza was inaugurated for a new term as Pres-
President’s bid for the third term. ident; he pledged to pursue political dialogue and re-
As at 29 June, the Office of the United Nations store peace and promised a two-month period of am-
High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) reported nesty for the surrender of illegal weapons to national
that nearly 144,000 refugees, citing intimidation, authorities, which he later extended, setting a deadline
threats and/or fear of violence linked to the upcom- of 7 November. On 26 August, however, the National
ing elections, had fled violence to seek refuge mostly Council for Respect for the Arusha Agreement and
to Tanzania (66,612), Rwanda (56,508), the drc the Rule of Law stated that it no longer recognized
(11,500), Uganda (9,038) and Zambia (400). President Nkurunziza as President of Burundi. On
In accordance with Security Council resolution 23 September, President Nkurunziza signed a decree
2137(2014), menub officially began its activities on establishing the National Commission for the Inter-
1 January. On 10 November 2014, Cassam Uteem, Burundian Dialogue, which would report directly to
the former President of Mauritius, was appointed as him; the Commission did not include any members
the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and Head of the National Council for Respect for the Arusha
of menub, and, on 18 November 2014, Issaka Souna Agreement and the Rule of Law or exiled members of
of the Niger, as the Deputy Head of Mission. Special the opposition or civil society. In comparison with the
Envoy Uteem resigned from his position for health environment before the polls on 29 June and 21 July,
reasons on 14 May 2015 and Mr. Souna assumed the electoral environment prior to the local council
the position of Officer-in-Charge of menub. Since polls on 24 August was less politically charged. Ow-
its establishment, menub monitored and reported ing largely to their nature, the local council elections
on the political and security situations enabling the did not garner much political attention. Throughout
UN Secretariat to brief the Security Council and the the reporting period, relations between Burundi and
Peacebuilding Commission regularly on developments Rwanda were tense.
in the country. As the Secretary-General indicated in Since the presidential elections, there had been
his letter of 11 June to the Security Council (see p. 81), several political assassinations of, and attacks on,
increasing tensions among the various political stake- high-profile members of the ruling party, the op-
holders had necessitated augmenting menub capacity. position and civil society. Following the failed coup
The Secretary-General remained deeply troubled by d’état, there had been growing speculation about di-
the limited political space and deterioration in the visions within the armed forces, the reform of which
human rights environment, including the rights of had been praised as one of the major international
free assembly and expression, and observed that the peacebuilding successes following the signing of the
United Nations and the international community had Arusha Agreement. The deterioration in the security
to be prepared to deal with possible challenges arising situation had prompted several diplomatic delegations
Chapter II: Africa 83

and international organizations to evacuate their staff building Commission, Paul R. Seger, submitted to the
from Burundi. Security Council the reports on his visit to Burundi
Approximately 700,000 people were food-insecure from 31 March to 3 April [S/2015/268] and from 1 to
and nutrition rates were reaching emergency levels. 3 July [S/2015/537]. The new Chair, Jürg Lauber, sub-
According to unhcr, as at 19 November, 217,757 Bu- mitted to the Council the report [S/2015/917] of his
rundian refugees had been documented in neighbour- first visit to Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania from 9
ing countries, the vast majority of whom had sought to 14 November.
refuge not only in Rwanda and Tanzania, but also in (For further information on the Peacebuilding
the drc and Uganda. Commission, see p. 44.)
Menub observed that the established procedures
had not been followed in all cases during the tabu- MENUB
lation of the results of the legislative and communal
The United Nations Electoral Observation
elections, for various reasons, including insufficient
Mission in Burundi (menub), started its operations on
training and poorly completed result sheets. For the
1 January and ended operations on 31 December as
presidential elections, the tabulation of results at the
mandated by Security Council resolution 2137(2014)
communal and provincial levels was conducted on
[YUN 2014, p. 209]. Menub succeeded the United
22 July by the communal and provincial independent
Nations Office in Burundi (bnub) whose mandate
electoral commissions. Owing to security restrictions
ended 31 December 2014. Menub was headed by
and, in some cases, conflicting information received
the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General, Cassam
by the communal independent electoral commissions,
Uteem (Mauritius), and the Deputy Head of menub,
menub observers could not generally follow all the
Issaka Souna (Niger).
tabulation steps.
Article 55 of the status-of-mission agreement
In the elections to the National Assembly, only between the United Nations and the Government
three political parties and/or coalitions obtained seats: stipulated that the liquidation of menub had to be
cndd - fdd, with 1,721,629 votes (60.289 per cent), completed within nine weeks of the conclusion of the
obtained 77 seats; the independent coalition, Amizero electoral observation tasks and no later than 31 De-
y’Abarundi, with 318,717 votes (11.16 per cent), ob- cember 2015. Menub commenced its liquidation
tained 21 seats; and the Union pour le progrès national on 1 October. At the time of its liquidation, menub
(uprona), with 71,189 votes (2.49 per cent), obtained had 129 personnel (90 international staff, 11 United
2 seats. Tabulation and announcement of provisional Nations Volunteers and 28 national staff).
results of the local council elections took place at the
communal level; menub evaluated the process as gen- Financing
erally satisfactory.
In February [A/69/363/Add.6], the Secretary-General
In accordance with resolution 2137(2014), the submitted a report to the General Assembly on es-
mandate of menub ended on 31 December. The liqui- timates in respect of special political missions, good
dation of menub was carried out simultaneously with offices and other political initiatives authorized by
its reporting activities and operations. That, along with the Assembly and/or the Security Council, which in-
the departure of key staff to other duty stations, posed cluded a request of additional resources for menub for
challenges to the Mission. 2015 totalling $65,300, which acabq recommended
The Secretary-General observed that, regrettably, for approval in May [A/69/628/Add.1]. On 25 June, in
the legacy of the Arusha Agreement and the political section II of resolution 69/274 B (see p. 731), the
and developmental progress that Burundi had enjoyed Assembly endorsed the recommendations of acabq
over the past 15 years had come dangerously close to and decided to appropriate an additional amount of
unravelling. The country’s peacebuilding gains had $73,130,500 under section 3, Political affairs, of the
been eroded in many areas. On 9 November, he ap- programme budget for the 2014–2015 biennium,
pointed Jamal Benomar as his Special Adviser, who which included financing for menub for 2015.
would work closely with the Government, countries in
the region and international partners to ensure a coor- Central African Republic
dinated approach to ending the conflict in Burundi.
In addition, pursuant to Security Council resolution The year 2015 marked a milestone for political
2248(2015), a team would soon be deployed to the transition in the Central African Republic (car), most
country to support that effort. notably with the peaceful and successful holding of a
constitutional referendum in December and the start
Peacebuilding Commission of legislative and presidential elections in that same
month. The United Nations Multidimensional Inte-
Reports of Peacebuilding Commission. The grated Stabilization Mission in the Central African
Chair of the Burundi configuration of the Peace- Republic (minusca), together with national and
84 Part One: Political and security questions

international partners, undertook activities to pro- operational and security needs arising from the im-
mote a political and security environment conducive plementation of the urgent temporary measures and
to the holding of the elections. By the close of voter the reopening of prisons outside Bangui.
registration on 16 November, more than 1,980,000
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
voters registered, representing approximately
95 per cent of the estimated electorate. Out-of-country On 22 January [meeting 7366], the Security Council
registration of citizens in the diaspora and of refugees unanimously adopted resolution 2196(2015). The
from the conflict, of which 198,000 were estimated draft [S/2015/43] was submitted by France.
to be eligible to vote in neighbouring countries, pro-
gressed slowly and unevenly. Registration did not take Report of Secretary-General (April). In re-
place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc) sponse to Security Council resolution 2149(2014),
or in the Sudan. Among the car refugees in Cam- the Secretary-General submitted an April report
eroon, Chad and the Congo, approximately 53,500 [S/2015/227] providing an update on the situation in
refugees, or some 27 per cent of potential refugee vot- the car since his last report [YUN 2014, p. 228].
ers, had registered. Despite continued relative improvement in the
The Transitional Constitutional Court of the car security situation, high rates of criminality and
ruled on the eligibility of presidential applications on clashes involving anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka elements
8 December. The Court invalidated 14 applications for continued, particularly in the central part of the
the presidential race, including those of former Pres- country. There was heightened tensions and violence
ident François Bozizé and anti-Balaka leader Patrice- against civilians related to the seasonal migration of
Edouard Ngaïssona. The constitutional referendum Fulani (Peuhl) cattle herders. Enclaves of vulnera-
held on 13 December led to the adoption of the new ble populations, particularly Muslim communities,
Constitution, with 93 per cent voting in favour. The remained under threat despite increased protection
first round of presidential and legislative elections was and assistance efforts by humanitarian actors and
held on 30 December in a largely peaceful atmos- the international forces including minusca. Some
phere, with 62.3 per cent voter turnout. 2.7 million people—more than half the country’s
population—relied on international humanitarian
assistance. On 15 January, the Commission of In-
Political and security developments quiry on the car, established pursuant to Council
Security Council consideration. During the resolution 2127(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 137], issued its
year, the Security Council discussed the situation final report, concluding that the main parties to the
in the car on 22 January [S/PV.7366], 18 March conflict—the Central African armed forces (faca),
[S/PV.7407], 26 March [S/PV.7416], 8 April [S/PV.7424], ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka—perpetrated systematic
14 April [S/PV.7427], 28 April [S/PV.7434], 11 June violations of international human rights and human-
[S/PV.7461], 5 August [S/PV.7500], 20 October [S/PV.7537], itarian law since 1 January 2013, amounting to war
14 December [S/PV.7578] and 17 December [S/PV.7586]. crimes and crimes against humanity, including, in the
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 29 January case of the anti-Balaka, ethnic cleansing.
letter [S/2015/85] to the Security Council President, In Bangui, anti-Balaka factions continued to
the Secretary-General said that since the adoption of pose the principal security threat. Outside Bangui,
resolution 2149(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 220], minusca had armed groups asserted control in different parts of
deployed some 75 per cent of its authorized uniformed the country with anti-Balaka factions dominating
personnel. The deployment had led to improvement the west, rival ex-Séléka groups in control of areas
in the security situation in Bangui. That improvement in the north and east, and clashes among them in
notwithstanding, the security situation remained vol- the centre of the country. Threats from the Lord’s
atile and clashes between anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka Resistance Army (lra), Révolution et Justice, and
elements continued, while criminal activities aimed the Front démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain also
at, among other things, controlling the country’s continued. On 10 February, minusca and Sangaris
natural resources were increasing. Pockets of vulner- forces launched an operation in Bria, Haute Kotto,
able Muslim communities remained under nearly which expelled armed ex-Séléka elements from all
constant threat and in dire humanitarian conditions, administrative buildings under their occupation.
despite the efforts of the international forces. The The 2014 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement initi-
Secretary-General requested the Council to author- ated a political process, including nationwide popular
ize an increase of 750 military personnel and 280 consultations and a Bangui Forum meeting on rec-
police personnel for minusca, in order to enable the onciliation, among political stakeholders and armed
deployment of an additional infantry battalion and groups to end violence and return stability to the
two formed police units, bringing the complement country. Despite that, the Cessation of Hostilities im-
of formed police units back to 10. An additional 20 plementation mechanisms, including the Follow-up
corrections personnel were also needed to cover the Commission and the Technical Committee, had not
Chapter II: Africa 85

adequately monitored or prevented frequent viola- a parallel mediation process in Nairobi, Kenya, and
tions of the agreement. In preparation for the Bangui reviewed progress on the preparations for the Ban-
Forum, its Preparatory Commission began work on gui Forum. On 16 March, the seventh meeting of
19 January. The National Electoral Authority estab- the International Contact Group on the car, held
lished 88 out of 142 local branch offices and com- in Brazzaville, the Congo, took stock of the progress
pleted the assessment of 70 out of an estimated 3,300 made in the political process and in the implementa-
polling sites. tion of the Brazzaville Agreement. Participants also
Minusca deployment plans were recalibrated in discussed funding for disarmament, demobilization
order to ensure the continued presence of uniformed and reintegration and the elections scheduled to be
personnel in priority protection areas, while main- held by August 2015.
taining quick reaction forces to prevent and respond Parallel negotiations were initiated in January in
to protection threats and temporary operating bases Nairobi, at the request of the eccas - appointed me-
in places such as in PK5 or Boye Rabe in Bangui. diator, the President of the Congo, Denis Sassou
Minusca documented cases of extrajudicial kill- Nguesso. On 27 January, the former President of car,
ings, arbitrary arrest and detention, harassment, in- François Bozizé, and the former Head of State of the
timidation, abduction, physical assault, looting and Transition, Michel Djotodia, together with leaders of
destruction of property as well as sexual violence several ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka factions, signed an
against internally displaced people and other civil- agreement calling for blanket amnesty and the creation
ians committed mostly by ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka of a third transition. A revised version was initialled
elements. In cooperation with the Panel of Experts on on 21 February, in which the earlier demands were
the car (see p. 88), minusca initiated the collection abandoned and the Brazzaville Agreement endorsed.
of data on the origin and status of small arms and On 8 April, a new ceasefire agreement was signed by
light weapons, and developed procedures for handling Joachim Kokate, an anti-Balaka representative, and
seized weapons; as at April, a total of 1,829 weapons Michel Djotodia, under the auspices of President
had been individually checked and safely stored. Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.
As at early March, some 8,216 military troops of From 4 to 11 May, the Bangui Forum on National
the total authorized minusca military strength of Reconciliation was held under the presidency of the
10,000 troops, and 1,205 police of the total author- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
ized police strength of 1,800, were deployed. Approx- Central Africa and Head of unoca.
imately 75 per cent (328) of the 440 staff officers and Communication. In a 15 May letter [S/2015/344]
military observers, and more than 50 per cent (204) to the Security Council President, the car shared
of the 400 police officers were also deployed. The the documents adopted at the Bangui Forum, held
Secretary-General observed that the Bangui Forum from 4 to 11 May, as part of the transition process
and inclusive credible elections would be key events in the country. The two documents were entitled,
towards the successful conclusion of the transition in “Republican Pact for Peace, National Reconcili-
the country. ation and Reconstruction in the Central African
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 10 April letter Republic”, and “Agreement between the Transitional
[S/2015/248] to the Security Council President, the Government and the armed groups on the principles
Secretary-General transmitted a 31 March note from of disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and
France and a report on the activities of Operation repatriation and of integration into the uniformed
Sangaris in the car. State forces of the Central African Republic”.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Report of Secretary-General (July). In re-
sponse to Security Council resolution 2217(2015), the
On 28 April [meeting 7434], the Security Council
Secretary-General submitted a July report [S/2015/576]
unanimously adopted resolution 2217(2015). The
giving an update on the situation in the car since his
draft [S/2015/290] was submitted by Angola, Chad,
April report (see p. 84) and on the implementation of
Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Spain, the
the mandate of minusca.
United Kingdom and the United States.
The security situation in Bangui and key towns
Report of Secretary-General (May). In May, the gradually continued to improve, but the general sit-
Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council uation across the country remained volatile owing to
a report [S/2015/339] on the situation in Central Africa clashes between armed groups, criminal activities and
and the activities of the United Nations Regional violence relating to the seasonal migration of Fulani
Office for Central Africa (unoca). On 31 January, (Peuhl) cattle herders. Anti-Balaka factions dominated
the President of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno, chaired a the west, while ex-Séléka elements controlled areas
meeting of the Heads of State of eccas, which ad- in the north and east. Elements of the two groups
dressed challenges in the implementation of the clashed regularly in the central part of the country.
Brazzaville Agreement, including the emergence of The country also continued to face threats from other
86 Part One: Political and security questions

armed groups, such as lra in the east, Révolution portance of respecting the ineligibility clause of the
et Justice in the north and the Front démocratique Transitional Charter; and the imperative to respect
du Peuple Centrafricain in the west. In Bangui, the the electoral calendar.
security situation stabilized but remained unpredicta- Notable progress had been made in preparing for
ble, in particular in certain districts where gang-related the referendum and the elections, with the estab-
crime and violence remained problematic. On 17 May, lishment in April of a strategic committee, chaired
with the complicity of six national gendarmes, the by the Prime Minister, Mahamat Kamoun, with the
anti-Balaka leader, Eugene Ngaikosset, escaped from participation of the National Electoral Authority, key
the custody of the national gendarmerie. government ministers and members of the Group of
In the west, the security situation remained chal- Eight. On 16 June, the strategic committee adopted
lenging, particularly in areas bordering Cameroon a revised electoral calendar, setting the dates for voter
and Chad, where anti-Balaka affiliated groups, as well registration (27 June–27 July); the constitutional
as the Front démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain referendum (4 October); the first round of combined
and Révolution et Justice, continued to pursue presidential and legislative elections (18 October); and
criminal activities. Conflict-related sexual violence a second round (22 November), if there was no winner
continued at unacceptable levels. In April, the United in the first round. With regard to the participation of
Nations reported 85 incidents of sexual violence refugees in the elections, on 1 June, the Transitional
against women and girls in a single prefecture (Nana- Authority issued a decree identifying the 12 countries
Gribrizi), in which most perpetrators were armed in which the National Electoral Authority would es-
elements. In terms of child protection, on 14 May, tablish 16 branches to allow Central Africans living
following the agreement at the Bangui Forum to end abroad to participate in the constitutional referendum
the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and the presidential election.
or groups, 357 children were released in Bambari by More than 460,000 Central Africans were refugees
the anti-Balaka and 2 by ex-Séléka groups. in neighbouring countries, an increase by some 25,000
The Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation, since January. As at 30 June, unhcr reported 244,819
held from 4 to 11 May, was attended by more than Central African refugees in Cameroon; 98,281 in the
600 civil society representatives, including some drc; 91,211 in Chad; and 27,654 in the Congo.
120 women, who discussed four themes: peace and The revised mission concept of minusca had
security; governance; justice and reconciliation; and considered new elements on the prioritization and
economic and social development. On 11 May, del- phasing of tasks set out in resolution 2217(2015) (see
egates adopted by acclamation the Republican Pact p. 85). The immediate priority of minusca was to
for peace, national reconciliation and reconstruction support activities that would conclude the political
in the car, which spelled out a set of recommenda- transition by the end of 2015 (phase III), leading to
tions based on the Forum’s four themes. In the clos- long-term support for stabilization activities (phase
ing stages of the Forum, nine armed groups signed IV), when a newly elected Government was expected
an agreement on the principles of disarmament, to be installed. In line with the mission concept, the
demobilization, reintegration and repatriation and military concept of operations was being adjusted,
integration into the uniformed State forces of the taking into consideration specific demands to protect
car. The Front démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain civilians, as well as provide military support to the
did not sign, however, stating that it had not been electoral process and the extension of State authority.
allowed to participate in the discussions on peace and The Secretary-General urged all actors in the elec-
security because of quotas on the number of armed toral process, including the Transitional Authority
groups in that session. On 23 May, the Transitional and the National Electoral Authority, to accelerate
Authority established a 25-member follow-up com- preparations for the holding of free, fair, transparent
mittee, which included seven women, anti-Balaka and and inclusive presidential and legislative elections; and
ex-Séléka, as well as representatives of the diaspora Member States to bridge the relatively small funding
and the international community including minusca, gap remaining for the organization of elections.
to implement the Forum’s recommendations.
Meanwhile, on 25 May, at its sixteenth ordinary SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
session, the eccas Conference of Heads of State and On 20 October [meeting 7537], following consulta-
Government authorized the technical extension of tions among Security Council members, the President
the transition to 31 December in order to permit made statement S/PRST/2015/17 on behalf of the
the Transitional Authority to organize credible and Council.
transparent elections before the end of 2015. Efforts
to revise the Constitution also continued. At a 27 July Report of Secretary-General (November). Pur-
meeting of the International Contact Group on the suant to Security Council resolution 2217(2015), the
car, participants highlighted the need to uphold Secretary-General submitted to the Council a No-
the right of refugees to vote in the elections; the im- vember report [S/2015/918] providing an update on the
Chapter II: Africa 87

situation in the car since his July report (see p. 5) and As follow-up to the Bangui Forum, the United
on the implementation of the mandate of minusca. Nations Development Programme (undp), in col-
Despite a slight improvement in the security situ- laboration with minusca and other United Nations
ation in August and most of September, the situation and international partners, supported efforts by the
rapidly deteriorated at the end of September, nota- Transitional Authority to implement its national rec-
bly in the capital. On 26 September, the discovery onciliation strategy as outlined in the Republican Pact
of the body of a decapitated young Muslim in front for peace, national reconciliation and reconstruction.
of a mosque in Bangui triggered a series of reprisal As at the end of October, there were about 450,000
attacks in several neighbourhoods of the capital, re- internally displaced persons in the car, with more than
sulting in at least 77 persons killed and more than 58,000 living in 32 sites in Bangui. Attacks against
400 injured over the following four days, as well as national and international ngos, most notably in the
the displacement of close to 40,000 people. In ad- capital, continued to hamper humanitarian operations.
dition, on 28 September, 689 inmates escaped from In early November, unhcr reported that there were
the central prison in Bangui. On 26 October, while nearly 470,000 Central African refugees living in
visiting Bangui at the invitation of the Head of State neighbouring countries. The immediate priority of
for consultations with the Government, a delegation minusca was to support activities that would conclude
from the former Séléka Union pour la paix en Cen- the political transition (phase III) and lead to long-
term support for stabilization activities (phase IV). As
trafrique faction in Bambari was attacked by armed
at 15 November, minusca had deployed 9,556 military
elements, resulting in the injury of one member and
personnel of its authorized strength of 10,750 troops.
the disappearance of two others, who were presumed
The Mission had also deployed 331 police officers out
dead. The attack on the delegation triggered a cycle of
of the authorized strength of 400; and 1,506 police
reprisal attacks between Christian and Muslim com- unit personnel, which included 99 women.
munities in Bangui’s third and sixth districts, dur-
The Secretary-General observed that the unprec-
ing which an estimated 26 people were killed, scores
edented registration of nearly two million voters
injured and a further 2,000 displaced. Anti-Balaka
demonstrated what could be achieved in the country;
factions remained active in Bangui and the western
the electoral calendar had to be adhered to, for a
part of the country, while former Séléka elements further extension of the transition would only increase
largely continued to control areas in the northern and the risks of instability, with consequences not only for
eastern parts of the country. In the west, the security the car, but for the entire region.
situation remained challenging, particularly in areas
Year-end developments. In a later report
bordering Cameroon and Chad, while clashes among
[S/2016/305], the Secretary-General noted that the car
armed groups increased tensions in the central part
achieved significant milestones in its political transi-
of the country. tion, most notably the peaceful and successful holding
Despite many daunting challenges, preparations of a constitutional referendum on 13 December and
for the constitutional referendum and combined legislative and presidential election in December. The
presidential and legislative elections progressed dur- electoral period was marked throughout the country
ing the reporting period. A revised electoral calendar by generally peaceful campaigning by candidates and
foresaw the holding of the constitutional referendum their supporters in accordance with the code of good
on 13 December, the first round of the presidential conduct signed by all presidential candidates and
and legislative elections on 27 December, a second political parties on 9 and 12 December. Apart from
round, if necessary, on 31 January 2016 and the proc- security incidents that occurred during the referendum,
lamation of the final results by 24 February 2016. In in which 28 victims were injured, the successive elec-
line with the spirit of the Transitional Charter and in tion days were free of violence. In parallel with the
coordination with the international Mediator of the electoral process, line ministries and other transitional
car, President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo, institutions continued the implementation of the rec-
a summit, hosted by the eccas Chair, President Ali ommendations of the Bangui Forum on National Rec-
Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, was held on 25 Novem- onciliation in collaboration with minusca and other
ber, during which a final technical extension of the international partners, particularly in the areas of elec-
transition through to 31 March 2016 was endorsed. tions, disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and
Voter registration closed on 16 November, with more repatriation and security sector reform. The Bangui
than 1,980,000 voters registered, representing approx- Forum follow-up committee, however, chaired by the
imately 95 per cent of the estimated electorate. At the Minister of Defence and composed of members of the
same time, out-of-country registration of car citi- Transitional Authority, political parties, armed groups
zens in the diaspora and of refugees from the conflict and civil society, remained largely inactive.
progressed slowly and unevenly, with approximately The security situation across the country, although
53,500 refugees, or some 27 per cent of potential fragile, improved during the reporting period, nota-
refugee voters registered at closing of registration. bly in Bangui. The visit of Pope Francis to Bangui on
88 Part One: Political and security questions

29 and 30 November, as well as subsequent dialogue During the year, no implementation reports were
undertaken by the Muslim and Christian commu- received from Member States in pursuance of resolu-
nities and others, led to a decrease in tension and tions 2127(2013) and 2134(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 213].
violence in Bangui and throughout the country. De- The Committee sent 84 communications, of which
spite that, crimes such as murder, torture, sexual vi- 62 were transmitted to Member States and 22 to the
olence, theft, abduction, destruction of property and United Nations, international and regional bodies,
illegal possession of weapons continued throughout with reference to the implementation of the sanctions’
the country. Minusca benefited from the temporary measures. The Committee listed five individuals and
deployment of a quick-reaction force of 250 military one entity subject to the measures imposed by para-
personnel from the United Nations Operation in Côte graph 4 (travel ban) and paragraph 7 (assets freeze) of
d’Ivoire (unoci) to strengthen the Mission’s support resolution 2196(2015) (see p. 84). As at the end of the
for election security. The deployed military strength reporting period, there were seven individuals and one
of minusca was 10,065 troops. The total deployment entity on the Committee’s sanctions list.
of the formed units represented some 90.77 per cent
of the authorized strength of 1,680. Panel of experts
The Panel of Experts on the car was established
Arms embargo by the Security Council in resolution 2127(2013)
[YUN 2013, p. 137], by which the Council requested
In a 9 December letter [S/2015/979], the Chair of the Secretary-General to create, for an initial period
the Security Council Committee, established pursu- of 13 months, a group of up to five experts, under
ant to resolution 2127(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 137] con- the direction of the Committee established in the
cerning the car, transmitted to the President of the same resolution, to monitor the arms embargo. The
Security Council the report on its activities during mandate of the Panel was further extended to 29 Feb-
2015. Throughout the year, the Committee met eight ruary 2016 in resolution 2196(2015). On 17 February
times in informal consultations. [S/2015/119], the Secretary-General appointed five ex-
During the Committee’s informal consultations perts to the Group.
on 9 February, the Committee received a briefing Report of Panel of Experts. On 26 June, pur-
on the work of the United Nations Mine Action suant to Security Council resolution 2196(2015), the
Service (unmas) in the car. On 31 March, the Panel Panel of Experts on the car submitted to the Council
of Experts presented its programme of work to the its final report [S/2015/936].
Committee. On 12 June, the Panel presented its first The Panel of Experts noted that the momentum
progress update. On 3 August, the Committee held that the Bangui Forum on National Reconciliation
a meeting with the Government of the car and the had created in May was interrupted when armed
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for groups sparked a new wave of violence in the country
the car and the Head of minusca to discuss the sit- at the end of September, halting the political process
uation in the country and the requests from the Gov- that had ushered in a new draft constitution and a
ernment to ease the arms embargo. On 21 August, the new electoral law. While elections were supposed
Panel presented its midterm update. On 10 Septem- to formally bring to a close the second transition
ber, the Chair of the Committee presented a report of period in 2015, an alliance of convenience between
her visit to the car from 24 to 28 August. On 20 No- radical former Séléka factions of Nourredine Adam
vember, the Panel presented its final report and on and anti-Balaka groups associated with former Pres-
3 December, the Committee held joint informal con- ident François Bozizé, demanded a third transition.
sultations with the Security Council Working Group In the absence of State authority in most of the
on Children and Armed Conflict, on the impact of country, individual members of the Chadian security
the conflict on children in the car. and military forces trespassed into Central African
During the formal meeting on 22 April, the territory and committed human rights violations
Committee invited representatives of the car, Chad, against Central African nationals. The lack of control
the Congo, the drc, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa over its borders on the part of the Sudan had also
and Uganda, and the Acting Special Representative allowed the lra, originally from Uganda, to find a
of the International Criminal Police Organization safe haven in the Kafia Kingi enclave, a disputed area
(interpol) to discuss the reported violations of the between the Sudan and South Sudan, out of reach
travel ban by two sanctioned individuals, François of the au Regional Task Force. In the western car,
Bozizé and Nourredine Adam. During the formal the Democratic Front of the Central African People,
meeting held on 21 August, the Committee met rep- commanded by Martin Koumtamadji, also known as
resentatives of the car, Cameroon, Chad, the Congo, Abdoulaye Miskine, posed the main security threat.
the drc, South Sudan and the Sudan, as well as the Trade in natural resources continued to finance
Coordinator of the Panel of Experts to discuss the armed groups in all parts of the country. Taxation,
arms embargo and its related exemptions. security arrangements and parallel administrations
Chapter II: Africa 89

were commonplace in former Séléka areas. Anti- Security Council President that he had visited Ban-
Balaka groups were engaged in not only taxation and gui from 2 to 5 May and had held discussions with
racketeering in agricultural resources and general representatives of civil society and the international
merchandise, but also attacks on humanitarian con- community based in Bangui, as well as with the tran-
voys, international forces and transitional authorities, sitional authorities, to seek their views on the priority
concentrated on the main access roads to Bangui aspects for the engagement of the Peacebuilding
and its main entry point, PK12. In the south-west, Commission in the country.
anti-Balaka members continued to be present at a (For further information on the Peacebuilding
few diamond sites and had also obtained mining li- Commission, see p. 44.)
cences. In-country circulation of arms remained sig-
nificant. Improper storage and failures of stockpile
management were the main causes of diversion and Children and armed conflict
sources of trafficking. Report of Secretary-General. In response to
The Panel recommended tightening the sanctions Security Council resolution 2068(2012) [YUN 2012,
regime; developing an effective and safe storage of p. 724], the Secretary-General submitted a June report
small arms; and freezing the assets of sanctioned in- on children and armed conflict [A/69/926-S/2015/409],
dividuals and entities. It also requested information which included developments concerning the situa-
on armed groups and reiterated the need for the tion in the car in 2014.
transitional authorities, with the support of minusca The situation of children worsened as fighting
police, justice and correction personnel, to strengthen between armed groups, including anti-Balaka and
the capacity of the judicial authorities in the car. ex-Séléka, and attacks targeting civilians continued.
The United Nations verified 464 cases of new recruit-
Peacebuilding Commission ment, including 446 by anti-Balaka (86 girls, 360
boys) and 18 boys by ex-Séléka. Violations, however,
The Peacebuilding Commission issued its annual were thought to be largely underreported because of
report covering its ninth (2015) session from 1 Janu- lack of access and limited monitoring capacity on the
ary to 31 December [A/70/714-S/2016/115]. The Com- ground. The period under review was characterized by
mission’s car configuration continued to encourage a sharp increase in the number of documented cases
discussions among all key stakeholders. At the high- of killing and maiming of children as young as three
level meeting on the car, convened by the Secretary- months, with 146 killed (109 boys, 37 girls) and 289
General on 1 October, the Minister for Foreign Affairs injured (182 boys, 107 girls). A total of 58 of the kill-
and Cooperation of Morocco delivered a speech on ings were attributed to ex-Séléka, 49 to anti-Balaka,
behalf of the car configuration, in which he high- and 20 to unidentified armed men.
lighted the Commission’s engagement in support of
the transitional political process. The Commission was The rape of 405 girls and 1 boy, between the ages of
also active in raising awareness on the lack of funding, 7 and 17, were documented throughout the country:
particularly for the elections. In that context, Peace- 205 by ex-Séléka, 187 by anti-Balaka, 12 by uniden-
building Fund financing was allocated in support of tified persons and 2 by the national police. Thirty-
the Bangui forum; regional mediation; and, on an ex- four abductions of children (22 boys, 12 girls), some
ceptional basis, the elections process at a time when as young as 3 years of age, were verified, marking a
lack of funding was the key obstacle. decrease compared with 2013, in particular because
of the decline of attacks carried out by lra in the car.
In addressing the Security Council after visiting Sixteen abductions were attributed to anti-Balaka,
Bangui in May, the Chair of the car configuration eight to lra and two to ex-Séléka. The collapse of the
advocated for scaling up wider support for efforts to judicial system and other core functions of the State
tackle pressing issues, such as the need to strengthen resulted in widespread impunity allowing grave viola-
the judicial system, governance structures and tions against children to be committed on a large scale.
institutions, and to foster dialogue, inclusivity and
reconciliation. During his visit to Burundi in No-
vember, the Chair briefed the Council from Bujum- MINUSCA
bura on the situation in the country. He reiterated the Letter of Secretary-General. On 29 Janu-
Commission’s call to end the ongoing violence and ary [S/2015/85], the Secretary-General informed the
human rights violations; cautioned against inflam- Security Council President that, since the adoption of
matory rhetoric; and expressed hope that the Gov- resolution 2149(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 220], minusca had
ernment would engage in an inclusive and genuine deployed some 75 per cent of its authorized 10,000
dialogue process with the goal of restoring the trust uniformed personnel. The rapid operationalization
of the people of Burundi. of minusca, alongside the efforts of the French
Communication. On 20 May [S/2015/369], the Operation Sangaris and the European Union Force
Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission informed the in Bangui, had resulted in a significantly improved
90 Part One: Political and security questions

security situation, especially in the capital. Those im- $11,200. The Assembly also considered the proposed
provements notwithstanding, the security situation budget of minusca for the period from 1 July 2015 to
remained volatile and clashes between anti-Balaka 30 June 2016 [A/69/805], amounting to $843,608,300
and ex-Séléka elements continued, while criminal gross ($832,328,900 net).
activities aimed at, among other things, controlling Acabq, in April [A/69/839/Add.12], recommended
the country’s natural resources were increasing. Pock- that the General Assembly appropriate the amount
ets of vulnerable Muslim communities remained of $59,152,900 for the maintenance of the Mission
under nearly constant threat and in dire humanita- for the period from 10 April 2014 to 30 June 2014;
rian conditions, despite the efforts of the international credit to Member States the unencumbered balance
forces. The Secretary-General requested the Council of $399,100 with respect to the period from 10 April
to authorize an increase of 750 military personnel and 2014 to 30 June 2014, as well as interest income in
280 police personnel for minusca, along with an ad- the amount of $11,200 for the period ended 30 June
ditional 20 corrections personnel. 2014; and appropriate an amount of $828,941,200 for
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
the maintenance of minusca for the 12-month period
from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, should the Security
On 26 March [meeting 7416], the Security Council Council decide to extend the mandate of the Mission.
unanimously adopted resolution 2212(2015). The
draft [S/2015/210] was submitted by France. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Appointments. On 13 August [S/2015/635], the On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
Secretary-General informed the Security Council on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
[A/69/684/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/257 B (Fi-
President of his intention to appoint Parfait Onanga-
Anyanga (Gabon) as his Acting Special Representative nancing of the United Nations Multidimensional
for the car and Head of minusca, succeeding Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central
Lieutenant General Babacar Gaye (Senegal) who African Republic) without vote [agenda item 151].
resigned on 12 August. The Council took note of The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
the Secretary-General’s intention on 14 August 23 December, decided that the agenda item on
[S/2015/636]. minusca financing would remain for consideration
Letter of Secretary-General. On 17 Novem- during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
ber [S/2015/894], the Secretary-General requested the
Security Council to approve the temporary deploy- Central African Republic and Chad
ment to minusca of a detachment of 300 personnel
from the quick reaction force deployed in the United Children and armed conflict
Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (unoci), for a Report of Secretary-General. In response to
period of eight weeks after its induction, under inter- Security Council resolution 2068(2012) [YUN 2012,
mission cooperation arrangements. On 19 November p. 724], the Secretary-General submitted a June report
[S/2015/895], the Council took note of the Secretary- on children and armed conflict [A/69/926-S/2015/409],
General’s proposed arrangements. which included developments concerning the situa-
tion in Chad in 2014.
Operation Sangaris
The Chadian National Army was delisted from
Letters of Secretary-General. On 10 April the annex of the previous 2014 report [YUN 2014,
[S/2015/248], 11 August [S/2015/618] and 10 December p. 238] following the full implementation of the action
[S/2015/943], the Secretary-General transmitted to the plan to end the recruitment and use of children,
Security Council President notes from France on the signed with the United Nations in 2011. During the
activities of Operation Sangaris in the car. reporting period, no recruitment or use of children
by the national army was reported. The United
Financing Nations continued to provide support to the Govern-
The General Assembly considered the performance ment of Chad, with a particular focus on training,
report [A/69/633] on the minusca budget for the period age assessment mechanisms and birth registration.
10 April 2014 to 30 June 2014, showing a total expend- Nevertheless, instability in the surrounding countries
iture of $59,152,900 gross ($58,836,200 net) against of the car, Libya and the Sudan, as well the threat
an appropriation of $59,552,000 ($58,930,100 net). posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin area
The Secretary-General recommended that the General continued to have an impact on Chad. More than
Assembly appropriate the amount of $59,152,900 for 150,000 people fled the car and thousands of Nige-
the maintenance of the Mission for the period from rians, the majority of whom were children, arrived
10 April to 30 June 2014; decide on the treatment of in Chad to escape the conflict. The children, often
the unencumbered balance of $399,100; and decide separated from their families, had experienced distress
on the treatment of interest income amounting to and needed special care. That spillover also affected
Chapter II: Africa 91

border communities where child protection services the swiftest periods of socioeconomic progress in its
were scarce and the risk of recruitment by armed history. Economic development had been rapid and
groups was high. poverty reduction deep and sustained. The poverty
rate fell by an unprecedented 12 percentage points
MINURCAT between 2005–2006 and 2010–2011, from 56.9 to
44.9 per cent, and by 5.8 percentage points in 2013–
The United Nations Mission in the Central 2014, from 44.9 to 39.1 per cent. The country, how-
African Republic and Chad (minurcat) completed its ever, continued to face challenges in sustaining those
mandate on 31 December 2010, in accordance with development gains. The Rwandan poverty profile indi-
Security Council resolution 1923(2010) [YUN 2010, cated that women were more affected by poverty than
p. 159] and at the request of the Chadian Government, men, with 47 per cent of female-headed households
which had pledged full responsibility for protecting classified as poor, compared with 44.9 per cent of all
civilians on its territory. In a November 2014 report, households. The country’s rapid economic growth
the Secretary-General noted that the Mission’s assets, over the past decade notwithstanding, its productive
with a total inventory value of $127,284,600, were dis- base remained narrow. Rwanda also continued to have
posed of as at 30 June 2014. Acabq, in a related report high inequality compared with other sub-Saharan
[A/69/841] recommended that the General Assembly countries. There was also a need to accelerate judicial
take note of the report of the Secretary-General. In a reforms to improve access to high-quality justice, re-
final performance report on minurcat [A/70/559], the duce the backlog of cases and improve the quality of
Secretary-General proposed that the cash balance of prosecution. Hiv/aids continued to threaten Rwan-
$33,961,000 available in the Mission’s special account da’s economic and social fabric; a 2015 Demographic
as at 30 June 2015 be credited to Member States. Fol- and Health Survey revealed that, among young peo-
lowing the withdrawal of minurcat, the UN country ple, only 64.6 per cent of females and 64.3 per cent
team and the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding of males reported having comprehensive and correct
Office in the Central African Republic (binuca) re- knowledge about hiv prevention. The recurring
mained in the country to continue to work for the ben- conflict in eastern drc continued to have a negative
efit of the Chadian people. Security Council resolution impact on regional stability, with more than 70,000
2149(2014) subsumed binuca into minusca. Congolese refugees sheltering in Rwanda.
UN assistance to genocide survivors included
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
improving access to high-quality justice for all and
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, witness protection programmes; promoting women
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee and youth participation in the democratic process;
[A/69/950], adopted resolution 69/295 (Financing of improving access to high-quality preventive, curative,
the United Nations Mission in the Central African promotional and rehabilitative services, especially for
Republic and Chad) without vote [agenda item 150]. victims of sexual violence, hiv - positive persons and
The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of women and children; enhancing trauma and psycho-
23 December, decided that the agenda item on logical support programmes; and promoting safety
minurcat financing would remain for consideration nets for the protection of the most vulnerable groups.
during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. Upon completing its work in June 2012, the National
Gacaca Service provided the country’s Genocide Fu-
gitive Tracking Unit with a list of 71,658 genocide fu-
Rwanda gitives convicted in absentia whose whereabouts were
Prevention and fight against genocide unknown. The Unit planned to reinforce its capacity
to bring to justice the large numbers of Rwandan
Letter of Secretary-General. On 29 July genocide suspects living in foreign countries. It was
[S/2015/575],
the Secretary-General transmitted to the against that backdrop that the United Nations sup-
Security Council President a letter from the Commis- ported the National Public Prosecution Authority
sioner for Peace and Security of the au Commission, to complement the successful gacaca (a system of
transmitting the communiqué of the au Peace and community justice for genocide suspects) experi-
Security Council on the arrest of Emmanuel Ka- ence through the special chamber of the High Court
renzi Karake, Chief of the National Intelligence and for crimes against humanity. Technical assistance
Security Services of Rwanda, in London on 20 June. was provided to support the Unit through research,
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to investigations, advocacy and outreach. On 1 Decem-
General Assembly resolution 68/129 [YUN 2013, p. 145], ber, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
the Secretary-General submitted a report [A/70/611] closed officially in Arusha. After 20 years of activities,
on assistance to survivors of the 1995 genocide in the Tribunal had tried genocide perpetrators from
Rwanda, particularly orphans, widows and victims all walks of life, including former cabinet ministers,
of sexual violence. Rwanda was experiencing one of former army commanders, businessmen, members of
92 Part One: Political and security questions

the clergy, local leaders, medical doctors, academics testing the elections, had led to renewed tensions. In
and journalists, all of whom were known for their Sierra Leone, tensions within the ruling party led to
atrocities during the genocide. the dismissal of Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana.
Challenges related to transnational organized
Commemoration crime, including drug trafficking, piracy in the Gulf
On 7 April, the United Nations held its twenty- of Guinea and cross-border security threats in the
first commemoration of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda Sahel, continued to affect West Africa. Among the
[YUN 1994, p. 281] in New York and at United Nations most serious threats were the continuing attacks by
Information Centres throughout the world. In his violent extremists in Mali, as well as the Boko Haram
message in observance of the event, the Secretary- insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria that affected
General said that the day was an occasion to recognize the security of the Lake Chad Basin countries. On
the pain and the courage of those who survived. It a positive note, the operational headquarters of the
offered an opportunity to honour the memory of the Multinational Joint Task Force, established to combat
more than 800,000 people—overwhelmingly Tutsi, Boko Haram, was inaugurated in N’Djamena, Chad,
and also moderate Hutu, Twa and others—who were on 25 May, on the margins of the sixteenth ordinary
systematically killed across Rwanda in less than three session of the Conference of Heads of State and Gov-
months. He added that the Human Rights Up Front ernment of the Economic Community of Central
initiative sought to prevent serious human rights vi- African States (eccas).
olations by acting on early warning signs before they The global response to eliminate the Ebola out-
became more serious. break (see p. 600) in the three most-affected countries
(Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone) recorded significant
achievements. On 9 May, Liberia was declared free
West Africa of Ebola transmission following a period of 42 days,
during which no cases of new infection were reported.
Regional issues There were also reductions in the reported number of
cases in Guinea and Sierra Leone, although a state
Political and security developments of health emergency remained in effect in the two
countries.
Security Council consideration. During the
year, the Security Council discussed the situation In Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, won 54 per cent
in West Africa on 8 January [S/PV.7357], 19 January of the presidential votes while the incumbent pres-
[S/PV.7362], 18 March [S/PV.7407], 30 March [S/PV.7421], ident, Goodluck Jonathan, garnered 45 per cent of
7 July [S/PV.7480], 13 August [S/PV.7502], 25 November the votes. On 29 May, Mr. Buhari was sworn in as
[S/PV.7566] and 8 December [S/PV.7571]. the new President.
Reports of Secretary-General (June and De- In Guinea, the Government maintained that the
cember). In response to a Security Council letter of presidential election had to be held in 2015 to avoid a
December 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 157], which extended the potential constitutional crisis. President Alpha Condé
mandate of the United Nations Office for West Africa met with opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo and
(unowa) until December 2016, the Secretary-General tentatively agreed that a national dialogue would
submitted a June report [S/2015/472] on developments commence on 18 June.
in the subregion and the activities of unowa in the In Burkina Faso, the process of transition follow-
first half of 2015. ing the popular uprising of October 2014 remained
Several key political and security developments on track. The Council of Ministers confirmed that
took place in West Africa, particularly in countries presidential and legislative elections would be held on
that had held or planned to hold elections in 2015. 11 October 2015, and municipal elections would be
In Nigeria, the presidential, legislative, gubernato- held on 31 January 2016. On 7 April, the National
rial and state assembly elections were conducted in a Transitional Council adopted a law modifying the
generally peaceful manner, despite the high political electoral code, which banned from contesting the
stakes and continuing insecurity in the north-east upcoming elections all those who supported an un-
of the country. Presidential elections in Togo and constitutional change, challenging the principle of
legislative and local elections in Benin took place democratic alternation, especially the limitation of
in a peaceful manner, notwithstanding reported the number of presidential mandates. The law was
technical and organizational challenges. In Guinea, promulgated by Transitional President Michel Kaf-
tensions between the Government and the opposition ando on 9 April. In reaction to the adoption of the
escalated over the proposed sequence of the elections. amendment, several parties aligned with the former
In Burkina Faso, the Government’s approval of an majority coalition, the Congress for Democracy and
amended electoral code, which excluded some indi- Progress, announced their withdrawal from transi-
viduals associated with the ousted regime from con- tional institutions.
Chapter II: Africa 93

In Sierra Leone, Vice-President Sam-Sumana was preparing for a presidential election on 28 February
expelled from the ruling All People’s Congress on 2016. In Ghana, the opposition New Patriotic Party
7 March and dismissed as Vice-President on 17 March submitted a petition to the Electoral Commission
on the grounds that he no longer satisfied the consti- calling for a revision of the voters’ list, alleging that
tutional requirement of being a member of a political the register included a significant number of foreign
party. On 20 March, a former Secretary-General of the nationals. To address that concern, the Commission
All People’s Congress, Victor Bockarie Foh, was sworn held a forum from 29 to 30 October during which
in as the new Vice-President; a challenge to his ap- political parties and civil society groups presented var-
pointment was rejected by the Supreme Court, which ious position papers on the issue.
had yet to rule on the constitutionality of Mr. Sam- In Sierra Leone, following the dismissal of former
Sumana’s removal from office. In Togo, the presiden- Vice-President Sam-Sumana by President Ernest Bai
tial election held on 25 April was won by incumbent Koroma earlier in 2015, the Supreme Court issued a
President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, which the op- verdict on 9 September confirming the constitution-
position rejected as fraudulent; the victory, however, ality of the dismissal.
was confirmed by the Constitutional Court. In the Gambia, the National Assembly adopted
Notwithstanding the security challenges related on 7 July an amendment to the electoral bill, which
to Boko Haram, the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed substantially increased registration fees for political
Commission made significant progress. The parties parties and nomination deposits for contesting candi-
also agreed on coordinates for the emplacement of the dates. One of the main opposition parties, the United
remaining 1,800 pillars, which would complete the Democratic Party, described it as a deliberate attempt
physical demarcation of the entire Cameroon–Nigeria to thwart the democratic process.
land boundary. As at 30 June, 896 pillars had been In Mauritania, consultations aimed at an inclusive
put into position or were subject to action. national political dialogue started on 7 September, fol-
In a December report [S/2015/1012], the Secretary- lowing the indefinite postponement of the senatorial
General provided an update on developments in West elections initially scheduled for March. The National
Africa and on the activities of unowa during the Forum for Democracy and Unity, the most prominent
second half of the year. coalition of opposition parties, declined to participate
In Burkina Faso, peaceful presidential and parlia- amid allegations that the dialogue was intended to
mentary elections were held on 29 November, mark- pave the way for a constitutional amendment to allow
ing the conclusion of the transition period. Roch Marc the incumbent President to seek a third term.
Christian Kaboré of the Mouvement du peuple pour The Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission con-
le progrès won, with 53.46 per cent of the vote. As for tinued to make progress towards the complete demar-
the legislative elections, no party had secured an out- cation of the land boundary. A joint technical team
right majority in the National Assembly. Meanwhile, of surveyors, geospatial information officers and en-
the transition process was disrupted on 16 September gineers from Cameroon and Nigeria, along with the
by a coup d’état led by the elite military Régiment de UN support team, was deployed to north-western
sécurité présidentielle (rsp), which was defeated on Cameroon (the central area of the land border) to
21 September by the armed forces. That shifted the supervise the second phase of the construction and
balance of forces and helped to lay the groundwork for emplacement of 231 pillars; the parties also held
the signing of an accord, which led to the cantonment technical planning meetings for the construction of
of rsp and the removal of its heavy weaponry. On the remaining 1,800 pillars.
23 September, Transitional President Kafando and Unowa, as the convenor of the regional working
the transitional institutions were reinstated. group on security under the UN integrated strategy
In Guinea, presidential elections were held on for the Sahel, continued to support the implementa-
11 October in a peaceful atmosphere, resulting in tion of the Strategy, in consultation with the imple-
the re-election of the incumbent, President Alpha menting agencies.
Condé. In Côte d’Ivoire, the presidential elections The prevalence of Ebola virus disease in the sub-
held on 25 October resulted in the re-election of the region significantly declined during the reporting
incumbent, President Alassane Ouattara. In the Ni- period. Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola
ger, tensions among political actors continued to rise transmission on 8 November. In Guinea, where
in the lead-up to the presidential and parliamentary transmission was confined to well-defined areas, the
elections scheduled for February 2016. Guinea-Bissau last patient was discharged on 16 November, thus
also experienced political tensions, which threatened starting the countdown towards declaring the country
to derail the progress made since the country’s return Ebola-transmission-free. Liberia, after having been
to constitutional order in 2014. declared free of Ebola transmission on 3 September
In Benin, following the successful legislative and for the second time, witnessed three new cases in No-
local elections of April and June 2015, the country was vember that were quickly contained.
94 Part One: Political and security questions

(For more information on the Ebola crisis, see developed in close collaboration with international
p. 600). partners and bilateral donors within the framework
of the integrated strategy, including four projects
Sahel region under the governance pillar, five under the security
pillar and ten under the resilience pillar. National
Communication. In a 19 June letter [S/2015/462] projects continued to be implemented primarily under
to the Security Council President, Kuwait, as Chair- the respective national UN Development Assistance
man of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Frameworks. While some of the Frameworks predated
(oic), forwarded a resolution on the situation in Mali the integrated strategy, a concerted effort had been
and the Sahel region, adopted at the forty-second made to align them with the latter. In some countries
session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the oic that had led to a convergence of up to 80 per cent
(Kuwait, 27–28 May). between the integrated strategy and the Framework.
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 28 September With regard to governance, three projects were
letter [S/2015/742] to the Security Council President, under way in Burkina Faso: a $5 million project
the Secretary-General transmitted a letter from Smaïl funded by Japan to support good governance; a
Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the $5 million electoral support project funded by the
African Union Commission, conveying the conclu- United Nations Development Programme (undp),
sions of the first meeting of the Chiefs of Defence Switzerland and Sweden; and a project implemented
Staff and Ministers of Defence of the member by the United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef)
countries of the Nouakchott Process (Bamako, Mali, on social accountability. The Office of the United
2–4 September). Also transmitted with the letter were Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
two communiqués issued by the Peace and Security (ohchr) was also implementing a series of projects
Council of the African Union (au) on the report of aimed at building national human rights capacity
the au Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and and enhancing women’s political participation. In
on the activities of the au High-level Panel for Sudan the Niger, undp developed a $15.9 million electoral
and South Sudan, respectively. support project, which was validated nationally. In
addition, a $3 million project on biometric voter
Integrated Strategy for the Sahel registration was under way. In July, the Peacebuilding
In response to Security Council resolution Fund approved a new $10 million priority plan for
2056(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 168] and presidential peacebuilding, including up to $1 million for estab-
statement S/PRST/2014/17 [YUN 2014, p. 243], the lishing an environment conducive to peacebuilding in
Secretary-General submitted a June report [S/2015/866] the country. In Chad, undp set aside $25 million to
on the situation in the Sahel between 1 July 2014 support elections for the period 2014–2017.
and 30 October 2015 which provided an update on Under the security pillar, the second phase of the
the status of implementation of the UN integrated joint project between the United Nations Human
strategy for the Sahel. It also provided information on Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and undp on
efforts to strengthen regional ownership and consoli- urban security, as well as the small arms management
date partnership, as well as regional and international project, were continuing in Burkina Faso. In the
coordination initiatives and efforts undertaken to Niger, three projects on security, including a $1.7
mobilize financial resources for the implementation million project to support security agencies and the
of the integrated strategy. small arms management project, were ongoing. In
Democratic governance remained fragile in most Chad, three projects worth $15 million, two focused
Sahel countries. Political transitions and electoral pro- on border management and border communities and
cesses in the region continued to be a source of tension one on landmines, were underway.
and potential unrest, as illustrated by the complex Under the resilience pillar, over $100 million
transition that had been taking place in Burkina Faso worth of projects were being implemented in Burkina
since October 2014 and the coup d’état carried out in Faso with the support of the Food and Agriculture
September 2015. At the same time, the signing of the Organization of the United Nations (fao) and the
peace agreement in Mali in mid-2015 was a significant International Labour Organization (ilo); while proj-
development in terms of the stabilization process in ects worth over $1.2 billion were being implemented
Mali and the overall stability of the region. to build resilience in Chad.
To boost the implementation of the integrated In Mauritania, one project on the management of
strategy, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General severe acute malnutrition and another on the control of
for the Sahel supported the concept of regional flagship diseases related to epidemics, with a budget of over $1.5
projects, which were high-impact and high-visibility million, were completed; while two other projects were
projects conceived purposely as cross-border initia- launched during the reporting period, costing more
tives. A total of nineteen regional projects had been than $6.7 million. In the Niger, the UN country team
Chapter II: Africa 95

and local authorities signed an agreement on 15 action political missions listed in the table 6 of the Secretary-
plans worth $38 million to reduce vulnerability in 35 General’s report [A/69/363/Corr.2], including unowa,
communes. The Niger also benefited from $3 million totalling $480,262,600.
in the Africa Adaptation Programme to mitigate the In October 2015 [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary-
effects of climate change. In addition, $62 million of General submitted requirements for unowa for
the $349 million required were mobilized for a project 2016 totalling $9,651,400, which acabq endorsed
aimed at saving lives and protecting subsistence means in November [A/70/7/Add.1]. In section XX of reso-
for chronically vulnerable communities. lution 70/248 A of 23 December (see p. 734), the
The Office of the Special Envoy for the Sahel Assembly endorsed the recommendations of acabq
continued to support coordination initiatives in the and approved the budgets for 36 special political
region, including regional mechanisms such as the missions, including unowa, totalling $567,252,400.
Ministerial Coordination Platform, the G-5 Sahel
(Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger) Côte d’Ivoire
and the Nouakchott Process. During the reporting
period, the Nouakchott Process on the enhancement In 2015, President Alassane Ouattara was re-
of security cooperation and the operationalization of elected for a second and final term. The Ivorian au-
the African Peace and Security Architecture in the thorities, with support from the United Nations
Sahelo-Saharan region, launched by the au in March Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (unoci) prepared and
2013, reinforced its status as the most inclusive implemented a comprehensive election security plan
security cooperation mechanism in the region. that involved deployment of 28,000 Ivorian police,
gendarmerie and military personnel to secure the elec-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
toral process. The security situation during the elec-
On 8 December [meeting 7571], following consulta- toral period concluded without any major incidents,
tions among Security Council members, the President despite unsubstantiated rumours of imminent attacks
made statement S/PRST/2015/24 on behalf of the from Ghana and Liberia. Undp mobilized $6.45 mil-
Council. lion in electoral assistance, including from the Ivorian
Government, Japan and the Economic Community
UNOWA of West African States (ecowas). The Peacebuilding
Fund also provided support for the participation of
During the year, the activities of the United youth and women’s groups. Progress in bringing to
Nations Office for West Africa (unowa), covered justice alleged perpetrators of crimes committed dur-
in the Secretary-General’s reports on West Africa ing the post-electoral crisis of 2010 remained slow,
[S/2015/472, S/2015/1012], focused on good offices and although some officers of the Forces républicaines de
special assignments by the Secretary-General’s Special Côte d’Ivoire (frci), including former members of the
Representative. Those included assisting the political Forces armées des forces nouvelles, were summoned
transition in Burkina Faso and the Cameroon–Ni- by the Special Investigation and Examination Cell
geria Mixed Commission (see p. 112); enhancing in the context of its investigation of serious human
subregional capacities to address cross-border and rights violations committed during the crisis. The
cross-cutting threats to peace and security, including final report and recommendations of the Dialogue,
through the United Nations Integrated Strategy for Truth and Reconciliation Commission presented to
the Sahel (see p. 94); combating maritime piracy in President Ouattara on 15 December 2014 had not
the Gulf of Guinea; supporting security sector reform; been released publicly as at 1 December 2015.
mobilizing against drug trafficking and transitional In June, the Security Council extended the
organized crime; supporting counter-terrorism efforts mandate unoci until 30 June 2016.
including against Boko Haram; promoting good
governance, respect for the rule of law, human rights
and gender mainstreaming; and facilitating inter- Political and security developments
institutional cooperation, including that between the Security Council consideration. During the
UN and regional and subregional partners. year, the Security Council discussed the situation
in Côte d’Ivoire on 13 January [S/PV.7358], 22 April
Financing [S/PV.7431], 28 April [S/PV.7436], 3 June [S/PV.7454],
In October 2014 [A/69/363/Add.3], the Secretary- 9 June [S/PV.7459], 25 June [S/PV.7471] and 17 Decem-
General proposed total requirements for unowa ber [S/PV.7586].
for 2015 of $10,211,000, which was endorsed by Report of Secretary-General (May). In response
the Advisory Committee on Administrative and to Security Council resolution 2162(2014) [YUN 2014,
Budgetary Questions (acabq) in December [A/69/628]. p. 252], the Secretary-General submitted a May report
The Assembly, in section IV of resolution 69/262 [S/2015/320] on the situation in Côte d’Ivoire cov-
[YUN 2014, p. 1631] approved the budgets of 35 special ering major developments since his previous report
96 Part One: Political and security questions

[YUN 2014, p. 251] and providing recommendations for and Reintegration announced that, as at 1 May,
unoci, including the extension of its mandate. 50,121 former combatants, including 3,780 women,
The President of Côte d’Ivoire and his Government had been disarmed and demobilized and had received
continued to take steps to advance political dialogue reinsertion support. A revised total number of 64,000
with the opposition to ease tensions in preparation former combatants would complete the process by
for the presidential election to be held on 25 Octo- 30 June.
ber. Discussions focused on the release of persons The economy continued its upward trend, with a
detained for alleged violations committed during the growth rate of 9.1 per cent in 2014, up from 8.1 per cent
post-elections crisis in 2010 and 2011, as well the un- in 2013. As at 31 March, 38,121 Ivorian refugees had
freezing of the bank accounts, and right of return to been registered by the Office of the United Nations
Côte d’Ivoire for persons affiliated with the previous High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) in Liberia,
regime living outside the country. Political posturing while 19,433 remained in other countries in West
and pre-campaign activities intensified. On 28 Feb- Africa. As at 1 May an estimated 300,000 civilians
ruary, the Parti démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire (pdci) remained displaced within Cote d’Ivoire.
held its fifth extraordinary congress in Abidjan, at Meanwhile, the unoci military component stood
which more than 98 per cent of delegates voted in at 5,644 personnel of an authorized strength of 7,137
favour of the “Daoukro call”, thereby endorsing Pres- personnel, with women representing 1.5 per cent of
ident Ouattara as the Rassemblement des houphouë- the force, and more than half of the unoci force de-
tistes pour la démocratie et la paix (rhdp) coalition’s ployed in the west; the unoci police component stood
sole candidate. On 8 March, President Ouattara an- at 1,494 personnel of an authorized 1,500 personnel.
nounced that the ruling party, the Rassemblement The 450-strong French forces, or Licorne, announced
des républicains (rdr), would merge with pdci after the end of its 12-year operation in Côte d’Ivoire on
the presidential election and that no change would be 21 January. At the same time, the Forces françaises
made to the Constitution prior to the election, includ- en Côte d’Ivoire, comprising around 580 troops, were
ing article 35, on the eligibility criteria for presidential established, with the primary mandate of implement-
candidates. ing bilateral military cooperation in the framework
The former ruling party, Front populaire ivoirien of the defence partnership agreement that was signed
(fpi), faced deepening internal fissures, widening the between Côte d’Ivoire and France in 2012.
divide between those supporting the leadership of in- The Secretary-General recommended that the
cumbent party President Affi N’Guessan and those mandate of unoci be extended for a period of one
supporting former President Laurent Gbagbo. The first year, until 30 June 2016.
round of the presidential election was scheduled for SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
25 October and the second round, if required, would
be held on 22 November. As at 1 May, the electoral On 25 June [meeting 7471], the Security Council
commission had established 512 local offices through- unanimously adopted resolution 2226(2015). The
out the country, with support from unoci, and had draft [S/2015/471] was submitted by 12 Member States.
established presences in 19 foreign locations to allow Report of Secretary-General (December). In a
registered Ivorian citizens living abroad to vote. December report [S/2015/940], the Secretary-General
On 11 April, President Ouattara declared that provided an update on major developments since
the Ivorian judicial system was fully capable of try- May (see p. 95) in the implementation of the unoci
ing perpetrators of crimes committed during the mandate, which was extended until 30 June 2016 by
post-elections crisis, consequently, there would be no Security Council resolution 2226(2015), as well as rec-
further transfers to the International Criminal Court ommendations for the implementation by 31 March
(icc). Additionally, presidential pardons would only 2016 of the Mission’s military drawdown.
be granted to those who sought forgiveness from their The reporting period was dominated by the 25 Oc-
victims and the Ivorian people. As at 1 May, the Dia- tober presidential election, which were conducted
logue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, peacefully and saw President Ouattara re-elected
which had been formally presented to President and sworn in for a second and final term on 3 No-
Ouattara in December 2014, had yet to be publicly vember. On 15 May, thirteen opposition parties and
released. personalities, including Liberté et démocratie pour la
The security situation in Côte d’Ivoire remained République (lider), the dissident faction of fpi and
generally stable but fragile. Sporadic attacks and three dissident members of pdci, established the Co-
intercommunal clashes persisted in the west, near alition nationale pour le changement (cnc) coalition.
the border with Liberia, while violent crimes such as Among the demands of cnc were an updated and
armed robbery, banditry and home invasions were re- credible voter’s list, a secure environment, a reformed
ported in Abidjan and other parts of the country. The Independent Electoral Commission and respect for
national Authority for Disarmament, Demobilization article 35 of the Constitution, which set out the eli-
Chapter II: Africa 97

gibility criteria for presidential candidates, including As at 1 December, 37,951 Ivorian refugees regis-
the requirement that both parents be Ivorian citizens tered by unhcr remained in Liberia, while 21,315 were
by birth. in other countries in West Africa, including Ghana,
On 22 May, fpi decided to participate in the pres- Guinea, Mali and Togo. The military component
idential election and endorsed its leader, Pascal Affi of unoci stood at 5,412 personnel of an authorized
N’Guessan, as its candidate. The dissident faction led strength of 5,437 with women representing 1.7 per cent
by Aboudramane Sangaré continued to oppose Mr. of the force, while the unoci police component stood
Affi N’Guessan and called on its supporters to refrain at 1,480 personnel of an authorized 1,500 personnel.
from participating in the electoral process. That con- The Secretary-General observed that in March
tributed to fractures within the opposition coalition 2016, at the conclusion of the drawdown, unoci
led by Mr. Affi N’Guessan, the Alliance des forces would reach a residual strength of 4,000 troops,
démocratiques de Côte d’Ivoire, with four parties de- down from its peak authorized strength of 9,792
fecting to join cnc on 2 September. Cnc, however, troops in 2011 at the height of the post-electoral crisis
was not able to put forward a single presidential candi- of 2010. In accordance with resolution 2226(2015),
date. Meanwhile, the ruling coalition rhdp remained he intended to deploy a strategic team that would
united around its support for President Ouattara as its consult with the Government, the UN country team
sole candidate. and other partners concerned, including ecowas, in
On 30 September, the final list of 6.3 million vot- order to develop by 31 March 2016 options and time-
ers was published, of whom 49 per cent were women, lines for the eventual withdrawal of unoci. With the
reflecting an increase of 10 per cent compared with Ebola outbreak under control in the countries most
2010. The official presidential election campaign affected, it was important that Côte d’Ivoire reopened
period, from 9 to 23 October, proceeded without its borders, allowing for the voluntary return of Ivo-
incident with elections held on 25 October. Three rian citizens living as refugees in Guinea and Liberia.
days later, the Independent Electoral Commission The Secretary-General also urged Côte d’Ivoire and
published provisional results revealing that President Liberia to resume bilateral security cooperation, in-
Ouattara had obtained more than 83.6 per cent of the cluding within the framework of the quadripartite
vote, followed by Mr. Affi N’Guessan, who had re- mechanism involving unoci and unmil.
ceived approximately 9.3 per cent. Voter turnout stood
at some 3.3 million out of the 6.3 million registered. Sanctions
On 25 October, the icc denied a request from the Security Council Committee. The Security
defence team of former President Laurent Gbagbo to Council Committee, established pursuant to resolution
hold his trial in Abidjan or Arusha, citing security 1572(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 187] concerning Côte d’Ivoire,
and logistics. On 28 October, the Court announced continued to monitor implementation of the arms em-
that the joint trial of the former President and the bargo, travel restrictions and an asset freeze on desig-
former Minister of Youth and former Young Patriots nated individuals and entities and the ban on the im-
leader, Charles Blé Goudé, would be postponed from port of all rough diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire. Those
10 November 2015 to 28 January 2016, so that the sanctions were renewed by various resolutions, Council
physical ability of Mr. Gbagbo to stand trial could resolution 2219(2015) (see p. 98) being the most recent.
be evaluated. In a 9 December letter [S/2015/952], the Committee
On 4 November, the Government announced that transmitted to the Security Council the report on its
69,506 former combatants, including 6,105 women, activities in 2015. During the year, the Committee
had been disarmed and demobilized, 58,920 of whom held three informal consultations on 10 April, 10 July
had received reinsertion support, while 10,586 others and 11 September, and received four notifications and
were enrolled in or waiting to participate in reinser- one exemption request with regard to the arms em-
tion activities which would continue until June 2016. bargo, which was approved. The Committee consid-
Between 1 May and 1 December, unoci docu- ered a delisting request submitted by a Member State
mented the arbitrary and illegal detention of five and removed an individual from its sanctions list. As
minors, including two girls, as well as a number of at the end of the reporting period, there were six indi-
incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence viduals on the sanctions list.
against 81 girls, one of which allegedly had been per-
petrated by a State agent; also during the same period, Group of Experts
unoci documented 98 incidents of rape and other The Group of Experts on Côte d’Ivoire, established
forms of sexual abuse. pursuant to Security Council resolution 1584(2005)
In 2015, economic growth in Côte d’Ivoire reached [YUN 2005, p. 248], submitted one final report [S/2015/252]
8.4 per cent; the year’s living standards measurement (see p. 98) during the year. Pursuant to Council reso-
survey revealed that poverty had decreased from lution 2219(2015), the Group’s mandate was extended
48.9 per cent in 2008 to 46.3 per cent. to 30 May 2016.
98 Part One: Political and security questions

The Secretary-General, on 29 May [S/2015/399], Children and armed conflict

appointed five experts to constitute the Group for a
period ending 30 May 2016. Report of Secretary-General. In response to
Security Council resolution 2068(2012) [YUN 2012,
Report of Group of Experts. On 13 April, p. 724], the Secretary-General submitted a June report
pursuant to Security Council resolution 2153(2014) on children and armed conflict [A/69/926-S/2015/409],
[YUN 2014, p. 247], the Chair of the Security Council which included developments concerning the situa-
Committee transmitted to the Council the final report tion in the Côte d’Ivoire in 2014.
[S/2015/252] of the Group of Experts on Côte d’Ivoire,
More than three years after the post-electoral cri-
which contained sanction-related information includ-
sis in Côte d’Ivoire, the security situation continued
ing the arms embargo; customs and transport; dia-
to improve, although marked with sporadic incidents
mond and natural resources; the financing of arms
of armed attacks, banditry and other violent crimes,
purchases; travel ban and asset freeze; and targeted particularly along the border with Liberia. The United
sanctions against individuals. Nations verified 18 cases of rape and other forms of
The Group visited Australia, Belgium, Burkina sexual violence committed by Forces républicaines
Faso, China, France, the Netherlands, the Niger, de Côte d’Ivoire elements against girls aged 2 to 17,
the United Arab Emirates and the United States, in mostly in the western part of the country. Since 2007,
addition to conducting field visits throughout Côte when the last parties to the conflict were delisted
d’Ivoire. The Group remained concerned about from the annex to the annual report, the protection
security and stability in Côte d’Ivoire owing to the of children had continued to improve. In the light
presence of large quantities of weapons and ammuni- of that development, the situation of Côte d’Ivoire
tion that had remained unaccounted for since 2010– would be removed from the report as at 2016.
2011. The Group noted that the sanctions regime con-
tinued to be useful and effective in preserving stability
UNOCI
and modifying behaviour of some individuals who
might otherwise threaten the peacebuilding process. The United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire
It also considered that non-registered ex-combatants (unoci) was established in 2004 by Security Council
operating under the control of former zone command- resolution 1528(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 173] to replace the
ers remained a challenge as those ex-combatants could United Nations Mission in Côte d’Ivoire and ecowas
undermine the peace process. forces, with the mandate to monitor the ceasefire and
The Group recommended that the unoci Inte- movement of armed groups; assist in disarmament,
grated Embargo Monitoring Unit be properly staffed demobilization, reintegration, repatriation and
with experts on arms and natural resources, and that resettlement; protect UN personnel and civilians;
unoci, as part of its embargo monitoring activities, support implementation of the peace process; and
take measures to record non-United Nations flights provide assistance in the monitoring of human rights,
using airports and airstrips under its control. In ad- public information and law and order. Council reso-
dition, it called on Côte d’Ivoire to clear the can- lutions 2226(2015) (see p. 96) extended the mandate
tonments occupied by non-registered ex-combatants of unoci until 30 June 2016. Aïchatou Mindaoudou
and to reinforce control to avoid their return; and to Souleymane (Niger) was the Special Representative
engage and share information with the Organization for Côte d’Ivoire and Head of unoci.
for Economic Cooperation and Development (oecd) Appointment. On 3 June [S/2015/411], the
and the Group to explore the implementation of the Secretary-General informed the Security Council
Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply of his intention to appoint General Didier L’Hôte
Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and (France) as the Force Commander of unoci to replace
High-Risk Areas and its supplements, with partic- Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed (Pakistan),
ular emphasis on the gold supplement. The Group who would complete his tour of duty on 30 June.
also recommended that the Central Bank of West On 5 June [S/2015/412], the Council took note of the
African States encourage Ecobank, Standard Char- Secretary-General’s intention.
tered Bank, the Société ivoirienne de banque, the
Société générale de banques en Côte d’Ivoire and the Financing
Société générale de banques au Burkina to assist the The General Assembly considered the Secretary-
Group to monitor the asset freeze imposed on sanc- General’s performance report [A/69/621] on the budget
tioned individuals. of unoci for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June
2014, showing an expenditure of $546,829,200
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
gross (536,670,300 net) against an appropriation of
On 28 April [meeting 7436], the Security Council $584,487,000 gross ($575,080,800 net). The Secretary-
unanimously adopted resolution 2219(2015). The General recommended that the Assembly decide
draft [S/2015/288] was submitted by France. on the treatment of the unencumbered balance of
Chapter II: Africa 99

$37,657,800 and other income/adjustments amount- that food insecurity during the Ebola outbreak af-
ing to $7,001,200. fected more than 640,000 people in Liberia. With
The Assembly also considered the proposed budget the effects of the outbreak beginning to subside, it
of unoci for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June was expected that economic growth would pick up
2016 [A/69/743 & Corr.1], amounting to $418,241,800 over the next few years in Liberia.
gross ($410,462,300 net) and providing for the de- On 3 September, Liberia was declared Ebola-free
ployment of up to 192 military observers, 5,245 for the second time. A new outbreak, however, was
military personnel, 500 UN police officers, 1,000 detected in Montserrado County on 19 November.
formed police unit personnel, 358 international With support from the Peacebuilding Fund, the
staff, 713 national staff, 154 UN Volunteers, and Independent National Commission on Human Rights
8 Government-provided personnel. In resolution continued to work towards the implementation of the
2162(2014), the Security Council decided, among Palava Hut programme for national reconciliation.
others, that the uniformed personnel of unoci should The mandate of unmil was extended in September
be reduced, so that the Operation should consist of up by Council resolution 2239(2015) (see p. 102) until
to 5,437 military personnel, comprising 5,245 troops 30 September 2016.
and 192 staff officers, by the end of 30 June 2015.
The Council also decided that the authorized strength Political and security developments
of the unoci police component should consist of up
to 1,500 officers and that the 8 customs officers pre- Security Council consideration. During the
viously authorized would be maintained. year, the Security Council discussed the situation in
In May [A/69/839/Add.13], acabq recommended Liberia on 2 April [S/PV.7423], 5 May [S/PV.7438], 2 Sep-
that the unencumbered balance of $37,657,800, as tember [S/PV.7517], 8 September [S/PV.7518], 10 Septem-
well as other income/adjustments in the amount of ber [S/PV.7519], 17 September [S/PV.7525] and 17 De-
$7,001,200 be credited to Member States. Acabq cember [S/PV.7586].
also recommended that the Assembly appropriate SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
an amount of $412,757,200 for the maintenance of
unoci for the 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to On 2 April [meeting 7423], the Security Council
30 June 2016, should the Security Council decide to unanimously adopted resolution 2215(2015). The
extend the mandate of the Mission. draft [S/2015/222] was submitted by Angola, Chile,
Lithuania, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION United States and Venezuela.
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, Reports of Secretary-General (April and Au-
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee gust). In April, the Secretary-General submitted his
[A/69/685/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/258 B (Fi- twenty-ninth progress report [S/2015/275] on unmil
nancing of the United Nations Operation in Côte and major developments in the country, including the
d’Ivoire) without vote [agenda item 152]. impact of the Ebola virus disease, which had posed
The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of perhaps the gravest threat since the civil wars ended in
23 December, decided that the agenda item on unoci 2003. In spite of the public health emergency, Liberia
financing would remain for consideration during its managed to hold senatorial elections.
resumed seventieth (2016) session. In August, the Secretary-General submitted his
thirtieth progress report [S/2015/620] on unmil, which
Liberia provided an update on major developments in Liberia
since his April report and made recommendations for
In 2015, the political, social and economic situation the extension of the mandate of unmil and further
of Liberia was marked by external economic shocks adjustments to the Mission.
resulting from the drop in global prices of raw mate- During the reporting period, political discourse
rials, public concern over the drawdown of the United was focused on the expectation that the Government
Nations Mission in Liberia (unmil), challenges posed would fully assume its complete security responsi-
by the security transition, an increase in public order bilities from unmil by 30 June 2016, which led to
incidents and limited progress on legislation critical increased scrutiny of the performance and account-
to security transition and essential political reforms. ability of the State security agencies. Lawmakers
The economic situation, which was already negatively highlighted the capacity shortcomings of the national
affected by low commodity prices, had been further security agencies and the inadequacy of the $15 mil-
damaged by the Ebola virus disease outbreak. lion initially allocated in the draft national budget
An assessment conducted by fao, the International for 2015/16 to support the implementation of the
Fund for Agricultural Development (ifad) and the Government’s unmil transition plan. Some legisla-
World Food Programme (wfp) in late June revealed tors called upon unmil to delay its drawdown. Spec-
100 Part One: Political and security questions

ulation about financial difficulties in the oil sector security situation in Liberia remained generally stable.
contributed to public concern that future revenue A series of violent incidents, however, demonstrated
collection might be at risk. the continuing potential for destabilization arising
The reporting period was dominated by the consti- from growing social tensions relating to an increase in
tutional review process, in particular reactions to the layoffs and concessions, land disputes, limited access
proposed amendment to declare Liberia a Christian to livelihood opportunities and porous borders. While
nation. Muslim organizations challenged the legality the security situation in the border areas remained
of the proposal, whereas some Christian organizations calm, sporadic violence and incidents of illegal farm-
advocated holding a referendum. The security situa- ing bordering Côte d’Ivoire continued to occur.
tion remained stable but fragile; incidents of public Critical reforms, including the amendment of the
discontent resulted in violence as well as protests for Constitution, land reform and decentralization, ad-
post-Ebola care and compensation. vanced at a slow pace. On 15 September, President
The situation in the area bordering Côte d’Ivoire Johnson-Sirleaf issued a progress report on the imple-
remained generally stable. In addition, Ivorians report- mentation of the recommendations of the Truth and
edly engaged in incidents of looting and abductions, Reconciliation Commission; the previous such report
as well as illegal farming and logging, in Liberia. On had been issued in January 2011. In the 15 Septem-
25 June, facilitated by the Danish Refugee Council, ber report, of a total 207 recommendations, 142 had
community and Government representatives from been or were being implemented, while 18 did not
Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire met for the first time since lend themselves to practical implementation.
the closure of the border as a result of the Ebola epi- On 3 September, following an outbreak of Ebola
demic in 2014. virus disease in Margibi County detected on 29 June,
On 9 May, Liberia was declared free of Ebola by Liberia was declared Ebola-free for the second time.
the World Health Organization, following 42 days A new outbreak, however, was detected in Mont-
since the last laboratory-confirmed victim was buried. serrado County on 19 November. The Ebola virus
On 29 June, however, Ebola resurfaced with a new disease and the drop in global commodity prices had
death, followed by five infected persons linked to that a negative impact on economic recovery and growth
index case, one of whom also died. in Liberia. Revenue from taxes on income and profit
As at 1 August, Liberia was hosting 38,480 reg- from international trade fell from $41.0 million in the
istered Ivorian refugees, with 29,719 in camps and first quarter of 2014/15 fiscal year to $39.7 million in
8,761 in host communities. More than 8,000 had ex- the same quarter of 2015/16 fiscal year.
pressed interest in returning to Côte d’Ivoire. Regarding the drawdown of unmil, of the ten
specific security tasks performed by unmil when the
Unmil had been progressively drawing down since
Government’s plan was endorsed by the National
2006, bringing the Mission from its peak authorized
Security Council on 6 March, six tasks, including
strength of 15,250 to the authorized strength of 4,811.
airfield maintenance, security escort for cash trans-
As at 1 August, the unmil military strength stood
fers, armed security at the two national prisons and
at 3,753 personnel, including 144 women. It was
static guard duty at three key national installations,
proposed that by 1 July 2016, unmil should com-
had already been handed over to the Government.
prise 1,240 military personnel, including a battalion
Progress was being made towards the handover of the
(700 troops), a support company (55 troops), a force
remaining four tasks (security for important persons,
headquarters (40 personnel), six military utility hel-
inspection of Government-owned weapons, maritime
icopters (174 personnel), a level II hospital (87 per-
patrolling and explosive ordnance disposal).
sonnel), transport (44 personnel) and engineering
(80 personnel) units, as well as 50 military observers (For more information on the Ebola virus out-
and 10 military police officers, which would remain break, see p. 600.)
in Liberia until the withdrawal of the Mission. The
Secretary-General welcomed the increased engage- Sanctions
ment of the members of the Legislature in security Security Council Committee. The Security
sector reform, especially given their crucial oversight Council Committee established pursuant to resolu-
role and statutory responsibility. tion 1521(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 208] monitored imple-
As at 1 August, the police strength of unmil mentation of the sanctions imposed on Liberia by that
stood at 1,389 personnel, including 239 women, resolution and subsequent resolutions. The sanctions
of an authorized 1,795 personnel, with a proposed banned arms and related materiel, as well as the ex-
reduction to 226 by 1 July 2016; while the civilian port of certain natural resources and international
strength stood at 1,342 personnel, including UN travel by designated individuals, and froze the assets
Volunteers, of a budgeted 1,455 personnel. of designated individuals who constituted a threat
Year-end developments. In a later report to peace in Liberia and the subregion. By resolution
[S/2016/169], the Secretary-General noted that the 1903(2009) [YUN 2009, p. 201], the Council redefined
Chapter II: Africa 101

the arms embargo by directing States to prevent the monitoring systems had sufficiently matured. It also
supply, sale or transfer—from their territories or by recommended enhanced diplomatic and technical
their nationals, or using their vessels or aircraft—of coordination and information-sharing as far as the
arms and related materiel to non-governmental en- border between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire was con-
tities and individuals. By resolution 2237(2015) (see cerned, possibly through regular quadripartite meet-
p. 102), the Council renewed the arms embargo on all ings bringing together the Governments of Liberia
non-government entities and individuals operating in and Côte d’Ivoire, unmil and unoci and, critically,
the territory of Liberia for nine months, and termi- the Mano River Union and ecowas.
nated the travel and financial measures as set forth in Letter of Secretary-General. On 31 July
paragraph 4 of resolution 1521(2003) and paragraph 1 [S/2015/590], the Secretary-General provided the
of resolution 1532(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 204]. The Com- Security Council a review of major developments
mittee’s sanctions list was dissolved on the same date. in Liberia since the assessment mission [YUN 2014,
The Committee reported on its 2015 activities p. 264], and of progress made in implementing the
[S/2015/945], during which it held three informal con- recommendations on the proper management of
sultations on 3 February, 4 May and 21 July; sent arms and ammunition, including enacting the nec-
out 17 communications to eight Member States with essary legislative frameworks, and on facilitating the
reference to the implementation of the sanctions meas- effective monitoring and management of the border
ures); received two notifications regarding shipment regions between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire.
of arms and related materiel to the Government of The deadline of 30 June 2016 set by the Security
Liberia, or provision of assistance, advice or training Council in its resolutions 2190(2014) [YUN 2014,
related to military activities for the Government; and p. 267] and 2215(2015) (see p. 99) for the Govern-
received two requests for delisting of individuals, who ment to complete the full assumption of security
were delisted upon adoption of resolution 2237(2015). responsibilities from unmil had revitalized the
security sector reform process, providing opportu-
Panel of Experts nities for tangible progress in the areas of arms and
The Panel of Experts on Liberia, established pursu- ammunition management and border monitoring
ant to resolution 1521(2003), submitted a final report and management. The deployment and patrols of the
during the year (see below). By resolution 2237(2015), Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization person-
the Council renewed the mandate of the Panel for ten nel along the border had increased, but those of the
months. national police were yet to begin. Given the time-
On 9 January [S/2015/18], 8 October [S/2015/787] table for the drawdown of unmil, those deployments
and 25 November [S/2015/911] the Secretary-General needed to be accelerated.
appointed three experts to the Group. On 6 March, the National Security Council en-
Report of Panel of Experts. On 21 July dorsed the Government’s unmil transition plan,
[S/2015/558], the coordinator of the Panel of Experts which included specific benchmarks and a summary
transmitted to the Security Council President the of activities with timelines which sent an impor-
Panel’s final report. The Panel observed that Liberia tant signal about the Government’s commitment
was declared free of Ebola virus disease and the to security sector reform. Its proposed actions were
drawdown of unmil had resumed, which would pro- ambitious, in terms of both the time allocated for its
vide the Government the impetus to begin taking full completion and the resources necessary to support
ownership of its security sector. its implementation. For the 2015–2016 budget, the
The Panel recommended that Liberia appropri- Government had prepared a prioritized plan, but the
ately mark all weapons maintained in Government extent to which it would be able to fund the activities
armouries and record ammunition stocks in accor- envisaged remained uncertain.
dance with ecowas standards; accord priority to the A legal framework had been established for most of
passage of the firearms and ammunition control act, the security agencies, including the armed forces, the
the police act and the uniform code of military justice; Executive Protection Service, the Drug Enforcement
and build the capacity of the security services, in par- Agency and the National Security Agency. The armed
ticular the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization forces had not, however, completed the reform of
and the national police. It also recommended that the internal policy structures and the uniform code of
Government construct adequate storage facilities for military justice was still awaiting ratification by the
weapons and ammunitions. Legislature. In April, Liberia submitted its instru-
The Panel recommended that the Security Council ments of ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty to the
mandate relevant UN or other entities to continue to United Nations.
regularly inspect Government armouries and weapons The Government, with the assistance of unmil, had
management systems even after the unmil drawdown taken some small but significant steps to strengthen
and the end of the sanctions regime until the Liberian its capacity in arms management. As at mid-July 2015,
102 Part One: Political and security questions

the armed forces had marked 97 per cent of all stored leadership of the Chair of the Commission, had con-
arms. If the momentum was maintained, the Liberia stituted a platform, from the outset of and during the
National Commission on Small Arms anticipated that crisis, for discussing and raising international aware-
all Government-owned weapons would be marked by ness on the impact of the Ebola virus disease outbreak
the end of the year. The completion of that task would on long-term peacebuilding.
fulfil a requirement of the Security Council first set Implementation of mutual commitments. The
out in resolution 1683(2006) [YUN 2006, p. 224]. Peacebuilding Commission, in a June report [PBC/9/
With the continued drawdown of the military LBR/1], reviewed progress in the implementation of the
component of unmil, further strengthening of the Li- statement of mutual commitments on peacebuilding
berian security agencies, including their infrastructure in Liberia [YUN 2011, p. 171] during the period from
and logistical and technical capacity to respond to 1 January to 31 December 2014. In the light of the
border threats, was essential. Regarding coordina- impact of the Ebola virus disease on Liberia’s peace-
tion and information-sharing between Liberia and building process in 2014, it was proposed that the way
Côte d’Ivoire, the quadripartite meetings between forward for the statement of mutual commitments be
the two Governments, unmil and unoci, had been reviewed to develop a new mechanism in 2015, tak-
the principal intergovernmental security mechanism ing into account the need to streamline the various
at the policy level. The Mano River Union strategy for national strategies and policies (namely, the Agenda
cross-border security, developed in 2013, also provided for Transformation and the national reconciliation
an avenue for developing intergovernmental security road map) implemented in the post-Ebola recovery
mechanisms. Unmil was considering options for sup- phase, as well as the drawdown of unmil.
porting the strategy, including a potential transition A July report [PBC/9/LBR/2] noted that the fourth
of Operation Mayo (the joint border security patrols review was delayed owing to the outbreak of the Eb-
and meetings led by unmil and unoci) to the Mano ola virus disease in Liberia in 2014. The review drew
River Union joint border security and confidence- upon the progress reports provided by Liberia, inputs
building units. Unowa, in collaboration with the from the members of the Liberia configuration and
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, had also mission reports of the Chair of the Peacebuilding
supported transnational crime units in Liberia and Commission. The progress report concluded that, in
Sierra Leone through the West Africa Coast Initiative. the light of the impact of the Ebola virus disease on
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
the peacebuilding process in Liberia in 2014, and the
decision by the Security Council to drawdown unmil,
On 2 September [meeting 7517], the Security Council the way forward for the statement of mutual commit-
unanimously adopted resolution 2237(2015). The ments should be discussed with a view to adapting the
draft [S/2015/670] was submitted by the United States. Commission’s engagement to the specific emerging
On 17 September [meeting 7525], the Security Council peacebuilding needs and priorities of Liberia in 2015.
unanimously adopted resolution 2239(2015). The The Commission invited the Secretary-General to
draft [S/2015/711] was submitted by France, Malaysia, make recommendations for the updated engagement
the United Kingdom and the United States. in view of the planned drawdown of unmil.
(For information on the Peacebuilding Commis­
Peacebuilding Commission sion, see p. 44.)
The Peacebuilding Commission issued its annual UNMIL
report [A/70/714-S/2016/115] covering its ninth (2015)
session from 1 January to 31 December. The Chair The United Nations Mission in Liberia (unmil),
of the Liberia configuration continued to underline established by Security Council resolution 1509(2003)
the need for sustaining and strengthening peace- [YUN 2003, p. 194], was mandated to support the imple-
building gains, especially considering the post-Ebola mentation of the 2003 Agreement on Ceasefire and
efforts and the drawdown of unmil. The Chair also Cessation of Hostilities [ibid., p. 189] and the peace pro-
stressed the importance of a more harmonized and cess; protect UN staff, facilities and civilians; support
integrated framework for addressing those challenges humanitarian and human rights activities; and assist
and underlined the important work the Commission in national security reform, including national police
was carrying out in that connection. As Liberia had training and the formation of a new, restructured
entered a new phase of peace consolidation aimed military. By resolution 1638(2005) [YUN 2005, p. 267],
towards sustainable peace, the Commission invited the Council enhanced the mandate to include the
the Secretary-General to make recommendations on apprehension and detention of the former President
an updated framework of engagement between the Charles Taylor in the event of his return to Liberia,
Commission and the Government. The continued in- as well as his transfer to the Special Court for Sierra
teraction among the Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone Leone. By resolution 1750(2007) [YUN 2007, p. 194],
configurations throughout the Ebola crisis, under the the Council included in the Mission’s mandate the
Chapter II: Africa 103

provision of administrative and related support and (gross) for the maintenance of the Mission for the
security for activities conducted in Liberia by the 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016,
Special Court for Sierra Leone with the consent of should the Council decide to extend the mandate of
the Government. By resolution 1971(2011) [YUN 2011, the Mission beyond 30 September.
p. 180], the Council requested that unmil withdraw,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
by 7 March 2011, the military personnel providing
security for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
UNMIL extension. By resolution 2239(2015) on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
(see p. 102), the Council, acting under Chapter VII [A/69/682/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/259 B (Fi-
of the United Nations Charter, extended the mandate nancing of the United Nations Mission in Liberia)
of unmil until 30 September 2016 and decreased the without vote [agenda item 159].
military strength from 3,590 to 1,240 personnel and The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
the police strength from 1,515 to 606 personnel. 23 December, decided that the agenda item on unmil
Appointments. On 6 January [S/2015/12], the financing would remain for consideration during its
Secretary-General informed the Security Council resumed seventieth (2016) session.
President of his intention to appoint Major General
Salihu Zaway Uba (Nigeria) as Force Commander of Sierra Leone
unmil to replace Major General Leonard Muriuki
Ngondi (Kenya), who would complete his tour of duty In 2015, the residual responsibilities of the United
on 25 February. On 8 January [S/2015/13], the Council Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Sierra
took note of the Secretary-General’s intention. Leone (unipsil) were transferred to the UN country
team, at a time when national institutions were as-
On 10 August [S/2015/622], the Secretary-General suming greater responsibility and ownership for the
informed the Security Council President of his in- country’s peacebuilding and development agenda.
tention to appoint Farid Zarif (Afghanistan) as the The continued assistance of international partners
Special Representative for Liberia and Head of unmil remained critical to complement national efforts to
to replace Karin Landgren (Sweden), who completed improve infrastructure, enhance access to health care,
her assignment in July. On 12 August [S/2015/623], the reduce acute youth unemployment and provide social
Council took note of the Secretary-General’s letter. services. An assessment conducted by fao, ifad and
wfp in late June revealed that food insecurity during
Financing the Ebola outbreak affected more than 2.5 million
The General Assembly considered the Secretary- people in Sierra Leone, and studies released showed a
General’s performance report [A/69/667] on the budget significant drop in the number of women with access
of unmil for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June to maternal health care and a 30 per cent increase in
2014, showing an expenditure of $447,845,300 maternal deaths.
gross ($438,146,400 net) against an appropriation of With the effects of the outbreak beginning to
$476,277,000 gross ($466,776,600 net). The Secretary- subside, economic growth was expected to pick up
General recommended that the Assembly decide over the next few years. The economy, however, was
on the treatment of the unencumbered balance of expected to shrink in 2015 by more than 20 per cent
$28,431,700 and other income/adjustments amount- owing to the closure of two major iron companies.
ing to $5,100,800.
The Assembly also considered the proposed budget Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
of unmil for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June
2016 [A/69/820] amounting to $355,208,800 gross Letter of Secretary-General. In a 14 October
($346,520,100 net). The proposed budget provided letter [S/2015/855] to the Security Council President,
for the deployment of up to 4,811 military personnel, the Secretary-General said that the Oversight Com-
including 133 military observers and 4,678 military mittee of the Residual Special Court would run out of
contingent personnel; 1,763 police personnel, includ- funding in March 2016 and that it would not be pos-
ing 498 United Nations police officers and 1,265 sible to secure the voluntary contributions necessary
formed police personnel; and 398 international and to enable the Court to continue its work. The parties
853 national staff, inclusive of 60 National Profes- and the Oversight Committee had decided to explore
sional Officers and 204 United Nations Volunteers alternative means of financing the Court as per article
and 32 Government-provided personnel. 3 of the agreement establishing the Court.
In April [A/69/839/Add.11], acabq recommended The Secretary-General intended to propose to
the unencumbered balance of $28,431,700, as well the General Assembly that the costs of Court for the
as other income and adjustments in the amount of coming biennium should be provided through a sub-
$5,100,800, be credited to Member States; and that vention under the assessed programme budget; the
the Assembly appropriate an amount of $352,862,500 proposal would be a temporary measure to address
104 Part One: Political and security questions

the financial situation. He would consult closely with Report of Secretary-General. In August
the Government of Sierra Leone, the Oversight Com- [S/2015/626], the Secretary-General submitted a report,
mittee of the Court and associated stakeholders dur- pursuant to resolution 2203(2015), on the status of
ing the biennium, in order to seek to propose more the implementation of the mandate of uniogbis
comprehensive solutions to the Security Council and and provided an update on key political, security,
the General Assembly. human rights, socioeconomic and humanitarian
The Security Council took note of the Secretary- developments in Guinea-Bissau since his previous
General’s intention on 10 November [S/2016/856], on report [YUN 2014, p. 281]. The overall security situation
the understanding that the requested subvention in the country remained stable, and the Government
would be on a one-time basis covering the proposed continued with the implementation of its reform
period, and would be subsequently reimbursed from programmes. The political situation, though calm,
the voluntary contributions received by the Court. The was marked by growing disagreements among the
members of the Council requested the UN Secretariat, organs of sovereignty and within the main political
the Oversight Committee and Court officials to inten- party, paigc, notably between President José Mário
sify their efforts to lower costs and fund the activities Vaz and Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira.
of the Court through voluntary contributions. On 25 March, the Government organized the
international partners’ round table for Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau in Brussels, Belgium, with the support of undp and
the eu. Pledges amounting to $1.2 billion were made at
In 2015, a year after the restoration of full consti- the meeting in support of the Government’s Strategic
tutional order, the people of Guinea-Bissau showed and Operational Plan 2015–2020. The Economic
their determination to embrace the path of peace and Community of West African States (ecowas) encour-
development, which was manifested in the popular aged international partners to honour their pledges
support for the international partners’ round table. and expressed its commitment to continue supporting
The country, however, remained at a crossroads with the implementation of the defence and security sector
the potential for relapse into instability and unconsti- reform programme.
tutionality, especially as it continued to face ineffec- On 18 May, the 32 members of the Organizing
tive State institutions and the absence of rule of law; Commission of the National Conference towards
poverty and lack of access to basic services, in par- the Consolidation of Peace and Development took
ticular for women and young people; and impunity their oath at a ceremony. On 12 June, President Vaz
and human rights violations. In May, the Executive presided over a swearing-in ceremony of 13 members
Committee for Peacebuilding Fund programmes in of the Council of State, the highest advisory body in
Guinea-Bissau endorsed the 2015–2017 Peacebuilding Guinea-Bissau.
Priority Plan as the basis for the full re-engagement
of the Fund in Guinea-Bissau over the next three During the reporting period, very little progress
years. Crisis within the main political party, the rul- was made in the investigation of and in establishing
ing African Party for the Independence of Guinea and accountability mechanisms for past human rights
Cabo Verde (paigc), and among the political leader- violations. A notable exception was the prosecution
ship in Guinea-Bissau, delayed action on its national of four police officers charged with the beating of
reform agenda. The United Nations Integrated Peace- a civilian who died on 20 September. Breaches of
building Office in Guinea-Bissau (uniogbis) contin- the rights of persons deprived of their liberty were
ued to contribute to peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau. among the most serious and recurrent human rights
By resolution 2203(2015) (see below), the Security violations throughout the reporting period. Violence
Council extended the mandate of the Mission until against women and children, in particular forced
29 February 2016. marriage, rape, domestic violence and female genital
mutilation, remained a serious concern. In a positive
development, on 1 June, the first case under the Law
Political and security developments against Domestic Violence was brought to court.
Security Council consideration. During the Although fragile, the socioeconomic evolution in
year, the Security Council discussed the situation in Guinea-Bissau was encouraging; increased revenue
Guinea-Bissau on 5 February [S/PV.7376], 18 February and the re-establishing of international financial flows
[S/PV.7385], 28 August [S/PV.7514] and 17 December had allowed the Government to resume settling sev-
[S/PV.7586]. eral arrears.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
close collaboration with uniogbis, continued to pro-
On 18 February [meeting 7385], the Security Council vide capacity-building, logistics support, training and
unanimously adopted resolution 2203(2015). The specialized technical assistance to the Transnational
draft [S/2015/114] was submitted by 12 Member States. Crime Unit and other law enforcement agencies on
Chapter II: Africa 105

combating transnational organized crime, including of sanctions in Guinea-Bissau. Those could include,
drug trafficking. among other benchmarks, the completion of the
Uniogbis had co-chaired, hosted and supported the retirement and demobilization process of identified
meetings of the International Partners Working Group military and security personnel and the consolidation
on security sector reform, as well as the UN Peace- of civilian control over the military.
building and Development Assistance Framework Year-end developments. In a later report
sessions on the rule of law and comprehensive security [S/2016/141], the Secretary-General noted that the
sector reform. Under the leadership of the Govern- political environment had continued to be marked by
ment, the UN integrated system in Guinea-Bissau, tensions and divisions within the ruling paigc and
including resident and non-resident agencies and among the organs of the State with political and legal
uniogbis, developed a new partnership framework battles over the appointment of a new Prime Minister,
for the period 2016–2020, aligned with the national the formation of a new Government and the adoption
Strategic and Operational Plan. of the Government’s programme.
To date, no confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease In spite of the political uncertainties, the overall
had been reported in Guinea-Bissau, even though the security situation in the country remained stable dur-
country remained at high risk. ing the reporting period. In an effort to address in-
The Secretary-General observed that he was con- creased organized crime, drug trafficking and armed
cerned about the continued weakness of Guinea- robbery during the peak of the political crisis, the
Bissau’s criminal justice institutions, and about the Ministry of the Interior activated an ad hoc security
lack of progress in the investigation of and in estab- plan that involved the conduct of regular joint police
lishing accountability mechanisms for past cases of and military patrols. Little progress was made in the
serious human rights violations. investigation of past gross human rights violations or
with respect to the creation of related accountability
Restoration of constitutional order mechanisms. No progress was recorded in improving
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to conditions in prisons and other detention facilities
Security Council resolution 2203(2015) (see p. 104), or in relation to protection from sexual and gender-
the Secretary-General submitted an August report based violence. The Secretary-General recommended
[S/2015/619] on the restoration of constitutional order that the mandate of uniogbis be extended for another
in Guinea-Bissau and recommendations on the con- year, until 28 February 2017.
tinuation of the sanctions regime in the post-election
environment. Sanctions
The United Nations sanctions regime, established Security Council Committee. The Security
by Security Council resolution 2048(2012) [YUN 2012, Council Committee established pursuant to Security
p. 160], continued to have an impact on the 11 des- Council resolution 2048(2012) concerning Guinea-
ignated individuals and a deterrent effect on other Bissau was mandated, among other things, to mon-
potential political spoilers. Although not completely itor the implementation of the measures imposed by
enforced, the travel ban did make it more difficult for paragraph 4 of that resolution (travel ban); designate
listed individuals to travel in the region for the pur- those individuals subject to the travel ban and con-
poses of garnering support for another coup. While sider requests for exemptions; encourage a dialogue
many of the designated individuals continued to hold between the Committee and interested Member
prominent posts in the armed forces, their status as States and international, regional and subregional or-
sanctioned individuals was nevertheless felt because ganizations; and examine and take appropriate action
they were excluded from military courses, ceremo- on information regarding alleged violations or non-
nies, receptions and other events by most embassies compliance with the measures imposed by resolution
in Guinea-Bissau. 2048(2012).
The sanctions regime had been a unique example In December [S/2015/973], the Committee reported
of conflict prevention by the Security Council. In rec- on its 2015 activities. During the year, it held one
ognition of the encouraging but fragile progress, the informal consultation on 11 August in addition to
Secretary-General assessed that the Council would conducting its work through written procedures. The
wish to maintain the sanctions regime to support the Committee received no requests for exemption to the
consolidation of constitutional order and stability in travel ban, while 11 individuals had been designated
Guinea-Bissau. as subject to the travel ban.
The Secretary-General recommended, among
other things, that the Council consider the estab- Peacebuilding Commission
lishment of a two-person panel of experts to promote
greater awareness of the sanctions regime, as well as The Peacebuilding Commission reviewed its
the establishment of clear benchmarks for the lifting activities in Guinea-Bissau in its ninth session’s report
106 Part One: Political and security questions

[A/70/714-S/2016/115],covering 2015. The Commission ling $20,070,700, which acabq endorsed in Novem-
played an active and important role in fostering the ber [A/70/7/Add.13]. On 23 December, in section XX
provision of coherent regional support to the authori- of resolution 70/248 A (see p. 734), the General
ties of Guinea-Bissau for addressing the most pressing Assembly endorsed the recommendations of acabq
national priorities. The Government of Guinea-Bissau and approved budgets for the 36 special political
demonstrated ownership in setting the agenda for missions, including uniogbis, totalling $567,252,400.
development with a long-term vision by developing
Terra Ranka, a 10-year national development strategy Mali
focused on improving governance and access to basic
services, eradicating poverty and promoting economic In 2015, Mali negotiated a long and difficult road
prospects. This was launched at the international with considerable successes, culminating in the sign-
partners’ conference on Guinea-Bissau, organized in ing of the peace agreement and the rapprochement
Brussels in March, reinforcing a positive outlook in between the signatory armed groups.
respect of the country’s comprehensive peacebuilding The Government took steps to advance political
priorities. Along with the support of the Commission, and institutional reforms, decentralization and the
$10 million in catalytic financing was allocated by the cantonment and disarmament, demobilization and
Secretary-General at the event from the Peacebuilding reintegration processes. It also participated, together
Fund. The Government’s leadership generated trust with the Coordination des mouvements de l’Azawad
among the members of the international community, (cma) and the Platform coalition of armed groups, in
including neighbouring countries, which translated the deliberations of the Agreement Monitoring Com-
at the Brussels conference into an unprecedented mo- mittee, though actual progress in the implementa-
bilization of 1.2 billion euros. The commitment and tion of the peace agreement remained limited. The
determination of international partners in respect of international conference for the economic recovery and
supporting the stabilization of Guinea-Bissau in a co- development of Mali, hosted by the Organization for
ordinated manner was tested during the three-month Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris in
impasse following the President’s dismissal of the Gov- October, generated pledges of approximately 3.2 billion
ernment of the Prime Minister, Domingos Simões euros for the period 2015–2017, of which 700 million
Pereira, in August. In this connection, the Peace- euros had been earmarked for the northern regions.
building Commission fully supported the mediation Northern Mali remained an extremely difficult
roles of ecowas and uniogbis in aligning the region environment in which to operate, and the United
behind a swift resolution of the crisis. Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
(For information on the Peacebuilding Commis­ Mission in Mali (minusma) was likely to continue
sion, see p. 44.) to face significant security challenges posed by actors
outside the peace process, namely, extremist and ter-
UNIOGBIS rorist groups and transnational drug traffickers. In
June, the Security Council, by resolution 2227(2015)
The United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding (see p. 108), extended the mandate of minusma until
Office in Guinea-Bissau (uniogbis) was established on 30 June 2016.
1 January 2010 as the successor to the United Nations
Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau Political and security developments
(unogbis) by Security Council resolution 1876(2009)
[YUN 2009, p. 219]. The original Office was established Security Council consideration. During the
in 1999 by a decision of the Secretary-General and sup- year, the Security Council discussed the situa-
ported by Council resolution 1233(1999) [YUN 1999, tion in Mali on 6 January [S/PV.7355], 6 February
p. 140]; its mandate was revised in 2004 [YUN 2004, [S/PV.7378], 9 April [S/PV.7425], 17 June [S/PV.7465],
p. 229] and 2007 [YUN 2007, p. 230]. In 2013, resolutions 23 June [S/PV.7468], 29 June [S/PV.7474] and 6 October
2092(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 184] and 2103(2013) [ibid., [S/PV.7528].
p. 186] extended the uniogbis mandate until 31 May Letter of Secretary-General. In a 2 January
2013 and 31 May 2014, respectively. In 2014, reso- letter [S/2015/3] to the Security Council President, the
lutions 2157(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 276] and 2186(2014) Secretary-General shared the results from a lessons-
[ibid., p. 279] extended the mandate of uniogbis until learned exercise on the transitions from au peace
30 November and 28 February 2015, respectively. By operations to UN peacekeeping operations in Mali
resolution 2203(2015) (see p. 104), the Council further and in the Central African Republic (car), and pro-
extended the mandate until 29 February 2016. vided specific recommendations for possible future
transitional arrangements.
Financing The transitions in Mali and the car indicated that
In October [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary-General an effective partnership in peacekeeping between the
submitted requirements for uniogbis for 2016 total- United Nations and the au had to be anchored in a
Chapter II: Africa 107

clear division of labour, including beyond the date ing Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Niger,
of the transfer of authority. Sustaining regional en- plus au, ecowas, eu, minusma, oic) and initialled
gagement and leveraging the comparative advantages by two of the three Malian parties. Throughout the
of the UN, the au and regional actors to move the period, in close coordination with the mediation team,
political process forward had proven critical in the minusma continued to encourage the parties to re-
search for lasting peace and stability in both Mali confirm their ceasefire commitments and to reach an
and the car. The Support and Follow-Up Group on agreement through consultations with the parties and
the Situation in Mali and the International Contact with their constituencies.
Group on the car had served as effective instruments The Malian parties also held consultations with
in strengthening coordination among members of the their constituencies prior to the resumption of the
international community and national stakeholders in fifth round. Cma and the Platform engaged at differ-
support of the peace process. ent levels with their respective bases, while the Gov-
Lessons learned also pointed to the need for greater ernment organized a roundtable with key political
clarity on the timelines and conditions under which and civil society actors in Bamako on 7 February. Op-
transitions took place to increase predictability. An position parties did not attend, arguing that they had
early indication from the Security Council of its not been consulted on the agenda of the meeting, and
intention to eventually transform an African-led participants at the Government roundtable rejected
peace operation into a UN peacekeeping operation, the proposed establishment of quotas to ensure the
in coordination with relevant regional entities and representation of all communities in State institutions.
the host nation, could facilitate the early strategic On 22 January in Algiers, following serious armed
engagement of both secretariats. Such an indication clashes between cma and the Platform in and around
could also make possible the development of mission Tabankort in the Gao region, Algeria chaired a
concepts and benchmarks that could contribute to a meeting with the Government of Mali, cma and the
smoother handover process. To ensure a more coher- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
ent framework for global peacekeeping, the United Mali resulting in a communiqué calling for an imme-
Nations was committed to working with the au to
diate cessation of hostilities; respect for the ceasefire
develop a creative and flexible transition toolbox em-
agreement of 23 May 2014, notably in Intillit, Ta-
bodying a common vision that the United Nations
bankort, Tarkint and Tessit (Gao region); and the
and au would employ, when and where appropri-
prompt holding of a meeting of the Mixed Technical
ate, to inform future transition processes. The tool-
box would include guidance and standards on joint Commission on Security. It also announced the de-
assessments and planning; pre-deployment visits and ployment of minusma troops to the areas occupied by
force generation; coordination mechanisms; conti- the armed groups to protect civilians. The Platform,
nuity in command and control, as well as rehatting; which was not present at the meeting, objected to
transfer of civilian capacity; support mechanisms; and the communiqué and its references to areas under its
arrangements to increase troop standards. control. From 5 to 9 February, in Algiers, the Special
Representative convened an extraordinary session of
Communication. In identical letters on 28 Janu- the Comité de suivi et d’évaluation, established by
ary [S/2015/62] to the Secretary-General and the Security the Ouagadougou Preliminary Agreement of 18 June
Council President, Mali transmitted its communiqué 2013, to seek the reconfirmation of the parties’ com-
concerning a protest march held in the city of Gao
mitment to the cessation of hostilities and the ceasefire
against the decision to sign an accord between
management mechanisms.
minusma and some armed groups, in order to estab-
lish a temporary security zone in the area of Tabankort. During the fifth round of the inter-Malian dia-
logue in Algiers from 16 February to 1 March, the
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Government of Mali continued to oppose federalism
in any form, reiterating its opposition to constitutional
On 6 February [meeting 7378], following consulta-
revision and the use of “Azawad” in the agreement
tions among Security Council members, the Pres-
claiming it was a tactic by cma to pave the way for
ident made statement S/PRST/2015/5 on behalf of
secession. Cma maintained its insistence on a federal
the Council.
State and the recognition of “Azawad” as a political,
Report of Secretary-General (March). In a geographical and cultural entity that would include
March report on the situation in Mali [S/2015/219] issued the Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu regions. It also reiter-
pursuant to resolution 2164(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 285], the ated its opposition to the return of the Malian defence
Secretary-General stated that against a backdrop of a and security forces to the north, and repeated the need
serious increase in the number of armed clashes, the for the security forces and the management of natural
parties to the inter-Malian dialogue held a fifth round resources to be led by the people of “Azawad”. The
of talks in Algiers, Algeria, with a revised draft peace Platform restated its request for a direct election system
agreement presented by the mediation team (compris- for regional authorities; called for a rapid redeployment
108 Part One: Political and security questions

of the Malian defence and security forces to the north sulting from the Algiers Process, signed at Bamako
that would include former Platform combatants; and on 15 May by Mali and the Platform (see below), it
suggested that the management of national resources was transmitting a copy of the Agreement bearing the
be shared between the State and regional authorities. signature of Sidi Ibrahim Ould Sidatti in his capacity
On 25 February, the mediation presented a revised as the cma representative.
draft agreement envisaging an interim period of 18 SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
to 24 months before the provisions of the agreement
took effect. On 1 March, the Government, the On 29 June [meeting 7474], the Security Council
Platform, all members of the mediation team, as unanimously adopted resolution 2227(2015). The
well as France in its capacity as observer, initialled draft [S/2015/481] was submitted by 11 Member States.
the document, while cma requested additional time
to consult with its constituency and later issued a Report of Secretary-General (June). In a June
communiqué stating that the draft peace agreement update on the situation in Mali [S/2015/426] issued pur-
did not take into account the aspirations of the people suant to resolution 2164(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 285], the
of “Azawad” and requested a meeting with the medi- Secretary-General reported on the political situation
ation and international partners to discuss the way and on the implementation of minusma mandate since
forward. On 18 March, the mediation reiterated its his March report (see p. 107) and made recommenda-
position that the negotiations were complete, but that tions for the extension of the mandate of minusma.
the concerns of cma could be addressed during the On 15 May, the Government, the Platform coa-
implementation phase. The mediation decided that lition of armed groups—composed of Coordination
Algeria would invite the leadership of cma to Algiers des mouvements et fronts patriotiques de résistance I
to discuss how to proceed to initialling and signing (cmfpr - I), a faction of cpa, a faction of maa and
the peace agreement. gatia—and representatives of two of the cma coali-
tion of armed groups, namely another faction of cpa
The reporting period was dominated by a marked
and of the Coordination des mouvements et fronts
increase in insecurity as a result of more frequent
patriotiques de résistance II (cmfpr - II), signed the
clashes between cma and Platform armed groups,
Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali in
widespread banditry, particularly targeting vehi-
Bamako. The other movements of cma, which in-
cles and convoys, and high levels of violent extrem-
cluded mnla, hcua, maa, cmfpr - II and a faction of
ist activity. Extremist groups continued to conduct
cpa, did not sign the agreement, but they did initial
operations in the Kidal region, including attacks
it the previous day, on 14 May, in Algiers. Dialogue
against minusma and the French forces of Operation
continued with a view to securing the adhesion of all
Barkhane, and were increasingly active in other re-
parties to the Agreement. Those efforts, however, were
gions in the west of Mali.
hampered by the serious deterioration of the security
Children continued to be sighted within the ranks situation across the north of Mali since the end of
of the Mouvement national pour la libération de April, particularly in Ménaka (Gao region), which saw
l’Azawad (mnla), the Haut Conseil pour l’unité de ceasefire violations by all Malian parties and violent
l’Azawad (hcua) and Groupe d’autodéfense touareg clashes between Platform and cma elements.
Imghad et alliés (gatia), while mnla, hcua, the
Mouvement arabe de l’Azawad (maa)-Coordination, Following intense engagement by the Special
the maa -Platform, and the Coalition du peuple de Representative of the Secretary-General Mongi
l’Azawad (cpa) continued to occupy 20 schools in Hamdi and other key stakeholders, a series of consul-
Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu regions. Four cases of tations took place, from 27 May to 5 June, between the
sexual violence against children aged between 11 and mediation (comprising Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad,
15 years were reported, all rapes allegedly perpetrated Mauritania, Niger, plus au, ecowas, eu, oic, United
by members of the Malian defence and security forces Nations/minusma) and all Malian parties in Algiers,
in Gao region in October and November 2014. on a two-step road map with a view to facilitating the
adhesion of cma to the Agreement. First, the road
On 18 January, the Government of Mali and the map aimed to mitigate the security situation by re-
World Health Organization announced the end of the establishing ceasefires, building on arrangements for
Ebola epidemic in Mali after 42 days without any new Ménaka and reaffirming the parties’ commitment to a
registered case. cessation of hostilities throughout the country. Second,
As at 13 March, 78 per cent of minusma civilian the road map consisted of consultations between the
staff, 73 per cent of 1,440 police personnel and parties on the modalities for the implementation of the
79 per cent of 11,200 military personnel had deployed. Agreement, including the establishment of the Comité
Communication. In a 20 August letter de suivi de l’accord, the implementation framework
[S/2015/364/Add.1] to the Security Council, Mali noted foreseen by the Agreement. On 5 June, cma, the Gov-
that, further to transmitting on 19 May a copy of the ernment of Mali and the mediation signed a summary
Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali re- of preparatory consultations on the implementation of
Chapter II: Africa 109

the Peace Agreement and a ceasefire arrangement that, ported on progress in the implementation of the
among other things, provided for the disengagement Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali and
of the parties from Ménaka. The Platform refused to on the efforts of minusma to support it.
sign those two documents. Between June and September, the political process
Violent extremist and criminal activities increased in Mali had made noticeable progress, in particular
in all northern regions and southward into Mopti with the signing of the Peace Agreement by cma on
and Ségou regions. On the re-establishment of State 20 June.
authority, there was limited progress in the north. Following the signing of the peace agreement
Minusma continued to support the Malian defence by cma, efforts to establish the implementation
and security forces, the parliamentary commission on framework foreseen by the Agreement, namely the
security, defence and civil protection and civil society Comité de suivi de l’accord and its technical bod-
organizations involved in security sector reform. ies, were initiated, with Algeria officially launching
As at 1 June, 59,565 additional internally displaced the Comité on 20 June. Following the takeover of a
persons were reported across Timbuktu (54,441), Gao cma -controlled town by the Platform on 17 August,
(3,041) and Mopti (2,083) since the surge in clashes in cma announced the suspension of its participation in
northern Mali on 27 April. That increment brought the technical work of the Comité until the Platform
the total to 102,757. Some 732 new refugees crossed withdrew from the town. Minusma engaged the lead-
into the neighbouring Mauritania (236), the Niger ership of both parties to de-escalate tensions and took
(238) and Burkina Faso (258), adding to the 137,500 preventive military measures, including by establish-
Malian refugees previously registered in neigh- ing a security zone covering a 20 km radius around
bouring countries by unhcr since the crisis started Kidal to protect civilians. On 24 August, the Comité
in early 2012. created an ad hoc group chaired by the au to address
As at 1 June, the police strength of minusma stood the situation. On 7 September, the Platform began
at 1,055 personnel, representing 73 per cent of the withdrawing from the occupied town.
authorized total of 1,440, with 65 per cent of indi- The period between mid-September and mid-
vidual police officers (8 per cent of them women) December was characterized by a new momentum in
and 76 per cent of the formed police unit person- the peace process, with positive steps in the implemen-
nel (3 per cent of them women) deployed; while the tation of the peace agreement, including an improved
military strength of minusma stood at 9,043 person- relationship between cma and the Platform. Between
nel, representing 81 per cent of the authorized total of 27 September and 14 October, cma and the Platform
11,200, with women representing 2 per cent. engaged in direct talks. At the end of the negotiations,
According to minusma, in order for State au- the parties endorsed a road map comprising a series of
thorities to provide basic security and services to the measures, including the cessation of hostilities, joint
population, on the basis of a political settlement, initiatives for intercommunal and intracommunal
there was a need to focus on attaining key objectives, reconciliation, the exchange of prisoners, the estab-
primarily a sustainable and credible peace process, lishment of interim local administrations and the free
supported by regional actors, that included processes movement of people and goods. During and following
at the national and subnational levels, to foster a via- the talks, cma and the Platform brokered a series of
ble peace agreement and its implementation, as well intercommunal and intracommunal reconciliation
as security and stabilization in key areas critical to agreements in Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu regions,
the peace process. That, in turn, would require the including between the Ifoghas and Imghad Tuareg
full operational capacity of minusma, including the communities affiliated with cma and the Platform,
capacity to protect and sustain the Mission and con- respectively.
duct priority tasks. The protection of civilians and Three meetings of the Comité were organized and
effective public communication were identified as attended by all signatory parties to the Agreement.
cross-cutting priority tasks. At the meeting on 30 September and 1 October,
The Secretary-General observed that the signing of the parties endorsed the workplan and road map for
the peace and reconciliation agreement by Mali and the political and institutional subcommittee. At the
some of the armed groups on 15 May was a critical meeting on 28 and 29 October, the Comité welcomed
milestone in the inter-Malian dialogue and that the the outcome of the international conference for the
violence that had spread and intensified in the run-up economic recovery and development of Mali, and
to and since the signing was a clear indication of the stressed the need for the rapid disbursement of pledged
risks that Mali would continue to face if dialogue was funds to start implementing critical programmes, in-
interrupted. cluding those generating peace dividend. The meeting
Further developments. In September [S/2015/732] of the Comité on 19 and 20 November was adjourned
and December [S/2015/1030], the Secretary-General, owing to the terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu Ho-
pursuant to resolution 2227(2015) (see p. 108), re- tel in Bamako on 20 November.
110 Part One: Political and security questions

On 14 October, following the appointment of Children and armed conflict

the chair of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation
Commission on 3 August, the Council of Ministers In response to Security Council resolution
approved the nomination of 14 commissioners, in- 2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General
cluding four women, two cma affiliates, two repre- submitted a June report on children and armed con-
sentatives of the Platform and seven representatives flict [A/69/926-S/2015/409], which included develop-
of civil society, including one member of the Haut ments concerning the situation in Mali from January
conseil islamique. Several human rights organiza- to December 2014. Owing to repeated violations of
tions regretted the absence of victims’ representatives the ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of
among the commissioners. Mali and the two coalitions of armed groups—cma
and the Platform—the security situation deteriorated
On 2 November, cmfpr - II and fpa announced considerably in northern Mali, especially after the
their merger with cma. On 7 November, the Alliance resumption of hostilities in Kidal in May. In that
populaire pour la paix et l ’unité nationale joined the context, the monitoring and verification of violations
Platform. The Comité working group, chaired by the against children remained difficult and, therefore,
au High Representative for Mali and the Sahel, was violations were estimated to be underreported. The
expected to continue its deliberations on the status
United Nations verified the recruitment and use of 84
of cpa -Ousmane and mpsa. There was an increase in
children within the ranks of mnla, hcua, maa-Sidati,
the number and geographical spread of activities by
maa - Ould Sidi Mohamed and gatia. In addition, al-
extremist and terrorist groups and organized crime
legations were received indicating that hundreds of
networks, notably in Mopti, Ségou and Timbuktu re-
children were associated with armed groups and en-
gions, as well as in Bamako. Minusma, therefore, con-
gaged in hostilities, but the information could not be
tinued to require convoy escorts and force protection,
verified. The killing of nine children and the injuring
despite the absence of fighting between cma and the
of 23 were verified. Thirty-eight incidents of rape and
Platform following their direct talks and the efforts
other forms of sexual violence against girls were per-
by the Government and the signatory armed groups
petrated by mnla (6), Malian Defence and Security
to organize the cantonment process and to put mixed
Forces (4) and unidentified armed elements (28).
patrols into operation.
Reports of abduction of girls aged 12 to 16 years by
The Malian parties also made some progress in unidentified individuals were also received, mostly in
the defence and security provisions of the Agreement. the context of clashes between the Peulh and Dogon
The Comité meeting on 30 September and 1 Octo- communities. Despite some initial progress made
ber endorsed the conclusions of the meetings of the to address impunity for violations against children,
Commission technique de sécurité, including those slow restoration of State authority, including the re-
agreements related to the reconnaissance of canton- establishment of a functioning judiciary in northern
ment sites, the terms of reference of the Mécanisme Mali, remained of great concern.
opérationnel de coordination and the operating pro-
cedures for the mixed patrols.
As at 16 December, minusma had identified 289 MINUSMA
conflict-related detainees, all male, including six boys, By resolution 2100(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 194],
held in State-run detention facilities throughout the the Security Council established United Nations
country. Of those, 157 had been detained illegally. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in
The number of people detained by cma and the Mali (minusma) and requested the Secretary-General
Platform decreased from 67 in June to 43 in Decem- to subsume the United Nations Office in Mali (unom)
ber as a result of the release of detainees by all signa- into minusma. Authority was also transferred from
tory parties as part of confidence-building measures. the African- led International Support Mission to
As at mid-December, there were approximately Mali (afisma) to minusma on 1 July 2013, at which
62,000 internally displaced persons in Mali and point minusma commenced the implementation of its
approximately 137,000 Malian refugees in Burkina mandate, as defined in resolution 2100(2013), for an
Faso, Mauritania and the Niger. initial period of 12 months. By resolution 2164(2014)
As at 16 December, the military component of [YUN 2014, p. 285], the Council extended the mandate
minusma stood at 10,638 personnel out of an author- of minusma until 30 June 2015. In 2015, the Security
ized 11,240, representing 93 per cent of personnel, Council, by resolution 2227(2015) (see p. 108), ex-
with women representing 2 per cent of the force; while tended the mandate of minusma until 30 June 2016.
the police component stood at 1,055 personnel, rep- Appointments. On 4 March [S/2015/166], the
resenting 71 per cent of its authorized 1,440, with Secretary-General informed the Security Council
58 per cent of individual police officers (7 per cent President of his intention to appoint Major General
women) and 82 per cent of the formed police unit Michael Lollesgaard (Denmark) as Force Com-
personnel (5 per cent women) deployed. mander of minusma, succeeding Major General Jean
Chapter II: Africa 111

Bosco Kazura (Rwanda). On 6 March [S/2015/167], the therefore seeking additional funding of $80,336,300.
Council took note of the Secretary-General’s inten- He requested the General Assembly to appropriate
tion. the amount of $80,336,300 for the maintenance and
On 11 December [S/2015/980], the Secretary- operation of the Mission for the 12-month period
General informed the Council of his intention to ap- from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, in addition to the
point Mahamat Saleh Annadif (Chad) as his Special amount of $830,701,700 already appropriated for
Representative in Mali and Head of minusma, suc- the same period for the maintenance of the Mission
ceeding Mongi Hamdi (Tunisia) who would complete under the terms of Assembly resolution 68/259 B
his assignment on 14 January 2016. On 15 December [YUN 2014, p. 295]; and to assess $80,336,300, in addi-
[S/2015/981], the Council took note of the Secretary- tion to the amount of $830,701,700 already assessed
General’s intention. for the Mission for the period from 1 July 2014 to
30 June 2015.
Logistical support to MINUSMA In May [A/69/889], acabq recommended that the
General Assembly authorize the Secretary-General to
In communications on 16 March [S/2015/187],
enter into commitments in an amount not to exceed
16 June [S/2015/444] and 2 October [S/2015/755] to the
$80,336,300 for the maintenance of minusma for the
Security Council, the Secretary-General transmitted
12-month period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015,
the reports by France of actions taken by its forces in
in addition to the amount of $830,701,700 already
support of minusma.
appropriated for the same period under the terms of
Assembly resolution 68/259 B. The Secretary-General
Financing
was requested to provide detailed information on ac-
The General Assembly considered the perfor- tual expenditure incurred in the context of the perfor-
mance report [A/69/593] on the minusma budget for mance report of minusma for the period from 1 July
the period 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, showing a to- 2014 to 30 June 2015.
tal expenditure of $592,792,000 gross ($587,490,900
net) against an appropriation of $602,000,000 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
gross ($595,928,300 net). The Secretary-General On 19 June [meeting 96], the General Assembly,
recommended that the Assembly take action to de- on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
cide on the treatment of the unencumbered balance [A/69/934], adopted resolution 69/289 A (Financing
of $9,208,000 and of other income/adjustments of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
amounting to $5,553,000. The Assembly also consid- Stabilization Mission in Mali) without vote [agenda
ered the proposed budget of minusma for the period item 160].
from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 [A/69/784], amount- On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on
ing to $936,074,400 gross ($925,062,000 net). the recommendation of the Fifth Committee [A/69/934/
In May [A/69/839/Add.2], acabq recommended Add.1], adopted resolution 69/289 B (Financing of
that the unencumbered balance of $9,208,000 with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
respect to the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June Stabilization Mission in Mali) without vote [agenda
2014, as well as other income and adjustments in the item 160].
amount of $5,553,000 for the period ended 30 June The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
2014, be credited to Member States. With regard 23 December, decided that the agenda item on
to the maintenance of minusma for the 12-month minusma financing would remain for consideration
period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, acabq rec- during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
ommended that the Assembly appropriate an amount
of $$934,430,400 should the Security Council decide Cash position of MINUSMA
to extend the mandate of the Mission. In an October report [A/70/443], submitted pur-
Note of Secretary-General. In a March note suant to General Assembly resolution 69/289 A, the
[A/69/828] on the financing of minusma for the period Secretary-General noted that the preliminary results
from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, the Secretary- for the financial period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June
General observed that when the minusma budget 2015 of minusma indicated cumulative expenditure
for 2014/15 was formulated, no provision was made of $906,199,000 for the maintenance of the Mission,
for the new force laydown or the expansion of the as compared to approved resources of $911,038,000
presence of the Mission in the north of Mali be- (including the authority to enter into commitments),
yond key population centres and the associated representing marginal underutilization of $4,839,000
infrastructure investment. The security scenarios and (or 0.5 per cent). In that context, the commitment
exigencies also were not contemplated. On the basis authority granted by the Assembly had been substan-
of its planning and operational requirements and tially utilized. Subject to finalization, actual expendi-
expenditure projections, minusma could not meet ture would be addressed in the minusma performance
the costs from within its existing resources and was report for the same period, to be presented to the
112 Part One: Political and security questions

Assembly at the second part of its resumed seventieth the emplacement of the boundary demarcation pillars
session. The Assembly was requested to take note of began [YUN 2009, p. 226], a process that continued in
the report. 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 231] and 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 187], but
In November [A/70/575], acabq noted that the As- was halted in 2012 due to activity by the Boko Haram
sembly’s authorization of a commitment authority was terrorist group. By August 2014, Cameroon fully ex-
borne out by a review of the Mission’s cash position as ercised its rights of sovereignty over the totality of the
at 9 October 2015. Acabq would analyse the require- Bakassi zone. To date the parties had agreed on the
ment for additional appropriation and assessment in demarcation of 2,001 kilometres of an estimated total
respect of the 2014/15 financial period in the context of 2,100 kilometres of land boundary. Cumulatively,
of the performance report, and it recommended the some 99 km of the land boundary still remained in
Assembly take note of the report of the Secretary- dispute because Cameroon and Nigeria had yet to
General. achieve consensus on how the icj judgment should
be implemented. In 2015, the Mixed Commission
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
continued to facilitate the process, including by help-
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General ing to maintain dialogue and communication be-
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- tween the two countries. The deteriorating security
mittee [A/70/594], adopted resolution 70/113 A (Fi- situation, however, impeded the conduct of field vis-
nancing of the United Nations Multidimensional its, given that the three border States of Adamawa,
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) without Borno and Yobe in north-eastern Nigeria had been
vote [agenda item 160]. under a state of emergency due to terrorist activities
by Boko Haram.
Cameroon–Nigeria
Activities
Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission
On 21 December [S/2015/1025], the Secretary-
In 2015, the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed General informed the President of the Security
Commission—the mechanism established by the Council of the progress made by the Cameroon–Ni-
Secretary-General in 2002 at the request of the Pres- geria Mixed Commission in the course of 2015 and
idents of Cameroon and Nigeria to facilitate the im- asked for resources from the regular budget for the
plementation of the International Court of Justice Mixed Commission for the period from 1 January to
(icj) ruling of 10 October 2002 on the border dispute 31 December 2016. On 23 December [S/2015/1026],
between them [YUN 2003, p. 1265]—was chaired by the Council took note of the secretary-General’s letter.
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas (Ghana). The Secretary-General reviewed the Mixed Com-
The Commission was responsible for the demarcation mission’s achievements and activities in 2015 in his
of the land and maritime boundaries between the two June [S/2015/472] and December [S/2015/1012] reports on
countries; the withdrawal of civil administration, the activities of the United Nations Office for West
military and police forces and a transfer of authority Africa (unowa).
in relevant areas along the boundary; the demilitari- Notwithstanding the security challenges related
zation of the Bakassi peninsula; the protection of the to Boko Haram, field assessments and demarcations
rights of the affected populations; the development were conducted relying principally on cartographic
of projects to promote joint economic ventures and methodologies and agreement reached on coordinates
cross-border cooperation; and the reactivation of the extending over 2,001 kilometres of the land bound-
five-member Lake Chad Basin Commission (Came- ary, which significantly enhanced prospects for the
roon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, Nige- completion of the demarcation without further field
ria), created in 1964 for the regulation and planning assessments. The parties also agreed on coordinates
of the uses of the Lake and other natural resources for the emplacement of the remaining 1,800 pillars,
of the conventional basin. In 2007, all four sections which would complete the physical demarcation of
of the icj ruling had been resolved to the satisfac- the entire Cameroon–Nigeria land boundary. As at
tion of the two parties: the withdrawal and trans- June 2015, 896 pillars had been put into position or
fer of authority in the Lake Chad area in 2003; the were subject to action.
withdrawal and transfer of authority along the land Confidence-building initiatives for populations
border in 2004; the agreement on the modalities of affected by the demarcation continued. Following a
withdrawal and transfer of authority in the Bakassi request by Cameroon to review the socioeconomic
peninsula in 2006; and the agreement on the delin- projects, the UN support team for the Cameroon–
eation of the maritime boundary in 2007 [YUN 2007, Nigeria Mixed Commission undertook a mission to
p. 232]. In 2008, the transfer of authority from Nigeria assess population displacements in the border areas
to Cameroon of the remaining “zone” of the Bakassi affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, particularly
peninsula was finalized [YUN 2008, p. 231], and in 2009 along the northern border. A joint technical team of
Chapter II: Africa 113

surveyors, geospatial information officers and engi- services and discussed challenges pertaining to the
neers from the two parties, Cameroon and Nigeria, Boko Haram-related violence; he also met with the
along with the UN support team, was deployed to Director of the Nigeria Foundation for the Support of
north-western Cameroon (the central area of the land Victims of Terrorism to enhance cooperation.
border) to supervise the second phase of the con- On 25 September, the World Health Organization
struction and emplacement of 231 pillars. Cameroon announced that polio had been eradicated from Nigeria.
and Nigeria also held technical planning meetings in
Abuja and Yaoundé in November and December for
the construction of the remaining 1,800 pillars. Guinea
In October, the presidential election in Guinea was
Financing held and the incumbent President, Alpha Condé, was
In October 2014 [A/69/363/Add.3], the Secretary- declared the winner. The election, which saw a high
General proposed a total requirement of $5,112,800 turnout of voters, marked an important milestone
for the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed Commission for in the country’s democratic consolidation and was
2015, which acabq endorsed in December [A/69/628]. observed by more than 500 international and 13,000
The Assembly, in section IV of resolution 69/262 national observers. Though there were significant
[YUN 2014, p. 1631] approved the budgets of 35 special logistical and technical challenges, the election was
political missions listed in the table 6 of the Secretary- carried out peacefully.
General’s report [A/69/363/Corr.2], including the Mixed
Commission. Political and security developments
In October 2015 [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary- Reports of Secretary-General. In his June
General submitted requirements for the Came- [S/2015/472]and December [S/2014/1012] reports on the
roon–Nigeria Mixed Commission for 2016 totalling activities of unowa, the Secretary-General reported
$4,979,800, which acabq endorsed in November on the situation in Guinea. The Special Representative
[A/70/7/Add.13]. On 23 December, in section XX
of the Secretary-General conducted several missions
of resolution 70/248 A (see p. 734), the General to the country to support efforts to defuse tension
Assembly endorsed the recommendations of acabq and encourage political dialogue between the ruling
and approved budgets for the 36 special political party and the opposition. In his meetings with the
missions, including the Cameroon–Nigeria Mixed President, Government ministers, members of the
Commission, totalling $567,252,400. opposition parties and the ruling coalition, he reit-
erated the need to maintain national unity and cohe-
Nigeria sion and ensure the necessary conditions to respond
to the Ebola virus disease outbreak. In April, a UN
Political and security developments electoral needs assessment mission visited Guinea at
Reports of Secretary-General. The Secretary- the invitation of the Government and concluded that
General reviewed the situation in Nigeria in 2015 in his the conditions were not conducive to the holding of
June [S/2015/472] and December [S/2015/1012] reports on the local elections because of the lack of consensus on
the activities of unowa. Given the increasing political the electoral calendar.
tensions in the lead-up to the presidential, legislative, On 20 August, an agreement was reached paving
gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Nigeria the way for the holding of the presidential elections.
in March and April, the Special Representative of the Amid persistent disagreements over the implemen-
Secretary-General for West Africa travelled regularly tation of the agreement, the Special Representative
to Nigeria to engage with national stakeholders to continued to engage national stakeholders to create
defuse tensions, support efforts to prevent election- an environment conducive to the holding of peaceful,
related violence and encourage efforts to combat the inclusive and credible elections. In the run-up to the
terrorist group Boko Haram. election, he conducted several missions to Guinea to
Attacks by Boko Haram continued in Nigeria, defuse tensions and build confidence regarding the
despite increased military operations. Between July electoral process. On 11 October, incumbent President
and December, Boko Haram carried out at least 49 Condé was declared the winner, with 57.8 per cent of
attacks, causing more than 1,200 fatalities. It was es- the vote.
timated that Boko Haram-related violence had led to An assessment conducted by fao, ifad and wfp in
the displacement of 2.1 million people in northern late June revealed that food insecurity during the Eb-
Nigeria, including 1.2 million children. From 26 July ola virus disease outbreak affected nearly 1.9 million
to 1 August, the Special Representative, accompanied people in Guinea. With the effects of the outbreak
by the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the beginning to subside, it was expected that the coun-
Sahel, travelled to Abuja, where he established con- try’s economic growth would pick up over the next
tact with the newly appointed chiefs of the security few years.
114 Part One: Political and security questions

Peacebuilding Commission ing and harbouring each other’s rebel movements. A

political solution to the conflict in Darfur remained
The Peacebuilding Commission issued its annual elusive. Without an agreement on the national dia-
report covering its ninth (2015) session from 1 Janu- logue process or the cessation of hostilities, displace-
ary to 31 December [A/70/714-S/2016/115]. The Guinea ment continued to be the way of life for almost one
configuration of the Commission expressed its support third of the population of Darfur that were still in
for the agreement reached in August and, later, for camps, and for the communities that hosted them.
the holding of the presidential elections in October
Of some seven million people in the Sudan, 4.4
in a peaceful manner. The Peacebuilding Fund repro-
million relied on humanitarian aid for their survival,
grammed part of its resources to help prevent violent
including 2.6 million internally displaced persons.
incidents in Ebola-affected areas, in particular Guinée
Delays in the issuance or renewal of visas and re-
forestière, which was later declared to be the first jections by the Government of the Sudan impacted
Ebola-free region in the country. the ability of the African Union-United Nations
On several occasions, the Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Hybrid Operation in Darfur (unamid) to implement
Leone configurations provided updates on the crisis its mandate. The mandate of unamid was extended
to the wider membership. The continued interaction by Security Council resolution 2228(2015) until
among those three country configurations throughout 30 June 2016 (see p. 117).
the Ebola crisis, under the leadership of the Chair of The security situation in the Abyei Area remained
the Commission, constituted an important platform, generally calm though unpredictable. The Secretary-
from the outset of and during the crisis, for discussing General noted that the Governments of the Sudan and
and raising international awareness on the impact of South Sudan had to do more to respect and implement
the Ebola outbreak on long-term peacebuilding. their Abyei Agreement of 20 June 2011 [YUN 2011,
p. 195]. Both countries had continued to violate the
Mauritania Agreement and related Security Council resolutions
through the presence of their armed personnel within
In his June [S/2015/472] and December [S/2014/1012] the Abyei Area. A meeting of the Abyei Joint Oversight
reports on the activities of unowa, the Secretary- Committee had not been held since March 2015, and
General reported on Mauritania. Internal divisions the Joint Political and Security Mechanism had not
within the ruling political party, the Union for the held a meeting since its extraordinary meeting in Oc-
Republic, led to three cabinet reshuffles in less than a tober 2015. The United Nations Interim Security Force
year. Meanwhile, consultations aimed at an inclusive for Abyei (unisfa) facilitated a joint meeting between
national political dialogue started on 7 September, the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka communities in
following the indefinite postponement of the sena- October, the first face-to-face dialogue held between
torial elections initially scheduled for March. Unlike the two communities since May 2013. The mandate of
previous attempts, the dialogue initiative included unisfa was extended until 15 May 2016.
trade unions and representatives of civil society. The
National Forum for Democracy and Unity, the most
prominent coalition of opposition parties, declined to Political and security developments
participate amid allegations that the dialogue was in- Security Council consideration. During the
tended to pave the way for a constitutional amendment year, the Security Council discussed the situation
to allow the incumbent President, Mohamed Ould in the Sudan and South Sudan on 12 February
Abdel Aziz, to seek a third term. Earlier in August, [S/PV.7380], 24 February [S/PV.7392], 26 February
the National Assembly adopted a new anti-slavery law, [S/PV.7393], 3 March [S/PV.7396], 17 March [S/PV.7405],
in line with the road map approved by the Council 24 March [S/PV.7413], 14 May [S/PV.7444], 28 May [
of Ministers in March 2014. Ecowas Committee of S/PV.7451], 10 June [S/PV.7460], 17 June [S/PV.7464],
Chiefs of Defence Staff, at its 35th ordinary meeting, 29 June [S/PV.7475], 29 June [S/PV.7478], 14 July
held in Dakar, Senegal, in September, decided to in- [S/PV.7483], 25 August [S/PV.7511], 28 August [S/PV.7515],
clude Mauritania in the Gulf of Guinea maritime 9 October [S/PV.7532], 28 October [S/PV.7545], 2 De-
security structure. cember [S/PV.7570], 15 December [S/PV.7580], 15 De-
cember [S/PV.7581],15 December [S/PV.7582] and 17 De-
cember [S/PV.7586].
Horn of Africa Letters of Secretary-General. On 20 March
[S/2015/202], the Secretary-General transmitted to the
Sudan–South Sudan Security Council President a 9 March letter by the
President of the International Criminal Court (icc)
In 2015, tension in the border areas between and the decision issued by Pre-Trial Chamber II on
the Sudan and South Sudan continued, with both 9 March in the case of The Prosecutor v. Omar Has-
countries accusing the other of supporting, sponsor- san Ahmad Al Bashir.
Chapter II: Africa 115

On 11 December [S/2015/955], the Secretary- The Secretary-General also updated the Council
General transmitted to the Council President a on the three challenges that were impeding the effec-
19 November communication from the icc President tive discharge of the unamid mandate. Concerning
containing the decision issued by Trial Chamber IV the cooperation and partnership of the Government
of the Court in the case of The Prosecutor v. Abdallah in mandate implementation, over the course of 2014,
Banda Abakaer Nourain. the time taken to clear contingent-owned equipment
Communications. On 2 October [S/2015/756], and issue visas improved somewhat, and measures
the Sudan transmitted to the Security Council Pres- were taken to address denials of access. The overall
ident two decrees issued by President Bashir on the situation, however, remained a cause for concern. Re-
declaration of ceasefire for two months and the am- garding major shortfalls in several troop- and police-
nesty granted to the armed-group leaders who would contingent capabilities, the military component
participate in the National Dialogue Conference. undertook structural and compositional changes,
On 5 November [S/2015/842], the Sudan transmit- including the establishment of two additional sectors
ted a press release by the Chairperson of the African to improve command and control, and the reduction
Union (au) Commission on the positive developments of redundant staff officers, military observers, enablers
regarding the implementation of the September 2012 and combat units. The unamid police component
Cooperation Agreement between the Sudan and had completed the streamlining of its strength and
South Sudan. command and control structures. At the same time,
On 27 November [S/2015/916], the Sudan transmit- the police component had increased its operational
ted a letter dated 25 November from the Minister for flexibility, proactively deploying formed units and in-
Foreign Affairs of the Sudan concerning the Egyptian dividual officers in response to urgent security threats
elections held in October in the Sudanese district of and providing immediate protection to internally
Hala’ib and Shalatin. displaced persons. At most team sites, military and
police personnel were co-located and undertook some
operations jointly, including monthly and long-range
Darfur patrols. On the need for improved coordination and
Special report of Secretary-General. In March integration structures within the Operation and
[S/2015/163], the Secretary-General issued a special between the Operation and the UN country team,
report on the review of unamid, which had been unamid recalibrated its activities towards the three
requested by the Security Council in resolution strategic priorities, discontinued other tasks and con-
2173(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 306]. ducted a comprehensive assessment of and adjusted
Efforts towards an inclusive peace process included its structures, personnel and material capacity. In that
the continued high-level engagement of the au and context, 1,260 posts were identified for abolishment:
the UN Joint Special Representative and Joint Chief 770 by 31 March and the remaining 490 to follow
Mediator for Darfur with the parties towards direct during the subsequent budget year.
negotiations and the facilitation role of unamid in the In the light of evolving concerns about the
implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in protection of civilians and the need to promote a more
Darfur [YUN 2011, p. 220], which was very gradual and coordinated response to the challenges facing unamid
limited in progress. The Darfur Regional Authority in implementing its mandate, a joint unamid-country
indicated that 70 per cent of the 315 projects launched team task force was also established to revise the Op-
in the first phase of a three-phase programme under eration’s strategy for the protection of civilians, the
the Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund, finalization of which was continuing. Unamid con-
with funds from the Sudan, had been completed. tinued to review the ways in which it engaged with
Qatar provided $88.5 million in September 2014 the country team and the humanitarian country team
to support development projects, but only $10 mil- on matters pertaining to the protection of civilians.
lion had been disbursed to date. The Darfur internal Further collaboration was being undertaken on the
dialogue and consultation process was launched establishment and implementation of an effective
on 25 January 2015 following the provision of seed Darfur-wide early warning and response system,
money by Qatar, though 75 per cent of the funding which would include a monitoring and evaluation
required for the process had yet to be provided. In mechanism to assess the impact of the Operation’s
terms of protection of civilians, the most significant activities to protect civilians.
achievements were related to the establishment of pro- The humanitarian situation in many parts of
tective areas within, or in the vicinity of, the unamid Darfur had deteriorated significantly in 2014. Hu-
team sites at Saraf Omra and Korma, North Darfur, manitarian actors estimated that more than 450,000
and Khor Abeche, South Darfur, and instances in people fled their homes due to violence—the highest
which peacekeepers repelled or prevented attacks volume of displacement in any single year since the
against civilians at Kalma, Labado and Kabkabiya in peak of the crisis in 2004. Of the newly displaced,
South Darfur, East Darfur and North Darfur. at least 300,000 were estimated to have remained
116 Part One: Political and security questions

displaced, for the most part in established camps, jem/Gibril issued a statement in which it admitted
driving the number of internally displaced persons in that its troops had suffered heavy casualties in the
Darfur to more than 2.5 million, including 1.4 mil- Nikhara battle but maintained that the war in Darfur
lion children. was not over.
Communications. On 26 April [S/2015/291], the During the reporting period, 60 incidents and
Sudan informed the Security Council President about hostile acts against unamid and its personnel were
the incidents that took place in the locality of Kass recorded throughout Darfur, compared to 46 in the
in the State of Southern Darfur, where seven civil- previous period, while 24 restrictions against unamid
ians lost their lives, and many others were injured. were reported compared to 39 in the previous period.
The Sudan also transmitted the statement by its Min- A total of 40 criminal incidents against humanitarian
istry of Foreign Affairs, which asserted, inter alia, actors were recorded by unamid during the reporting
that unamid had been deliberately involved in the period, a relative decrease compared to 73 in the pre-
disproportionate, indiscriminate and excessive use of vious period.
force in violation of the rules of engagement that were A breakaway faction from sla/mm signed a peace
clearly stated in the status-of-forces agreement signed agreement with the Government of the Sudan in
by the Sudan, the au and the United Nations. N’Djamena on 26 March. The faction, known as
On 1 May [S/2015/308], the Sudan shared the state- the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-Reformist
ment issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which Group, was led by a former sla/mm commander
had asserted, among many other serious events, that and consisted of approximately 400 combatants. The
unamid had assassinated four innocent civilians in- agreement, mediated by the Government of Chad,
side the Operation’s camp. made no mention of the Doha Document for Peace
Report of Secretary-General (May). In May in Darfur [YUN 2011, p. 220] and provided for a general
[S/2015/378], pursuant to resolution 2173(2014) amnesty for the members of the group, the integra-
[YUN 2014, p. 306], the Secretary-General provided tion of a limited number of its combatants into the
an update and analysis of the conflict, the political Sudanese Armed Forces (saf) and the disarmament,
and operational environment in Darfur and achieve- demobilization and reintegration of the remainder
ments of unamid in implementing its revised strategic of its members. Those parallel initiatives, outside the
priorities, since his previous report [YUN 2014, p. 312]. Doha Document for Peace framework or the efforts of
In addition, he provided recommendations on trans- the au High-Level Implementation Panel, were aimed
ferring some mandated tasks of unamid to the UN at the fragmentation of the rebel movements by weak-
country team in the Sudan and on the development ening the movements individually and srf alliance
of an exit strategy for the Operation. more generally.
The reporting period was marked by an escala- No tangible progress had been made with regard
tion of hostilities between Government forces and to the direct negotiations between the Government of
the rebel factions, namely, the Sudan Liberation the Sudan and the non-signatories armed movements
Army faction Abdel Wahid (sla/aw), the sla faction of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, despite
Minni Minawi (sla/mm) and the Justice and Equality efforts by the au High-Level Implementation Panel,
Movement faction Gibril Ibrahim (jem/Gibril). Fight- the Joint Chief Mediator Abiodun Bashua and the
ing occurred mainly in the Jebel Marra area, subsid- Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sudan
ing from late March to mid-April when Government and South Sudan, as the direct talks had been sus-
forces directed their efforts away from Jebel Marra pended since late November 2014. Preparations for
towards securing electoral operations. The heavy de- the Sudanese national dialogue between the Govern-
ployment of Government forces during the election ment and the political opposition, armed movements
period led to a significant reduction in activity by and civil society representatives also reached a dead-
the armed movements. The national elections in the lock, with the failure to hold a pre-dialogue proce-
Sudan, which were boycotted by all major opposition dural meeting scheduled to take place in Addis Ababa
forces, took place from 13 to 16 April. On 27 April, on 29 and 30 March.
the National Elections Commission announced Progress in the implementation of the Doha Doc-
that President Bashir had won the presidential race ument for Peace by the Government, the Liberation
with 94.5 per cent of the vote and that the National and Justice Movement (ljm) and jem-Sudan remained
Congress Party (ncp) had secured a majority of 323 limited. At the end of February, ljm split and formed
out of 426 seats in the National Assembly. two new political parties.
Fighting resumed following the conclusion of In his special report (see p. 115), the Secretary-
the electoral process, when, on 26 April, the Rapid General had provided the Security Council with an
Support Forces reportedly ambushed a large Sudan analysis of the implementation of the strategic review
Revolutionary Front (srf) convoy of approximately of unamid, which concluded that the three strategic
300 vehicles coming from South Sudan. On 29 April, priorities of the Operation remained valid. Given the
Chapter II: Africa 117

situation and the progress made towards implement- made to ensure the participation of opposition parties
ing the strategic priorities of unamid and in address- and holdout stakeholders. During their meeting with
ing the main challenges identified by that review, the the au High-level Implementation Panel in Addis
Secretary-General recommended that the Council Ababa on 22 August, however, representatives of the
consider extending the mandate of the Operation for Sudanese armed and political opposition reiterated
12 months, until 30 June 2016, without modification. their refusal to participate in the national dialogue
Concerning the transfer of mandated tasks to and called for a new approach through the possible
the UN country team, unamid would continue to strengthening of the Panel by the Security Council
support efforts to achieve a comprehensive solution and the au Peace and Security Council. Between 19
to the Darfur conflict through the mediation led by and 23 August, the au Peace and Security Council
the au High-Level Implementation Panel and the im- visited the Sudan, including Darfur, and on 25 Au-
plementation of the Doha Document for Peace; the gust, issued a communiqué requesting the Govern-
country team would continue to, in close collabora- ment of the Sudan to desist from any actions that
tion with unamid, support the reintegration aspect of would undermine the holding of a credible and all-
the Doha Document planning and security arrange- inclusive national dialogue, and reiterated its call for
ments. With respect to the unamid exit strategy, the an urgent pre-national dialogue meeting to be held in
Secretary-General called on the Security Council and Addis Ababa under the auspices of the au High-level
the au Peace and Security Council to provide clear Implementation Panel.
direction, to allow a swift conclusion of the process. In his December report [S/2015/1027], the Secretary-
General noted that in September, the main opposition
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION groups, including the coalition known as the Sudan
On 29 June [meeting 7475], the Security Council unan- Call and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, had decided
imously adopted resolution 2228(2015). The draft to reject the government-led national dialogue and
[S/2015/482] was submitted by the United Kingdom. demanded a pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa
under the auspices of the au High-level Implementa-
Communication. In a 1 August letter [S/2015/594] tion Panel to agree on the modalities of the dialogue,
to the Security Council President, the Sudan trans- while at the same time offering a six-month cessation
mitted additional details regarding the alleged har- of hostilities. Despite the lack of consensus, President
bouring and support provided by South Sudan to the Bashir proceeded with preparations for the national
rebel movements acting against the Sudan. dialogue, and issued two decrees on 22 September,
Reports of Secretary-General (September and one to declare a two-month ceasefire in several con-
December). In response to Security Council resolu- flict areas, including Darfur, and another to offer
tion 2228(2015), the Secretary-General submitted a amnesty to members of the rebel groups choosing to
September report [S/2015/729] on unamid. Until mid- participate in the national dialogue. President Bashir
September, the conflict in Darfur was characterized further announced, on 19 October, that a referendum
by counter-insurgency military operations by the Gov- to determine the administrative status of Darfur
ernment of the Sudan with the objective of decreasing would be held in April 2016, as per the terms of the
the operational capability of the non-signatory armed Doha Document for Peace [YUN 2011, p. 220].
movements. In particular, Government forces focused On 19 November, the au High-level Implementa-
their efforts on dislodging sla/aw from its stronghold tion Panel convened talks between the Government,
in the Jebel Marra area and preventing two other the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (splm)-
armed groups, jem and sla/mm, from regrouping. North, and the Darfur armed movements in Addis
In the aftermath of the Sudanese national elections Ababa on the cessation of hostilities in Darfur and
in April and the formation of a new Government in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States (“the Two
June, the au High-level Implementation Panel con- Areas”). The talks on the cessation of hostilities in
tinued its engagement with stakeholders to gauge Darfur were attended by sla/mm and jem/Gibril
their views on prospects for the holding of a credible factions, but sla/aw did not participate. On 23 No-
and inclusive national dialogue in the Sudan. In his vember, the talks ended without an agreement on
meeting on 3 August with the Panel Chair, the Pres- either front, since the parties could not resolve some
ident of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, President Bashir of the contentious issues, such as the sequencing of
maintained that the national dialogue was a Sudan- the ceasefire and political dialogue. The pre-dialogue
owned process which had to take place within the meeting demanded by the armed movements as a pre-
country and that there was therefore no need for a requisite for the national dialogue, also scheduled to
pre-dialogue meeting in Addis Ababa. take place in Addis Ababa on 7 and 8 December under
In his meeting with the national dialogue the auspices of the Panel, did not materialize either.
preparatory committee on 5 August, President By the end of year, the verified number of new
Bashir indicated that the national dialogue would be internally displaced persons for 2015 remained at
launched on 10 October and that efforts would be about 100,000, while humanitarian partners were
118 Part One: Political and security questions

unable to confirm reports of an additional 66,000 Activities of ICC Prosecutor

internally displaced persons, owing mainly to access The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
constraints. A significant funding gap remained for (icc), Fatou Bensouda, reported to the Security Council
the Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan in 2015, in June and December on the activities undertaken by
with only 57 per cent of the total appeal of $1.04 bil- her Office regarding Darfur.
lion fulfilled. Limited progress was made in the im-
plementation of the Doha Document, owing in part Briefing the Council on 29 June [S/PV.7478], the
to the leadership struggle within the Darfur Regional icc Prosecutor stated that it had been six years since
Authority. the issuance of the first warrant of arrest against Pres-
ident Bashir. The determination of her Office to bring
The Secretary-General provided an update on independent and impartial justice to the people of the
the implementation of the strategic review recom- Sudan remained unshaken. President Bashir’s rapid
mendations. Concerning improved effectiveness and departure from South Africa proved that the warrants
streamlining of civilian personnel in unamid, the ab- of arrest against him were as valid as they were when
olition of 476 posts would take effect on 31 Decem- issued; they remained in full force and effect, and her
ber, beyond which those appointments would not be Office was committed to ensure that they were exe-
renewed. The vast majority of the affected personnel cuted. While President Bashir may have escaped the law
were national staff, for whom unamid started pro- in South Africa through an unanticipated and prema-
viding placement support. Concerning the transfer ture departure from the twenty-fourth au Summit, the
of mandated tasks from unamid to the UN country swift judicial action of South African courts was a shin-
team and an exit strategy, progress was made in trans- ing precedent that had to be emulated in other States.
ferring tasks related to access to justice, namely the The deteriorating security situation in Darfur con-
handover from unamid to undp of work related to tinued to be a matter of great concern. The Prosecutor
paralegals and the legal aid desk in the prison in El emphasized that her Office’s investigations into the
Fasher, although the country team continued to strug- alleged crimes committed in Darfur were continuing,
gle with the mobilization of resources to secure its field albeit not at the pace or intensity she would have liked.
presence. As for an exit strategy, the United Nations Her Office had finite resources and a heavy caseload
Deputy Secretary-General, the Deputy Chairperson and was therefore struggling to commit to full, active
of the au Commission, and the Foreign Minister of investigations of the ongoing crimes in Darfur. On
the Sudan held a meeting on 29 September to dis- 26 June, the icc Pre-Trial Chamber found that the
cuss the framework of cooperation for achieving the Government of the Sudan was in non-compliance
benchmarks of unamid, as the basis for its eventual for its failure to arrest and surrender Abdel Raheem
exit from Darfur, with further discussions on the exit Muhammad Hussein to the icc. That was in addition
strategy scheduled for January 2016. to the 9 March finding of the same Pre-Trial Chamber
Communication. In a 15 October letter that the Sudan had failed to cooperate with the icc by
[S/2015/796] to the Security Council President, the not arresting and surrendering President Bashir.
Sudan noted that, as at 14 October, the competent In her 15 December briefing to the Council
Sudanese authorities had granted customs clearance [S/PV.7582], the Prosecutor stated that the individuals
for unamid containers. against whom the icc arrest warrants had been issued
Appointments. On 22 October [S/2015/817], the remained at large. Ten years had elapsed since the
Secretary-General informed the Security Council Pres- Council had concluded that the situation in Darfur, the
ident of his intention, as well as that of the Chairperson Sudan, constituted a threat to international peace and
of the au Commission, to appoint Martin Ihoeghian security. Despite her repeated requests for the Council
Uhomoibhi (Nigeria) as the au -UN Joint Special to take action with respect to the Sudan’s blatant dis-
Representative for Darfur and Head of unamid, with regard of its obligations, and in violation of Council res-
responsibilities including those of au-UN Joint Chief olutions, her appeals continued to be unheeded. Pres-
Mediator, succeeding Abiodun Oluremi Bashua (Ni- ident Bashir was not only a fugitive from justice who
geria). On 26 October [S/2015/818], the Council took continued to travel across international borders, but
note of the Secretary-General’s intention. he also harboured other fugitives and refused to facili-
On 11 December [S/2015/959], the Secretary- tate their surrender and transfer to the icc to be tried.
General informed the Council of his intention, as well Only strong and committed action by the Council and
as that of the Chairperson of the au Commission, to Member States would stop grave crimes from being
appoint Lieutenant General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi committed in Darfur and ensure that the perpetrators
(Rwanda) as Force Commander of unamid, succeed- of past crimes were held accountable.
ing Lieutenant General Paul Ignace Mella (Tanzania),
who would complete his assignment on 31 December. Sanctions
On the same day [S/2015/960], the Council took note of In response to human rights abuses and a deteriorat-
the Secretary-General’s letter. ing humanitarian situation in the region, the Security
Chapter II: Africa 119

Council, by resolution 1556(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 240], Twenty-eight children (9 girls, 19 boys) were report-
imposed an arms embargo on all non-governmental edly killed and 32 injured (7 girls, 25 boys) after shell-
entities and individuals operating in Darfur, includ- ing by the armed forces of splm-n-controlled areas. A
ing the Janjaweed militias. By resolution 1591(2005) further 42 children were reportedly killed or maimed
[YUN 2005, p. 319], the Council imposed a travel ban and as a result of tribal clashes. One school and two hos-
asset freeze and established a Committee to oversee pitals run by ngos were severely damaged in aerial
implementation of the sanctions against individuals bombardments by the armed forces on splm - n - held
to be designated by that Committee. As requested in territories, affecting access to education and medical
that resolution, the Secretary-General had, in 2005, care for over 75,000 children. Access to Government
established a Panel of Experts [ibid., p. 322], which was and splm-n-controlled areas remained very challeng-
mandated to assist the Committee in monitoring ing. For the first time, the United Nations was granted
implementation of the arms embargo and sanctions; limited access to Kurmuk and Bau localities in Blue
make recommendations to the Committee on possi- Nile. Access to Abyei through Kadugli continued to
ble Council action; and provide information on indi- be difficult.
viduals who impeded the peace process, committed Darfur continued to experience intermittent fight-
violations of international law, or were responsible for ing between Government forces and non-signatory
offensive military overflight. By resolution 1945(2010) armed groups, with a spike from January to May and in
[YUN 2010, p. 270], the Council strengthened the arms December, following the launch of the Government’s
embargo and clarified the exceptions to that measure. “Decisive Summer” military offensive. In March, eye-
By resolution 2200(2015), the Council extended the witnesses reported the presence of boys aged between
mandate of the Panel of Experts until 12 March 2016. 15 and 17 years during a rapid support forces parade in
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Nyala, South Darfur. Another report mentioned that
an estimated 37 children were seen carrying machine
On 12 February [meeting 7380], the Security Council guns in El Daein, East Darfur. Moreover, 197 children
unanimously adopted resolution 2200(2015). The (135 boys, 62 girls) were killed (65) and maimed (132)
draft [S/2015/97] was submitted by the United States. by crossfire during fighting between government forces
Appointments. By a 12 March letter [S/2015/180], and armed groups and in aerial bombardments by the
the Secretary-General informed the Security Council armed forces. In addition, 15 children were killed and
President that he had appointed five experts from 29 injured by explosive remnants of war. Forty-eight
the areas of international humanitarian law, regional incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence
issues, aviation, finance and weapons, to serve on the affecting 60 girls were verified and attributed to the
Panel of Experts. Sudan’s armed forces (15), the country’s rapid support
forces (10) and unidentified armed men (35).
Security Council Committee. On 31 December
[S/2015/991], the Chairman of the Security Council Com- Furthermore, the United Nations received allega-
mittee established pursuant to resolution 1591(2005) tions of the rape of 200 women, including children, by
concerning the Sudan transmitted to the Council a the armed forces in Thabit, North Darfur, in October.
report on the Committee’s activities in 2015. The Com- On 9 November, unamid conducted a mission to in-
mittee held four informal consultations on 14 January, vestigate the allegations, which could not be verified,
6 May, 20 August and 18 December. It also convened as security personnel were present during unamid
two formal meetings on 29 May and 23 November. interactions with the community, and unamid had
During the period under review, no exemption requests since continued to face restrictions in its effort to
or notifications were received by the Committee, and access Thabit. On 6 August, the Minni Minawi fac-
four individuals remained on the sanctions list. tion of sla-mm established an operational mechanism
to end recruitment and use of children. On 26 No-
Children and armed Conflict vember, unamid, unicef and the Sudan commission
In response to Security Council resolution on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration
2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General launched the Darfur-wide campaign entitled “No
submitted a June report on children and armed con- Child Soldiers—Protect Darfur” in Masseriah, North
flict [A/69/926-S/2015/409], which included developments Darfur. Limited progress was observed in holding the
concerning the situation in the Sudan from January to perpetrators of violations against children accountable.
December 2014. Conflict continued in South Kordo- The Secretary-General urged the Government of the
fan and Blue Nile, where large areas remained inac- Sudan to finalize and sign the action plan to address
cessible, especially those under the control of armed recruitment and use of children by its security forces.
groups. The United Nations verified the recruitment of
60 boys, aged 14 to 17 years, by the jem and splm-n. UNAMID
At least 12 incidents, were reported, in which 62 The African Union-United Nations Hybrid
children, aged 5 to 17 years, were killed or maimed. Operation in Darfur (unamid) was established in 2007
120 Part One: Political and security questions

by Security Council resolution 1769(2007) [YUN 2007, noted that in connection with the financing for the
p. 251] as the first au-UN hybrid peacekeeping mission, 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016,
replacing the au Mission in the Sudan (amis). By res- the General Assembly needed appropriate the amount
olution 2148(2014) of 3 April [YUN 2014, p. 302], the of $1,133,268,800 for the maintenance of unamid if
Council endorsed the revised priorities of unamid, the Security Council decided to extend the mandate
namely the protection of civilians, the facilitation of the Operation.
of the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
safety and security of humanitarian personnel; me-
diation between the Government and non-signatory On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
armed movements; and support to the mediation of on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
community conflict. [A/69/687/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/261 B (Fi-
By resolution 2228(2015) of 29 June (see p. 117), nancing of the African Union-United Nations
the Security Council extended the unamid mandate Hybrid Operation in Darfur) without vote [agenda
until 30 June 2016. item 166].
Communications. On 19 June [S/2015/464], the The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
Sudan informed the Security Council President that 23 December, decided that the agenda item on unamid
the draft resolution circulated to the Council on the financing remained for consideration during its re-
extension of unamid undermined the Doha Docu- sumed seventieth (2016) session.
ment for Peace in Darfur and called for the creation
of a new alternative track. On 25 June [S/2015/484], the Abyei Area
Sudan noted that none of its reservations and con- Report of Secretary-General (January). In
cerns stated in its 19 June letter had been taken into a January report [S/2015/77], submitted pursuant to
consideration. Security Council resolution 2179(2014) [YUN 2014,
p. 327], the Secretary-General reported on the situa-
Financing
tion in the Abyei Area and on the deployment and
The report of the Secretary-General on the budget operations of the United Nations Interim Security
performance of unamid for the period from 1 July Force for Abyei (unisfa), providing an update since
2013 to 30 June 2014 [A/69/673] showed an expend- his previous report [YUN 2014, p. 330].
iture of $1,264,491,000 gross ($1,239,865,700 The Sudan continued to maintain from 120 to
net) against an apportionment of $1,335,248,000 150 oil police personnel inside the Diffra oil complex
gross ($1,311,855,300 net). The Secretary-General (northern Abyei), in violation of the Agreement of
recommended that the General Assembly decide 20 June 2011 and multiple Security Council resolu-
on the treatment of the unencumbered balance of tions [YUN 2014, p. 321]. Despite efforts by unisfa to
$70,757,000 and of other income and adjustments prevent incursions of armed groups into the area, sev-
amounting to $46,624,400. eral incidents occurred during the reporting period,
In March [A/69/808], the Secretary-General sub- causing civilian injuries and fatalities and significantly
mitted budget proposals for the period from 1 July increasing the level of tension between communities.
2015 to 30 June 2016, amounting $1,135,518,100 As at 26 January, approximately 35,000 Misseriya no-
gross ($1,111,158,900 net). The budget provided for mads had entered the territory, concentrated mainly
the deployment of 147 military observers, 15,698 in the northern areas of the country. With regard to
military contingent personnel, 1,583 United Nations the Ngok Dinka previously displaced within Abyei,
police officers, 1,820 formed police personnel, 962 there was no significant increase in the number re-
international staff, 2,277 national staff, 167 United turning to their place of origin; their total number
Nations Volunteers, 6 Government-provided person- remained at approximately 81,000. The relationship
nel and 99 staff holding temporary positions. He rec- between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communi-
ommended that the Assembly appropriate the amount ties remained tense. In the absence of law-and-order
of $1,135,518,100 for the 12-month period from institutions in the Abyei Area, unisfa had supported
1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016; and assess the amount the establishment of community protection commit-
of $94,626,508 should the Security Council decide to tees with Ngok Dinka communities and had proposed
continue the mandate of unamid. establishing them in Misseriya communities.
In May [A/69/839/Add.6], the Advisory Committee From 11 to 15 January 2015, the new Force Com-
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) mander of unisfa, Major General Birhanu Jula
recommended that the unencumbered balance Gelalcha, travelled to Khartoum and Juba and en-
of $70,757,000 for the period from 1 July 2013 to couraged both sides to resume dialogue and work
30 June 2014, as well as other income and adjustments constructively towards resuming the implementation
in the amount of $46,211,200 for the period ended of the Agreement of 20 June 2011 in the Abyei Area:
30 June 2014, be credited to Member States. Acabq including by immediately reconvening the meetings
Chapter II: Africa 121

of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee and explor- and on the deployment and operations of unisfa.
ing traditional mechanisms for the settlement of the The security situation in the Abyei Area remained
dispute over the assassination of the Ngok Dinka relatively calm, despite tensions emanating from the
Paramount Chief, Kuol Deng Kuol, on 4 May 2013 unauthorized presence of security elements from both
[YUN 2013, p. 224]. the Sudan and South Sudan, and the recurrent influx
The Sudanese Co-Chair of the Committee reaf­ of small and medium-sized arms. The Sudan contin-
firmed the Sudan’s commitment to cooperating ued to maintain from 120 to 150 oil police person-
with unisfa and implementing the Agreement of nel inside the Diffra oil complex in northern Abyei,
20 June 2011, including the establishment of the joint in violation of the Agreement of 20 June 2011 and
temporary institutions. He voiced his Government’s multiple Security Council resolutions. Unisfa also re-
concern, however, regarding what he described as uni- ported incursions and the presence of small numbers
lateral measures taken by the Ngok Dinka community of armed personnel of the Sudan People’s Liberation
and South Sudan over the administration of Abyei. In Army (spla) in southern Abyei, in contravention of
Juba, South Sudan officials reiterated that, given the the same Agreement and Council resolutions. Sev-
Ngok Dinka community’s hostility towards the Joint eral armed attacks, which resulted in loss of life,
Oversight Committee, they could meet only at a neu- abductions and the theft of livestock, undermined
tral venue outside Abyei. the security of the civilian population and increased
None of the Joint Border Verification and Moni­ intercommunal tensions during the reporting period.
toring Mechanism aerial patrols scheduled during On 2 March, Marial Achak, located 35 km east of
the reporting period took place, due to various fac- Abyei town, was attacked by approximately 100
tors, including the temporary unavailability of air- armed individuals from the Misseriya community,
craft, the denial of security clearances by the Sudan which resulted in the loss of three lives, the abduction
and South Sudan, and the tense security situation of two boys and two girls and the destruction of 24
in the vicinity of Kadugli. No meeting of the Joint houses. Unisfa responded swiftly and apprehended
Political Security Mechanism was called to address eight of the armed individuals, one of whom was a
the remaining disputes on the location of the Safe logistics officer from a local militia group, Tora Bora,
Demilitarized Border Zone. and one who identified himself as an saf intelligence
As at 26 January, the unisfa military component officer; the Government of the Sudan denied that an
stood at 4,036 (96 military observers, 95 staff officers saf officer had participated in the attack. From 2 Jan-
and 3,845 troops) of the authorized 5,326 personnel. uary to 31 March, the United Nations Mine Action
The police component stood at 26 police officers from Service (unmas) teams cleared 84 km of routes within
seven different police-contributing countries out of an the Abyei Area and verified the safety of an additional
authorized 50 personnel. 125 km. The new Head of Mission, Haile Tilahun
To address the deteriorating security environment Gebremariam, assumed his duties on 16 February.
in the Abyei Area, unisfa planned to invite once again He pressed the Governments of the Sudan and South
both Governments to a high-level security meeting. Sudan for a rapid resumption of the meetings of the
The Secretary-General urged the Sudan to participate Abyei Joint Oversight Committee.
in the meeting and to undertake, with unisfa, a joint Following the meeting of the au Peace and Security
assessment of the security requirements for the Diffra Council on 24 March, the ninth meeting of the Abyei
oil complex. He urged South Sudan to support the Joint Oversight Committee was held in Addis Ababa
resumption of and participate in meetings of the Joint on 29 and 30 March, after a lapse of almost two years.
Oversight Committee without preconditions. The After extensive discussions, the parties agreed to con-
Secretary-General also called on the au Commission vene a traditional leaders’ meeting during the last
to make public the outcome of its investigation into week of April in Addis Abba, under the facilitation
the assassination of the Ngok Dinka Paramount of the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee, the au
Chief, in order to help the two communities find clo- and the United Nations. The meeting, however, was
sure on that issue. postponed to the second week of May owing to the
participation of the Co-Chair for the Sudan in the
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION general elections in his country, where he stood as a
On 26 February [meeting 7393], the Security Council member of parliament in Western Kordofan. Presi-
unanimously adopted resolution 2205(2015). The dential, parliamentary and State legislature elections
draft [S/2015/134] was submitted by France, the United were held in the Sudan from 13 to 16 April with no
Kingdom and the United States. security incidents occurring. During the reporting
period, the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring
Reports of Secretary-General (April and June). Mechanism conducted only one aerial monitoring
In an April report [S/2015/302], submitted pursuant to mission, on 25 March.
Security Council resolution 2205(2015), the Secretary- As at 7 April, the unisfa military component stood
General reported on the situation in the Abyei Area at 4,066 personnel (120 military observers, 101 staff
122 Part One: Political and security questions

officers and 3,845 troops), out of an authorized 5,326. mittee in March was a positive development and
The police component stood at 29 police officers from called upon both the Sudan and South Sudan to
six police contributing countries, out of an authorized support the convening of the meeting of traditional
50 personnel. In view of the failure by the parties to leaders, which was originally scheduled to be held in
establish the Abyei Police Service, which unisfa was April. He requested the Security Council to extend
mandated to advise and train, the remaining author- the mandate of unisfa for six months (see p. 124).
ized officers were not deployed.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
In a June report [S/2015/439], the Secretary-General
provided an update on the situation in the Abyei Area, On 14 July [meeting 7483], the Security Council
noting that the security situation remained relatively unanimously adopted resolution 2230(2015). The
calm but unpredictable. The Sudan continued to draft [S/2015/531] was submitted by France, the United
maintain between 120 and 150 oil police personnel Kingdom and the United States.
inside the Diffra oil complex in northern Abyei, in vi-
olation of the Agreement of 20 June 2011 and Security Reports of Secretary-General (September and
Council resolutions. In addition, the presence of small November). In a September report [S/2015/700], the
numbers of armed personnel of the spla was observed Secretary-General provided an update on the situa-
in parts of southern Abyei, in contravention of the tion in the Abyei Area and on the deployment and
same Agreement and Council resolutions. operations of unisfa.
With the onset of the rainy season, Misseriya The overall security situation in the Abyei Area
nomads began their seasonal migration northward remained stable but unpredictable, with no major
within the Abyei Area. The total Misseriya population clashes between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya com-
in the Abyei Area was estimated at 11,000. There was munities. The Sudan continued to maintain between
no increase in the number of returns of internally 120 and 150 oil police personnel inside the Diffra
displaced Ngok Dinka during the period. oil complex in northern Abyei, in violation of the
Agreement of 20 June 2011 and Security Council res-
Unmas teams continued to clear and verify routes olutions. In addition, the presence of small numbers
and survey and dispose of explosive hazards through- of suspected armed personnel of the spla and armed
out the Abyei Area, and to collect information on Sudanese police personnel was observed, in contra-
the presence of explosive hazards by conducting non- vention of the same Agreement and Council resolu-
technical surveys in 37 villages, resulting in the re- tions. Reverse migration had resulted in a significant
moval of 650 items of abandoned explosive ordnance. reduction in the number of Misseriya migrants pres-
The Joint Border Verification and Monitoring ent in the Abyei Area.
Mechanism carried out its mandate of aerial veri- Unisfa facilitated 36 Joint Security Committee
fication and monitoring; of the six planned aerial meetings with traditional and community leaders in
monitoring missions, however, one was cancelled due the Abyei Area, conducted 3,752 day, night and special
to unavailability of aircraft and two due to the refusal patrols and undertook 599 escorts. A number of viola-
of the local spla brigade commander to provide land- tions of the Agreement of 20 June 2011 were recorded.
ing clearances. An assessment team from unisfa, the The traditional leaders’ dialogue meeting did not take
UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the place and an alternative date had yet to be set.
UN Department of Field Support conducted a detailed As a follow-up to the assessment of the Joint Border
assessment of the Mechanism’s operations, noting that Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and recom-
political impediments represented the most important mendations presented in June (see p. 121), the Force
challenge to the Mechanism’s operations. Commander held consultations with the Government
The Joint Political and Security Mechanism, es- of the Sudan and the au High-level Implementation
tablished by the Sudan and South Sudan as a part Panel to consult the parties on the conclusions of
of the Agreement of 29 June 2011 to resolve political the initial assessment and on a possible way forward.
and security issues, had not met since May 2013, even Meanwhile, South Sudan continued to deny unisfa/
though the parties had agreed in April 2013 that or- Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism
dinary meetings would be convened every 45 days. landing permissions, in violation of Security Council
The unisfa military component stood at 4,064 resolutions and the Status of Forces Agreement.
personnel (119 military observers, 101 staff officers The Secretary-General proposed adjustments to in-
and 3,844 troops), of an authorized 5,326; while the crease the operational effectiveness of the Mechanism.
police component stood at 28 police officers (21 men Those included improved capability to conduct aerial
and 7 women) from six police-contributing countries, patrolling; air monitoring, followed by ground veri-
of an authorized 50 personnel. The total number of fication and investigation teams dispatched directly
civilian staff stood at 219. from the sector headquarters if required; and an end
The Secretary-General observed that the meeting to the practice of requiring approval of monthly aerial
of the Co-Chairs of the Abyei Joint Oversight Com- patrol plans, which defeated the purpose and intent
Chapter II: Africa 123

of monitoring and verification missions in the Safe Ababa under the facilitation of the au High-level Im-
Demilitarized Border Zone. plementation Panel for the Sudan and South Sudan,
The unisfa military component stood at 4,338 the parties accepted the map of the Safe Demilitarized
personnel (116 military observers/staff officers and Border Zone presented to them by the Panel in No-
4,222 troops), of an authorized 5,326; while the vember 2011, and agreed to its centreline as the loca-
police component stood at 24 police officers (19 men tion of the separation line between the armed forces of
and 5 women) from six police-contributing countries, the Sudan and South Sudan. The parties stated that
of an authorized 50 personnel. The total number of their recognition of the Safe Demilitarized Border
civilian staff stood at 226. The Sudan issued 118 visas Zone and its centreline would not have any bearing
for unisfa personnel, with 102 visas pending. on the definitive and final location of the boundary
between the two countries and would not affect the
The Secretary-General observed that the comple-
current administrative arrangements obtained in any
tion of the South Sudan negotiation process, led by
area in the Zone. During the reporting period, the
the Intergovernmental Authority on Development,
Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism
and the signing of the Agreement on the Resolution
continued to face numerous challenges in the imple-
of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan on
mentation of its aerial verification and monitoring
17 and 26 August, respectively, would also have a
mandate, owing to the denial of landing permissions
positive impact on relations between the Sudan and
by South Sudan.
South Sudan.
As at 31 October, the unisfa military component
In a November report [S/2015/870], the Secretary- stood at 4,515 personnel (224 military observers/staff
General noted that the security situation in the Abyei officers and 4,291 troops), of an authorized 5,326;
Area had remained calm between September and the while the police component stood at 23 police officers
end of October. No clashes occurred between the (18 men and 5 women) from six police-contributing
Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities, with the countries, of an authorized 50 personnel. The total
rainy season helping to keep the two communities number of civilian staff stood at 233. The Sudan issued
apart. The Sudan continued to maintain approxi- 123 visas for unisfa personnel, with 98 visas pending.
mately 80 to 110 oil police personnel inside the Dif-
fra oil complex in northern Abyei, in violation of the The Secretary-General observed that the signing,
Agreement of 20 June 2011 and Security Council reso- on 17 and 26 August, of the Agreement on the Reso-
lutions. In addition, as first observed on 23 August, the lution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan
Sudanese authorities continued the earthwork excava- and the prospect of an end to the conflict there offered
tion in Diffra, designed to improve the oil installation a fresh opportunity to refocus attention on Abyei to
defences, in the presence of approximately 30 armed advance the implementation of the Abyei Agreement
policemen. Sudanese national monitors maintained of 20 June 2011 and the agreements on border security
that unisfa had no right to prevent a civilian company of September 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 207]. The new posi-
from carrying out work in Sudanese territory, and that tive momentum witnessed in the relations between
any attempt to stop the work would be a breach of the two Governments had the potential to resusci-
the sovereignty of the Sudan. With regard to seasonal tate the implementation of the Agreement of 20 June
migration, unisfa troops reported Misseriya herders 2011 and translate into a sustainable improvement of
heading towards the Abyei Area slightly earlier than border security. He also took note of the reservations
usual for the start of the new dry season. expressed by the Sudan about his decision to appoint
a civilian Head of Mission of unisfa, an appointment
As part of its plans for the dry season, unisfa con- that was welcomed by the Security Council in its res-
tinued efforts to promote grass-roots-level dialogue olution 2205(2015) (see p. 121).
between the Misseriya and Ngok Dinka communi-
ties. The consultations culminated in a joint meeting SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
between the two communities in Todach, an area be-
tween Abyei town and Diffra, on 7 October, which On 15 December [meeting 7580], the Security Council
represented the first face-to-face dialogue held be- unanimously adopted resolution 2251(2015). The
tween the Misseriya and the Ngok Dinka commu- draft [S/2015/966] was submitted by the United States.
nities to discuss issues of common concern since the Year-end developments. In a later report
assassination of the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief in [S/2016/353],the Secretary-General noted that on
May 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 224]. While the two delega- 11 November, following a six-week pause due to flood-
tions found common ground on several issues, they ing, the Government of the Sudan resumed excavation
did not reach agreement on the market’s precise site work designed to improve the Diffra oil installation
and location. defences, in the presence of some 30 armed police
On 14 October, at an extraordinary session of the personnel. In December, contractors from the Sudan
Joint Political and Security Mechanism—the first to finished digging a trench along a circumference of
be held since May 2013—that took place in Addis approximately 75 km around the installation, leav-
124 Part One: Political and security questions

ing the oil facilities entirely encircled by the trench, gross ($252,547,700 net) against an apportionment
but maintaining vehicular access via road. Also on of $329,108,600 gross ($327,025,900 net). The
11 November, unmas conducted its first weapons and Secretary-General recommended that the General
ammunition destruction exercise at the weapons and Assembly decide on the treatment of the unencum-
ammunition management facility located in Dukra in bered balance of $73,745,600 and of other income
the central sector. A total of 96 light weapons and over and adjustments amounting to $8,721,600.
5,500 rounds of small arms ammunition confiscated The Assembly also had before it a February report
by unisfa troops throughout the Abyei Area were de- of the Secretary-General [A/69/740] on the unisfa
stroyed. A meeting of the Abyei Joint Oversight Com- budget for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June
mittee had not been held since March 2015, and the 2016, which amounted to $279,920,400 gross
Joint Political and Security Mechanism had not held ($277,582,400 net). The budget provided for the de-
a meeting since October 2015. ployment of 225 military observers, 5,101 military
contingent personnel, 50 United Nations police of-
UNISFA ficers, 168 international staff, 98 national staff and
The United Nations Interim Security Force for 32 United Nations Volunteers, including temporary
Abyei (unisfa) was established in 2011 by Security positions.
Council resolution 1990(2011) [YUN 2011, p. 195] for In April [A/69/839/Add.16], acabq recommended
an initial period of six months following the vio- that the General Assembly appropriate the amount of
lence and population displacement that occurred in $278,374,300 for the maintenance of unisfa for the
the Abyei Area as southern Sudan was preparing to 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016,
declare its independence from the Sudan. The Area, if the Security Council decided to extend its mandate;
straddling northern and southern Sudan, was claimed and that the unencumbered balance of $73,745,600
by both sides. Unisfa was deployed in the wake of for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014,
the 20 June 2011 Agreement [ibid.] between the Gov- as well as other income/adjustments amounting to
ernment of the Sudan and splm to withdraw their $8,721,600 for the period ended 30 June 2014, be
respective forces and allow Ethiopian peacekeepers in credited to Member States.
Abyei. It was tasked with monitoring the border and The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and was 23 December, decided that the agenda item on unisfa
authorized to use force to protect civilians and hu- financing remained for consideration during its re-
manitarian workers. By resolution 2024(2011) [ibid., sumed seventieth (2016) session.
p. 205], the unisfa mandate was broadened to include
tasks in support of the Joint Border Verification and GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Monitoring Mechanism. The Council, by resolution On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
2104(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 226], increased the author- on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
ized unisfa troop ceiling to 5,326. In 2014, by reso- [A/69/955], adopted resolution 69/294 (Financing
lutions 2156(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 323] and 2179(2014) of the United Nations Interim Security Force for
[YUN 2014, p. 327], the Council extended the unisfa
Abyei) without vote [agenda item 149].
mandate until 15 October 2014 and 28 February
2015, respectively.
By resolution 2251(2015) of 15 December (see UNMIS
p. 123), the Security Council extended the unisfa The United Nations Mission in the Sudan (unmis)
mandate until 15 May 2016. was established by Security Council resolution
Appointment. On 21 January [S/2015/52], the 1590(2005) [YUN 2005, p. 304] to support implemen-
Secretary-General informed the Security Council tation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement [ibid.,
President of his intention to appoint Haile Tilahun p. 301]; facilitate and coordinate the voluntary return
Gebremariam (Ethiopia) as unisfa Head of Mission, of refugees and internally displaced persons; assist
succeeding Lieutenant-General Yohannes Ge- with demining; and protect and promote human
bremeskel Tesfamariam (Ethiopia), who completed rights. The unmis mandate ended on 9 July 2011 with
his assignment on 19 June 2014. On 26 January the establishment of South Sudan as an independent
[S/2015/53], the Council took note of the Secretary- country on that date. Unmis was closed by 31 August
General’s intention. 2011 and its administrative liquidation was completed
by 31 December 2011.
Financing
In a March report [A/69/611 & Corr.1], the Secretary- Financing
General submitted the budget performance of In a final performance report on the financing of
unisfa for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June unmis [A/69/579], the Secretary-General summarized
2014, which showed an expenditure of $255,363,000 information on the assets, outstanding liabilities and
Chapter II: Africa 125

fund balance as at 30 June 2014, which included a gotiations, primarily the formula for power-sharing
fund balance of $28,095,000 and an available cash during a transitional period leading to elections, the
balance of $21,352,000. He recommended that the timing of the integration of armed forces, and the
General Assembly credit to Member States the cash timing of the consideration of federalism.
balance of $21,352,000 available in the unmis special South Sudan concluded that executive power dur-
account as at 30 June 2014. In March [A/69/848], acabq ing the transition should remain with the President
recommended that the Assembly approve crediting and the Vice-President, offering splm/a in Opposi-
the cash balance to Member States as recommended tion the position of Prime Minister without executive
by the Secretary-General. power. Splm/a in Opposition concluded that an
executive Prime Minister from splm/a in Opposi-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tion should lead the transitional Government, with
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, a ceremonial head of state; that the Government
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee and splm/a in Opposition should maintain separate
[A/69/952], adopted resolution 69/303 (Financing of armies throughout the transitional period until the
the United Nations Mission in the Sudan) without holding of elections; and that South Sudan should be
vote [agenda item 163]. immediately reorganized as a federation of 21 States.
On 12 January 2015, during a visit to Sudan, the
South Sudan Foreign Minister of China hosted a meeting in Khar-
toum between South Sudan and splm/a in Opposi-
Two important milestones towards ending the tion. The parties agreed to a Five Point Plan, which
twenty-month-long conflict occurred in August provided for the parties to work to stop hostilities;
when the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/ speed up the pace of negotiations towards a transi-
Army (splm/a) in Opposition and the former de- tional government; implement all signed agreements
tainees signed the Agreement on the Resolution of in good faith; take concrete steps to relieve the hu-
the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, which manitarian situation in conflict-affected areas; and en-
was later signed by the Government of South Sudan. sure the safety of personnel and assets of international
Subsequently, South Sudan and splm/a in Opposi- entities operating in South Sudan.
tion decreed a permanent ceasefire on 29 August.
The Secretary-General repeatedly called upon Pres- From 28 to 31 January, President Kiir of South
ident Salva Kiir of South Sudan and the former Vice- Sudan and Mr. Machar, the leader of splm/a in
President and the leader of splm/a in Opposition, Opposition, met in Addis Ababa for direct negotia-
Riek Machar, to resolve differences and establish the tions, focusing on the issue of power-sharing. While
Transitional Government of National Unity, an essen- the consultations failed to deliver an agreement, on
tial step in the implementation of the peace agreement 1 February, the two leaders signed a document enti-
and towards laying the foundation for peace and tled Areas of Agreement on the Establishment of the
stability in South Sudan. The first meeting of the Transitional Government of National Unity in the
Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission was Republic of South Sudan.
attended by both the Government of South Sudan On the security situation front, despite their re-
and splm/a in Opposition in December. During the peated pledges to end the fighting, the two parties
year, the Security Council extended the mandate of continued sporadic military engagements in Jonglei,
the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (unmiss) Unity and Upper Nile States. On 6 February, the
twice, first until 15 December 2015 and then until igad Monitoring and Verification Mechanism re-
31 July 2016. leased the latest summary of violations of the Cessa-
tion of Hostilities Agreement, totalling 26 violations
since its deployment on 1 April 2014. Ten violations
Political and security developments
were attributed to the spla of South Sudan and twelve
Report of Secretary-General (February). In a to splm/a in Opposition, while four were attributed
February report [S/2015/118], submitted pursuant to to both parties.
Security Council resolution 2187(2014) [YUN 2014, Unmiss continued to pursue a three-tiered strategy
p. 343], the Secretary-General reported on major devel- to protect civilians. Under the first tier, protection
opments in South Sudan and on the implementation through conflict resolution, unmiss continued to
of the mandate of unmiss. promote locally owned interventions to address
At the sixth Summit of the Intergovernmental intercommunal violence. Under tier two, provision of
Authority on Development (igad) Heads of State and physical protection to civilians under imminent threat
Government (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6–7 November of violence, unmiss continued to provide protection
2014), the participants demanded that South Sudan to about 112,900 internally displaced persons at seven
and splm/a in Opposition end all hostilities and con- protection of civilians sites, including over 53,000
sult on the core issues impeding progress in the ne- in Bentiu, 35,000 in Juba and 21,000 in Malakal.
126 Part One: Political and security questions

Under tier three, unmiss and the UN country team process. The Government of South Sudan argued that
continued to engage the parties and other protection the imposition of sanctions was counterproductive to
stakeholders, such as the igad Monitoring and Ver- the peace process and harmful to the ordinary cit-
ification Mechanism, in the creation of a protective izens of South Sudan, while splm/a in Opposition
environment for civilians. and other opposition political parties welcomed the
As at 3 February, the unmiss troop strength stood resolution as timely and expressed their commitment
at 10,470 personnel of the total authorized 12,500. Of to cooperate with its implementation.
the remaining 2,030 to be deployed, 286 additional In other political developments, in order to initiate
military personnel of the Kenyan battalion were to be the implementation of the Agreement on the Reuni-
deployed during March. The Mission’s police strength fication of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement
stood at 1,036 of the authorized 1,323 officers, includ- and the related road map, signed at the intra - splm
ing 607 individual police officers and 429 in formed party dialogue in Arusha, Tanzania, on 21 January
police units. and 16 February, respectively, President Kiir issued
The Secretary-General observed that the Govern- three decrees on 24 February that announced a uni-
ment and splm/a in Opposition continued to engage lateral ceasefire until 10 April, a general amnesty for
in hostilities on the ground, while making little mean- all those waging war against the State until the end
ingful progress towards a political resolution of the of March and the rescission of the dismissal of splm
crisis. He was also disturbed by the continued access party cadres, including the formerly detained splm
challenges faced by humanitarian and peacekeeping leaders—officially ending their exile and unfreezing
personnel. their personal bank accounts. The ceasefire did not
entirely hold, and the time frame proposed for the re-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
turn of opposition leaders and the former detainees to
On 3 March [meeting 7396], the Security Council Juba expired on 2 April without result. On 1 April, the
unanimously adopted resolution 2206(2015). The former detainees argued that the presidential decrees
draft [S/2015/153] was submitted by Australia, Chile, lacked clarity and were not in line with the Arusha
France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Nor- Agreement.
way, the United Kingdom and the United States. Fighting between Government forces and splm/a
On 24 March [meeting 7413], following consulta- in Opposition continued during the reporting period
tions among Security Council members, the Pres- and was for the most part concentrated in the greater
ident made statement S/PRST/2015/9 on behalf of Upper Nile region. As at 13 April, over 2 million peo-
the Council. ple were displaced from their homes, over 1.5 million
Report of Secretary-General (April). In an April people inside South Sudan and more than 500,000 to
report [S/2015/296], submitted in response to Security neighbouring countries. Nearly 118,000 people were
Council resolution 2187(2014), the Secretary-General sheltered inside unmiss protection sites.
covered major developments in South Sudan and Unmiss continued to pursue a three-tiered strategy
progress made in the implementation of the unmiss to ensure the protection of civilians. It continued to
mandate since his February report (see p. 125). work closely with UN country team partners and
On 23 February, phase three of the peace negoti- ngos to provide assistance in support of local con-
ations mediated by the Intergovernmental Authority flict resolution efforts; provided protection to nearly
on Development (igad) resumed in Addis Ababa, 118,000 internally displaced persons at six protection
following the agreement between the President of of civilians sites, including 53,000 in Bentiu, 34,000
South Sudan, and the leader of splm/a in Opposi- in Juba and 27,000 in Malakal; and supported the
tion, on 1 February, to establish a transitional gov- establishment of a protective environment and the
ernment of national unity by 9 July and to resolve all development of sustainable solutions for the eventual
outstanding issues, including power-sharing, no later safe and voluntary relocation of displaced persons re-
than 5 March. The negotiations were organized in siding in unmiss protection of civilians sites.
three thematic committees—leadership; transitional As at 13 April, unmiss military troop strength
security and permanent ceasefire arrangements; and stood at 11,238. A total of 4,077 of the 5,500 surge
economy, justice and humanitarian affairs—and troops had been deployed, along with completing
were followed by direct negotiations between Pres- the deployment of the 700-strong Chinese battalion
ident Kiir and Mr. Machar from 3 to 6 March. Little on 8 April. The police strength stood at 1,099 of an
progress, however, was made during the last phase of authorized 1,323 officers, including 534 individual
negotiations and on 6 March the igad mediation an- police officers, 57 corrections officers and 508 of-
nounced the indefinite suspension of the peace talks. ficers in formed police units. The Mission’s civilian
Meanwhile, reactions were mixed towards Security personnel stood at 2,332, including 774 international
Council resolution 2206(2015) of 3 March, establish- staff members, 1,186 national staff members and 372
ing a sanctions regime against spoilers of the peace United Nations Volunteers.
Chapter II: Africa 127

The Secretary-General observed that he was pro- factions (the Government, splm/a in Opposition
foundly disappointed by the breakdown of the peace and the former detainees) to address leadership and
talks on 6 March. Sixteen months of igad - led nego- political issues in the party.
tiations ended without a peace settlement, owing to During the reporting period, the igad special en-
the continued intransigence of South Sudan’s political voys engaged in consultations with the Government,
leaders and their failure to see beyond their personal splm/a in Opposition and the former detainees to nar-
ambitions. He recommended that the Security row the main areas of contention. Following the con-
Council extend the mandate of unmiss for a further sultations, on 10 June, the igad special envoys pre-
six months without major changes. sented to the South Sudanese parties a summary of the
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION proposed peace agreement. The Government objected
to provisions related to executive power-sharing and
On 28 May [meeting 7451], the Security Council transitional security arrangements. Similarly, splm/a
unanimously adopted resolution 2223(2015). The in Opposition renewed its demands for compensation
draft [S/2015/380] was submitted by France, Lithuania, and reparations, federalism and proportionate power-
the United Kingdom and the United States. sharing in all ten states of South Sudan.
Letter of Secretary-General. On 25 June Following a four-month hiatus in the igad -led
[S/2015/483],the Secretary-General transmitted to the peace process, the igad - plus special envoys held a
Security Council President an 18 June letter from the meeting from 21 to 23 July in Addis Ababa to review
au Commissioner for Peace and Security transmitted the compromise agreement on the resolution of the
on behalf of the Chair of the au Commission. The conflict in the Republic of South Sudan proposed by
letter conveyed the outcomes of the 515th meeting of igad. The draft agreement included, among other
the au Peace and Security Council (Johannesburg, things, provisions on the framework of a transitional
South Africa, 13 June), which examined the situations government of national unity; permanent ceasefire
in Burundi and South Sudan, and the communiqués and transitional security arrangements; humanitarian
adopted on Burundi and South Sudan. assistance and reconstruction; resource, economic and
Communication. On 8 July [S/2015/512], the financial management; transitional justice, account-
Sudan transmitted to the Security Council President a ability, reconciliation and healing; the permanent
press statement on the extension of the memorandum constitution; and the joint monitoring and evaluation
of understanding on the delivery of humanitarian committee. On 6 August, the Government, splm/a in
assistance between the Sudan and South Sudan for Opposition and the former detainees resumed negoti-
another six months as at 1 July 2015. ations on the compromise peace agreement in Addis
Report of Secretary-General (August). In an Ababa. The main areas of disagreement between
August report [S/2015/655], submitted in response to the parties pertained to three key issues, namely the
Security Council resolution 2223(2015), the Secretary- power-sharing arrangements between the President
General covered major developments in South Sudan and the First Vice-President; the distribution of po-
between 14 April and 12 August, and progress made sitions in the State governments of Jonglei, Unity
in the implementation of the unmiss mandate since and Upper Nile States; and security arrangements, in
his previous report in April (see p. 126). particular the process for the integration of the oppo-
Following the suspension of the peace talks on sition forces into spla and the question of the demil-
6 March, igad leaders and partners proposed the rein- itarization of Juba. Splm/a in Opposition requested
vigoration of the peace process through the igad -plus that the fourth issue of federalism also be addressed.
formula composed of igad member States (Djibouti, On 17 August, following lengthy consultations be-
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda), au tween the parties and the leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya,
High-level Ad hoc Committee for South Sudan (Al- the Sudan and Uganda, splm/a in Opposition and
geria, Chad, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa), the the former detainees signed the compromise peace
Troika States (Norway, the United Kingdom and the agreement. The Government decided to only initial
United States), China, the eu, the United Nations and the agreement, expressing reservations about some
igad Partners Forum. of its provisions, and requested an additional 15-day
Other regional initiatives aimed at narrowing the period for further consultations with its constituen-
differences between the South Sudanese leaders con- cies. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia stated that the
tinued in parallel to the igad peace process. Under Government and splm/a in Opposition had also
the framework of the Agreement on the Reunification agreed to respect a ceasefire and allow full humanita-
of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (Arusha rian access during the 15-day period granted for the
Agreement), the co-guarantors, namely the Tanza- consultations.
nian and South African ruling parties, Chama Cha As at 31 July, over 1.6 million people were displaced
Mapinduzi (ccm) and the African National Congress inside South Sudan, and more than 620,000 were
(anc), facilitated a dialogue between the three splm refugees in neighbouring countries. Unmiss contin-
128 Part One: Political and security questions

ued to pursue a three-tiered approach for protection unmiss mandate since his previous report in August
of civilians, with specific protection for women and (see p. 127).
children. Unmiss civil affairs teams held 503 meet- Following the signing in Addis Ababa on 17 Au-
ings with local authorities, community leaders, youth gust of the Agreement on the Resolution of the Con-
and women, including in Opposition-held territory, flict in the Republic of South Sudan by the leaders
to identify conflict threats and mitigation measures. of splm/a in Opposition and the former detainees,
Unmiss also provided protection to over 189,220 international and regional partners intensified efforts
internally displaced persons at six protection of civil- to persuade President Kiir to sign the peace agreement
ians sites, including over 121,194 in Bentiu, 36,149 within the 15-day period granted for additional con-
in Malakal and 28,663 in Juba, and initiated an in- sultations. During a ceremony on 26 August in Juba,
tegrated sensitization programme for 104 national the President signed the agreement and the Govern-
police personnel. ment distributed detailed reservations concerning
As at 31 July, unmiss troop strength stood at 11,546 sixteen provisions of the agreement. Subsequently,
military personnel, while the police component stood within the 72-hour deadline, the President and the
at 1,033 of the authorized 1,323 officers, including former vice-president, Mr. Machar, each decreed a
500 individual police officers, 53 corrections officers permanent ceasefire, instructing their forces to cease
and 480 personnel in formed police units. Civilian all military operations, to remain in their positions
personnel stood at 2,335, including 765 international and to return fire only in self-defence. The ceasefire
staff members, 1,173 national staff members and 397 came into effect on 29 August at midnight and was
United Nations Volunteers. unanimously ratified by the National Legislative
Letter of Secretary-General. By a 13 August letter Assembly and adopted by the National Liberation
[S/2015/633], the Secretary-General transmitted to the Council of splm/a in Opposition on 10 September.
Security Council President a 29 June communication In other political developments, on 2 October, the
from the President of the International Criminal Political Parties Council announced a political party
Court (icc) containing the decision on the Prosecu- registration process from 15 October 2015 to 15 Janu-
tor’s request for a finding of non-compliance against ary 2016, noting that, in accordance with the Political
the Sudan, issued by Pre-Trial Chamber II of the icc Parties Act of 2012, the requirements for registering
on 26 June, in the case of the Prosecutor v. Abdel political parties included membership of no fewer
Raheem Muhammad Hussein. than 500 members in at least eight of ten states. On
Communication. On 19 August [S/2015/654], the the same day, in an address to the nation, President
United States transmitted to the Security Council Kiir announced the issuance of an establishment order
President the text of the Agreement on the Resolu- that would create 28 states with the aim of devolving
tion of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, power and bringing resources closer to the people,
signed on 17 August, by the Sudan People’s Liberation reducing government expenditure and promoting
Movement/Army in Opposition and the Former development. Reactions from splm/a in Opposition,
Detainees. the former detainees, a national alliance of opposi-
tion political parties and several other political and
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
civil society groups showed concerns over the order’s
On 28 August [meeting 7515], following consulta- constitutionality, its timing and its potential impact
tions among Security Council members, the President on the implementation of the peace agreement. The
made statement S/PRST/2015/16 on behalf of the igad special envoys, the Troika States and the eu crit-
Council. icized the decision and urged the President to defer
On 9 October [meeting 7532], the Security Council its implementation until the Transitional Government
adopted resolution 2241(2015) by vote (13-0-2). The of National Unity had been formed. On 20 October,
draft [S/2015/770] was submitted by the United States. the Council of Ministers introduced a constitutional
amendment seeking parliamentary consent for the
VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2241(2015):
creation of additional states.
In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, the United Kingdom On the security front, clashes in the greater Upper
and the United States. Nile region continued. On 17 August, a splinter group
Against: None. of former splm/a in Opposition members calling itself
Abstaining: Russian Federation, Venezuela. the Federal Democratic Party and its military wing,
Report of Secretary-General (November). In the South Sudan Armed Forces, issued a statement
a November report [S/2015/902], submitted in re- warning it would not respect any peace agreement
sponse to Security Council resolution 2223(2015) negotiated without it.
(see p. 127), the Secretary-General reported on major More than 2.3 million persons were displaced
developments in South Sudan between 20 August by the conflict, comprising 1.66 million who were
and 9 November and on the implementation of the internally displaced, 178,906 of whom were resid-
Chapter II: Africa 129

ing in six unmiss sites for the protection of civilians, of soldiers to guard key government infrastructure.
and 642,199 who had sought refuge in neighbouring The Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in
countries. In addition, South Sudan continued to host the Republic of South Sudan also provided for the
265,700 refugees. withdrawal of foreign forces from South Sudan, except
The need to protect civilians remained high and for Western Equatoria State, within 45 days of signa-
in some areas continued to increase. Under tier ture. Consequently, the Ugandan troops deployed in
one, protection through dialogue and engagement, Juba since early in 2014 needed to be withdrawn.
unmiss civil affairs teams held 413 meetings with The parties agreed that 4,830 armed personnel
local authorities, community leaders, young peo- (3,420 for the Government and 1,410 for the op-
ple and women throughout the country to identify position) would remain in the capital. Those would
threats and mitigating measures; unmiss also led include 1,000 presidential guard, responsible for pro-
twenty-three conflict management, mitigation and tecting the President, the Vice-Presidents and other
resolution workshops. Under tier two, provision of key officials; an administrative and logistical battal-
physical protection, unmiss provided protection ion, numbering 750 and 840 personnel, respectively;
to some 180,000 internally displaced persons at six 1,320 guards for the shared unified command to be
protection sites, including some 100,000 in Bentiu, established by the parties; 500 military police officers;
more than 47,000 in Malakal and 28,000 in Juba, and 170 armed national security officers who would
as at 9 November. Under tier three, unmiss and be allowed to carry only small arms. The remaining
protection partners continued to support the creation personnel, whose number was unspecified, would
of a protective environment, and commenced a review have to hand over their weapons to the armouries.
of the police integrated awareness-raising programme A total of 3,000 joint integrated police officers, com-
to train officers in community policing techniques for prising 1,500 personnel from each side, would be re-
deployment in areas of potential voluntary return. sponsible for the security of the public and civilian
As at 8 November, unmiss force strength stood installations in Juba, working under the national
at 11,612, consisting of 11,059 troops, with 358 staff police decentralized structure. A ceasefire transitional
officers and 195 military liaison officers. The police security arrangements monitoring mechanism would
strength stood at 1,230 of the authorized 1,323 of- verify the numbers and deployment of the forces in
ficers, comprising 516 individual police officers, 56 Juba and the state of their armaments.
corrections officers and 658 personnel in formed The shared unified command, the joint integrated
police units. As at 4 November, civilian strength stood police command and the Ceasefire and Transitional
at 2,460, comprising 808 international staff members, Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism had
1,240 national staff members and 412 United Nations yet to be constituted in Juba and no further opera-
Volunteers. tional plans with regard to the specific deployments
The Secretary-General observed that the Presi- and organization of and division of labour between
dent’s order, issued on 2 October, on the establish- those forces had been agreed upon. The Secretary-
ment of eighteen additional states, had resulted in General stated that no external threat to Juba was
uncertainty about those new states’ borders and had foreseen during the transition period.
already led to intercommunal tension. Similarly, the Some 28,000 internally displaced persons were
decision to dissolve the splm general secretariat was residing in two sites inside and adjacent to the UN
perceived as a violation of the Arusha Agreement. He House in Juba. Tension in and around the sites was
urged President Kiir to defer action on those issues visible because surrounding neighbourhoods, many
until the Transitional Government of National Unity of which hosted security personnel and their families,
had been formed and a national constitutional dia- were feared by the internally displaced persons. At
logue had been held. the same time, the residents of those neighbourhoods
lived in fear of the perceived desire for revenge on the
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 23 November
part of the displaced.
letter [S/2015/903] to the Security Council President,
the Secretary-General said that the UN Secretariat In addition to the joint integrated police units,
had conducted an assessment of security planning three institutions would play a critical role in main-
for Juba during the transition by consulting with taining security in Juba during the transition: the Joint
the Government, unmiss and troop- and police- Operations Centre, the Ceasefire and Transitional
contributing countries. The assessment had also Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism, and
looked into the role of the United Nations in secur- the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission.
ing key infrastructure, in order to protect freedom of The Secretary-General observed that since the
movement in the capital. According to the permanent institutions foreseen in the permanent ceasefire and
ceasefire and transitional security arrangements, the transitional security arrangements had not yet been
Government forces (spla) would withdraw to areas established, it was extremely difficult to assess the
25 km outside Juba, leaving only a sufficient number strengths and weaknesses of their plans to tackle the
130 Part One: Political and security questions

security threats or determine an appropriate role for age holding facilities within unmiss protection sites,
the United Nations in securing key infrastructure and as would five government-provided justice personnel
protecting freedom of movement in the capital. to support national criminal investigations and pros-
Special Report of Secretary-General. In a No- ecutions. To support additional tasks and to enable
vember special report [S/2015/899], submitted pursu- the introduction of new military and police person-
ant to Security Council resolution 2241(2015) (see nel, the Mission would also require additional force
p. 128), the Secretary-General provided an assessment enablers, including an engineering company to be lo-
of the mandate of unmiss, and recommendations, in- cated in Bentiu, up to 13 additional air assets, a level
cluding resource requirements, for unmiss to fulfil II medical facility, also to be positioned in Bentiu, and
its mandate and support the implementation of the the replacement of the existing level II facility with a
Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the level III facility in Juba.
Republic of South Sudan. The Secretary-General observed that his recom-
The peace agreement that igad mediated pro- mendations were premised on the assumption that the
vided a framework for the parties to end hostilities signatories to the agreement would make the com-
and, over a 30-month transitional phase, begin key promises necessary to enable the operationalization
governance reforms designed to put South Sudan of the security arrangements and commit themselves
back on a path to sustainable peace and recovery. The unreservedly to the peace process. He also noted that
conflict analysis produced for the strategic review, a period of one year needed to be allowed to imple-
however, identified a complex set of political, security ment the recommended mandate changes and to
and institutional challenges. Among the political assess their impact.
challenges, the transitional period was likely to see
additional delays in the implementation of the peace SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
agreement, relating to disputes over interpretations of On 15 December [meeting 7581], the Security
the provisions. The transitional institutions were likely Council adopted resolution 2252(2015) by vote
to become a new political battleground between the (13-0-2). The draft [S/2015/967] was submitted by the
Government, splm/a in Opposition and the former United States.
detainees. In addition, the continued centralization
of power around the Presidency during the transition VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2252(2015):
and the continued mismanagement of resources could In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, the United Kingdom
lead to political alienation, stoke discontent among and the United States.
parties and give rise to fragmentation. Against: None.
Revenge killings and increased intercommunal vi- Abstaining: Russian Federation, Venezuela.
olence represented a major security risk and challenge Year-end developments. In a later report
during the transition period. Among the institutional [S/2016/138],the Secretary-General reported that pro-
challenges, while the Government was responsible for gress had been slow in the implementation of the
the provision of safety and security and basic services Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the
to its citizens, the country’s legacy of war and weak Republic of South Sudan. On 21 December, follow-
State institutions had rendered it virtually incapa- ing a series of negotiations facilitated by the Chair
ble of discharging those basic responsibilities. Those of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission
institutional weaknesses—in terms of human rights and international partners, the first group of 163
and rule of law, the deepening humanitarian crisis
members of the splm/a in Opposition advance team
and economic stresses—would also affect the abil-
arrived in Juba on two flights from Pagak, Upper Nile.
ity of transitional institutions to carry forward their
A second group of 78 members arrived in Juba on
transformative agenda.
31 December, bringing the total number in Juba to
The Secretary-General recommended that the fu- 241. The inaugural meeting of the Joint Monitoring
ture unmiss mandate be based on the priority objec- and Evaluation Commission, convened on 27 No-
tives of political support for the implementation of the vember, was attended only by the Government and
peace agreement; contribution to the improvement of the former political detainees, with the exception of
the security situation; protection of civilians; human the reinstated splm Secretary-General. Nevertheless,
rights monitoring, investigating, verifying and following the arrival of the splm/a in Opposition
reporting; creation of the conditions for the delivery team, the first meeting of the Commission attended
of humanitarian assistance; and enhancing respect for by both parties to the conflict was held on 22 De-
the rule of law and security institutions. cember. Inaugural meetings of the Joint Military
The troop and police ceiling would each be raised Ceasefire Commission, the National Constitutional
to accommodate an additional 500 and 600 person- Amendment Committee and the Ceasefire and Tran-
nel, respectively. A total of 78 government-provided sitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mecha-
corrections personnel would also be required to man- nism were held on 23 and 24 December.
Chapter II: Africa 131

Sanctions continue to examine those transfers, including their

Security Council Committee. The Security sources and the trafficking networks behind them,
Council Committee established pursuant to Security together with their impact on the war and their role in
Council resolution 2206(2015) (see p. 126) concern- violations of human rights and international human-
ing South Sudan was mandated, among other things, itarian law. The Panel had also begun investigations
to monitor the implementation of the measures im- into the financing channels used by the Government
posed by paragraphs 9 (travel ban) and 12 (assets and the opposition to prosecute the war and into those
freeze) of that resolution; designate those individuals individuals and entities who gained financially from
subject to the travel ban and consider requests for ex- the continuation of the conflict.
emptions; encourage a dialogue between the Com-
mittee and interested Member States, in particular Children and armed conflict
those in the region, including by inviting represent- Report of Secretary-General. In response to
atives of such States to meet with the Committee to Security Council resolution 2068(2012) [YUN 2012,
discuss implementation of the measures; and examine p. 724], the Secretary-General submitted a June report
and take appropriate action on information regarding on children and armed conflict [A/69/926-S/2015/409],
alleged violations or non-compliance with the meas- which included developments concerning the situa-
ures imposed by resolution 2057(2012). tion in South Sudan in 2014.
The Committee reported on its activities in 2015 There was a large increase in the number of vio-
[S/2015/997], during which it held four informal con- lations in 2014, with a total of 514 verified incidents
sultations on 28 April, 8 May, 22 May and 20 August affecting 16,307 children. A detailed account of the
and two formal meetings on 1 April and 19 June, in effects of the armed conflict on children in South
addition to conducting its work through written pro- Sudan was available in the report of the Secretary-
cedures; received nineteen implementation reports General to the Security Council [YUN 2014, p. 347].
from Member States, including from 8 of the 15 mem- Eighty-one incidents of recruitment and use of
bers of the Committee; and sent 27 communications children were verified, affecting 617 children (612
to thirteen Member States with reference to the im- boys, 5 girls). The majority were associated with spla
plementation of the sanctions measures. No notifi- (310) and splm/a in Opposition (108), but also with
cations or exemption requests to the travel ban and the South Sudan National Police Service, the South
asset freeze were received by the Committee, while Sudan Wildlife Service, the South Sudan Liberation
it listed six individuals subject to the travel ban and Army (ssla), the South Sudan Democratic Movement/
asset freeze. Army-Cobra Faction (ssdm/a - cf), the White Army
Panel of Experts and armed groups allied to Gabriel Tanginye. Unver-
ified large numbers of children had also been observed
The Panel of Experts on South Sudan, established with the Johnson Olonyi armed group, whose troop
pursuant to resolution 2206(2015) for an initial period integration into spla was pending completion as at
of thirteen months, submitted an interim report dur- April 2015, and with other unidentified armed actors.
ing the year (see below). In January and February, 64 boys, aged 14 to 17 years,
On 27 April [S/2015/287] and 13 August [S/2015/631], were reportedly recruited by the Justice and Equality
the Secretary-General appointed five experts in the Movement (jem) in Unity State, South Sudan; fifty-
areas of natural resources and finance, regional issues, five of those cases were verified.
humanitarian affairs, arms, and armed groups to serve Ninety children were verified killed and 220 in-
on the Panel. jured. There was also a disturbing increase in the in-
Report of Panel of Experts. On 21 August cidents of killing and maiming of children reported
[S/2015/656], the coordinator of the Panel of Experts to the United Nations that could not be verified. One
on South Sudan transmitted to the Security Council report identified up to 490 bodies of children in mass
President an interim report of the preliminary find- graves found around Bor. Some of the reported in-
ings of research conducted by the Panel during its ex- cidents suggested that children had been summarily
tensive travel within South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, executed.
the Sudan and Uganda. Rape and other forms of sexual violence were re-
The supply of arms and ammunition to spla and ported, with a total of 22 incidents verified affecting
splm/a in Opposition, as well as to affiliated forces, 36 children (4 boys and 32 girls) by spla (24), jem
had been instrumental in prolonging and escalating (4), splm/a in Opposition (1) and unknown perpe-
the war. It was further evident that the acquisition trators (7). In April, when splm/a in Opposition took
by spla of greater air and riverine capacity was part control of Bentiu, hate speech calling upon persons
of a strategy to diminish the tactical disadvantage to kill and commit sexual violence against non-Nuers
posed by the difficulty of deploying troops and heavy and foreigners was broadcast on local radio. Thirty-
equipment during the rainy season. The Panel would four incidents of abduction were verified affecting
132 Part One: Political and security questions

147 children (52 boys, 95 girls). The United Nations personnel with the responsibility of protection of ci-
received reports of large-scale abductions, including vilians; monitoring, and investigating human rights
up to 105 children (29 boys, 76 girls) by splm/a in violations; creating the conditions conducive to the
Opposition in Malakal in February. As at April 2015, delivery of humanitarian assistance; and supporting
abductions continued in large numbers. the implementation of the cessation of hostilities
During a meeting with the Special Representative agreement of 23 January 2014.
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict, the leader of ssdm/a - cf acknowledged that Financing
he had recruited children and declared his readiness The General Assembly considered the performance
to release them. As at April 2015, over 750 children report [A/69/677] on the unmiss budget for the period
had been released to the United Nations and were 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, showing a total expendi-
receiving interim care, psychosocial support and ture of $919,154,500 gross ($899,705,600 net) against
education service. The leader of splm/a in Opposition an appropriation of $924,426,000 ($904,617,900
also signed a commitment agreement with the Special net). The Secretary-General recommended that the
Representative for Children and Armed Conflict to Assembly decide on the treatment of the unencum-
end violations against children. As at the end of 2014, bered balance of $5,271,500 with respect to the
neither the Government nor splm/a in Opposition period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014; and on the
had made any progress in implementing their com- treatment of other income/adjustments for the period
mitments. ended 30 June 2014, amounting to $19,887,200.
Letter of Security Council President. In a In February [A/69/800], the Secretary-General
17 June letter [S/2015/451] to the Secretary-General, the presented the proposed budget of unmiss for the
Council President forwarded a letter from the Chair period 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, amounting to
of the Security Council Working Group on Children $1,109,770,800 gross ($1,091,385,900 net), providing
and Armed Conflict on the Working Group’s con- for the deployment of 166 military observers, 12,334
clusions adopted on 8 May. The Chair requested the military contingent personnel, 663 United Nations
Secretary-General, among other things, to call upon police officers, 660 formed police unit personnel, 968
the country task force on monitoring and reporting in international staff, 1,613 national staff and 465 United
South Sudan to continue its engagement with splm/a Nations Volunteers, including temporary positions.
in Opposition to facilitate the full implementation In April [A/69/839/Add.15], the Advisory Com-
of the Commitment Agreement to End Grave Viola- mittee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions
tions against Children, signed by the Chairman of the (acabq) recommended that the unencumbered
splm/a in Opposition and the Special Representative balance of $5,271,500 for the period from 1 July
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed 2013 to 30 June 2014, as well as other income/adjust-
Conflict on 10 May 2014. ments in the amount of $19,887,200 for the period
ended 30 June 2014, be credited to Member States;
UNMISS and that the Assembly appropriate the amount of
$1,109,219,100 for the maintenance of unmiss for the
With the establishment of South Sudan as an 12-month period from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2016 if
independent country on 9 July 2011, and the end-
the Council decided to extend the Mission’s mandate.
ing of the mandate of the United Nations Mission
in the Sudan (unmis) on that day [YUN 2011, p. 196], GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the Security Council, by resolution 1996(2011) [ibid., On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
p. 197], established the United Nations Mission in
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
South Sudan (unmiss) with the priority mandate [A/69/686/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/260 B (Fi-
of protection of civilians and achievement of an im- nancing of the United Nations Mission in South
proved security environment. In response to the cri- Sudan) without vote [agenda item 162].
sis that began in December 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 242],
the Council, by resolution 2132(2013) [ibid., p. 243], The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of
temporarily increased the overall troop and police 23 December, decided that the agenda item on
strength of unmiss to 12,500 personnel. By resolu- unmiss financing remained for consideration during
tions 2155(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 336] and 2187(2014) its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
[ibid., p. 343], the Council extended the unmiss
mandate until 30 November 2014 and 30 May 2015, Chad
respectively.
Children and armed conflict
By resolution 2252(2015) of 15 December (see
p. 130), the Council further extended the unmiss In response to Security Council resolution
mandate until 31 July 2016 and decided to increase 2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General
the force levels up to 13,000 troops and 2,001 police submitted a June report on children and armed con-
Chapter II: Africa 133

flict [A/69/926-S/2015/409], which included develop- dents was a concrete example of a beginning of nor-
ments concerning the situation in Chad in 2014. malization. The security situation remained volatile,
The Chadian National Army was delisted from the with Al-Shabaab continuing to launch attacks using
annex of the previous report [YUN 2012, p. 223] follow- suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices
ing the full implementation of the action plan to end on African Union Mission in Somalia (amisom) and
the recruitment and use of children, signed with the Somali national army positions and civilian targets.
United Nations in 2011. During the reporting period, By the end of the year, more than 4.9 million people
no recruitment or use of children by the national army needed humanitarian assistance, with the humani-
was reported. The United Nations continued to pro- tarian impact of the El Niño phenomenon causing
vide support to the Government, with a particular serious concern.
focus on training, age assessment mechanisms and By resolution 2221(2015) in May (see p. 140) and
birth registration. The Government signed a proto- resolution 2232(2015) in July (see p. 134), the Security
col agreement in September 2014 with the United Council extended the mandate of the United Nations
Nations regarding the handover of children associated Assistance Mission in Somalia (unsom) until 7 Au-
with armed forces or groups. Prior to the development gust 2015 and 30 March 2016, respectively.
of the protocol, 44 children associated with ex-Séléka
in the Central African Republic (car) had entered Political and Security developments
Chad and were arrested. Following collaboration
among the United Nations, Chad and a national Security Council consideration. During the
ngo, the children were released and handed over to year, the Security Council discussed the situa-
child protection actors. Instability in the surrounding tion in Somalia on 4 February [S/PV.7375], 19 May
countries of the car, Libya and the Sudan, as well the [S/PV.7445], 26 May [S/PV.7449], 16 July [S/PV.7487],
threat posed by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin 28 July [S/PV.7491], 14 October [S/PV.7535], 23 October
area, continued to have an impact on Chad. More [S/PV.7541], 9 November [S/PV.7551] and 10 November
than 150,000 people fled the car and thousands of [S/PV.7554].
Nigerians, the majority of whom were children, ar- Letters of Secretary-General. In a 17 Febru-
rived in Chad to escape the conflict. The Secretary- ary letter to the Security Council President, the
General called upon all stakeholders and the donor Secretary-General transmitted a 7 January letter from
community to put in place adequate monitoring and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia, in
protection mechanisms in southern Chad and in the connection with paragraph 15 of Council resolu-
Lake Chad Basin region to prevent and end violations. tion 2182(2014), in which he was asked to notify all
In light of the progress made in the implementation Member States about the notification from the Fed-
of the action plan, the situation of Chad would be eral Government of Somalia.
removed from the report as at 2016. On 31 March [S/2015/234], the Secretary-General
notified the Security Council President of his inten-
tion to increase the strength of the guard unit in Mog-
Somalia
adishu to 530 personnel, an increase of 120 troops.
Continued progress was seen by the end of 2015 On 2 April [S/2015/235], the Council took note of the
in the building of a federal State in Somalia, includ- Secretary-General’s letter. On 15 May [S/2015/343], the
ing the development of the framework necessary for a Secretary-General informed the Council that Uganda
political transition in 2016. had agreed to contribute the additional 120 personnel
A broad process to determine the 2016 electoral required for the guard unit, bringing the total number
process was convened through the National Consul- of personnel deployed to 530.
tative Forum as an exercise in participatory politics. Report of Secretary-General (May). In a May
For the first time in decades, Somalis—including report on Somalia [S/2015/331], submitted in response
youth, women, traditional elders and religious lead- to Security Council resolution 2158(2014) [YUN 2014,
ers—had an active and collective say on shaping their p. 354], the Secretary-General provided information
political future. The Forum adopted the Mogadishu on the implementation of the mandate of the United
Declaration on 16 December in which it reiterated Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (unsom). The
that there should be no extension of constitutionally report covered the period from 1 January to 30 April.
mandated term limits and outlined several key prin- Following resolution of the political crisis that had
ciples and actions to be taken in relation to the 2016 paralysed the Federal Government of Somalia for four
electoral model. International support to Somalia’s months, the country’s political process regained mo-
peacebuilding and State-building continued to be mentum in February. The formation of a new Cabinet
coordinated through the New Deal Compact mecha- dominated the Government’s agenda in January.
nisms. The administration of the first centralized On 9 February, Parliament approved the Cabinet of
examination since 1991—the beginning of the civil Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. On
war in Somalia—to some 7,000 secondary school stu- 20 January, the Interim Juba Administration, with
134 Part One: Political and security questions

support from the Intergovernmental Authority on More than 1.1 million Somalis, the majority of
Development (igad) and the Federal Government, whom were women and children, remained displaced.
launched a process to establish a regional assembly, Some 730,000 Somalis, of whom 76 per cent were
criticized by some sub-clans as lacking in transparency displaced people living in urban areas, were unable
and inclusivity. The assembly was to be comprised of to meet their basic daily food needs. Nearly 203,000
65 representatives chosen from their districts through acutely malnourished children required emergency
nominations from clan elders, and ten more selected by nutrition supplements, access to clean water, sanitation
the leadership of the Interim Juba Administration. In infrastructure and better hygiene services.
the Interim South-West Administration, President Sha- In accordance with Security Council resolution
rif Hassan Sheikh Adan named a 63-member cabinet 2182(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 367], a joint au - UN team vis-
on 3 March. Appointees included two former leaders ited Somalia and the au headquarters in Addis Ababa,
of the rival “six-region” South-West State supporters, Ethiopia, from 15 to 25 April. It reviewed the bench-
four women and representatives of minority commu- marks for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping
nities. Formation of the regional assembly, however, operation in Somalia and the impact of the temporary
was delayed by differences over its size and whether surge authorized in resolution 2124(2013) [YUN 2013,
representation would be based on region or clan. p. 256]. The African Union Mission in Somalia
In the central regions, the Federal President, Mo- (amisom) was logistically supported by the United
hamud, launched a state formation conference in Nations Support Office for amisom (unsoa).
Adaado on 16 April, but one faction of Ahl al-Sunna The Secretary-General noted that he remained
wal-Jama’a announced that it would boycott the pro- greatly concerned about security in Somalia and
cess until differences were resolved between the Fed- about the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to the wider
eral Government and Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama’a. subregion. He urged Member States to replenish the
In Puntland, President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali amisom Trust Fund, in order to allow unsoa to pro-
“Gaas” signed a law establishing the region’s Elec- vide the self-sustainment support authorized in reso-
tion Commission on 6 January, as part of an effort lution 2010(2011) [YUN 2011, p. 239].
to restart the democratization process suspended in Letter of Secretary-General. In a 21 July letter
July 2013. On 12 April, following two days of talks, [S/2015/556], the Secretary-General transmitted to the
the Federal Prime Minister and the President of Security Council President a letter from the Commis-
Puntland issued a statement including an agreement sioner for Peace and Security of the au Commission,
that Puntland would contribute 3,000 troops to the conveying the communiqué adopted at the 521st
Somali national army. meeting of the au Peace and Security Council, held
Opposition parties formed an alliance on 4 March on 30 June.
to oppose the bid by President Ahmed Mohamed SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Mohamoud “Silanyo” to extend his term of office be-
yond June 2015. Tension increased after the National On 28 July [meeting 7491], the Security Council unan-
Electoral Commission announced on 9 March the in- imously adopted resolution 2232(2015). The draft
[S/2015/567] was submitted by twelve Member States.
definite postponement of presidential and parliamen-
tary elections. The ruling Kulmiye party expressed Report of Secretary-General (September). In
its readiness to consult the opposition on the way a May report on Somalia [S/2015/702], submitted in
forward. The Commission subsequently announced response to Security Council resolution 2232(2015),
that the elections should be possible in June 2016. the Secretary-General provided information on the
The security situation remained volatile with spo- implementation of the mandate of unsom. The report
radic attacks and continued use of suicide bombers covered the period from 1 May to 31 August.
and improvised explosive devices by Al-Shabaab The Federal Government of Somalia accelerated
in Mogadishu and the regions. The killing of 147 efforts to advance the process of building a federal
students at Garissa University College, Kenya, on state. On 28 July, the Federal Parliament, however,
2 April was a reminder that the threat posed by Al- passed a resolution indicating that a country-wide
Shabaab was not confined to Somalia. In southern “one-person-one-vote” election would not be possible
and central Somalia, Al-Shabaab continued to target in 2016 owing to delays in the political process and re-
pro-government forces and regional administrations, maining technical and security challenges, confirming
and also to hinder civilian movements along main the consensus that had emerged among key stakehold-
supply routes. ers. On 15 August, the Federal Government circulated
The New Deal Compact remained the primary an action plan setting out arrangements for national
mechanism for coordinating international efforts in consultations to agree on options for a yet to be defined
Somalia; the Federal Government reasserted its com- electoral process to replace the members of the Somali
mitment to ensuring that 2015 would be “the year of Federal Government and Parliament when their terms
delivery”. expired in 2016. Political tensions re-emerged when,
Chapter II: Africa 135

on 12 August, members of the Federal Parliament Work progressed on the operationalization of the UN
submitted a motion to the Office of the Speaker for joint programmes, developed and approved through
the impeachment of President Mohamud. The motion the Compact. By the end of the reporting period, the
accused the President of extensive corruption, infringe- UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund had received multi-year
ment of the Constitution and poor leadership. pledges totalling $113 million, of which $18.9 million
There was overall progress on the formation of fed- had been disbursed.
eral states throughout the country. On 7 May, the Juba From 17 to 25 August, amisom convened a meeting
Regional Assembly was inaugurated in Kismaayo, in Nairobi to revise its concept of operations in consul-
Juba Hoose, amid criticism from some parties over in- tation with the United Nations and relevant partners.
clusiveness. On 6 June, the Federal Parliament passed The draft revised concept of operations was to be re-
a motion to “terminate” the Juba Regional Assembly, a viewed by the au Commission before approval by the
decision that was rejected by the Interim Juba Admin- au Peace and Security Council.
istration. Though the Federal Government had estab- The joint military operations by the Somali national
lished a ministerial committee to resolve the issue, it army and amisom had created more territorial space
had yet to begin work. for the Government to exercise its authority.
In mid-June, a state formation conference took place Strategic review of UNSOA. On 7 October
to create the new Galmudug Interim Administration in [S/2015/762], the Secretary-General, in response to
the central regions. The conference formed a regional Security Council resolution 2232(2015), informed
assembly which, on 4 July, elected Abdikarim Hussein the Council President of the results of the strategic
Guled as President. The Ahlu Sunna wal Jama’a group, review of the United Nations Support Office for the
which occupied parts of the Galguduud region, includ- au Mission in Somalia (unsoa) conducted between
ing Dhuusamarreeb, boycotted the process. Puntland’s July and September. Unsoa had become an under-
administration initially denounced the Galmudug resourced support mission that, despite pioneering
Interim Administration as unconstitutional, owing innovative approaches that had positively contributed
partly to its claim over northern Mudug region, which to the gains made by amisom and unsom, was signifi-
was long considered to be part of Puntland. Follow- cantly constrained in delivering on the demands being
ing discussions between the Federal Prime Minister placed on it.
and the President of Puntland, the Galmudug Interim
The strategic review assessed support to mandate
Administration revised its constitution on 29 July to
delivery as a combination of effectiveness, responsive-
remove any claim to northern Mudug.
ness and efficiency. While it was found that perfor-
In “Somaliland”, the upper legislative chamber, mance was mixed across each of these individual crite-
the House of Elders (Guurti) announced on 11 May ria, there was, overall, a real and widening gap between
a 22-month term extension of the term of office of mandated tasks and support capacity to deliver them.
President Mohamud “Silanyo”, thereby delaying the In the review, it was noted that unsoa was effective
elections that had been scheduled to be held in June and responsive in the delivery of certain elements of
2016 until March 2017. Following protests and con- the logistical support package to amisom, including
sultations, the authorities and the opposition parties rations, fuel, communication and medical support.
agreed to reschedule the elections for mid-December In other critical areas, however, gaps had appeared in
2016. Tensions remained high, however, as the Guurti the ability to provide water in remote locations, field
failed to revise its decision in line with the agreement. defence supplies, maintenance services, tentage for
On 18 August, in response to a request from the “So- tactical deployments, recruitment and administrative
maliland” authorities for a legal decision, the Supreme support and access to mobility for programmatic
Court ruled in favour of the Guurti’s decision and set activities, and there were significant delays in the
the election timeline for March 2017. completion of construction in unsom regional offices
On the security front, the holy month of Ramadan and amisom sector hubs outside Mogadishu. Unsoa
and the preceding weeks saw an increase in attacks by was headed by a director based in Mogadishu with a
Al-Shabaab in central and south-central Somalia. On limited senior leadership team. As such, there were real
19 July, amisom and Somali security forces, together gaps in the strategic engagement capacity of unsoa
with the Ethiopian and Kenyan defence forces, to maintain liaison at senior levels with key stake-
launched a new joint military operation, code-named holders, including the au, amisom troop- and police-
“Operation Juba Corridor”, aimed at expelling Al- contributing countries, Member States and amisom
Shabaab from its last remaining strongholds in south- regional partners.
central Somalia. In Puntland, sporadic Al-Shabaab In terms of efficiency, it was confirmed in the
activities continued. review that unsoa was very efficient, with indicative
International support to Somalia’s peacebuilding comparators across a range of peacekeeping missions
and State-building process continued to be coordi- showing unsoa utilizing a lower resource base to de-
nated through the New Deal Compact mechanisms. liver mission support services.
136 Part One: Political and security questions

Several wider critical issues that needed to be ad- Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great
dressed were identified. In particular, there was a gap Lakes Region and the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring
between the support package mandated by the Security Group to another UN entity more suitably placed to
Council and the memorandums of understanding in provide such support; strengthening decision-making
place between the au and amisom troop- and police- frameworks between unsom and amisom; proposing
contributing countries; the mechanisms for joint to the Security Council to rename unsoa to clearly
planning and coordination both within and among reflect its expanded mandate and endorse a strength-
unsoa, amisom and unsom to enable the establish- ening of its leadership, including by appointing a Head
ment of joint strategic resourcing priorities needed to at the Assistant Secretary-General level; and present-
be strengthened; and the administrative framework ing proposals to the General Assembly for a significant
for peace operations was often slow, cumbersome and strengthening of the staffing complement of unsoa.
averse to risk.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
The review identified a significant gap in the over-
all logistical capabilities of individual contingents, On 9 November [meeting 7551], the Security Council
with amisom having approximately 30 per cent of unanimously adopted resolution 2245(2015). The draft
the support mobility capabilities of UN missions of [S/2015/840] was submitted by eleven Member States.
similar size. Owing to security risks along the main
Year-end developments. In a later report on
supply routes and the inability of civilian contractors
the situation in Somalia [S/2016/27], the Secretary-
to operate in such conditions without force protection,
General said that Somali stakeholders launched a
unsoa was unable to use the main supply routes on a
broadly inclusive consultative process to determine
sustainable basis. In that context, it was reaffirmed in
the most appropriate and feasible electoral model to
the review that logistical mobility was a joint respon-
be implemented in 2016. The National Consultative
sibility of unsoa and amisom.
Forum, convened in Mogadishu on 19 and 20 Octo-
The review noted that the mandate of unsoa was ber, was followed by public consultations in each of
scattered across several resolutions with differences Somalia’s emerging federal states as well as in the Ba-
of view on how they should be interpreted. There nadir, Hiraan and Shabelle Dhexe regions, on 16 and
had also been no regular practice of reporting to the 17 November, and for “Somalilanders” and Somalis
Security Council, except through periodic reports of in the diaspora on 22 November and 5 December, re-
the Secretary-General on Somalia. Furthermore, the spectively. Women, youth, civil society representatives
name of unsoa continued to reflect only its respon- and minority groups were active participants in the
sibilities to amisom, whereas its mandate was in fact consultations and the Forum. Further to the political
bound to the mandates of both amisom and unsom. dialogue, the parliamentary motion to impeach Pres-
Regarding a start-up support package to the Somali ident Mohamud was dropped.
police, the Secretary-General recommended that fuel An agreement was reached in support of an earlier
support to them be provided by another UN entity; and presidential decree that Jowhar, in Shabelle Dhexe,
that the funding mechanism for the police package be would serve as the site of the state formation conference,
directly administered by the entity that would imple- which was expected to be held in early January 2016,
ment it, rather than using the Somali National Army and that Buulobarde, in Hiraan, would be the capital
trust fund. In the specific case of in-theatre evacuation, of the new State. The Galmudug Interim Adminis-
however, he believed that it was important that unsoa tration made progress towards the establishment of
provided support on a basis similar to that provided to its governance institutions in the interim capital of
the Somali National Army. Cadaado. Political mistrust between the Galmudug
The Secretary-General examined the concept and Interim Administration and Puntland erupted, with
feasibility of the options available for entities to provide armed clashes near Gaalkacyo on 22 November, re-
the non-lethal support package to the Puntland forces sulting in a significant number of casualties and the
that were to be integrated into the Somali National displacement of civilians; on 2 December a ceasefire
Army. While unsoa was providing the non-lethal agreement was signed by the Presidents of Puntland
support package to the Somali National Army troops and Galmudug. In Kismaayo, Sheikh Ahmed Islam
operating alongside amisom in south-central Somalia, “Madobe” was inaugurated as President of Jubaland
gaps in support were also identified in the review. In (Interim Juba Administration) on 12 September in a
that regard, the gaps between the capacity of unsoa ceremony attended by the President and the Prime
and the demands of its mandate required a focus on Minister of Somalia and the leaders of the existing
strengthening support to its core clients in their areas interim regional administrations.
of operation. The formation of the regional assembly of the
The Secretary-General intended to strengthen Interim South-West Administration was completed
unsoa by, among other measures, transferring its re- with the swearing-in of 146 members on 28 Decem-
sponsibility to provide mission support services to the ber. On that same day, however, continued grievances
Chapter II: Africa 137

over representation by members of the Ogaden clan caused by pirates based in Somalia continued to fall,
led to the declaration of a breakaway “Upper Bakool” from 20 in 2013 to 12 during the reporting period, ac-
administration. That also deepened tensions between cording to the International Maritime Organization
Puntland and the Interim South-West Administration, (imo). That represented a significant decrease from the
including over the model for the 2016 electoral process. 78 incidents reported in 2007, when Somalia-based
In “Somaliland”, the President, Ahmed Mohamed piracy was prevalent, and the 237 ships targeted by
Mohamoud “Silanyo”, issued a presidential decree on Somali pirates in 2011. The total number of seafarers
10 September setting 28 March 2017 as the date for from large commercial vessels who were being held
presidential and parliamentary elections. hostage by Somali pirates stood at 26, compared to
37 in October 2014. The positive trend notwithstand-
In central and southern Somalia, the security situ-
ing, credible reports suggested that commercial ships
ation remained volatile, with Al-Shabaab continuing
remained a target of Somali pirates.
to launch attacks on amisom and Somali national
army positions and civilian targets. Divisions within Smaller vessels remained vulnerable. Figures for
Al-Shabaab emerged during the reporting period. In 2014 from the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Puntland, on 22 October, a senior Al-Shabaab leader Crime (unodc) reported 18 pirate attacks on fishing
pledged allegiance to Islamic State in Iraq and the Le- vessels. In addition, in early 2015, 37 Iranian fisher-
vant (isil) with a group of approximately 20 fighters in men aboard two fishing vessels were seized by pirates
the Galgala Mountains. Following that development, after allegations of illegal fishing activities. Though
Al-Shabaab leadership commenced a crackdown on one fishing vessel subsequently escaped with its crew,
pro-isil members by arresting and assassinating them. 19 hostages continued to be held.
The humanitarian situation in Somalia remained The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of
worrying. The El Niño phenomenon caused flooding Somalia held its seventeenth plenary session (Du-
during the rainy season in October, cumulatively af- bai, United Arab Emirates, 28 October 2014) and
fecting 145,000 people and displacing an estimated its eighteenth plenary session (New York, 8 July). It
60,000 people across southern and central Somalia. endorsed the offer of Seychelles to chair the Contact
Overall, 4.9 million people needed assistance: 308,000 Group during 2016. The Board of the Trust Fund to
children under 5 years of age were acutely malnour- Support the Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off
ished and 56,000 were severely malnourished. More the Coast of Somalia, at its sixteenth meeting (Dubai,
than 1.1 million people remained internally displaced. 28 October 2014), approved three projects submitted
by fao and unodc, which amounted to $900,000. As
Pursuant to Security Council resolution at 30 June, the total balance of the Trust Fund stood
2245(2015), unsoa was renamed the United Nations at $1.8 million.
Support Office in Somalia (unsos). Across Somalia,
The Secretary-General observed that the multina-
the number of international staff averaged 432, while
tional forces’ combined threat assessments suggested
the number of national staff averaged 1,037. The
that—provided the collective response mechanisms
international staff average for Mogadishu was 294,
were maintained—piracy would continue to be sup-
factoring in a reduction in the number owing to signif-
pressed successfully off the coast of Somalia, even if
icant damage to the UN common compound after the
the intent or capability were never entirely eliminated.
attack on 26 July on the nearby Jazeera Palace Hotel.
He remained concerned, however, that without the
The Secretary-General welcomed the adoption of continued support provided by the international naval
the Mogadishu Declaration on 16 December. Many presence and the self-protection measures adopted by
steps remained to be taken before the electoral transi- the shipping industry, large-scale piracy could return.
tion in 2016. Above all, it was critical that all Somali
leaders respected and supported the principles and SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
actions in the Declaration and worked swiftly to im- On 10 November [meeting 7554], the Security
plement them. Council unanimously adopted resolution
2246(2015). The draft [S/2015/850] was submitted by
Piracy France, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Secretary-General submitted an October
report [S/2015/776] on piracy and armed robbery at Sanctions
sea off the coast of Somalia, submitted pursuant to
Security Council resolution 2184(2014) [YUN 2014, By resolution 733(1992) [YUN 1992, p. 199], the
p. 358] and covering major developments since his Security Council imposed a general and complete arms
previous report [ibid., p. 358]. It had been more than embargo on Somalia, and by resolution 751(1992)
two years since a large commercial vessel had been hi- [ibid., p. 202], the Council established a Committee to
jacked and held for ransom by Somali pirates. Follow- oversee the embargo, expanding its mandate by reso-
ing the trend in 2013, the total number of incidents lution 1907(2009) [YUN 2009, p. 299]. Subsequently, the
138 Part One: Political and security questions

Council outlined certain exemptions to the embargo Report of Emergency Relief Coordinator (Sep-
and further elaborated the scope of the measures. Fol- tember). On 18 September [S/2015/731], the Chair of
lowing the adoption of resolution 1907(2009), which the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolu-
imposed a sanctions regime on Eritrea and expanded tions 751(1992) and 1907(2009) transmitted to the
the Committee’s mandate, the Committee, in 2010, Council the report of the Under-Secretary-General
changed its name to the Security Council Committee for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
pursuant to resolutions 751(1992) and 1907(2009), Coordinator on the delivery of humanitarian assistance
concerning Somalia and Eritrea. in Somalia, in accordance with resolution 2182(2014)
In 2002, the Council, by resolution 1425(2002) [YUN 2014, p. 367]. The report, which covered the period
[YUN 2002, p. 206], established a Panel of Experts on from September 2014 to September 2015, focused
Somalia to generate information on violations of the primarily on the delivery of humanitarian assistance
arms embargo with a view to strengthening it. The to affected people under the control or influence of
Panel of Experts was succeeded by the Monitoring Al-Shabaab. Approximately 3.1 million people needed
Group on Somalia established pursuant to resolu- life-saving and livelihood support. The report also
tion 1519(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 254] to focus on arms outlined constraints to humanitarian access and op-
embargo violations. Subsequent resolutions ex- erational implications, as well as mitigation measures
tended and expanded the mandate of the Monitoring put in place to address the politicization, misuse and
Group. After the adoption of resolution 1907(2009), misappropriation of humanitarian assistance.
the Monitoring Group changed its name to the In the first seven months of 2015, more than 80
Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea. security incidents affected humanitarian organiza-
tions. Some critical indicators, such as the number
By resolution 1916(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 298], the
of aid workers killed and injured, had not improved
Council decided that the assets freeze it had imposed
from 2014, with 10 humanitarian workers killed and
by resolution 1844(2008) [YUN 2008, p. 297] should not 17 injured during the first seven months of 2015. De-
apply to the payment of funds, other financial assets livering aid remained extremely difficult in Somalia,
or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely especially in areas under the control of Al-Shabaab.
delivery of humanitarian assistance in Somalia. By Assistance continued to be delivered through local
the same resolution, the Council requested the Resi- partners in those areas, as agencies were not able to
dent and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia to operate directly. Territorial gains through military
report to the Council every 120 days on any imped- action by Somali and amisom security forces had not
iments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance. In translated into safe and predictable road access. Bu-
resolution 1972(2011) [YUN 2011, p. 255], the Council reaucratic impediments, such as arbitrary taxation by
renewed that exemption for 16 months. In 2012, local and government authorities, had been on the rise
the Council extended the mandate of the Group and continued to delay and interrupt programming.
monitoring sanctions imposed on Somalia, explicitly That was mainly observed in Puntland and the south-
targeting those who obstructed the political transi- ern and central regions, where regulatory measures
tion process, while relaxing funding and equipment for ngos and other international organizations were
restrictions that could negatively impact the delivery being introduced. The impact on ngo partners was
of humanitarian aid. more substantial than that on their UN counterparts.
In resolution 2111(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 270], the The Under-Secretary-General and Emergency
Council decided that until 6 March 2014, the arms Relief Coordinator concluded that the delivery of
embargo on Somalia would not apply to deliveries assistance remained costly and unsustainable. Road
of weapons or military equipment or the provision access was therefore required for people’s livelihoods
of advice, assistance or training intended solely for and to enable humanitarian partners to deliver life-
the development of the Security Forces of the Federal saving assistance. Aid organizations continued to call
Government of Somalia. By resolutions 2142(2014) upon amisom to strengthen the implementation of its
[YUN 2014, p. 363] and 2182(2014) [ibid., p. 367], the mandate to facilitate humanitarian access, especially
Council renewed the partial lifting of the arms in relation to securing the roads to address urgent
embargo until 25 October 2014 and 30 October needs. He invited the Security Council to renew the
2015, respectively, and extended the mandate of the humanitarian exemption provided in paragraph 41 of
Monitoring Group until 30 November 2015. resolution 2182(2014).
By resolution 2244(2015) (see p. 139), the Council Report of Monitoring Group. On 19 Octo-
further renewed the exemption until 15 November ber [S/2015/801], the Chair of the Security Council
2016; extended the mandate of the Monitoring Group Committee pursuant to resolutions 751(1992) and
until 15 December 2016; and introduced a standing 1907(2009), in accordance with Council resolution
exemption from the arms embargo on Somalia for 2182(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 367], transmitted to the
arms and related materiel on board vessels entering Council the Somalia report of the Monitoring Group
Somali ports on temporary visits. on Somalia and Eritrea.
Chapter II: Africa 139

Support from amisom enabled significant territo- VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2244(2015):

rial gains to be made against Harakaat al-Shabaab In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
al-Mujaahidiin (Al-Shabaab). Three new interim Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Spain,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
regional administrations had been established, leav- Against: None.
ing a new federal map of Somalia almost complete. Abstaining: Venezuela.
As new lines were drawn on the map, however, new
opportunities for clan, business and political networks Appointments. On 20 November [S/2015/898],
to capture State resources had emerged. The rush for the Secretary-General informed the Security Council
those resources by spoiler networks was preventing President that, following the adoption of resolution
the development of an inclusive political arrangement 2244(2015), he had appointed eight experts to serve
and threatened to undermine the military gains made on the Security Council Committee pursuant to res-
against Al-Shabaab. Capitalizing on those gains re- olutions 751(1992) and 1907(2009).
quired Somalia’s political elite to prioritize the long- Security Council Committee. On 31 December
term goals of State-building over the short-term capture [S/2015/968], the Security Council Committee pursu-
of State resources. The successful elimination of several ant to resolutions 751(1992) and 1907(2009) concern-
prominent leaders appeared to have done little to dent ing Somalia and Eritrea transmitted to the Council
Al-Shabaab’s commitment and capacity to destabilize a report on its 2015 activities. The Committee met
the region. Al-Shabaab’s shift of tactics, including the five times in informal consultations on 13 February,
return to conventional attacks on military targets— 8 April, 1 May, 18 September and 9 October. At the
both amisom and the Somali National Army—was end of the reporting period, there were thirteen indi-
cause for deep concern, particularly given the cuts to viduals and one entity on the Committee’s sanctions
the amisom budget and ongoing challenges related to list pertaining to Somalia and no names on the Com-
Somali National Army troop payments. mittee’s sanctions list pertaining to Eritrea.
The partial lifting of the arms embargo introduced
through Security Council resolution 2093(2013) Children and armed conflict
[YUN 2013, p. 247] was prompted, among other things,
by the need to strengthen the capacity of Somali In response to Security Council resolution
domestic forces to confront the military threat posed 2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General
by Al-Shabaab. The Monitoring Group continued to submitted a June report on children and armed con-
receive reports that such forces remained ill-equipped flict [A/69/926-S/2015/409], which included develop-
to do so. ments concerning the situation in Somalia from Jan-
uary to December 2014.
The international trade in Somali charcoal con-
tinued although the political economy had changed. The United Nations documented the recruitment
Since the recovery of the port city of Barawe in Lower and use of 819 children (779 boys, 40 girls) by Al-
Shabelle in October 2014, Al-Shabaab no longer con- Shabaab (437), the national army and allied militia
trolled any major export sites. Following the arrest (197), Ahl Al-Sunna wal-Jama’a (109) and other armed
of various officials exporting charcoal immediately elements (76). The detention of children in Somalia
following the capture of Barawe, the Monitoring remained a concern, with 286 children (277 boys, 9
Group believed that the trade in that city had ceased. girls) detained by the national army, Al-Shabaab and
Although the trade continued further south, Al- other armed groups. Of concern was the situation of
Shabaab’s overall share of income derived from it had children held at the Serendi rehabilitation centre in
been significantly reduced. Early in 2015, falling reve- Mogadishu, whom the Special Representative of the
nues from charcoal prompted attempts by Al-Shabaab Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
to actively obstruct and deny profit from the trade to met during her visit in August.
its opponents. Although support from Member States Some 340 incidents of killing and maiming were
and multinational naval partnerships had increased documented, affecting 520 children (393 boys, 127
the visibility of the trade, countermeasures employed girls) and perpetrated by the national army and al-
by charcoal-exporting vessels to avoid identification lied militia (193), Al-Shabaab (96) and other armed
and tracking, combined with the continuing use of elements (231). Children had been killed in cross-
false documentation, had added to the challenges of fire, sometimes during joint national army/amisom
ensuring that Somali charcoal was not imported by operations and in suicide attacks. Al-Shabaab carried
Member States. out public executions, including of children, as puni-
tive measures and to instil fear.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Girls in internally displaced persons camps were
On 23 October [meeting 7541], the Security Council particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and forced
adopted resolution 2244(2015) by vote (14-0-1). marriage. At least 13 documented incidents of abduc-
The draft [S/2015/810] was submitted by Lithuania, the tion resulted in rape and forced marriage. A total of
United Kingdom and the United States. 133 children were abducted by Al-Shabaab (97), the
140 Part One: Political and security questions

national army and allied militia (25), and unknown The Assembly, in section IV of resolution 69/262,
armed groups (11). More than half of the children ab- approved the budgets of 35 special political missions
ducted by Al-Shabaab were used to increase its num- listed in table 6 of the Secretary-General’s report
bers ahead of joint national army/amisom operations. [A/69/363/Corr.2], including $84,015,000 for unsom.
In December, in a positive legislative development, In October 2015 [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary-
the Federal Parliament adopted a law ratifying the General submitted requirements for unsom for 2016
Convention on the Rights of the Child; the law was totalling $94,181,100, which acabq endorsed in No-
signed by President Mohamud on 20 January 2015. vember [A/70/7/Add.13].
On 23 December, in section XX of resolution
UNSOM 70/248 A (see p. 734), the General Assembly en-
dorsed the recommendations of acabq and approved
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia budgets for the 36 special political missions, including
(unsom) was established by the Security Council in unsom, totalling $567,252,400.
resolution 2102(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 252] to support
the peace and reconciliation process of the Fed- AMISOM
eral Government of Somalia; provide policy advice
to the Federal Government and amisom on peace- The African Union Mission in Somalia (amisom)
building and State-building, including preparations was authorized in 2007 [YUN 2007, p. 268] by the au
for elections in 2016; and assist in the coordination Peace and Security Council to support the transitional
of international donor support. The mandate also federal institutions in their efforts to stabilize the
included monitoring and reporting to the Council country, facilitate humanitarian assistance, and create
on human rights violations and helping prevent such conditions conducive to stabilization, reconstruction
abuses, and helping build the capacity of the Federal and development. By resolution 1744(2007) [ibid.,
Government to promote respect for human rights, p. 269], the Security Council approved the Mission’s
women’s empowerment and child protection; prevent mandate, which was renewed every six months. Reso-
conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence; lution 2036(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 244] widened the oper-
and strengthen justice institutions and help ensure ational scope of amisom to four sectors and increased
accountability. The Mission, launched on 3 June the Mission’s force strength from 12,000 to a max-
2013, replaced the United Nations Political Office for imum of 17,731 uniformed personnel. The Mission
Somalia [YUN 2013, p. 266]. In resolution 2158(2014) was also called on to take necessary measures in
[YUN 2014, p. 353], the Security Council extended the coordination with the Transitional Federal Govern-
unsom mandate for one year. ment to neutralize armed groups in the country. The
By resolution 2221(2015) of 26 May, the Council Council, by resolution 2124(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 256],
extended the mandate of unsom until 7 August; authorized an increase in amisom strength from
and by resolution 2232(2015) of 28 July (see p. 134), 17,731 to 22,126 uniformed personnel. In resolution
the Council further extended the mandate until 2182(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 367], the Council authorized
30 March 2016. the deployment of amisom until 30 November 2015.
By resolution 2232(2015) (see p. 134), the Council de-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION cided to authorize the au Member States to maintain
On 26 May [meeting 7449], the Security Council the deployment of amisom until 30 May 2016.
unanimously adopted resolution 2221(2015). The Communication. On 24 December [S/2015/1037],
draft [S/2015/370] was submitted by the United Kingdom. the Chair of the Security Council Working Group on
Peacekeeping Operations transmitted to the Security
Appointments. On 18 November [S/2015/900], Council President a concept note of the fourth the-
the Secretary-General informed the Security Council matic discussion of the Working Group, held on
President of his intention to appoint Michael Keat- 26 June, entitled “The African Union Mission in
ing (United Kingdom) as his Special Representative Somalia (amisom): Lessons learned”.
for Somalia and Head of unsom, to succeed Nich-
olas Kay (United Kingdom), who would complete Financing
his assignment on 31 December. On 20 November The performance report of the Secretary-General
[S/2015/901], the Council took note of the Secretary- on the financing of support for amisom for the period
General’s intention. from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 [A/69/592] detailed
expenditures of $436,949,400 gross ($432,703,300
Financing net) against an apportionment of $443,801,000 gross
In October 2014 [A/69/363/Add.3], the Secretary- ($440,002,800 net).
General proposed a total requirement of $83,051,600 The mandate for the support provided to amisom
for unsom for 2015, which acabq endorsed in De- was established by the Security Council in resolu-
cember [A/69/628]. tions 1772(2007) [YUN 2007, p. 276] and 1863(2009)
Chapter II: Africa 141

[YUN 2009, p. 271], and extended by subsequent Council lution 1863(2009) would remain for consideration
resolutions. The United Nations Support Office for during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
the African Union Mission in Somalia (unsoa) was
mandated to provide a logistical support package to Eritrea
amisom to support the efforts of the Transitional Fed-
eral Institutions of Somalia towards the stabilization Eritrea achieved independence from Ethiopia in
of the country, facilitate the provision of humanitarian 1993, following a 30-year war of liberation and a
assistance, and create conditions conducive to long- subsequent referendum. Since then, Eritrea’s relations
term stabilization, reconstruction and development with its neighbours had been turbulent. In the pro-
in Somalia. By resolution 2245(2015) (see p. 136), cess of defining the new State’s borders, the country
the Council renamed unsoa as the United Nations clashed with Ethiopia, Yemen and Djibouti, and
Support Office in Somalia (unsos). maintained a complex relationship with the Sudan.
In February [A/69/728], the Secretary-General sub- In December 2009, invoking Eritrea’s alleged support
mitted a budget proposal for unsoa for the period for Somali armed opposition groups and its border
from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 in the amount of conflict with Djibouti, the Security Council imposed
$525,377,700 gross ($520,592,600 net), represent- a sanctions regime on Eritrea, including a general and
ing an increase of 7.2 per cent ($35,409,600 gross) complete arms embargo, as well as a travel ban and an
compared with the 2014–2015 approved budget. asset freeze on individuals and entities.
The budget provided for the deployment of 21,586
military contingent personnel, 120 amisom police Sanctions
officers, 420 amisom formed police personnel, 279
Appointment. By a 28 January letter [S/2015/67],
international staff, including three temporary po-
the Secretary-General informed the Security Council
sitions, 200 national staff and 181 United Nations
President that, in addition to the experts appointed
Volunteers. earlier [YUN 2014, p. 373], three more experts had been
In April [A/69/839/Add.14], acabq recommended appointed to serve on the Monitoring Group on
that the appropriation be increased by the amount of Somalia and Eritrea.
$1,148,400 for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June Report of Monitoring Group. On 9 Octo-
2014, in addition to the amount of $435,801,000 ber [S/2015/802], the Chair of the Security Council
previously appropriated for the maintenance of the Committee pursuant to resolutions 751(1992) and
support entity under the terms of Assembly resolution 1907(2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea, in accor-
67/285, to the amount of $436,949,400, equal to the dance with Council resolution 2182(2014) [YUN 2014,
expenditures incurred during the same period. It also p. 367], transmitted to the Council the report on Eritrea
recommended that the General Assembly, taking into of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.
account the $435,801,000 already assessed on Member Throughout its mandate, the Monitoring Group kept
States for the maintenance of the support entity under the Government of Eritrea fully informed of its lines of
the terms of resolution 67/285, should decide to apply, investigation and sought to include its views and input
against the shortfall in assessment of $1,148,400, the in the report. The Group’s repeated requests notwith-
other income and adjustments for the period ended standing, it was not permitted to visit Eritrea during its
30 June 2014, amounting to $10,670,000; and should mandate and did not obtain the Government’s full co-
credit to Member States the remaining other income operation, contrary to Council resolution 2182(2014).
and adjustments for the period ended 30 June 2014,
amounting to $9,521,600. During the mandate, Eritrea forged a new strategic
military relationship with Saudi Arabia and the
For the maintenance of unsoa for the 12-month United Arab Emirates (uae) that involved allowing
period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, acabq rec- the Arab coalition to use Eritrean land, airspace and
ommended that the Assembly appropriate an amount territorial waters in its anti-Houthi military campaign
of $517,341,400 if the Council decided to extend the in Yemen. The Monitoring Group understood that
mandate of amisom beyond 30 November 2015. as part of the arrangement, Eritrea had received
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
monetary compensation and fuel supplies from the
two countries. Any compensation diverted directly
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, or indirectly towards activities that threatened peace
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee and security in the region or for the benefit of the
[A/69/962], adopted resolution 69/306 (Financing of Eritrean military would constitute a violation of reso-
the activities arising from Security Council resolu- lution 1907(2009). Moreover, the Group had received
tion 1863(2009)) without vote [agenda item 167]. credible information that Eritrean soldiers were em-
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General bedded with the uae contingent of the forces fighting
Assembly decided that the agenda item on the financ- on Yemeni soil. If confirmed, that would constitute a
ing of activities arising from Security Council reso- clear violation of the resolution.
142 Part One: Political and security questions

The Monitoring Group found no evidence that to the Council to immediately and unconditionally
Eritrea was supporting Al-Shabaab. It did, however, lift the sanctions and terminate the mandate of the
find that Eritrea was continuing to support and harbour Group regarding Eritrea.
some regional armed groups, including a newly formed
unified front of armed Ethiopian opposition groups,
the Tigray People’s Democratic Movement (tpdm) and North Africa
the military leader of Ginbot Sebat.
Tpdm remained the most significant armed Ethi-
opian group being trained, financed and hosted Libya
inside Eritrea. The Monitoring Group understood The signing of the Libyan Political Agreement in
that Eritrea had continued to maintain an infor- December 2015 was an important step forward in
mal economy controlled by the People’s Front for the Libyan political dialogue aimed at bringing an
Democracy and Justice (pfdj) involving hard currency end to the institutional crisis and military conflict
transactions through a non-transparent network of in Libya. The Agreement established a nine-member
business entities that were owned by the State and Presidency Council of the Government of National
managed by senior officials of the Government, pfdj Accord, headed by the Prime Minister-designate,
and the military, just as with most companies in Fayiz al-Sarraj. At the same time, the institutional
Eritrea. The Monitoring Group received testimony crisis resulting from competing claims of legislative
from multiple sources in the Eritrean diaspora and host legitimacy from the General National Congress and
country authorities that the Government had contin- the House of Representatives continued to undermine
ued to impose extraterritorial taxation requirements progress in the political process.
on Eritrean citizens living abroad. The Monitoring The military conflict continued unabated in differ-
Group noted that the Government had continued to ent parts of the country, and hundreds of thousands of
maintain a complete lack of transparency with regard ordinary Libyans continued to bear the consequences
to mining revenue. The Group had closely monitored of the humanitarian crisis. Close to half-a-million
a court case in Canada over the alleged use of forced people had been displaced by 2015, and many were
labour and inhumane treatment at the Bisha mine in enduring a pattern of repeated displacement. A suicide
Eritrea, which was operated by a Canadian company, car bomb attack on 7 January in Zliten, the dead-
Nevsun Resources Limited. liest attack since the 2011 revolution, demonstrated
The Monitoring Group noted the lack of progress the growing threat from the increased presence and
on article 3 of the Comprehensive Agreement, con- influence of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil)
cerning prisoners of war, signed on 6 June 2010 by affiliates and other terrorist groups.
Djibouti and Eritrea under the auspices of Qatar. The Prosecutor of the International Criminal
Djibouti had provided the Group with a list of names Court (icc) noted that the Libyan authorities needed
of Eritrean prisoners that it claimed to be holding, as to heed the Security Council’s calls for cooperation
well as prisoners of war from Djibouti who it claimed and comply with the request to immediately surrender
were missing in action as a result of the border clashes Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi to the Court.
of 10 to 12 June 2008 between the two countries. In March, by resolution 2213(2015), the Security
Eritrea had yet to acknowledge that it held combat- Council extended the mandate of the United Nations
ants from Djibouti or provide any information on Support Mission in Libya (unsmil) until 15 Sep-
their condition. tember. In September, by resolution 2238(2015), the
The Security Council, in resolution 2244(2015) of Council further extended the mandate to 15 March
23 October (see p. 139), took note of the Monitoring 2016.
Group’s report on Eritrea and urged Eritrea to allow
access to or provide information on the Djiboutian
Political and security developments
combatants missing in action since 2008.
Communication. On 19 October [S/2015/806], Security Council consideration. During the
Eritrea wrote to the Security Council President noting year, the Security Council discussed the situation in
that a draft resolution was under consideration by the Libya on 18 February [S/PV.7387], 4 March [S/PV.7398],
Council to renew the mandate of the Somalia and 5 March [S/PV.7399], 27 March [S/PV.7420], 12 May
Eritrea Monitoring Group. According to Eritrea, the [S/PV.7441], 15 July S/PV.7485], 26 August [S/PV.7512],
Monitoring Group had once again concluded that 10 September [S/PV.7520], 9 October [S/PV.7531], 5 No-
it had found no evidence of Eritrean support to Al- vember [S/PV.7549 & S/PV.7550], 11 December [S/PV.7577]
Shabaab in Somalia, and Eritrea and Djibouti had en- and 23 December [S/PV.7598].
trusted Qatar to mediate their dispute. Therefore, the Communication. In identical letters on 20 Jan-
two justifications for the imposition of sanctions on uary [S/2015/41] to the Secretary-General and the
Eritrea were non-existent. Eritrea, therefore, appealed President of the Security Council, Libya transmitted
Chapter II: Africa 143

a resolution on the developments of the situation in In his recommendations on UN configuration, the

the country, which was adopted by the Council of Secretary-General noted that it would be critical for
the League of Arab States at the ministerial level on the future UN presence to focus on a clear and limited
15 January. list of tasks based on the four priorities. The change
Special Report of Secretary-General. In Febru- of focus would entail a considerable reduction in the
ary [S/2015/113], following a review exercise of the UN size of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
presence in Libya, the Secretary-General reported on (unsmil).
the main findings of the exercise, as well as recommen- The full return of the United Nations to Libya
dations for the reconfiguration of the United Nations was not recommended. The presence and mobility
presence in Libya. Drawing from the analysis of the of UN staff in Libya, however, would be reviewed
conflict and possible future scenarios, as well as the regularly through the existing security coordination
priorities expressed by national actors, four priorities mechanism. In that regard, the best option would be
were identified for Libya for the next biennium, in a limited but continuous footprint in Libya, with a
order for it to resume its democratic transition and set rotation of 15 to 20 substantive staff from across the
the basis for long-term stability. UN system. The Secretary-General recommended
The first priority was ending the conflict with an dedicated aviation support for the mediation effort
initial agreement on addressing the immediate crisis, and a robust air bridge between Tunis and Tripoli
which required the main parties to reach agreements for operational and security purposes, pending the
on a ceasefire, security and interim political arrange- resumption of commercial alternatives or the full re-
ments. Ending the conflict would pave the way for turn of the United Nations to Libya. With revised
restoration of security and resumption of the transi- priorities, there was a need to review the division of
tional process. It would also reduce the obstacles to labour between unsmil and the country team.
the delivery of essential services and to freedom of Communication. On 17 February [S/2015/20],
movement for the population. In that context, stop- Egypt shared with the Secretary-General a letter from
ping abuses of human rights and serious violations of the Foreign Minister of Egypt on the situation in Libya.
international humanitarian law remained a priority. Report of Secretary-General (February). In
The second priority was completing the transitional response to Security Council resolution 2144(2014)
process. An agreement needed to be reached on a [YUN 2014, p. 378], the Secretary-General, in February
political framework that laid the foundations for a sta- [S/2015/144], reported on political and security devel-
ble Libya based on legitimate and inclusive institutions opments, the human rights situation and unsmil
and respect for the rule of law, including arrangements activities in Libya. Overall, security in the country
for the remainder of the transition. That would need continued to deteriorate. A video released by the
to be underpinned by the adoption of a constitution Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil) showing
and a clear road map to address issues related to arms the beheading of 21 men in February, preceded by
proliferation and armed groups operating outside State a spate of terrorist attacks targeting public buildings
authority, as well as the implementation of an effective and foreign embassies, underscored the consolidation
process of transitional justice. of power by extremist and terror-linked groups in the
The third priority was to maintain or restore essen- eastern part of the country and their increased visi-
tial services. The fourth priority was moving towards bility in other areas. The beheading, which targeted
a stable and democratic State with legitimate, inclu- 20 Egyptian Coptic Christians, triggered a military
sive and effective institutions based on the rule of law, response from Egypt. On 16 February, a day after isil
good governance and respect for human rights. That released the video showing the brutal killings, Egyp-
included a public financing and budget system that tian fighter jets launched a wave of air strikes against
was transparent and accountable, and an independent targets associated with Islamist groups. The Egyp-
media and active civil society. It also required im- tian military stated that it had targeted isil camps,
mediate, robust and sustained engagement by the training sites and weapons storage areas. A number of
international community to support the Libyan peo- civilians were reportedly killed in the attacks.
ple to live in a functioning State with representative The humanitarian situation in Libya deteriorated
institutions. markedly. Approximately 400,000 people were esti-
The Secretary-General noted that a number of risks mated to be internally displaced, of whom 360,000
remained, including the potential for further collapse were displaced as a result of the fighting that began in
into complete civil war; refusal to engage in dialogue July 2014. Attacks and threats were made against the
by one or several of the parties; security conditions diplomatic community and different UN premises. A
that could prohibit UN deployments inside Libya; terrorist attack on the Corinthia hotel in Tripoli on
and support from international actors that could en- 28 January left at least eight people dead, including
courage and/or enable parties to pursue military vic- five foreign citizens; militants claiming allegiance to
tory, thus undermining UN work. isil claimed responsibility.
144 Part One: Political and security questions

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Communication. In a 2 April [S/2015/232] note
6 November 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 293] and the deepening verbale to the Security Council President, the League
political and institutional crisis resulting from it, the of Arab States (las) transmitted five resolutions
Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ber- adopted by the Council of las. Resolution 624 dealt
nardino León, proceeded to undertake new rounds with dangerous developments in Libya.
of consultations with all the different stakeholders in Report of Secretary-General (August). In an
Libya, and with relevant regional and international August report [S/2015/624], submitted in response
actors, with the aim of encouraging a return to the to Security Council resolution 2213(2015), the
negotiating table and consensus on a framework for Secretary-General reported on activities of unsmil,
moving the dialogue process forward. major political and security developments, and on the
A two-day unsmil -facilitated Libyan dialogue human rights situation in Libya since his February
session, which commenced at the UN Office at Ge- report (see p. 143).
neva on 14 January, marked a major breakthrough and On 11 July, an important breakthrough was achieved
paved the way for a series of talks held during January when most of the participants in the UN-facilitated
and February. In a positive development following the Libyan political dialogue initialled the Libyan Political
first round of talks in Geneva, the Libya Dawn and Agreement, which provided a framework for future
Sunrise military commands announced a unilateral negotiations on the formation of a Government of
ceasefire. Similarly, the Army Chief of General Staff National Accord. Despite calls by other dialogue par-
issued a statement committing Operation Dignity ticipants urging the General National Congress to
forces to a ceasefire. In a significant gesture of goodwill take part in the initialling ceremony, its representatives
announced at the conclusion of municipal and local were not in attendance. In parallel to the main political
council talks in Geneva on 29 January, representatives tracks, unsmil also convened in Algiers three separate
from Misrata and Tawergha agreed to establish a mech- rounds of talks between March and June with Libyan
anism that would allow the Tawergha community im- political party representatives and political activists.
proved access to Tawerghan detainees held by Misrata. The talks included discussions on ways of advancing
The agreement also underscored the Tawerghan com- the overall dialogue process and on key issues for the
munity’s right of return to their home town following democratic transition, including combating terrorism
their displacement during the armed conflict of 2011. and responding to humanitarian needs.
The human rights environment in Libya deterio-
rated sharply. By the end of December 2014, approx- The Constitution Drafting Assembly continued to
imately 1,144 Tawerghan families had been displaced pursue its mandate, though security, political, logisti-
from five camps in Benghazi. The Office of the United cal, financial and organizational difficulties presented
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) significant obstacles to progress. The Assembly had
estimated that, out of the 170,100 persons who ar- shifted its focus away from the eight substantive com-
rived in Italy between January and December 2014, mittees that dominated its earlier work and devoted
approximately 141,000 departed from Libya, while much of its attention to debating the preliminary
some 3,300 were known to have drowned at sea and texts released by the committees in December 2014.
an unknown number had gone missing. Unsmil continued to serve as the coordinating body
and primary liaison for the international community
As at the end of January 2015, 238 unsmil
to the Assembly.
international and national staff members and
Government-provided personnel were deployed. Of Following the round of clashes in late March
those, 80 national staff members remained in Tripoli, around the town of Aziziya, south of Tripoli, the
while among the international component, 59 were re- general security situation in the west of Libya was char-
located to Tunis, 45 to Zarzis and 36 to Brindisi. In acterized by a growing rapprochement among differ-
addition, unsmil had three staff members at Headquar- ent actors, with several local communities initiating
ters and 15 at the UN Global Service Centre in Brindisi. ceasefire and reconciliation initiatives, in certain cases
with active support from unsmil.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
In June, a hard-line faction within the Libya Dawn
On 5 March [meeting 7399], the Security Council coalition, which had earlier called for the rejection
unanimously adopted resolution 2208(2015). The of the UN-facilitated political dialogue process, an-
draft [S/2015/158] was submitted by the United Kingdom. nounced the formation of a new military coalition,
On 27 March [meeting 7420], the Security Council the “Steadfastness Front”. The move reflected increas-
unanimously adopted resolution 2213(2015). The ing fragmentation within the Libya Dawn coalition,
draft [S/2015/216] was submitted by Angola, Lithuania, as many of its armed group components publicly sup-
Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. ported dialogue. Fighting between Misratan and isil/
Also on 27 March [meeting 7420], the Security Da’esh forces intensified around Sirte and the town of
Council unanimously adopted resolution 2214(2015). Nawfiliya in March, with a series of air strikes against
The draft [S/2015/218] was submitted by Jordan. isil/Da’esh targets in the area.
Chapter II: Africa 145

In the east, the security situation remained crit- On 22 September [S/2015/734], Senegal, on behalf
ical throughout the reporting period, with fighting of the African Group, requested the Security Council
primarily in Benghazi and Derna between Operation President to put on hold the discussion of a draft reso-
Dignity forces and armed Islamist groups. Heavy lution entitled “The situation in Libya” that was under
fighting erupted in June between isil/Da’esh and the consideration by the Council. The African Group
Derna Mujaheddin Shura Council, a coalition of local believed that the approach followed in the draft res-
Islamist and Jihadi groups; the Council, supported by olution, which placed emphasis on the enforcement
local citizens, reported a victory in mid-June. aspect under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United
In the south, fighting broke out in Brak al-Shati Nations, would not bring about the much-needed
in early March between military units drawn largely change that would prevent people from fleeing dan-
from the local Magarha and Qadhadifa tribes on the gerous situations and trying to look for safer and better
one hand, and the Misratan Third Force on the other. living conditions in Europe.
In Awbari, sporadic fighting between Tabu and Tuareg SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
armed groups over control of key oil facilities, roads and
Government buildings continued, despite the forging of On 10 September [meeting 7520], the Security Council
two separate ceasefire agreements in Doha and Al Baida unanimously adopted resolution 2238(2015). The
by leaders from the two communities in early June. draft [S/2015/694] was presented by the United Kingdom.
Violations and abuses of international human On 9 October [meeting 7531], the Security Council
rights and humanitarian law continued across Libya, adopted resolution 2240(2015) by vote (14-0-1). The
with civilians suffering the consequences of protracted draft [S/2015/768] was submitted by 35 Member States.
fighting and the breakdown of law and order. Unsmil VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2240(2015):
continued to monitor and report on the human rights In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
situation in the country, despite the relocation of Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Spain,
international staff outside of Libya in mid-July 2014. the United Kingdom and the United States.
Many human rights defenders fled the country or fell Against: None.
silent in the face of assault, arbitrary detention, closure Abstaining: Venezuela.
of ngo offices and death threats; others operated un- Communications. In a 10 December letter
derground at great risk to themselves and their families. [S/2015/954] to the Security Council President, Saudi
The humanitarian situation in Libya continued to Arabia shared the final communiqué of the 36th Gulf
deteriorate, affecting an estimated 2 million people, Cooperation Council Summit, issued on 10 December.
an increase of 125 per cent since September 2014. As On 23 December [S/2015/1018], the United King-
at May, approximately 435,000 people were internally dom transmitted a letter from the Presidents of the
displaced, including approximately 290,000 women House of Representatives and the General National
and children. There were approximately 100,000 Congress in Libya who noted that the violent demon-
refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya, of whom 36,868 strations that had broken out in Tripoli and numerous
had registered with unhcr. other Libyan towns underscored the lack of consensus
The Secretary-General observed that political po- regarding the presidential council. The latter was
larization continued to be manifested in the deeply not the product of a Libyan consensus, but, rather,
divisive institutional crisis at both the legislative and it stemmed from the personal interpretation of the
executive levels, hindering governance and undermin- outgoing United Nations envoy, Bernardino León.
ing any effort to address the many challenges confront- A government grounded in a genuine, broad-based
ing Libya. national consensus would be in a position to confront
Communications. In two letters to the Security the crisis facing Libya. A government bereft of such
Council President, dated 13 August [S/2015/630] and consensus—as was the case with the government an-
18 August [S/2015/645], Libya drew attention to the nounced by unsmil—would create serious complica-
security and humanitarian situation in the city of tions for the situation in Libya.
Sirte, where isil had allegedly committed unprece-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
dented crimes against the population; and transmit-
ted resolution 7918, adopted by the Council of las On 23 December [meeting 7598], the Security Council
at its extraordinary session on 18 August, concerning unanimously adopted resolution 2259(2015). The draft
developments in the situation in Libya. [S/2015/1016] was presented by the United Kingdom.
In a 15 September note verbale [S/2015/721] to the Year-end developments. In a later report on
Security Council President, las transmitted, among Libya [S/2016/182], the Secretary-General stated that
others, the text of resolution 7937 adopted by the instability and conflict continued to aggravate the
144th Ministerial Meeting of the Council of las plight of the civilian population in many parts of the
(Cairo, Egypt, 13–14 September) concerning the sit- country, particularly in Benghazi. On 17 December,
uation in Libya. the political dialogue process reached an important
146 Part One: Political and security questions

milestone with the signing of the Libyan Political guard, including 434 women and 70 children. Some
Agreement in Skhirat, Morocco. The Agreement es- 3,700 persons were reported dead or missing in the
tablished a nine-member Presidency Council of the Mediterranean Sea.
Government of National Accord, headed by the Prime
Minister-designate, Fayiz al-Sarraj. One month later, ICC activities
the Presidency Council presented its proposal for a
Government of National Accord for endorsement by Briefings by ICC Prosecutor. The Prosecutor
the House of Representatives. of the International Criminal Court (icc), Fatou
Bensouda, briefed the Security Council on 12 May
Throughout the process, unsmil remained actively [S/PV.7441] and 5 November [S/PV.7549] on the activities
engaged in efforts to facilitate the formation of a unity undertaken by her Office with regard to Libya. In her
government supported by security arrangements. On November briefing, the Prosecutor stated that the
13 December, the UN Special Representative was national dialogue, facilitated by the United Nations,
present at a ministerial meeting in Rome, Italy, at- aimed at the establishment of a Libyan Government
tended by Member States and regional organizations, of national accord, represented hope for a transition to
at which participants expressed strong support for the national unity and durable peace, and carried impor-
UN-facilitated political process and called for the for- tant promise for Libya’s efforts in the promotion of the
mation of a unity government. rule of law, the protection of civilians and the ending of
The security situation in western Libya remained impunity for atrocity crimes. In another development,
fragile with increased isil activity and a sharp rise unsmil facilitated successful talks towards the resolu-
in crime levels that added another layer of threats. tion of the Tawergha issue. The agreement reached in
Eastern Libya saw persistent clashes with a complex Tunis in September 2015 to develop strategies for the
constellation of actors involved in Benghazi, includ- return of the Tawergha, as well as to establish clear
ing forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar, neigh- plans for reparations to the victims, was a welcome
bourhood militias, Salafist armed groups and Islamist development. It was particularly noteworthy that the
revolutionary brigades, as well as terrorist entities Misrata/Tarwergha Joint Committee affirmed its full
such as Ansar al-Sharia and isil. In southern Libya, support for the political dialogue and the formation
persistent intercommunal tensions and rising crime of a Government of national accord.
levels continued in Sabha and Awbari. From its bases The Appeals Chamber of the icc affirmed the ad-
in Sirte and Nawfaliyah, isil made several attempts missibility of the case against Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi
to expand its control, in particular eastwards to the on 21 May 2014 and the inadmissibility of the case
oil crescent region. against Abdullah Al-Senussi on 24 July 2014. To date,
On 6 October, a 12-member committee formed by despite the repeated demands of the Prosecutor, Saif
the Constitution Drafting Assembly to prepare a first al-Islam al-Qadhafi had not been surrendered to icc;
draft of the constitution published its work. The draft the Libyan authorities had to heed the Council’s calls
fell short, however, of international law and standards, for cooperation and comply with the Court’s request
particularly with respect to provisions relating to the to immediately surrender Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi to
formation of the State, separation of powers, primacy the icc. The Prosecutor was also deeply concerned
of the constitution over other aspects of internal law, by videos of alleged acts of torture against Saadi al-
rights and liberties, the judiciary and the Consti- Qadhafi at Al-Hadba prison, which circulated online
tutional Court. Unsmil made a number of recom- in August.
mendations to the Constitution Drafting Assembly On 30 July, the icc filed a request with the Pre-
for improvements to the draft. The Assembly subse- Trial Chamber seeking an order directing Libya to
quently requested the committee to review the draft refrain from executing Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, to
and to reach consensus on outstanding issues. immediately surrender him to the Court, and to
All parties to the conflict in Libya continued to report his death sentence to the Security Council. In
perpetrate widespread violations of international hu- its response on 20 August, Libya explained that the
manitarian law and international human rights law, death sentence against Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi was
including unlawful killings, abductions, hostage- non-enforceable in Libya because his trial was held in
taking, enforced disappearances and torture. Unhcr absentia, and that he would enjoy a right to a new trial
indicated that the number of internally displaced when he was transferred from Zintan into the custody
persons in Libya had increased to approximately of the Libyan authorities. Libya acknowledged that
435,000, including 290,000 women and children. A Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi was not in its custody.
total of 37,695 refugees and migrants reached Italy The Prosecutor said she awaited the full unsmil
by boat from the African continent between Septem- report on the Libyan trial of Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi
ber and December, mostly from Libyan shores. From and Abdullah al-Senussi and the trial judgment, and
late August to December, more than 7,600 persons would continue to follow the situation and to collect
were intercepted or rescued by the Libyan coast- and analyse information with a view to determining
Chapter II: Africa 147

whether to seek the Chamber’s review of the ad- alysed the implementation of the measures imposed
missibility of the Al-Senussi case. The Prosecutor’s by resolution 1970(2011), including the arms embargo
assessment of the information at its disposal was that and asset freeze, and the modifications contained in
it did not support an application for a review of the resolutions 1973(2011), 2009(2011), 2016(2011),
Pre-Trial Chamber’s decision on the admissibility of 2040(2012), 2095(2013), 2144(2014), 2146(2014)
the case against Al-Senussi. and 2174(2014). It outlined the Panel’s findings and
presented eighteen recommendations to the Council,
Sanctions to the Committee established pursuant to resolution
1970(2011) and to Member States to improve the im-
In 2015, by resolution 2213(2015) (see p. 144), the plementation of those measures.
Security Council extended the mandate of the Panel of Concerning the implementation of the arms em-
Experts until 30 April 2016. In doing so, the Council bargo, Libyan armed groups had continued to stock-
recalled resolution 1970(2011) [YUN 2011, p. 267], in pile military materiel during the transition phase,
which it imposed on Libya an arms embargo as well as either through the collection of arms and ammuni-
a travel ban and asset freeze against individuals listed tion within Libya or procurement from outside. In
in two annexes. By its resolution 1973(2011) [ibid., the absence of any functional national security forces,
p. 271], the Council strengthened the enforcement of
post-revolution transfers of materiel to Libya, whether
the arms embargo and expanded the scope of the asset exempted by the Committee or not, had contributed
freeze to include the exercise of vigilance when doing to the consolidation of militias. Although the provi-
business with Libyan entities, if States had grounds sions of the arms embargo had been reinforced by res-
to believe that such business could contribute to vio- olution 2174(2014), implementation remained weak.
lence and the use of force against civilians. That reso-
lution listed additional individuals subject to the asset Concerning the implementation of the travel ban,
freeze and the travel ban and established the Panel inquiries continued into the alleged plot to smuggle
of Experts. Resolution 2009(2011) [ibid., p. 280] intro- Saadi al-Qadhafi and his family to Mexico in 2011,
duced exceptions to the arms embargo and removed in contravention of the travel ban. To achieve balance
two listed entities subject to the asset freeze, while and fairness, efforts were under way to interview as
allowing the four remaining entities to be subjected many as possible of the individuals designated under
to a partial assets freeze. In resolution 2040(2012) the various measures. The locations of some of the
[YUN 2012, p. 253], the Council directed the Security individuals designated under both the travel ban and
Council Committee established pursuant to resolu- the assets freeze had changed, and the Panel proposed
tion 1970(2011) to review the remaining measures several updates to the Sanctions List.
with regard to two listed entities and decided that the Concerning the implementation of the assets
Committee was to lift the designation of those two en- freeze, the Panel focused on listed individuals. During
tities. In resolution 2095(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 273], the the year, there had been developments in both existing
Council further eased the arms embargo in relation to and new investigations; the process had been slow be-
Libya concerning non-lethal military equipment. By cause of the difficulties of obtaining information from
resolution 2146(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 384], the Council Member States. Several fraudulent attempts to recover
imposed measures on vessels in relation to attempts Libyan assets allegedly stolen from the Government
to illicitly export crude oil from Libya. By resolution had come to light; where those attempts concerned
2174(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 386], the Council required assets that were potentially liable to be frozen, they fell
the Committee’s prior approval for the supply, sale or within the mandate of the Panel and were being inves-
transfer of arms and material to Libya intended for tigated. Concerning the implementation of sanctions
security or disarmament assistance, with the excep- on designated vessels, no such request was received
tion of non-lethal military equipment. during the year and no vessels were designated, despite
Security Council Committee. On 9 December the export of crude oil from ports that were not under
[S/2015/994], the Security Council Committee estab- the control of the Government. The Panel believed
lished pursuant to resolution 1970(2011) transmitted that the requesting mechanism for the designation of
to the Council the report on its activities in 2015. vessels was ineffective and should be revised; the Panel
During the year, the Committee held three informal further found that not only crude oil was subject to
consultations, on 20 February, 8 June and 21 Sep- illicit export, but also its derivatives, which was likely
tember. It received one implementation report from to provide funding to the conflict.
a Member State and one inspection report from a Appointments. On 29 April [S/2015/299], the
Member State. As at the end of the year, there were Secretary-General informed the Security Council
20 individuals and two entities on the sanctions list that he had appointed six experts to the Panel of
of the Committee. Experts established pursuant to Council resolution
Panel of Experts. On 23 February [S/2015/128], 1973(2011) and extended by resolution 2213(2015)
the Panel of Experts presented its final report that an- and previous resolutions.
148 Part One: Political and security questions

Children and armed conflict tember 2014. On 30 October [S/2015/830], the Council
took note of the Secretary-General’s intention.
In response to Security Council resolution
2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General Financing
submitted a June report on children and armed con-
flict [A/69/926-S/2015/409], which included develop- In a February report [A/69/363/Add.6] on estimates
ments concerning the situation in Libya from January in respect of special political missions, good of-
to December 2014. fices and other political initiatives authorized by the
General Assembly and/or the Security Council, the
The security situation in Libya deteriorated sharply Secretary-General proposed resource requirements
in 2014, particularly in the fourth quarter of the year. for 2015 for unsmil in the amount of $48,117,700.
Although no verified information on the recruitment In May [A/69/628/Add.1], acabq recommended to the
and use of children was available, concerns persisted General Assembly to approve $47,824,400 (net of staff
over the association of children with armed militias. assessment) for unsmil for the period up to 31 De-
Furthermore, in May, during “Operation Dignity” in cember 2015.
eastern Libya, forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar
allegedly detained dozens of males, possibly also The Assembly, in section II of resolution 69/274 B
children, based on their nationality, or political or of 25 June (see p. 731), endorsed the recommenda-
religious affiliation. Following the escalation of the tions of acabq and approved the budgets of the
conflict in May, the United Nations received reports special political missions authorized by the Assembly
of about 30 children killed across the country, but and/or the Security Council, including unsmil, for
the actual number was likely being underreported. 2015 in the amount of $236,226,900, as well as the
Reports of the use of schools and hospitals by armed charges against the provision appropriated for special
groups were also a cause for concern. In the West, political missions under section 3, Political affairs of
armed groups, either affiliated with the Libya Dawn the 2014–2015 programme budget.
coalition or rival armed groups from Warshafana or In October [A/70/348/Add.3], the Secretary-General
Zintan, abducted children in the aftermath of the submitted requirements for unsmil for 2016 totalling
fighting in Tripoli, as well as during the fighting in $41,439,900, which acabq endorsed in November
Warshafana. [A/70/7/Add.13].
On 23 December, in section XX of resolution
UNSMIL 70/248 A (see p. 734), the General Assembly en-
dorsed the recommendations of acabq and approved
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya budgets for the 36 special political missions, including
(unsmil) was established in September 2011 by unsmil, totalling $567,252,400.
Security Council resolution 2009(2011) [YUN 2011,
p. 280] at the request of Libyan authorities, follow-
Western Sahara
ing six months of armed conflict. The Mission was
mandated to support the country’s new transitional In 2015, the ceasefire in Western Sahara between
authorities in their post-conflict efforts for an initial Morocco and the Frente Popular para la Liberación de
period of three months. The Council modified and ex- Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro (Frente Polisario) con-
tended the unsmil mandate in resolutions 2022(2011) tinued to hold. Notwithstanding the renewed and sus-
[ibid., p. 286], 2040(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 253], 2095(2013) tained efforts of the United Nations, there had been no
[YUN 2013, p. 273] and 2144(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 378]. progress towards resolving the dispute over the status of
By Council resolutions 2213(2015) of 27 March (see the disputed territory. Under a plan presented in 2007
p. 144) and 2238(2015) of 10 September (see p. 145), by Frente Polisario [YUN 2007, p. 296], final status was to
the Council extended the mandate of unsmil until be decided in a referendum on self-determination that
15 September and 15 March 2016, respectively. The included independence as an option. Morocco, in turn,
Council further mandated unsmil to focus, as an im- presented a plan for autonomy [ibid., p. 297].
mediate priority through mediation and good offices, The Special Representative of the Secretary-
on support to the Libyan political process towards the General for Western Sahara and Head of the United
formation of a Government of National Accord and Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western
security arrangements through the security track of Sahara (minurso) was Kim Bolduc (Canada). De-
the UN-facilitated Libyan Political Dialogue. spite having been appointed in May 2014, she was
Appointment. On 28 October [S/2015/829], the unable to deploy until 6 February 2015 on account
Secretary-General informed the Security Council of Morocco expressing strong reservations regarding
President of his intention to appoint Martin Kobler elements of the 2014 report of the Secretary-General
(Germany) as the new Special Representative of the to the Security Council [YUN 2014, p. 389].
Secretary-General and Head of unsmil, succeeding By resolution 2218(2015), the Security Council ex-
Bernardino León (Spain), who had served since Sep- tended the mandate of minurso until 30 April 2016.
Chapter II: Africa 149

Political and security developments 41 minefields remained to be addressed. East of the

berm, four accidents occurred, in which one civilian
Report of Secretary-General (April). In re- and one soldier were killed and five civilians and
sponse to Security Council resolution 2152(2014) five soldiers injured. West of the berm, six incidents
[YUN 2014, p. 390], the Secretary-General submitted an
occurred, in which two civilians and one soldier were
April report [S/2015/246] on the situation in Western killed and three civilians and three soldiers injured.
Sahara, covering developments since his 2014 report
The perception of minurso and impartiality of
[YUN 2014, p. 389]. The ceasefire in Western Sahara
the United Nations continued to be affected by the
between Morocco and the Frente Popular para la
fact that minurso vehicles operated with Moroc-
Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Río de Oro
can licence plates west of the berm. Logistical and
(Frente Polisario) continued to hold. Public life in the
administrative complications also arose since Moroc-
part of Western Sahara under the control of Morocco,
can licence plates had to be removed and replaced by
west of the berm marking the ceasefire line, proceeded
UN plates when minurso vehicles crossed east of the
peacefully and included large gatherings at social
berm and travelled outside the area of operations. Im-
events in urban areas without major incidents. A level
plementation of the March 2014 verbal agreement of
of discontent was perceptible among the Western Sa-
the Moroccan authorities to gradually replace Moroc-
haran population west of the berm, as illustrated in in-
can licence plates with UN licence plates for minurso
termittent demonstrations throughout the reporting
vehicles had not begun.
period in Laayoune and other towns.
Communication. In identical letters of 6 April
Living conditions in the refugee camps near Tin- [A/69/866-S/2015/247] to the Secretary-General and the
douf, Algeria, declined further because of reduc- Security Council President, Morocco reiterated its cat-
tions in international humanitarian aid delivery. The egorical opposition to any role or involvement whatso-
Secretary-General urged the international community ever of the au in the question of the Moroccan Sahara.
to provide additional funding for the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
(unhcr) programme in the refugee camps, given the On 28 April [meeting 7435], the Security Council
existing gaps in protection, health, nutrition, food unanimously adopted resolution 2218(2015). The
security, shelter, water and sanitation. draft [S/2015/285] was presented by France, Spain, the
As at 31 March, the military component of United Kingdom and the United States.
minurso stood at 203 personnel against the author-
ized strength of 246. The Mission observed one new Communications. In a 15 April letter [S/2015/256] to
violation of freedom of movement by the Royal Mo- the Secretary-General, South Africa transmitted a letter
roccan Army, while nine long-standing violations re- dated 30 March from the Secretary-General of Frente
mained. East of the berm, minurso recorded two new Polisario on the situation concerning Western Sahara.
violations and two freedom-of-movement violations By a 21 April letter [A/69/861-S/2015/240] to the
by Frente Polisario forces, while three long-standing Secretary-General, Zimbabwe transmitted a 30 March
violations remained. letter from the Chairperson of the au Commission,
The Mission’s assessment was that both parties which included a communiqué on the situation in
remained fully committed to and respectful of the Western Sahara adopted by the au Peace and Security
ceasefire and that their observed violations had re- Council at its 496th meeting (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
sulted in a gradual shift in the original military status 27 March), as well as the related report. In a 12 May
quo over the years. Minurso continued to advocate letter [S/2015/334] to the Secretary-General, Zimbabwe
that any discrepancies vis-à-vis the determination transmitted a 30 April press statement by the au Peace
of ceasefire monitoring violations and potential and Security Council.
security concerns in that context be addressed in Report of Secretary-General (July). In a July
the framework of military agreement No. 1, which report [S/2015/201], submitted pursuant to General
remained the basic legal instrument governing the Assembly resolution 69/101 [YUN 2014, p. 392], the
ceasefire monitoring of the disputed territory. Seven Secretary-General reported on the situation in Western
rounds of discussions were held during the reporting Sahara during the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June
period with representatives of the Royal Moroccan 2015. The Secretary-General stated that the new
Army. Minurso considered the parties’ initial pro- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
posals for potential adjustments to military agreement Western Sahara and Head of minurso, Kim Bolduc,
No. 1 and identified respective areas of concern. was unable to deploy to the Mission until 6 February,
Contamination of Western Sahara by landmines despite having been appointed on 12 May 2014.
and explosive remnants of war continued to endanger On 22 January, King Mohammed VI and the
the lives of local, nomadic and refugee populations, Secretary-General spoke by telephone. The Secretary-
as well as minurso military observers and logistical General gave assurances that great care would be taken
teams. As at 31 March, 57 cluster strike areas and in the preparation of his future reports and that he
150 Part One: Political and security questions

would not seek a change in the mandate of minurso. report (see p. 149). On 4 September 2015, municipal
On that basis, the Special Representative could take and, for the first time, regional elections were held in
up her duties in Laayoune and the Personal Envoy Morocco and in Western Sahara. Insofar as minurso
of the Secretary-General, Christopher Ross, could re- could ascertain, the elections were conducted without
sume his activities. After the call, the Personal Envoy incident. King Mohammed VI, while visiting Laay-
undertook two rounds of consultations in the region, oune on 6 November, delivered his annual speech on
in February and March, to re-establish contact with the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the “Green
interlocutors, strengthen confidence in the negotiat- March” [YUN 1975, p. 175]. He stated that the autonomy
ing process and clarify the way forward. During the initiative was the most Morocco could offer and that
tour of the Personal Envoy to the region in February, its implementation hinged on achieving a final political
Morocco reiterated its long-standing position that settlement within the framework of the United Nations.
the autonomy proposal that it had presented in 2007 The Secretary-General of Frente Polisario, Moham-
should serve as the basis for negotiation. Meanwhile, med Abdelaziz, expressed concern at the content of the
in Rabouni, near Tindouf, the Frente Polisario leaders King’s speech. Subsequently, Mr. Abdelaziz stated that
expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in Frente Polisario would not exclude resuming the armed
the negotiating process and over what they perceived struggle, since the referendum that had been agreed in
as a lack of attention from the United Nations. exchange for the ceasefire in 1991 had not been held.
Between February and April, the Personal En- Frente Polisario implemented a new entry pro-
voy also initiated a new series of consultations with cedure east of the berm on 15 April 2015, affixing
members of the Group of Friends of Western Sahara, a stamp on the passports of minurso military and
visiting successively Madrid, Paris, London, Moscow civilian staff members. Non-acceptance of passports
and Washington, D.C. In those discussions, he sought bearing the stamp west of the berm resulted in an
their renewed support and drew their attention to the interruption of minurso personnel rotation and
growing security threats in the Sahelo-Saharan re- restrictions on deliveries to team sites east of the berm,
gion, including a possible future nexus between the affecting minurso patrolling. Minurso resumed full
frustrated refugee population, especially its young operations on 9 May following intensive dialogue
people, and the expanded activities of criminal and with Frente Polisario that resulted in the indefinite
violent extremist and terrorist groups. suspension of the measure. Frente Polisario, however,
During the reporting period, minurso observed cautioned that the entry requirement could be reim-
one new violation of freedom of movement by the posed if the political process remained stalled or the
Royal Moroccan Army, while nine long-standing perception of double standards in the treatment of the
violations remained. East of the berm, minurso parties by the United Nations was not corrected. The
recorded two new violations and two freedom-of- Force Commander of minurso held regular meetings
movement violations by Frente Polisario forces, while with military representatives of both parties to main-
three long-standing violations remained. tain the channels of communication and to exercise
due diligence in ensuring the observance of military
Communications. On 9 October [S/2015/786], agreement No. 1.
Zimbabwe transmitted to the Security Council Pres-
ident the legal opinion issued by the Office of the GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
au Legal Counsel on the legality, in the context of
international law, including the relevant resolutions of On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
the General Assembly and the Security Council and on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
decisions of the Organization of African Unity/au, of [A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/98 (Question of
actions allegedly taken by the Moroccan authorities or Western Sahara) without vote [agenda item 63].
any other State, group of States, foreign companies or
any other entity in the exploration and/or exploitation MINURSO
of renewable and non-renewable natural resources or
any other economic activity in Western Sahara. Minurso was established by Security Council
resolution 690(1991) [YUN 1991, p. 794] in accordance
On 19 October [S/2015/804], South Africa transmit- with settlement proposals accepted on 30 August
ted to the Secretary-General a 16 July letter from the 1988 by Morocco and Frente Polisario. The settlement
Secretary-General of Frente Polisario. plan, as approved by the Council, provided for a tran-
On 17 November [S/2015/888], Venezuela transmit- sitional period for the preparation of a referendum in
ted to the Security Council President a 16 November which the people of Western Sahara would choose be-
letter from the representative of Frente Polisario to the tween independence and integration with Morocco.
United Nations. Minurso continued to monitor compliance with
Year-end developments. In a later report military agreement No. 1, the formal ceasefire between
[S/2016/355], the Secretary-General provided information Frente Polisario and Morocco. The Mission’s military
on developments in Western Sahara since his April observers carried out monitoring through a combina-
Chapter II: Africa 151

tion of ground and air patrols and observation posts, 2015 to 30 June 2016 in the amount of $53,257,200
and through inspections of larger-than-company-size gross ($51,006,000 net), exclusive of budgeted
military units. Bilateral military agreements No. 2 voluntary contributions in kind in the amount of
and No. 3 [YUN 1999, pp. 179–180], committing both $2,071,700. The budget provided for the deployment of
parties to cooperating with minurso in the exchange 218 military observers, 27 military contingent person-
of mine-related information, the marking of mined nel, 12 United Nations police officers, 89 international
areas and the destruction of mines and unexploded staff, 168 national staff, 16 United Nations Volunteers
ordnance, remained in force. The Mission also pro- and 10 Government-provided personnel.
vided support to assistance programmes to address the In April [A/69/839/Add.3], acabq recommended that
plight of displaced and separated Sahrawi families. the unencumbered balance of $2,584,900 for the
By resolution 2218(2015) (see p. 149), the Security period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, as well as
Council extended the mandate of the United Nations other income/adjustments in the amount of $901,000
Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara for the period ended 30 June 2014, be credited to
(minurso) until 30 April 2016. Member States. Regarding the 2015–2016 budget,
Appointment. On 1 September [S/2015/685], the acabq recommended that the overall requirement
Secretary-General informed the Security Council of proposed by the Secretary-General be reduced by
his intention to appoint Major General Muhammad $815,500 and, accordingly, that the General Assembly
Tayyab Azam (Pakistan) as Force Commander of appropriate an amount of $52,441,700 for the mainte-
minurso, succeeding Major General Imam Edy Mu- nance of minurso for that period, should the Security
lyono (Indonesia), who would complete his assignment Council decide to extend the mandate of the Mission.
on 17 September. On 3 September [S/2015/686], the
Council took note of the Secretary-General’s letter. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,

Financing on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
The Secretary-General’s performance report on [A/69/961], adopted resolution 69/305 (Financing of
the minurso budget for the period from 1 July 2013 the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in
to 30 June 2014 [A/69/595] showed an expenditure of Western Sahara) without vote [agenda item165].
$55,819,100 gross ($53,376,200 net) against an ap- The General Assembly, by decision 70/554 of 23 De-
portionment of $58,404,000 gross ($55,982,000 net). cember (agenda item 164), decided that the agenda item
In January [A/69/370], the Secretary-General sub- on minurso financing would remain for consideration
mitted the minurso budget for the period from 1 July during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
Chapter III

Americas

In 2015, the United Nations continued to advance the In letters to the Secretary-General on 16 Novem-
cause of lasting peace, human rights, good governance ber [A/70/556, A/70/567] and 19 November [A/70/568],
and the rule of law in the Americas. Nicaragua informed that the Government of Costa
Haiti made noteworthy progress towards political Rica was taking deliberate and irresponsible action in
stability, despite considerable challenges, including the forcing and continuing to force thousands of Cuban
human and material devastation wrought by the earth- citizens residing in its territory towards the frontier
quake of 2010. Notwithstanding the efforts of Haitian posts of southern Nicaragua, flouting all international
institutions to hold long-overdue elections, only two conventions and agreements on human mobility. Nic-
of the three planned electoral rounds were held. aragua considered that those Cuban citizens had as
In 2015, Haiti reported 36,045 suspected chol- much right to an ineptly named “humanitarian” cor-
era cases and 322 deaths. Those figures exceeded the ridor, as all Central American citizens would have,
27,388 suspected cholera cases reported in 2014. As and in fact did have—including children, who were
at the end of June, 60,801 people (14,970 households) exposed to all types of risk, and some of whom died,
remained internally displaced in 45 camps, represent- in their quest to reach the United States.
ing a reduction of 96 per cent of the original 1.5 mil- On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
lion displaced persons and a reduction of 97 per cent Assembly decided that the agenda item “The situation
in the number of camps established after the earth- in Central America: progress in fashioning a region of
quake of 2010. peace, freedom, democracy and development” would
remain for consideration during its resumed seventi-
The Security Council extended the mandate of
eth (2016) session.
the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti
(minustah) until October 2016. The Mission contin-
ued its mandated activities, which included good of-
fices, the promotion of political dialogue and electoral Haiti
assistance to ensure a peaceful political transition; op-
erational support to the national police of Haiti; and In August 2015, Haiti held the first round of
the strengthening of the rule of law and human rights. legislative and municipal elections in the country.
In October, the General Assembly welcomed the For the first time in the electoral history of Haiti, the
re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the Provisional Electoral Council took punitive action
Governments of Cuba and the United States and against instigators of electoral violence, with 16 candi-
recognized the expressed will of the President of the dates from 10 different political parties barred from
United States to eliminate the economic, commercial further participation in the elections following their
and financial embargo against Cuba. involvement in acts of electoral violence. In Octo-
ber, the second phase included the first round of the
presidential vote, the second round of the legislative
vote and the municipal vote, together with the reruns
Central America for the first-round legislative vote in the constituen-
cies affected in August by electoral violence or vot-
In 2015, the people of Central America furthered ing irregularities. The final results of the first round
their efforts to consolidate peace and build democratic of the Presidential elections ranked Jovenel Moïse
and equitable societies on the foundation established (Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale) in first place. On 21 Decem-
by years of successful UN peacemaking. The United ber, the Provisional Electoral Council postponed the
Nations continued to assist the region through third electoral round of 27 December. On 22 De-
development programmes and other means. cember, President Michel Joseph Martelly of Haiti
Communications. On 25 March [A/69/890], El established an Independent Electoral Evaluation
Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras informed the Commission tasked with reviewing the presidential
Secretary-General of the adoption of the Plan of the election process.
Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle, Between 1 January and 31 December, Haiti re-
agreed by their Heads of State, regarding regional, ported 36,045 suspected cholera cases and 322 deaths,
social and economic development in the three exceeding the 27,388 suspected cholera cases reported
countries. in 2014. While the country’s humanitarian situation

152
Chapter III: Americas 153

remained complex, humanitarian funding declined addressed the nation confirming his Prime Minister-
from $155 million in 2014 to $55 million in 2015. designate and announcing the formation of a new
Minustah continued to ensure a secure and sta- government within 48 hours. Only six of the twenty
ble environment, supporting the electoral process and ministers’ posts went to opposition figures, and six
rule of law, strengthening State institutions, providing previous ministers retained their positions. With the
humanitarian and development assistance, and pro- transition government in place, focus shifted to the
tecting and promoting human rights. In October, the establishment of the provisional Electoral Council. On
Security Council extended the mandate of minustah 23 January, hours before the arrival of the Security
until October 2016. Council delegation (see above), the new electoral
council, which included three female members, was
sworn in. There was a general sense of satisfaction, not-
Political and security developments withstanding some lesser complaints. On 10 February,
Security Council Mission. In a 19 January letter the Electoral Council announced a tentative calendar
[S/2015/40] to the Secretary-General, the Security for a three-round general election, with polls to be
Council President informed that the Council had held in July and October 2015, as well as in January
agreed to send a mission to Haiti, from 23 to 25 Jan- 2016. Non-signatory opposition groups had continued
uary, co-led by Chile and the United States. to criticize the recent political agreements, including
by organizing anti-government demonstrations. Since
Report of Secretary-General (March). Pursuant the nomination of a new Prime Minister and Cabinet,
to Council resolution 2180(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 398], their calls to mobilize and assemble in street protests
the Secretary-General submitted a report [S/2015/157] had had limited resonance, with demonstrations rarely
on minustah, reviewing developments since his Au- exceeding one thousand participants.
gust 2014 report [ibid., p. 397].
The security environment during the reporting
The reporting period was marked by a failure period remained generally stable, although an uptick
to hold the long-delayed legislative, municipal and in certain crimes, gang-related violence and public
local elections before the end of term of the forty- unrest was registered. Increased demands on the
ninth Legislature, which led to Parliament becoming Haitian national police for interventions to control
dysfunctional on 12 January. Since then, the Pres- demonstrations diverted resources from other polic-
ident of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly, had relied on ing activities. Crime statistics for the period from
the authority granted by the Constitution to ensure 1 September 2014 to 1 March 2015, collected by the
the regular functioning of institutions and the con- national police and minustah, indicated a total of
tinuity of the State. In the lead-up to the 12 January 538 reported homicides.
deadline, direct consultations between the President
and political stakeholders took place; a presidential On the rule of law and human rights, some im-
advisory commission was established to provide rec- provements had been noted, particularly in the
ommendations to break the impasse; and a series of strengthening of key oversight institutions such as the
agreements was concluded among the three branches Superior Council of the Judiciary, the General Inspec-
of power, as well as between the President and numer- torate of the Haitian national police and the Office
ous political parties. While ultimately unsuccessful in of the Ombudsman. Efforts had also been made to
avoiding an institutional vacuum, the consultations advance crucial legislative reforms, namely the finali-
led to the replacement of the Prime Minister and the zation of the draft penal code. Minustah continued
nine members of the provisional Electoral Council, to assist the Office of the Ombudsman by providing
as well as to the resignation of the President of the on-the-job training to its personnel on human rights
Supreme Court. The promulgation by President Mar- reporting and by mentoring its field-based agents. As
telly of an electoral law on 2 March constituted a criti- a relatively new independent institution, however, the
cal milestone for the holding of long-awaited elections Office still lacked the appropriate human and material
by the end of the year. resources to fulfil its mandate.
On 11 January, hours before Parliament became While 2014 saw a 53 per cent decrease in the number
dysfunctional, a political accord was concluded be- of suspected cholera cases from the previous year (dur-
tween the President and sixteen political parties, ing which there were 27,753 suspected cases and 296
including four from the staunch opposition. The ac- fatalities), the number rose during the last quarter,
cord included an agreement to review the designation especially in West, North, Artibonite and Centre de-
of the Prime Minister, confirmed that a consensus partments. Heavy rainfall and illegal tapping of public
government would be formed and specified the civil water systems in urban areas were partly responsible for
society groups entrusted with nominating members that increase. The metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince
to the new electoral council. The President was able was the worst hit, with nearly 9,000 cases.
to continue negotiations with the signatory parties In accordance with Security Council resolution
on the basis of the new accord. On 16 January, he 2180(2014), the military component planned to re-
154 Part One: Political and security questions

duce its personnel from 5,021 to 2,370 troops. In line of elections to the Chamber of Deputies in 22 of 119
with scheduled rotations of some contingents, a right- districts because many tally sheets were not received as
sizing of the military component was carried out in a result of irregularities, including violence, vandalism
January. As a result, the military component stood at and theft.
4,615 as at 18 February. To be able to respond quickly, Following the opening of registration for the
a fleet reconfiguration was foreseen that included legislative polls, the Provisional Electoral Council had
three MI17 military medium-lift helicopters and two finalized a list of 2,037 registered candidates, fielded
UH-1H helicopters. The Secretary-General observed by 98 parties, on 26 April. A period of adjudication
that there were encouraging signs that the political of cases followed, which resulted in the rejection of 76
leaders of Haiti had embarked on a positive path. If Senate and 446 Chamber of Deputies candidatures,
sustained, it could foster the political consensus nec- including for failure to submit the financial probity
essary for the holding of long-overdue elections and certificate required of all former officials having
the restoration of a functioning Parliament. managed public funds and for being a dual national,
Letter of Secretary-General. On 17 March prohibited in the case of presidential and legislative
[S/2015/191], the Secretary-General transmitted to the candidates. Among the rejected candidatures were
Security Council President a 9 March letter from those of high-profile individuals, including the First
the President of Haiti, Michel Joseph Martelly, in Lady, Sophia Martelly, who was running for a seat in
which President Martelly requested that the United the Senate.
Nations suspend the withdrawal of minustah con- The three parties with the highest number of ac-
tingents. The Haitian Government would also very credited candidates were Vérité (of a former President,
much appreciate the strengthening of the Mission’s René Garcia Préval), Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale (of the
police component and its presence on the ground, as current President, Michel Joseph Martelly) and Fanmi
part of an increase in support to the National Police Lavalas (of a former President, Jean-Bertrand Aris-
and more sustained participation in daily tasks related tide). On 4 May, the Provisional Electoral Council
to security and the protection of citizens. President opened the registration period for municipal and local
Martelly reiterated his desire for a gradual and orderly elections. The period was extended three times, until
withdrawal of minustah after the inauguration of the 9 June, to accommodate candidates in remote loca-
next elected president of Haiti at the start of 2016. tions. A total of 37,685 candidates registered. The ad-
Ad Hoc Advisory Group. The Ad Hoc Advisory judication process of contested applications continued
Group on Haiti, mandated by Economic and Social as at the end of August.
Council decision 2004/322 [YUN 2004, p. 939] to On 11 May, the Provisional Electoral Council
follow and advise on the long-term development of launched the candidate registration period for the
the country, submitted a June report [E/2015/84] based presidential race, which by 20 May had seen a record
on the findings of its visit to Washington, D.C. on number of 70 applicants from across the political
27 April and to Haiti from 26 to 29 May (see p. 448). spectrum. An adjudication process similar to that
On 21 July, in resolution 2015/18 (see p. 449), the for legislative candidates resulted in a final list of 58
Economic and Social Council extended the Advisory candidates, which was published on 12 June. Among
Group’s mandate until the conclusion of the Council’s the 12 exclusions were a former Prime Minister and
2016 session, with the purpose of following closely former ministers and senators, all for failure to submit
and providing advice on the long-term development financial probity certificates.
strategy of Haiti in order to promote socioeconomic Throughout the electoral preparations, the Provi-
recovery, reconstruction and stability. sional Electoral Council progressively acquired grow-
Report of Secretary-General (August). In Au- ing credibility by demonstrating that it was able to
gust [S/2015/667], the Secretary-General submitted a maintain the tight electoral calendar deadlines while
report on minustah reviewing developments since standing its ground on many difficult decisions. The
his previous report in March (see above). Haiti security situation remained mostly calm throughout
made significant strides towards the renewal of its the campaign period, with a small increase in violence
democratic institutions with the holding of the first during its last days, tainted by a number of reported
round of legislative elections on 9 August, paving the election-related killings. Crime statistics for the period
way for a second round, combined with presidential from 1 March to 15 August, collected by the national
elections and municipal and local polls, on 25 Oc- police and minustah, indicated 386 reported homi-
tober. A run-off for the presidential elections would cides. In comparison, 538 homicides were registered
be held on 27 December if it was required. The polls between 1 September 2014 and 1 March 2015; nearly
were assessed by national and international observers 74 per cent of homicides, often resulting from gang
as generally peaceful, albeit with numerous localized violence, remained concentrated in the metropolitan
incidents of violence. On 20 August, the Provisional area of Port-au-Prince. During a politically motivated
Electoral Council decided to repeat the first round protest on 13 April in Ouanaminthe (North-East
Chapter III: Americas 155

Department), a Chilean peacekeeper was killed while Following the first round of legislative elections on
on duty when the vehicle in which he was travelling 9 August, the first round of presidential, second round
came under fire by supporters of a local politician who of legislative and single round of municipal elections
had been arrested. The presumed killer was arrested were conducted on 25 October. However, the third-
on 9 July by the national police. round vote scheduled for 27 December was postponed
Concerning the rule of law and human rights, repeatedly.
positive developments included the renewal of the In preparation for the election of 25 October, the
mandate of seven members of the Superior Council Provisional Electoral Council implemented a series
of the Judiciary and key administrative nominations of corrective measures aimed at addressing lessons
within the Council and the Penitentiary Administra- learned from the vote on 9 August. On 28 Septem-
tion Directorate. The slow progress in the renewal ber, the Provisional Electoral Council announced
of the terms of judges, however, remained a serious the postponement of local elections from the second
challenge for the efficiency of the judiciary. The to- round of 25 October to the last electoral round. On
tal strength of the national police was some 11,900, 25 October, the elections were held in a generally
including 1,022 women, with a police-to-population calm environment, with a reported 26.6 per cent voter
ratio of 1.15 officers per 1,000 inhabitants. turnout and minor incidents. A total of 52 presiden-
On the humanitarian front, from 1 January to tial, 196 legislative and over 7,000 municipal candi-
1 August, the Ministry of Health reported 20,509 dates ran in the elections.
registered suspected cases of cholera and 175 deaths. The final results of the first round of the Presiden-
The increase in the number of cases reported at the tial elections ranked Jovenel Moïse (Parti Haïtien Tèt
end of 2014 and in the first four months of 2015 com- Kale) in first place with 511,992 votes (32.81 per cent),
pared with the same period in 2014 began to show followed by Jude Célestin (Ligue Alternative pour le
signs of reversal. The month of May saw a reduction Progrès et l’Emancipation Haïtienne) with 394,390
of 45 per cent, with 1,716 suspected cases, compared votes (25.27 per cent). Third-placed Jean-Charles
with April, with 3,006 cases. Moïse (Pitit Dessalines) received 222,646 votes
The military component of minustah reduced (14.27 per cent), with Maryse Narcisse (Fanmi Lava-
its personnel from 5,021 to 2,370 troops during the las) ranking fourth with 110,049 votes (7.05 per cent).
reporting period. The Secretary-General observed that The final results were published on 24 November,
the Government of Haiti and the Provisional Electoral confirming the second-round run-off between the
Council embarked on a path that was able to foster two highest-ranked candidates. On 29 November, the
the political consensus necessary for the elections to group of eight opposition candidates issued a press
be conducted. The polls of 9 August were testament release stating that free, transparent and democratic
to the increased capacity of the Haitian institutions elections could not be organized under President Mar-
to take on greater responsibility in leading the coun- telly and prompting a boycott of the second round by
try’s democratic processes. He recommended that the the Célestin campaign. At that point, objections to
Security Council extend the mandate of minustah the electoral process had progressively grown to in-
for an additional and possibly final year, until 15 Oc- clude not only all of the opposition, but also impor-
tober 2016, with the authorized uniformed strengths tant segments of society. On 21 December, the Provi-
of 2,370 troops and 2,601 police officers. sional Electoral Council postponed the third electoral
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
round of 27 December. A new electoral date was even-
tually set for 24 January 2016. On 22 December, Pres-
On 14 October [meeting 7534], the Security Council ident Martelly established an Independent Electoral
unanimously adopted resolution 2243(2015). The Evaluation Commission tasked with reviewing the
draft [S/2015/775] was submitted by eighteen Member presidential election process.
States.
The final legislative results were announced on
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General 18 December. More than 18 political parties won
Assembly decided that the item on the situation of seats in Parliament. While the party of outgoing Pres-
democracy and human rights in Haiti would remain ident Martelly, the Parti Haïtien Tèt Kale, won the
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) largest numbers of seats, it fell far short of securing a
session. majority in either chamber. Vérité, the political party
of former President René Garcia Préval, also fared
Further developments well, winning a substantial number of seats in both
In a later report [S/2016/225], the Secretary-General chambers. No women were elected to either chamber,
spoke of uncertainty generated by the holding of notwithstanding a constitutional requirement for
general elections for the Presidency, 20 Senate and 119 a 30 per cent quota. The security environment re-
Lower House seats, 140 municipal administrations mained influenced by the electoral process. The
and 570 municipal district councils and assemblies. 25 October polls unfolded relatively peacefully,
156 Part One: Political and security questions

though the reporting period saw a surge in protests, gust 2014 to 12 March 2015 [S/2015/157] (see p. 153)
some accompanied by violence. and from 4 March to 31 August 2015 [S/2015/667] (see
On the humanitarian front, from 1 January to p. 154). A later report [S/2016/225] covered activities
31 December, the Ministry of Public Health and for the remainder of the year (see p. 155). In addition
Population reported 36,045 suspected cholera cases to political and security aspects, the reports summar-
and 322 deaths. Those figures exceeded the 27,388 sus- ized minustah activities in areas including electoral
pected cholera cases reported in 2014. However, with support; protection of vulnerable groups; community
a total of 13,018 cases during the last three months of violence reduction; rule of law; human rights; gender;
2015 compared with 18,444 during the same period child protection; hiv/aids; quick-impact projects; the
in 2014, the last quarter of 2015 registered the lowest conduct and discipline of UN personnel; and public
rate of outbreaks since the beginning of the epidemic. information and outreach.
Concerning human rights, while the exploitation
of children was a crime under national legislation, Financing
the practice of placing children in domestic service
The Secretary-General’s performance report on the
(restaveks) was widespread. According to a 2015 study
minustah budget for the period from 1 July 2013
led by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, more
to 30 June 2014 [A/69/619] showed an expenditure of
than 200,000 children were exploited in that manner,
$540,175,100 gross ($527,406,100 net) against an
and many were subjected to physical, emotional and
appropriation of $576,619,000 gross ($563,337,000
sexual abuse.
net). The Secretary-General recommended that the
According to the International Organization for General Assembly decide on the treatment of the
Migration, six years after the earthquake of Janu- unencumbered balance of $36,443,900 and of other
ary 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 320], 59,720 individuals re- income and adjustments amounting to $8,910,000.
mained internally displaced in 37 sites and camp-like
In February [A/69/785], the Secretary-General sub-
settlements in Haiti, often in precarious conditions.
mitted a report on the proposed budget for minustah
The Secretary-General observed that the increase in
for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 in the
cholera cases in 2015 was cause for concern.
amount of $389,555,900 gross ($378,368,100 net).
The budget provided for the deployment of 2,370
MINUSTAH military contingent personnel, 951 UN police officers,
1,600 formed police unit personnel, 352 international
In 2015, the United Nations Stabilization Mission staff, 1,055 national staff, 116 UN Volunteers and 50
in Haiti (minustah), established by Security Council Government-provided personnel.
resolution 1542(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 294], continued
to implement its mandate to restore a secure and sta- The Advisory Committee on Administrative and
ble environment, to promote the political process, Budgetary Questions (acabq), in April [A/69/839/
to strengthen Haiti’s Government institutions and Add.4], recommended that for the period from 1 July
rule-of-law structures, as well as to promote and to 2013 to 30 June 2014, the unencumbered balance of
protect human rights. Minustah was based in Port- $36,443,900, as well as other income and adjustments
au-Prince and led by the Special Representative of the in the amount of $8,910,000, for the period ended
Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of minustah, 30 June 2014, be credited to Member States. It also
Sandra Honoré (Trinidad and Tobago). By resolution recommended that the General Assembly appropri-
2243(2015) of 14 October (see p. 155), the Council ate an amount of $386,220,600 for the maintenance
extended the mandate of minustah until 15 October of minustah for the 12-month period from 1 July
2016, authorizing force levels of up to 2,370 troops 2015 to 30 June 2016 should the Security Council
and a police component of up to 2,601 personnel. decide to extend the Mission’s mandate beyond
15 October 2015.
Appointment. On 28 September [S/2015/746], the
Secretary-General informed the Security Council GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
of his intention to appoint Lieutenant-General Ajax
Porto Pinheiro (Brazil) as Force Commander of On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on
minustah, succeeding Lieutenant-General José Luiz the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative
Jaborandy Jr. (Brazil), who passed away on 30 August. and Budgetary) Committee [A/69/958], adopted res-
The Council took note of the letter on 30 September olution 69/299 (Financing of the United Nations
[S/2015/747]. Stabilization Mission in Haiti) without vote [agenda
item 157].

Activities On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly

decided that the agenda item on the financing of
The Secretary-General reported to the Council minustah would remain for consideration during its
on minustah activities for the periods from 29 Au- resumed seventieth (2016) session.
Chapter III: Americas 157

land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former

Other Issues Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
Cuba–United States United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/120], Against: Israel, United States.
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/5 Abstaining: None.
[YUN 2014, p. 404], the Secretary-General submitted
a report on information received as at 7 July from Communication. In a 24 November letter
156 governments and 33 UN bodies and specialized [A/70/576]to the Secretary-General, the Russian
agencies on the implementation of the resolution. Federation transmitted the text of an Appeal from
the State Duma to the General Assembly, the par-
Communication. In a 19 February letter liaments of Member States and international par-
[A/69/792] to the Secretary-General, Ecuador, in its liamentary organizations on the necessity of ending
capacity as President Pro Tempore of the Community the economic, commercial and financial embargo
of Latin American and Caribbean States (celac), against Cuba.
transmitted the document “Special declaration on
the necessity of ending the economic, commercial
and financial embargo imposed by the United States Colombia
of America against Cuba”, which was adopted by the Children and Armed Conflict
Heads of State and Government of Latin America
and the Caribbean at the third celac Summit (Belén, In response to Security Council resolution
Costa Rica, 28–29 January). 2068(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 724], the Secretary-General
submitted a June report [A/69/926-S/2015/409] on
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION children and armed conflict, which included the sit-
uation in Colombia from January to December 2014.
On 27 October [meeting 40], the General Assembly
adopted resolution 70/5 [draft: A/70/L.2] (Necessity of In 2014, peace talks between the Government of
ending the economic, commercial and financial Colombia and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
embargo imposed by the United States of America de Colombia—Ejercito del Pueblo (farc - ep) con-
against Cuba) by recorded vote (191-2-0) [agenda item 42]. tinued in Havana, Cuba. The conclusions on the
three first items of the agenda, “Rural development”,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/5: “Political participation” and “Illicit drugs”, were shared
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, An- publicly and discussions began on item five, “Victims”.
tigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, The latter opened up the opportunity to raise specific
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Be-
larus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and
concerns on child protection, in particular with regard
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, to the recognition of the rights of child victims. De-
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, spite the ongoing peace process, hostilities between
Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Co- farc-ep, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (eln) and
lombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, the Colombian Armed Forces continued and intensi-
Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic fied in some parts of the country, causing displacement
of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark,
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, and often putting children at risk of recruitment and
El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, sexual violence. As at December 2014, there were some
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, six million persons registered as internally displaced
Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, persons, approximately 35 per cent of whom were
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indo- children. Afro-Colombian and indigenous commu-
nesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Ka-
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
nities were particularly affected. Violence committed
Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, by post-demobilization groups and other local armed
Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, groups was an important trigger of displacement, both
Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, in urban and rural areas.
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongo- The United Nations verified 343 cases of recruit-
lia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, ment and use of children by armed groups in 22 de-
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua partments and in Bogotá. The Colombian Family
New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Welfare Institute documented the separation of 277
Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, children, the majority of whom had escaped from
Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint armed groups. A total of 198 children had been re-
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Ma-
rino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
cruited by farc - ep, 52 by eln, and the remaining by
Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sol- post-demobilization groups and other armed groups.
omon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, On 12 February 2015, farc - ep announced that it had
Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzer- raised the recruitment age to 17 years. While that was a
158 Part One: Political and security questions

positive development, the Convention on the Rights of of children in civic-military activities organized by the
the Child ratified by Colombia in 1991 stipulated that armed forces continued in several parts of the country.
a child meant every human being below the age of 18. Since 1999, at least 5,694 children had been separated
At least nine children were killed and 60 were from armed groups and benefited from the Colom-
maimed, mostly in landmine incidents. Children, bian Family Welfare Institute programme.
predominantly girls, were also victims of sexual vi- Since 1999, there had been 193 convictions for
olence attributed to armed groups, including post- child recruitment, including under the Justice and
demobilization groups, and in some cases members of Peace Law of 2005 and by the Human Rights Unit
national armed forces. Furthermore, sexual exploita- of the Office of the Attorney General, as well as by
tion and abuse of girls by members of armed groups regional and local courts. In June, a new bill for the
in mining zones continued. Despite its prohibition by protection of victims of sexual and gender-based vio-
the National Child Protection Code, the involvement lence in conflict was approved.
Chapter IV

Asia and the Pacific

The United Nations in 2015 continued to address The Security Council Committees established to
political and security challenges in Asia and the oversee the implementation of sanctions measures
Pacific, especially the restoration of peace and sta- against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
bility in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen. Two other and to address Iran’s nuclear programme continued
issues addressed by the Organization were the non- their work, supported by their Panel of Experts. In
proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Democratic March and in June, respectively, the Security Council
People’s Republic of Korea and Iran’s nuclear extended the mandates of the Panel of Experts until
programme. April and July 2016.
The situation in Afghanistan remained fragile, The International Atomic Energy Agency contin-
and the country needed continued international ued to undertake monitoring and verification in rela-
support to face its multitude of challenges. In Jan- tion to the nuclear-related measures set out in various
uary, the non-combat Resolute Support Mission, agreements concluded with Iran. The agreement in-
led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, suc- cluded the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed
ceeded the International Security Assistance Force. in July by Iran, the five permanent members of the
A series of critical appointments in the national Security Council and Germany, which took effect on
unity Government were made. In July, the Security 18 October.
Council welcomed the direct talks held on 7 July be- In Yemen, fighting broke out on 19 January be-
tween the Government and Taliban representatives tween troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Man-
as a step towards peace and reconciliation. However, sour Hadi and Houthi militias. The Houthis held the
the security situation remained dangerous, and ci- President, the Prime Minister and Cabinet members
vilians continued to bear the brunt of the violence, under house arrest. On 22 January, President Hadi,
which intensified during the year. The United Nations the Prime Minister and the Cabinet resigned. On
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, under the direc- 24 March, President Hadi informed the Security
tion of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Council that he had requested the Gulf Cooperation
continued to support Afghanistan’s assumption of Council and the League of Arab States to provide
leadership and ownership in the security, governance support by all necessary means, including military
and development areas. The Security Council ex- intervention, to protect Yemen and its people from
tended the Mission’s mandate until 17 March 2016. the Houthis’s aggression. A Coalition to Restore
Iraq continued its laborious transition to democratic Legitimacy in Yemen began military operations in
governance, reconciliation and reconstruction. Fol- March. On 14 April, by resolution 2216(2015), the
lowing popular demonstrations, the Government in Council established a targeted arms embargo on
August began implementing reforms to strengthen the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali
its democratic institutions and to address economic Abdullah Saleh, also imposing a financial and travel
and budgetary problems. Political leaders carried out ban sanctions against Houthi leaders. The first face-
consultations to promote national reconciliation, to-face-talks among the parties, facilitated by the
also seeking to engage Sunni leaders in the fight Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen, took
against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil). place in December. By year’s end at least 21 million
Partners participating in the international anti-ISIL co- people—80 per cent of the population—relied on
alition continued to support the Government’s fight some measure of humanitarian assistance, while ap-
against the group. However, isil remained in control proximately half the population was suffering from
of large swathes of territory in the west and north of malnutrition.
the country. The United Nations Assistance Mission
for Iraq continued to carry out its mandate, which was
extended by the Security Council until 31 July 2016. Afghanistan
Bilateral relations between Iraq and Kuwait were
marked by positive developments. Kuwait supported In 2015, the international community contin-
the request made by Iraq that the Governing Council ued to assist the Government of Afghanistan to lay
of the United Nations Compensation Commission the foundation for peace and stability and to restore
defer the requirement that Iraq deposit 5 per cent of economic and social development through the United
oil proceeds into the Compensation Fund. Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (unama),

159
160 Part One: Political and security questions

under the direction of the Secretary-General’s Special confirmed the appointment of nine candidates put
Representative and Head of Mission, and the non- forward by President Ghani and Chief Executive
combat Resolute Support Mission led by the North Abdullah. Those comprised the head of the National
Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato). The Security Directorate of Security and eight Ministers (Foreign
Council, by resolution 2210(2015) (see p. 161), ex- Affairs, Interior Affairs, Finance, Public Health,
tended the mandate of unama until 17 March 2016. Refugee and Repatriation, Mines and Petroleum,
Following the agreement of 21 September 2014 Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and Haj
[YUN 2014, p. 431] by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief and Awqaf). The date for Parliamentary and Dis-
Executive Abdullah Abdullah to establish a national trict Council elections had yet to be determined. Ac-
unity Government, new Ministers assumed the roles cording to the Constitution, Parliamentary elections
of Foreign Affairs, Interior Affairs and Finance, were mandated from 30 to 60 days before 21 June.
among others. The security transition to Afghan forces District Council elections had never been held. On
concluded on 31 December 2014 with the end of the 27 January, the Chair of the Independent Election
NATO -led International Security Assistance Force, Commission proposed 3 October to hold both sets
which was succeeded on 1 January by the NATO -led of elections. The Afghan People’s Dialogue on Peace
Resolute Support Mission. In April, the appointment held a national conference (Kabul, 15 January) to
of all cabinet members brought the formation of the promote a rights-based approach to the peace pro-
National Unity Government to near completion. The cess. The conference marked the completion of the
Government continued its efforts towards peace and second phase of the Dialogue, a civil society-led peace
reconciliation, with the backing of regional partners. initiative conducted over the previous three years with
Positive developments towards peace and recon- the facilitation of unama that engaged 6,000 Afghans
ciliation, notably the holding of direct talks in July in identifying local drivers of conflict and developing
between the Government and the Taliban gave way to local road maps for peace.
uncertainty following the announcement of the death The new administration continued to work to en-
of the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. The hance regional engagement. That was manifest in a
Special Electoral Reform Commission began its work series of visits to and from neighbouring countries and
and presented an initial package of recommendations the establishment of cooperation agreements, such as
to President Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah, the one signed during President Ghani’s visit to the
while the Government sought to develop its economic United Arab Emirates (uae) in mid-January. Iran’s
reform agenda. Afghanistan continued, however, to Minister for Foreign Affairs visited Kabul on 20 Jan-
face intersecting political, security and socioeconomic uary, discussing security cooperation and a proposed
challenges that posed threats to the population and bilateral strategic cooperation agreement. On 9 Feb-
the country’s social cohesion. ruary, the first round of China-Afghanistan-Pakistan
Conflict-related violence increased as the National Trilateral Strategic Dialogue was held in Kabul. The
Defence and Security Forces sought to contain rising parties discussed the peace and security situation in
insurgent activity, which resulted in record-high lev- the region, as well as the need to deepen trilateral co-
els of civilian casualties. The seizure by the Taliban operation in counter-terrorism and security.
of Kunduz City from 28 September to 13 October On 1 January, following an agreement between
marked the increased intensity of the conflict. In nato and Afghanistan, the NATO -led non-combat
October the Government welcomed the decision by Resolute Support Mission began to train, advise and
international security partners to extend their com- assist the Afghan National Defence and Security
mitments. Security challenges combined with slow Forces. The Mission replaced the International
economic growth, growing political pressures and ex- Security Assistance Force, which ceased operations
pressions of public discontent. While President Ghani on 31 December 2014.
approved most of the initial recommendations of the The security situation remained volatile. Be-
Special Electoral Reform Commission, the electoral tween 16 November 2014 and 15 February 2015,
architecture and the dates for the elections remained the UN recorded 5,075 security-related incidents
to be determined. The Government reported progress across the country. That represented a 10.6 per cent
towards meeting revenue benchmarks and the restruc- increase against the same period in 2013/2014 and
turing of key revenue collecting agencies; however, the a 33.2 per cent increase against the same period in
overall economic picture remained complex. 2012/2013. On 18 February, unama released its an-
nual report for 2014 on the protection of civilians
Political and security developments in armed conflict. The report documented 10,548
civilian casualties (3,699 killed and 6,849 injured),
Report of Secretary-General (February). In the highest number since unama began document-
his February report on the situation in Afghanistan ing civilian casualties in 2009. Some 72 per cent of
[A/69/801-S/2015/151], the Secretary-General said that civilian casualties were attributed to anti-Government
on 28 January the National Assembly’s lower house elements, 14 per cent to pro-Government forces
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 161

(12 per cent to National Security Forces and 2 per cent economic assistance would be earmarked for Afghan
to international military forces) and 10 per cent to un- development and reform priorities; the United States
attributed cross-fire. would maintain its posture of 9,800 troops through
The Secretary-General observed that peace re- the end of 2015; and the outcome of any Afghan-
mained the fundamental precondition to durable led peace process would include the Taliban and
political and economic progress. New possibili- other armed opposition groups ending the violence,
ties were offered by the drawdown of international breaking ties with international terrorist groups and
military forces; a new administration in Kabul; in- accepting Afghanistan’s Constitution. Meeting with
creased regional engagement, including by China; and President Ghani on 26 March, the Secretary-General
improved bilateral relations with Pakistan. However, underlined the commitment of the UN to a peaceful
strong leadership would be necessary to overcome en- and stable Afghanistan.
trenched interests amidst self-generating cycles of con- Limited progress was made in electoral re-
flict stretching back decades. The Secretary-General forms. On 21 March, President Ghani established
requested the Security Council to extend the mandate a 15-member Special Commission on Electoral Re-
of unama, due to expire on 17 March, for a further 12 form. However, the process for institutionalizing the
months, thus reiterating the commitment of the UN Commission remained unclear owing to discussions
to a sustained partnership with Afghanistan. By reso- between the offices of the President and the Chief
lution 2210(2015) (see below), the Council extended Executive about the chairmanship and confirmation
that mandate until 17 March 2016. of its operational modalities. According to the Con-
Security Council consideration. Briefing stitution, Parliamentary elections should have taken
the Council on 16 March [S/PV.7403], the Special place between 21 April and 21 May. On 1 April,
Representative of the Secretary-General and Head Second Vice-President Mohammad Sarwar Danish
of unama, Nicholas Haysom, said that unama had announced a delay of the Parliamentary elections
urged Afghanistan’s political leaders to finalize the until 2016, citing the need to allow time for the im-
appointment of senior government officials and ex- plementation of electoral reforms.
pressed concern with the rise of civilian casualties The Government continued to engage with regional
in the conflict. The Council adopted resolution partners. On 19 and 20 April, President Ghani visited
2210(2015) (see below). Twenty-six countries and the Iran. After meetings with Supreme Leader Ayatollah
European Union (eu) took part in the debate. Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, the
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION two countries pledged greater cooperation in the areas
of security information-sharing, counter-narcotics,
On 16 March [meeting 7403], the Security Council
the sharing of water resources, and refugees and mi-
unanimously adopted resolution 2210(2015). The
grants. From 27 to 29 April, President Ghani travelled
draft [S/2015/178] was submitted by Spain.
to India, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra
Security Council press statement. By a press Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee. India reiter-
statement of 22 June [SC/11937], the Security Council ated its readiness to join the Afghanistan-Pakistan
condemned that day’s terrorist attack on the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement. During his visit to Kabul
Parliament in Kabul for which the Taliban had on 12 May, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
claimed responsibility, also deploring the resulting reiterated his country’s support for the National Unity
civilian casualties. Government and for an Afghan-led and Afghan-
Report of Secretary-General (June). In his owned peace process.
June report on the situation in Afghanistan [A/69/929-​ The Secretary-General observed that the creation
S/2015/422], the Secretary-General said that the for- of the Special Commission on Electoral Reform
mation of the National Unity Government was com- demonstrated the Government’s commitment to such
pleted, after the lower house of the National Assembly reforms, as provided for in the 21 September 2014
on 18 April confirmed the 16 ministerial nominations agreement [YUN 2014, p. 431]. Comprehensive elec-
announced by President Ghani and Chief Executive toral reforms would be crucial for restoring the faith
Abdullah on 21 March, and President Ghani an- of the Afghan people in the democratic process. The
nounced the nomination of a candidate for Minister Secretary-General encouraged the Government and
of Defence on 23 May. Of the 24 ministers confirmed, relevant bodies to launch the electoral reform process
four were women. and determine the electoral calendar.
From 22 to 25 March, President Ghani and Chief Security Council consideration. Briefing the
Executive Abdullah visited Washington, D.C., where Security Council on 22 June [S/PV.7467], the Secretary-
President Ghani met with United States President Ba- General’s Special Representative and Head of unama,
rack Obama. In a joint statement issued on 24 March, Nicholas Haysom, said that there had been mod-
the two leaders announced a new development est but valuable progress in meeting the country’s
partnership, in which up to $800 million in bilateral challenges in the economic, security and political
162 Part One: Political and security questions

areas. However, Afghanistan continued to need Government of Afghanistan and Taliban emissaries,
international support and the Council’s sustained at- scheduled for 31 July in Pakistan, was postponed.
tention. The economic contraction that followed the On 19 June, the Office of the President announced
withdrawal of international military forces presented that the National Assembly’s lower house would con-
a challenge to the Government to meet the gap be- tinue its work until the next parliamentary elections.
tween the resources it could muster and the monies The term of the lower house would otherwise have
it must spend. Afghanistan was meeting its security expired on 22 June, in accordance with the Con-
challenges, but was being increasingly tested. On the stitution. In meetings with President Ghani, the
political front, all the members of the Cabinet as well Independent Election Commission suggested two
as 21 provincial governors had been appointed, and possible dates for holding lower house and district
there was agreement on other significant appoint- council elections, in May or September 2016, but no
ments. Twenty-six countries and the eu took part in announcement was made. Some progress was being
the ensuing debate. made on electoral reform. After the President and the
Security Council press statement. In a press Chief Executive reached agreement on its composi-
statement of 10 July [SC/11967], the Council welcomed tion, chairmanship and operations, a Special Electoral
the direct talks held on 7 July in Murree, Pakistan, Reform Commission was re-established by presiden-
between the Government and Taliban representa- tial decree on 16 July. On 30 August, the Commission
tives as a step towards peace and reconciliation. The presented its initial package of recommendations,
Council encouraged the parties to build on those focusing on reforms for the next elections. It recom-
efforts through an inclusive, Afghan-owned dialogue. mended changes to the electoral system and electoral
Report of Secretary-General (September). In management bodies, in addition to the invalidation of
his September report on the situation in Afghanistan all existing voter registration cards and the creation of
[A/70/359–S/2015/684], the Secretary-General said that a countrywide voters list.
positive developments supportive of a possible peace In accordance with President Ghani’s instruc-
and reconciliation process, notably the direct talks tion to the Cabinet on 23 April, all ministries and
between the Government of Afghanistan and the executive branch bodies presented 100-day strategies,
Taliban, had given way to uncertainty following the with the exception of the Ministry of Defence. Col-
announcement of the death of the Taliban leader, lectively, the strategies reflected the Government’s
Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Special Electoral reform agenda. On 28 June, the President’s Special
Reform Commission began its work and presented Representative on reforms and good governance pro-
an initial package of recommendations to President posed administrative reforms and offered recommen-
Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah, while the dations to promote capacity-building in the areas of
Government undertook additional efforts to develop anti-corruption, political participation and the civil
its economic reform agenda and finalize senior ap- service. Nevertheless, nearly a year after its establish-
pointments. Afghanistan continued, however, to face ment, the National Unity Government faced domestic
political, security and socioeconomic challenges that political pressure, exacerbated by the difficult security
posed threats to the population and the country’s and economic situation. Critics included former Pres-
social cohesion. The conflict, which grew in intensity ident Hamid Karzai, several of his associates and a
and geographic scope, continued to result in signifi- number of mujahideen leaders, all of whom had ex-
cant casualties and displacement among civilians. pressed their disagreement with President Ghani’s
In a positive development, representatives of the outreach to Pakistan, specifically a memorandum of
Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban held understanding reportedly concluded in May between
their first official, direct talks (Murree, Pakistan, the Afghan National Directorate of Security and the
7 July), facilitated by Pakistan. China and the United Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence.
States attended as observers. The representatives dis- The Secretary-General observed that the
cussed issues pertaining to peace and reconciliation Government of Afghanistan had sought to address
and pledged to meet again. The meeting in Murree the increasing political, economic and security chal-
followed a series of informal meetings between var- lenges. He welcomed the Government’s determination
ious Afghan officials and Taliban representatives in to improve accountability and eliminate corruption,
other countries throughout May and June. How- which would be central to establishing fiscal sustain-
ever, on 29 July, Afghanistan proclaimed that the ability and equitable economic growth. Measures
Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had died to implement the reform agenda articulated at the
in April 2013, in Pakistan. The next day, a Taliban London Conference on Afghanistan [YUN 2014, p. 431]
representative confirmed Omar’s death “as a result had begun, with the Government reporting progress
of an illness”, without providing further details, and in efforts to reform revenue collections and procure-
announced Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, ments, enhance anti-corruption measures, rationalize
Omar’s deputy since 2010, as his successor. As a Government salaries and improve the investment
result of those events, a second meeting between the climate.
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 163

Tripartite Commission report. As requested ber—the first provincial capital lost to the insurgency
by the Security Council in its resolution 2210(2015) since 2001—and the deterioration of security across
(see p. 161), the Secretary-General in September the north constituted major Government setbacks
submitted the report [S/2015/713] of the Tripar- which emboldened critics and encouraged the emer-
tite Review Commission on the United Nations in gence of opposition groupings. Supporters of former
Afghanistan, established to examine the role, struc- President Hamid Karzai, former government officials
tures and activities of all UN entities. The Afghan and former mujahideen leaders made demands for a
Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance represented greater role in policymaking and key appointments or
the Government. Eight ambassadors represented the for an overhaul of the Government. While President
larger group of donor Member States, while the UN Ghani had approved most of the recommendations
was represented by agencies, funds and programmes. of the Special Electoral Reform Commission, the
The Commission recommended promoting unama’s electoral architecture and the dates for the elections
political good offices function, especially in the re- remained to be determined.
gion, and its electoral support. Other recommenda- Following extended discussions with the
tions addressed issues such as human rights and the Government, the United States revised its decision to
rule of law, humanitarian issues, donor coordina- withdraw all but 1,000 of its military personnel by
tion, counter-narcotics, the illicit economy and anti- the end of 2016. On 15 October, President Obama,
corruption measures. committed to maintaining the United States troop
Security Council consideration. Briefing level at 9,800 through most of 2016 and to retaining
the Council on 17 September [S/PV.7526], Special 5,500 troops into 2017, with a mission to train Afghan
Representative Haysom told the Council that many forces and support counter-terrorism operations. In
points of friction had emerged within the Government addition to capturing Kunduz City, the Taliban seized
and between the Government and elements of the 16 district centres, primarily in the north but also in
political elite, driven by deteriorating security and the west and the south. The National Security Forces
economic conditions. Although neither of these were were able to regain control of Kunduz City, as well as
of the Government’s making, charges of inaction and of 13 district centres, by 31 October.
miscalculation surfaced in the media. Since then, While the Government reported some progress
there had been positive developments, including signs towards meeting revenue benchmarks, and the re-
of progress in the functioning of the Government. The structuring of key revenue collecting agencies,
conflict continued to take a horrid toll on civilians. the overall economic picture remained complex.
In the first eight months of 2015, unama had doc- The World Bank revised its 2015 economic growth
umented the highest level of civilian casualties since projections downward, from 2.5 to 1.9 per cent, re-
it began keeping records. Anti-Government elements flecting the lingering impact on economic confidence
continued to cause the majority of civilian deaths and of the 2014 security transition and protracted elec-
injuries, although casualties caused by Afghan security toral period.
forces continued to rise. The Executive Director of
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury On 13 October the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics
Fedotov, said that illegal drugs in Afghanistan were and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
supporting instability, insurgency, corruption and released the executive summary of the report
organized crime, while weakening state institutions Afghanistan Opium Survey 2015. The report noted that
and Afghanistan’s overall ability to promote peace and the area under opium poppy cultivation decreased
good governance. Twenty-seven countries and the eu 19 per cent in 2015, to an estimated 183,000 hectares,
took part in the ensuing debate. as compared with 224,000 hectares in 2014. That
represented the first decrease in cultivation area since
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION 2009. Potential opium production in 2015 amounted
to 3,300 tons, representing a decrease of 48 per cent
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly
from its 2014 level of 6,400 tons. The low production
adopted resolution 70/77 [draft: A/70/L.23 & Add.1]
could be attributed to a reduction in the area under
(The situation in Afghanistan) without vote [agenda
cultivation but, more significantly, to a drop in opium
item 39].
yield per hectare.
Report of Secretary-General (December). In The Secretary-General observed that Afghanistan
his December report on the situation in Afghanistan continued to face formidable security, economic
[A/70/601–S/2015/942], the Secretary-General said that and political challenges. The security situation un-
security developments combined with slow economic derwent a marked deterioration as the Taliban and
growth, growing political pressures and expressions of anti-Government elements undertook an expanded
public discontent underlined the challenges faced by campaign. That, combined with an economic
the Government. The temporary taking of Kunduz environment that was a source of continued difficulty,
City by the Taliban from 28 September to 13 Octo- fuelled an increasing contestation of the political
164 Part One: Political and security questions

space, as debates among the political elites and the crees of President Ghani enacting recommendations
public became more vocal. The sum of those chal- of the Commission.
lenges and uncertainty about the future were pushing The security situation deteriorated further in 2015.
an increasing number of Afghans to emigrate, and The UN recorded 22,634 security incidents, repre-
the need for sustained international assistance re- senting a 3 per cent increase compared with 2014
mained acute. and the second-highest number since 2001. Regard-
Security Council consideration. Briefing ing regional cooperation, Afghanistan and Pakistan
the Council on 21 December [S/PV.7591], Special sought to enhance their relations. On 9 December,
Representative Haysom acknowledged the economic, President Ghani and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif
security and political challenges facing the country. jointly inaugurated the fifth Heart of Asia Ministerial
However, Afghanistan was taking many steps on the Conference in Islamabad. In the Conference
path to stability and self-reliance. The Government declaration, participant countries focused on coun-
was advancing its agenda, attempting to profession- tering security threats, promoting economic connec-
alize the civil service and carry out election reform. tivity and strengthening confidence-building meas-
Domestic revenues had increased in 2015, and the ures. They urged the Taliban and armed opposition
Government was committed to promoting regional groups to enter into peace talks with the Government
economic integration. On the security front, the and called for a collaborative regional security and
National Security Forces had shown resilience in the counter-terrorism approach.
face of an intensified insurgency. In the long term, The unama annual report for 2015 on the
the single development that would allow for progress protection of civilians in armed conflict in Afghanistan
towards a stable and self-reliant Afghanistan would be documented 11,002 civilian casualties (3,545 deaths
an agreement among Afghans as to the arrangements and 7,457 injured). That represented the highest
by which they could live together in peace and har- number of civilian casualties recorded by unama
mony. Twenty-eight countries and the eu took part in since 2009. The Mission attributed 62 per cent of
the ensuing debate. the casualties to anti-Government elements and
Year-end developments. By a later report 17 per cent to pro-Government Forces (14 per cent to
[A/70/775–S/2016/218], the Secretary-General said that the National Defence and Security Forces, 2 per cent
the Government had undertaken efforts to reinvigor- to international military forces and 1 per cent to pro-
ate the peace process. On 9 December, Afghanistan Government armed groups).
agreed with China, Pakistan and the United States On 9 December, the Ministry of Counter-
on a quadrilateral format for peace talks—the Quad- Narcotics, with technical support from the United
rilateral Coordination Group on the Afghan Peace Nations, released the Afghanistan Drug Report 2015.
and Reconciliation Process. The political landscape The report highlighted substantial reductions in
grew more contentious with the formation of political opium cultivation and production, alongside incre-
opposition groups. On 18 December, former presi- mental increases in drug seizures from 119,960 kilo-
dential candidate Abdul Rasul Sayyaf announced the grammes in 2013 and 2014 to 128,079 kilogrammes
formation of the Afghanistan Protection and Stabil- in 2014 and 2015. Seizures of hashish increased by
ity Council, comprising mostly former mujahideen 81 per cent, while seizures of heroin, morphine and
leaders and figures from the Government of former opium decreased by 32 per cent, 25 per cent and
President Karzai. The group called for the swift im- 14 per cent, respectively.
plementation of the 21 September 2014 agreement on
the establishment of a national unity Government, in
particular the holding of parliamentary and district
UNAMA
council elections and a constitutional loya jirga. The United Nations Assistance Mission in
On 29 December, in the face of calls by political Afghanistan (unama) was established by Security
opposition groups and the National Assembly for de- Council resolution 1401(2002) [YUN 2002, p. 264]
cisions on the electoral calendar, President Ghani an- to promote, inter alia, national reconciliation and
nounced the Government’s intent to hold the delayed the responsibilities entrusted to the UN under the
parliamentary and district council elections in mid- or 2001 Bonn Agreement [YUN 2001, p. 263]. It com-
late 2016. Although steps were taken in recommend- prised the Office of the Special Representative, two
ing electoral reforms, implementation stalled. The substantive pillars—one political and one on relief,
Special Commission on Electoral Reform presented recovery and reconstruction—and an administrative
its final recommendations to the Government, in- component. Unama was headquartered in Kabul and
cluding proposals aimed at mitigating electoral fraud, maintained permanent field presences throughout
reforming electoral bodies, addressing dispute resolu- the country. During the reporting period, unama
tion and voter registration, reducing costs and amend- continued to carry out good offices functions and en-
ing the 2004 Constitution. On 21 and 26 December, gagement on critical human rights issues and donor
the National Assembly’s lower house rejected two de- coherence, as well as support for the strengthening
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 165

of national institutions and capacities. By resolution Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee would be known as
2210(2015) (see p. 161), the Security Council ex- the “isil (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee”.
tended the mandate of unama until 17 March 2016.
Activities of sanctions committees
Financing
ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee
In October [A/70/348/Add.4], the Secretary-General
submitted to the General Assembly the proposed In December [S/2015/976], the Security Council
interim resource requirements for unama for 2016, Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267(1999),
totalling $183,310,000 (net of staff assessment). In 1989(2011) and 2253(2015) concerning Islamic State
November [A/70/7/Add.10], the Advisory Committee in Iraq and the Levant (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and asso-
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) ciated individuals, groups, undertakings and enti-
recommended approval of the Secretary-General’s pro- ties reported on its 2015 activities. The Committee
posal, subject to the Committee’s recommendations. met 14 times in informal consultations. Its work
included reviewing and updating the sanctions list;
On 23 December, the Assembly, in section XX of
considering exemptions from the sanctions measures;
resolution 70/248 A (see p. 734), endorsed the con-
considering the reports of the Monitoring Team and
clusions and recommendations of acabq.
Ombudsperson; briefings by the Chair of the Com-
mittee to the Security Council; and transmitting
Children and armed conflict communications to Member States regarding the im-
In May, the Secretary-General submitted his third plementation of the sanctions measures. During the
report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan year, the Committee sent 107 communications to 33
[S/2015/336], covering the period from 1 September Member States, 18 to the Ombudsperson and three
2010 to 31 December 2014. The report demonstrated to the focal point for delisting. Thirty-six individuals
that children bore the brunt of the conflict and that and four entities were listed on the sanctions list and
their suffering had increased. Children continued to 24 individuals were delisted, of whom seven were del-
be recruited and used for various purposes, includ- isted following the submission of a petition through
ing as suicide bombers, abducted and deprived of the Office of the Ombudsperson. The Committee
their right to education and health care. While the approved amendments to the list entries of 27 indi-
Government and its National Security Forces had viduals and five entities. As at the end of the reporting
made progress in ending and preventing the recruit- period, there were 243 individuals and 74 entities on
ment and use of children, challenges persisted. The the Committee’s sanctions list.
report provided recommendations to prevent and end Reports of Ombudsperson. In February,
violations against children and to improve measures pursuant to Council resolution 2161(2014), the
for their protection. Ombudsperson submitted her ninth report [S/2015/80],
The Security Council’s Working Group on in which she reviewed the activities carried out by
Children and Armed Conflict discussed the report the Office from 1 August 2014 to 31 January 2015.
on 6 July [S/2015/1024]. During that period, six new delisting cases were sub-
mitted to the Office, all of which were accepted. The
Ombudsperson submitted four reports and appeared
Sanctions before the Committee on four occasions to present
UN sanctions-related activities concerning four cases. Since the issuance of the eighth report
Afghanistan were guided by the measures adopted by [YUN 2014, p. 452], three individuals and one entity
Security Council resolutions 2160(2014) [YUN 2014, were delisted through the Ombudsperson process.
p. 435], 2161(2014) [ibid., p. 441] and previous resolutions In her tenth report [S/2015/533], submitted in July,
against Al-Qaida, the Taliban, their associates and the Ombudsperson reviewed the Office’s activities
associated entities, which further refined the assets from 1 February to 13 July 2015. Three new cases
freeze, travel ban and arms embargo imposed on those were submitted to and accepted by the Office. Two
persons identified in the Al-Qaida Sanctions List cre- further requests for delisting were submitted; how-
ated pursuant to resolutions 1267(1999) [YUN 1999, ever, the Ombudsperson determined that those did
p. 265], 1333(2000) [YUN 2000, p. 273], 1989(2011) not sufficiently address the listing criteria set forth
[YUN 2011, p. 341] and the List established pursuant to in resolution 2161(2014). Seven reports were sub-
resolution 1988(2011) [ibid., p. 337]. mitted to the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the
By resolution 2253(2015) of 17 December (see Ombudsperson appeared before it on three occasions
p. 51), the Security Council expanded and strength- to present four cases. Since the issuance of the ninth
ened its Al-Qaida sanctions framework to include a report (see above), two individuals had been delisted
focus on the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil, and the name of one individual had been retained
also known as Da’esh). The Council decided that the through the Ombudsperson process.
166 Part One: Political and security questions

In a later report [S/2016/96] covering the period from much a disruptive as a preventive tool, and could
14 July 2015 to 31 January 2016, the Ombudsperson be only one part of an integrated international and
provided an update on the delisting cases. national response. However, the greater focus placed
on strategic listings of individuals most relevant to the
Security Council Committee established threat and potentially vulnerable to targeted sanctions
pursuant to resolution 1988(2011) was welcome. The report provided recommendations,
In December, the Security Council Committee es- including with regard to improving the quality and
tablished pursuant to resolution 1988(2011) [YUN 2011, reach of the Al-Qaida Sanctions List.
p. 337] submitted a report [S/2015/977] on its activities On 10 August [S/2015/613], the Committee trans-
in 2015. The Committee met eight times in informal mitted to the Council its position on the recommen-
consultations. Its work included reviewing and updat- dations contained in the Monitoring Team’s report
ing the sanctions list; considering exemptions from [YUN 2014, p. 453] on the threat posed by isil and the
the sanctions measures; considering the reports of the Al-Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant. On
Monitoring Team; and transmitting communications 10 November [S/2015/858, S/205/859, S/2015/860], the
to Member States regarding the implementation of the Committee transmitted to the Council its position
sanctions measures. During the reporting period, the on the recommendations contained in the Monitoring
Committee added two individuals and one entity to Team’s sixteenth report [YUN 2014, p. 453], seventeenth
the sanctions list. At the end of the reporting period, report (see above) and report on foreign terrorist fight-
there were 136 individuals and 5 entities listed under ers (see above), respectively.
the Taliban sanctions regime. Communication. By a letter of 9 July [S/2015/524]
referring to an alleged mass execution of Syrian sol-
Monitoring Team diers by isil, the Syrian Arab Republic called upon the
The Security Council, in resolutions 1988(2011) isil (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and
and 1989(2011), decided that the Analytical Support on the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring
and Sanctions Monitoring Team would support both Team to acknowledge the true nature of what was
the Committee established pursuant to resolution taking place and to draw attention to the role being
1988(2011) (the 1988 Sanctions Committee) and played by the Governments and intelligence services
the Committee established pursuant to resolutions of States sponsors of terrorism.
1267(1999) and 1989(2011) (the isil (Da’esh) and Al-
Qaida Sanctions Committee). Reports to Committee established
pursuant to resolution 1988(2011)
On 24 March, in accordance with resolution
2178(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 135], the Monitoring Team pro- On 2 February, the Security Council Committee
vided its report to the Committee on the threat posed established pursuant to resolution 1988(2011) trans-
by foreign terrorist fighters [S/2015/358]. On 22 Sep- mitted to the Security Council a report [S/2015/79] of
tember, in accordance with resolution 2214(2015) the Monitoring Team. The report examined cases of
(see p. 144), the Monitoring Team provided its report cooperation between organized crime syndicates, no-
[S/2015/891] on the terrorism threat in Libya posed tably groups involved in kidnapping for ransom, in the
by isil, Ansar al-Charia and other Al-Qaida associ- production of and trade in narcotics, and in the illegal
ates. On 25 September, the Committee transmitted exploitation of natural resources in Afghanistan, in-
to Council a summary [S/2015/739] of the Monitoring cluding precious and semi-precious stones, and indi-
Team’s assessment of the impact of the measures im- viduals, groups, undertakings and entities eligible for
posed in resolution 2199(2015) (see p. 52). listing under resolution 2160(2014).
On 18 August, the Committee transmitted to
Reports to Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee the Council the Monitoring Team’s sixth report
In June, the Chair of the isil (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida [S/2015/648] concerning the Taliban and other associ-
Sanctions Committee transmitted to the Security ated individuals and entities constituting a threat to
Council the seventeenth report [S/2015/441] of the An- the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan. The
alytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team. Monitoring Team made recommendations on illegal
The report examined the threat posed by Al-Qaida, mining, narcotics and International Criminal Police
isil and their affiliates in the Arabian Peninsula, Organization (interpol)-United Nations Security
Afghanistan, South, Central and South-East Asia, Council Special Notices.
the Sahel and North Africa, Nigeria and Somalia. It The Committee’s position on that report [S/2015/676]
stated that the threat posed by the global Al-Qaida was transmitted to the Council on 31 August.
movement continued, animated mostly by the inter-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
related challenges of foreign terrorist fighters, the role
of isil and the growing problems in Libya. The related On 21 December [meeting 7590], the Security Council
human cost was widespread. Sanctions remained as unanimously adopted resolution 2255(2015). The
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 167

draft [S/2015/995] was submitted by Angola, Lithuania, Government, particularly after the conclusion of a
New Zealand, Spain and the United States. landmark agreement on energy exports and revenue-
sharing, marked an achievement towards national rec-
onciliation. On 7 January, the federal Government
Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government held a joint
ministerial security meeting in Baghdad to strengthen
security cooperation, boost intelligence-sharing and
In 2015, the United Nations Assistance Mission for raise levels of expertise. The Government also moved
Iraq (unami), led by the Special Representative of the forward with implementing its ministerial programme,
Secretary-General for Iraq, continued to support the including by adopting measures for security sector
country in reconstruction and reconciliation and in and institutional reform and by engaging countries
its transition to democratic governance. The Security in the region in efforts to promote stability in Iraq.
Council in July extended the Mission’s mandate for Regional and international partners enhanced their
another year. support for the Government’s fight against isil. How-
Popular demonstrations erupted in Iraq in July to ever, isil and associated armed groups remained in
protest the poor delivery of services in Baghdad and control of large swathes of territory in the west and
the southern governorates. Led by civil society groups north of the country, where they continued to inflict
and young people, the demonstrators demanded better civilian casualties, cause massive displacement and
services, better governance and an end to government perpetrate human rights violations.
corruption and mismanagement. The Government in The Secretary-General observed that despite the
August began implementing reforms to strengthen gains made by the Iraqi armed forces, isil’s capability
its democratic institutions and to address economic for terror and for violations of the norms of humanity
and budgetary problems. Political leaders carried out continued to threaten Iraq and the broader region. He
consultations to promote national reconciliation, also was heartened by the steps that the new Government
seeking to engage some Sunni leaders in the fight had embarked upon under its ministerial programme
against isil. In the Kurdistan region, following the to resolve longstanding issues. The grievances and as-
expiration of the presidential term of Masoud Barzani pirations of the different components should be ad-
in August, political parties were locked in negotia- dressed in an inclusive manner, and all communities
tions to reach agreement on the President’s term and should be able to again feel safe and heard.
powers, while also continuing the drafting of a con-
stitution for the region. Security Council consideration. In his last
briefing to the Council on 17 February [S/PV.7383],
Partners participating in the international anti-ISIL
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
coalition continued to support the Government’s fight
and Head of unami, Nickolay Mladenov, urged to
against the group. However, isil remained in control
Government to bring under control all armed groups
of large swathes of territory in the west and north
that were outside of the Constitution to revise the
of the country. By year’s end, nearly a third of Iraq’s
justice and accountability law in order to allow Iraqis
population, or 10 million people, required some form
who had not committed crimes under the regime of
of humanitarian assistance.
Saddam al-Hussein to move forward with their lives;
By resolution 2199(2015) of 12 February on adopt legislation for a national guard so as to allow
countering terrorism (see p. 52), the Security Council the provinces to take more responsibility for their own
addressed the funding of isil via illegal oil ex- security; ensure that all weapons were under State
ports, traffic of cultural heritage, ransom payments control; and to rebuild the armed forces on a truly
and external donations. By presidential statement national basis.
S/PRST/2015/11 of 29 May (see p. 52), the Council
identified priority actions to stem the flow of foreign Appointment of Special Representative. On
terrorist fighters. 19 February [S/2015/129], the Secretary-General in-
formed the Council of his intention to appoint Ján
Kubiš (Slovakia) as his Special Representative for Iraq
Political and security developments and Head of unami. The Council took note of that
Reports of Secretary-General (February). In intention on 23 February [S/2015/130].
his second report [S/2015/82] submitted pursuant to Communications. On 31 March [S/2015/221],
resolution 2169(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 457], the Secretary- Canada reported to the Security Council that it was
General said that the Government of Iraq had made taking necessary and proportionate measures in Syria
progress in promoting national reconciliation by se- in support of the collective self-defence of Iraq in
curing the support of various Iraqi components to accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. On
counter the threat by isil and liberating areas under 25 June 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 455] and 20 September 2014
its control. The improvement of relations between [ibid., p. 460], Iraq had asked the United States to lead
the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional international efforts to strike isil sites and military
168 Part One: Political and security questions

strongholds in Syria in order to end the attacks on against isil to hold, the Government would have to
Iraq, to protect Iraqi citizens and to enable Iraqi forces restore civilian authority in areas liberated from isil.
to regain control of Iraq’s borders. The efforts of the In addition, the Government and local authorities
international coalition succeeded in degrading isil’s needed to restore public services and rebuild basic
capabilities and restricting isil’s operations. infrastructure so as to facilitate the return of the
On 25 June [S/2015/491] and 8 July [S/2015/520], displaced. Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General
Iraq requested the Council to extend the mandate of for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
unami through 31 July 2016. Coordinator, briefed the Council on the humani-
Report of Secretary-General (May). In his tarian situation, reporting that 8.2 million people
third report on Iraq [S/2015/305], issued in May, the required assistance, an increase of three million in
Secretary-General said that the Government con- five months.
tinued to demonstrate its commitment to national Report of Secretary-General (July). In his
reconciliation, including by consolidating national fourth report [S/2015/530] pursuant to resolution
support for the Iraqi security forces, the Peshmerga, 2169(2014), submitted in July, the Secretary-General
the popular mobilization forces and allied tribal said that isil and associated armed groups had
and volunteer fighters in their struggle against isil. demonstrated the capacity to undertake asymmetric
Political and religious leaders led efforts to delegiti- attacks, which hindered the Government’s efforts to
mize the extremist ideology of isil. The Government retake and hold territory. Political leaders explored
continued to implement key tenets of its ministerial means of promoting dialogue and national reconcil-
programme and the national political agreement, in- iation, while the Council of Representatives worked
cluding through the approval by the Council of Min- to adopt key legislation. The Government took meas-
isters of constitutionally mandated legislative and ures to address the needs of the growing number of
public-sector reforms. internally displaced persons (idps).
Regional and international partners maintained The Government continued to seek to strengthen
their support for the Government in its fight against Iraq’s relations within the region. On 12 May, Pres-
isil, and the Government strengthened its coopera- ident Masum paid his first official visit to Iran. Senior
tion with neighbouring countries. High-level del- Iranian officials expressed support to Iraq in the fight
egations paid visits to Iran, Qatar, Turkey and the against isil and underscored mutual security inter-
uae as part of efforts to strengthen ties and promote ests, while agreeing to broaden economic and hu-
regional security cooperation. The Secretary-General manitarian cooperation. More than 8.2 million peo-
visited Baghdad on 30 March to underscore the con- ple across Iraq, or nearly 25 per cent of the country’s
tinuing support of the UN for the advancement of population, were estimated to require humanitarian
peace, development, humanitarian assistance and assistance, including over 3 million idps living in over
human rights. He met with President Fuad Masum, 3,000 locations. Nearly half of all displaced persons
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, President Masoud were children. The UN and its partners provided life-
Barzani of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and other of- saving assistance, reaching on average 1.5 million idps
ficials. On 15 April, Prime Minister al-Abadi under- each month.
took a three-day visit to Washington, D.C., where he The Secretary-General called on political leaders
met with President Barack Obama and other senior to adopt a national reconciliation framework that
Government officials. enjoyed broad political and communal support, to
The Secretary-General observed that Iraqis and expedite the implementation of the national political
their regional and international partners had made agreement and ministerial programme, and to adopt
progress in the fight against isil, as attested by the legislation in support of reconciliation.
liberation of towns in the Salah al-Din governorate Security Council consideration. Briefing the
and elsewhere. He urged all Iraqi stakeholders to Council on 22 July [S/PV.7489], the Secretary-General’s
cooperate with each other and with the Government, Special Representative, Mr. Kubiš, said that vast areas
including on consensus on pending essential laws, in of Iraq and millions of Iraqis remained under the
particular on a national guard law. The partnership of control and influence of isil. In most of his meet-
the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional ings with Iraq’s political representatives, he had heard
Government was vital to maintaining national unity, one message—a military solution alone would not
and he encouraged both sides to take further steps be enough to defeat isil. For military gains to be
towards a comprehensive, fair and constitutional solu- sustainable, the Government should restore the con-
tion for all pending issues. fidence of disaffected communities that they would
Security Council consideration. Briefing the assume a share in governing their own affairs and in
Council on 14 May [S/PV.7443], the newly appointed the State’s ability to ensure their protection from vi-
Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head olence, deliver justice and create conditions for their
of unami, Ján Kubiš, said that for military gains participation in society.
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 169

SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Iraq’s ruling bodies took steps to reinvigorate the
On 29 July [meeting 7495], the Security Council country’s national reconciliation agenda and Sunni
unanimously adopted resolution 2233(2015). The political leaders promoted national reconciliation ini-
draft [S/2015/570] was submitted by Angola, France, tiatives. However, most of the priority legislation that
Jordan, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United would aid national reconciliation remained pending
States. in Parliament.
Following the expiration of the presidential term
Communications. On 7 September [S/2015/688], of Masoud Barzani on 19 August, the political parties
the United Kingdom informed the Security Council of the Kurdistan region held eight rounds of talks on
that, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Char- the issue of the presidency between August and Octo-
ter, the United Kingdom had undertaken military ber. President Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party
action in Syria against the so-called isil in exercise of was seeking an extension of the presidential term with
the right of self-defence. the current presidential powers and an election by
On 8 September [S/2015/745], France recalled that in direct vote, while four other parties proposed that the
a letter dated 20 September 2014, Iraq had requested Regional Parliament elect the president.
the international community’s assistance in order to The Secretary-General observed that reforms that
counter isil’s attacks. In accordance with Article 51 of eliminated corruption, streamlined State institutions,
the UN Charter, France had taken actions involving brought much-needed expertise to the Government
military aircraft in response to attacks carried out by and improved the delivery of services constituted im-
isil from Syrian territory. portant steps to reinforce trust and confidence in the
On 9 September [S/2015/693], Australia informed Government. The Government should capitalize on
the Council that attacks by isil in Iraq from safe ha- that opportunity to implement meaningful reforms,
vens in Syria continued. In response to Iraq’s request and he welcomed the endorsement of such reforms by
for assistance, Australia was undertaking necessary the Council of Representatives.
and proportionate military operations against isil in
Security Council consideration (November).
Syria in the exercise of Iraq’s collective self-defence.
Briefing the Council on 11 November [S/PV.7556],
On 16 September [S/2015/723], Iraq transmitted a the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Mr.
summary of alleged violations of Iraqi airspace com- Kubiš, said that, in the previous week, the Council
mitted by Turkish aircraft since the start of the year. It of Representatives had unanimously voted to bar the
condemned the infiltration of Iraqi territory by Turk- Government from enacting key reforms that would
ish military units, in violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. infringe on the separation of powers between the three
Report of Secretary-General (October). In his branches of Government and the Constitution. Since
report [S/2015/819] of 26 October on Iraq, submitted taking office, the Prime Minister had been struggling
pursuant to resolution 2233(2015) (see above), the to exercise his authority while his opponents grew
Secretary-General said that popular demonstrations bolder. The Prime Minister’s efforts had been ob-
had erupted in July to protest the poor delivery of structed by elements within all Iraqi components, the
services in Baghdad and the southern governorates. main reasons being lack of trust and vested interests.
By early August, the demonstrations had grown in
strength and numbers. Led by civil society groups Communications. On 3 December [S/2015/928],
and young people, the demonstrators demanded the United Kingdom reported to the Security Council
better services, better governance and an end to that it was taking necessary and proportionate meas-
Government corruption and mismanagement. The ures against isil/Da’esh in Syria, as called for by the
protesters’ demands for reform gained momentum Council in resolution 2249(2015) (see. p. 232).
when, on 7 August, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani On 10 December [S/2015/954], Saudi Arabia trans-
urged the Prime Minister to take decisive action mitted the final communiqué of the thirty-sixth Gulf
against corruption, improve Government perfor- Cooperation Council Summit (Riyadh, Saudi Ara-
mance and reduce public-sector expenditure. On bia, 10 December), which dealt with regional issues,
9 August, the Prime Minister announced a reform including Iraq.
plan to address economic and social needs, counter On 11 December [S/2015/963], Iraq stated that
corruption and strengthen democratic institutions. on 3 December, Turkish military forces comprising
The Council of Representatives approved the Prime hundreds of soldiers, tanks and armoured vehicles
Minister’s first package of reforms on 11 August. crossed the borders of Iraq and penetrated some 110
The Government began reducing the number of kilometres into its territory. They set up camp in the
Government personnel, took steps to initiate inquir- Ba’shiqah region, near the city of Mosul, in northern
ies into allegations of political corruption, cut public Iraq. Those actions were taken without consultation
expenditure and allocated $4 billion to encourage with the Iraqi Government and therefore violated the
investment, create job opportunities and revitalize UN Charter as well as Iraq’s territorial integrity and
agriculture, industry and the housing sector. sovereignty.
170 Part One: Political and security questions

Security Council consideration. Follow- returnees and 250,000 Syrian refugees. Three million
ing Iraq’s complaint, Under-Secretary-General for more people were living under isil control. Armed
Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman briefed the Council conflict, acts of violence and terrorism continued to
on 18 December [S/PV.7589] on Turkey’s deployment take a grave toll on civilians. According to unami,
of armoured troops to the Bashiqa region near Mo- the total number of civilian casualties since the
sul. Baghdad and Ankara had held high-level bilateral beginning of 2015 was at least 22,370 (7,515 killed
discussions on the issue, Mr. Feltman said. On 14 De- and 14,855 wounded).
cember, Turkey announced that some of its troops
had begun leaving the Bashiqa area. The Secretary- UNAMI
General had reiterated his hope that Iraq and Turkey
would exercise restraint. Iraq’s Minister for Foreign The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
Affairs and Turkey’s Permanent Representative (unami), established by Security Council resolution
briefed the Council on their respective positions with 1500(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 346], continued to support
regard to the Turkish military presence. the Secretary-General in fulfilling his mandate under
Year-end developments. By a later report Council resolution 1483(2003) [ibid., p. 338], as ex-
[S/2016/77], the Secretary-General informed that in an tended by resolution 1546(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 348]
effort to consolidate the Sunni community’s vision and and as stipulated in resolution 2110(2013) [YUN 2013,
representation in national reconciliation discussions, p. 328]. The Special Representative of the Secretary-
members of the Supreme Coordination Committee, General and Head of unami, Ján Kubiš, and his
established on 20 November, met on 9 December substantive, security and administrative support staff
with members of Parliament and Provincial Council were based in Baghdad, with regional offices in Basra,
from six governorates, under the auspices of the par- Erbil and Kirkuk.
liamentary Speaker, Salim al-Jubouri. The meeting
was attended by President Masum and the Secretary- Financing
General’s Special Representative. The Speaker laid out
a nine-point plan to prepare for the post-ISIL period. In October [A/70/348/Add.5], the Secretary-General
The three presidencies, comprising the President, the submitted to the General Assembly the proposed
Prime Minister and the Speaker of Parliament, contin- resource requirements for unami for 2016, total-
ued to meet regularly to promote political inclusiveness ling $120,096,700 (net of staff assessment). In De-
and unity, and on 7 October created a higher presiden- cember [A/70/7/Add.15], the Advisory Committee on
tial committee for national reconciliation. Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) rec-
ommended the approval of the Secretary-General’s
The Iraqi security forces, the Peshmerga, the proposal, subject to its recommendations and those
popular mobilization forces and affiliates made sig- in its main report [A/70/7/Add.10]. On 23 December,
nificant territorial gains, notably through the recap- the Assembly, in section XX of resolution 70/248 A
ture of Sinjar in late October and the retaking of the (see p. 734), endorsed the conclusions and recommen-
seat of the provincial government in Ramadi. The dations of acabq.
Government faced considerable political challenges
in implementing its programme of reforms to counter
corruption and address the economic and budgetary Post-Development Fund mechanism
crisis. Intercommunal tensions and violent clashes The International Advisory and Monitoring Board
in areas retaken from isil constituted another chal- (iamb) for Iraq, established by Security Council res-
lenge and highlighted the need for rapid progress in olution 1483(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 338] to ensure that
national reconciliation. In the Kurdistan region, inter- the Development Fund for Iraq was used in a trans-
party tensions, stemming in part from the political parent manner for the benefit of the Iraqi people and
deadlock over the term and powers of the presidency, that Iraqi export sales of petroleum products were
led to a reconfiguration of the Kurdistan Regional consistent with international market best practices,
Government and affected the functioning of the concluded its work on 30 June 2011, in accordance
Regional Parliament. with the transition to a post-Development Fund for
Following a visit by Prime Minister al-Abadi to Iraq mechanism as outlined in Council resolution
China on 21 and 22 December, China’s Ministry 1956(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 371]. The Governing Council
of Foreign Affairs announced that bilateral relations of the United Nations Compensation Commission
would be elevated to establish a China-Iraq strategic took up the task of monitoring the developments
partnership. following the expiration of the iamb mandate and
By year’s end, nearly a third of Iraq’s population, or the transfer of the oversight of the control, reporting
10 million people, required some form of humanita- and use of Iraqi oil export revenues to the Iraqi Com-
rian assistance, including 3.2 million people who had mittee of Financial Experts, established in 2006 by
fled their homes since January 2014, around 470,000 the Council of Ministers [YUN 2007, p. 353].
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 171

Reports of Secretary-General. Pursuant to to resolution 1518(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 362] reported

Security Council resolution 1956(2010), in which the to the Council on the Committee’s activities in
Council requested the Secretary-General to report 2015. The Committee was established to identify, in
every six months about the United Nations Compen- accordance with paragraphs 19 and 23 of resolution
sation Fund, evaluating compliance with resolution 1483(2003) [ibid., p. 338], individuals and entities as-
1483(2003), which required Iraq to deposit 5 per cent sociated with the former Iraqi regime whose funds,
of the proceeds from export sales of petroleum, pe- other financial assets and economic resources should
troleum products and natural gas into the Fund, be frozen and transferred to the Development Fund
the Secretary-General in June submitted his eighth for Iraq. Although the Committee held no meetings
report on the Fund [S/2015/467]. The United Nations in 2015, it considered issues brought to its attention,
Compensation Commission had paid compensation also addressing requests related to the sanctions list.
amounting to $47.8 billion, leaving approximately At year’s end, there were 86 individuals and 208 enti-
$4.6 billion outstanding to be paid to Kuwait to set- ties on the Committee’s sanctions list.
tle the last remaining claim. In response to a request
from Iraq to defer the payment of the remaining $4.6 UN Iraq escrow account
billion, the Compensation Commission’s Governing
Council on 18 December 2014 had postponed until Following the termination of activities under the
1 January 2016, with Kuwait’s support, the require- United Nations oil-for-food programme [YUN 2003,
ment for Iraq’s deposit. As a result, no deposits to the p. 362], the United Nations retained responsibility for
Fund or payments towards the outstanding claim the administration and execution of letters of credit
had been made since the Secretary-General’s previous issued under the programme by the bank holding the
report [YUN 2014, p. 462]. UN Iraq Account, Banque Nationale de Paris Par-
At the seventy-ninth session of the Governing ibas, for purchasing humanitarian supplies for the
Council (Geneva, 9 June), Iraq advised the Council south/centre of Iraq, until such letters were executed
of its intention to seek additional relief in 2016, and or expired, in accordance with Council resolution
Kuwait indicated its preliminary support for Iraq’s 1483(2003). By resolution 1958(2010) [YUN 2010,
position. The Council expressed sympathy to Iraq’s p. 376], the Council requested the Secretary-General
difficult economic and security situation, while em- to terminate all residual activities under the oil-for-
phasizing that Iraq should fulfil its obligations. food programme, including establishing an escrow
In his ninth report, submitted in December account retaining $20 million for the Organization’s
[S/2015/937], the Secretary-General said that at the expenses terminating those activities and $131 million
eightieth session of the Governing Council (Geneva, for providing indemnification to the UN, its repre-
28 October), Iraq was granted an additional one- sentatives, agents and independent contractors until
year postponement of its deposit requirements. The 31 December 2016. Pursuant to that resolution, $151
Council welcomed Kuwait’s support for Iraq’s request, million was transferred from the old escrow accounts
noted Iraq’s commitment to complying with its ob- to the new escrow account in 2010. All residual
ligations and emphasized the need to complete the activities under the programme were terminated and
payments and bring the Commission’s mandate to a all remaining unencumbered funds were transferred
conclusion. to the Development Fund of Iraq.
Report of Secretary-General (March). Pursu-
Children and armed conflict ant to Security Council resolution 1958(2010), the
Secretary-General in March submitted his fourth
The Secretary-General’s second report on children report [S/2015/208] on the escrow accounts refer-
and armed conflict in Iraq [S/2015/852], submitted in enced in that resolution. In 2014, expenditure on
November and covering the period from January administrative activities amounted to $776,276,
2011 to June 2015, highlighted worsening trends in including $689,512 for the activities related to the
the killing and maiming of children, continued re- orderly termination of the residual activities of the
cruitment and use of children, attacks on schools and oil-for-food programme, and $86,764 for the Or-
hospitals, abductions and denial of humanitarian ganization’s support to Member State investigations
access. The report provided recommendations to end and proceedings related to the programme. No ex-
and prevent grave violations against children and to penditure was incurred in relation to the Iraqi Gov-
improve their protection. ernment’s obligation to indemnify the UN, its rep-
resentatives, agents and independent contractors, as
Security Council Committee established differences remained between the Iraqi Government
pursuant to resolution 1518(2003) and the Secretariat as to whether such obligations
should be limited to the amount held in the indem-
On 17 December [S/2015/992], the Chair of the nification escrow account and whether they should
Security Council Committee established pursuant expire and lapse on 31 December 2016.
172 Part One: Political and security questions

Report of Board of Auditors. In June, the (Kuwait, 20 May), during which the members of the
Secretary-General transmitted to the Security Council Commission supported the renewal of the observer
the report [S/2015/565] of the Board of Auditors on the status of unami for another year.
audit of the UN escrow (Iraq) account. The Board In his eighth report [S/2015/826] issued in Octo-
audited the financial statements for 2014 of the es- ber, the Secretary-General said that at the forty-first
crow account established under Council resolution meeting of the Tripartite Commission (Geneva, 15 Oc-
1958(2000). As at 31 December, total assets amounted tober), the members of the Commission endorsed the
to $151,985,000, while total liabilities amounted to icrc proposal to conduct an in-depth scientific review
$435,000. The total revenue of the account for the year of all information and past efforts. The Secretary-
amounted to $807,000, while total expenses amounted General noted that, despite past efforts, no human re-
to $777,000 resulting in a surplus of $30,000. Net as- mains of Kuwaiti missing people had been recovered
sets as at 31 December amounted to $151,550. in Iraq during the past 10 years. He urged the two
countries to bring much-needed progress in order to
bring closure to that humanitarian issue.
Iraq–Kuwait In a further report covering year-end developments
[S/2016/87], the Secretary-General said that following
UN mediation of bilateral issues the dissolution in August of Iraq’s Ministry of Human
Rights, which had led on the missing Kuwaiti persons
In response to Security Council resolution and third-country nationals file, Iraq had informed the
2107(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 334], the Secretary-General UN that the Human Rights Department of Iraq’s Min-
in 2015 reported on Iraq’s compliance with its obli- istry would take over the technical aspects of that file.
gations concerning the issue of missing Kuwaiti and On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the General
third-country nationals and the repatriation of Ku- Assembly decided that the item on the “Consequences
waiti property seized by Iraq during its 1990 invasion of the Iraqi occupation of and aggression against Ku-
and occupation of Kuwait [YUN 1990, p. 189]. During wait” would remain for consideration during its re-
the reporting period, bilateral relations between Iraq sumed seventieth (2016) session.
and Kuwait were marked by steady progress.
Reports of Secretary-General. In January, the UN Compensation Commission and Fund
Secretary-General submitted his fifth report [S/2015/70]
pursuant to Security Council resolution 2107(2013), The United Nations Compensation Commission,
which covered developments pertaining to the issues of established in 1991 [YUN 1991, p. 195] for the resolution
missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and miss- and payment of claims against Iraq for losses and dam-
ing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives ages resulting from its 1990 invasion and occupation of
of Kuwait, since his previous report [YUN 2014, p. 465]. Kuwait [YUN 1990, p. 189], continued in 2015 to expedite
While pleased that the ties between Iraq and Kuwait the settlement of claims through the United Nations
continued to grow stronger, the Secretary-General re- Compensation Fund, which was established at the
mained concerned about the lack of tangible results in same time as the Commission. Under Security Council
the search for missing Kuwaiti persons and property, resolution 1483(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 338], and as reaf-
including the national archives. He encouraged Iraq to firmed in subsequent resolutions, the Fund received
renew efforts to reach out to informants and witnesses, 5 per cent of the proceeds generated by export sales of
both inside and outside Iraq, and to adopt new meth- Iraqi petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas.
ods in the search for remains, including new forensic During 2015, the Commission made no payments
and geological exploration techniques. (see below). As at the end of October, the Commission
In his sixth report [S/2015/298] submitted in April, had paid out $47.8 billion, leaving approximately
the Secretary-General noted that despite the challeng- $4.6 billion remaining to be paid to the only
ing security situation in the country, the Government outstanding claim.
of Iraq had persisted in addressing the issue, reassert- Governing Council. The Commission’s
ing its commitment to achieving tangible results. Governing Council held two sessions in Geneva in
In his seventh report [S/2015/518] issued in July, 2015—the seventy-ninth (9 June) [S/2015/473] and
the Secretary-General observed that while budgetary eightieth (28 October) [S/2015/863]. Since the previous
constraints and limitations set by the security and session [YUN 2014, p. 466], one payment of $1.06 billion
economic situation in Iraq had hampered work on had been made on 23 October 2014 to Kuwait, leaving
the issue, the Government was persisting in its efforts approximately $4.6 billion outstanding with respect
to achieve results. The Tripartite Commission, which to the remaining claim submitted by Kuwait on be-
included Kuwait and Iraq and met under the auspices half of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. However,
and chairmanship of the International Committee at a special session on 18 December 2014 [YUN 2014,
of the Red Cross (icrc), held its fortieth meeting p. 466], the Governing Council, by decision 272,
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 173

had postponed the requirement for Iraq’s 5 per cent the Government in consolidating stability, enhanc-
deposit into the Compensation Fund, with deposits to ing a culture of democratic governance and facilitat-
resume on 1 January 2016. Further to that decision, ing political dialogue. Other tasks included ensuring
deposits to the Compensation Fund ceased at the end the maintenance of public security and strengthening
of 2014; approximately $960 million were deposited capacity for promoting human rights, justice and rec-
into the Fund between 1 October and 31 December onciliation. Unmit completed its mandate on 31 De-
2014 and were returned to Iraq on 9 March 2015. cember 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 339]. On 1 January 2013,
In October, the Governing Council considered a the Mission commenced its administrative liquidation.
request by Iraq for an additional one-year postpone-
ment of its deposits into the Compensation Fund. The Financing
Council noted that the extraordinarily difficult security A report of the Secretary-General [A/69/589] de-
circumstances in Iraq had continued, and by decision tailed the final disposition of the assets of unmit, with
273 (2015) postponed the requirements until 1 January a total inventory value of $34,292,500 as at 30 June
2017, with payments towards the Commission’s out- 2014. The Advisory Committee on Administrative
standing award resuming in 2017. While welcoming and Budgetary Questions (acabq) in March [A/69/851]
Kuwait’s support for Iraq’s request, the Council empha- recommended that the General Assembly take note of
sized the importance of Iraq fulfilling its obligations. that report subject to its comments and observations.
Report of the Board of Auditors. In July, the
Secretary-General transmitted to the Security Council GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the report [S/2015/566] of the Board of Auditors on the On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
financial statements of the United Nations Compen- on the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative
sation Commission for 2014. According to the report, and Budgetary) Committee [A/69/951], adopted res-
at the beginning of 2014 there were outstanding com- olution 69/298 (Financing of the United Nations
pensation awards for $8.9 billion due to Kuwait. A Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste) without vote
total of $4.3 billion was paid during 2014 (compared [agenda item 156].
with $4.7 billion in 2013). As at 31 December 2014, On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the
the outstanding balance of compensation awards was Assembly decided that the item on the financing of
$4.6 billion. The Board made three recommendations unmit would remain for consideration during its re-
and noted that both recommendations from the bien- sumed seventieth (2016) session.
nium 2012–2013 had been implemented.

Democratic People’s Republic

Timor-Leste of Korea
UNAMET In 2015, the United Nations continued to ad-
The United Nations Mission in East Timor dress the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons in the
(unamet) was established by Security Council resolu- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (dprk) and re-
tion 1246(1999) [YUN 1999, p. 283] to conduct the 1999 lated issues. The Security Council Committee estab-
popular consultation to ascertain the East Timorese lished pursuant to resolution 1718(2006) [YUN 2006,
people’s will on the future status of East Timor [ibid., p. 444], supported by the Panel of Experts, continued to
p. 288]. Its mandate ended on 30 November 1999, in carry out its mandate to oversee the implementation of
accordance with resolution 1262(1999) [ibid., p. 287]. the sanctions measures related to the dprk. By resolu-
tion 2207(2015) (see below), the mandate of the Panel
On 14 September, by decision 69/565, the General
of Experts was extended until 5 April 2016.
Assembly decided to defer consideration of the item
on the financing of unamet and to include it in the
draft agenda of its seventieth (2015) session. Non-proliferation
On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Assembly decided that the item on the financing of On 4 March [meeting 7397], the Security Council
unamet would remain for consideration during its unanimously adopted resolution 2207(2015). The
resumed seventieth (2016) session. draft [S/2015/155] was submitted by the United States.

UNMIT IAEA report

The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor- In August, the Director General of the International
Leste (unmit) was established by Security Council Atomic Energy Agency (iaea) submitted a report
resolution 1704(2006) [YUN 2006, p. 422] to support [GOV/2015/49-GC(59)/22)] on the Application of Safe-
174 Part One: Political and security questions

guards in the dprk. The report concluded that the mittee received three reports from Member States
nuclear programme of the dprk remained a matter of on the implementation of resolutions 1718(2006),
concern. The country’s operation of the Experimental 1874(2009), 2087(2013) and 2094(2013), as well as
Nuclear Power Plant 5 MW(e), the ongoing construc- 14 reports of alleged violations concerning measures
tion at the light water reactor site in Yongbyon, the ex- imposed by the Council. In letters dated 3, 4, 5, 9,
tension and use of the building housing the reported 17 and 26 March, seven Member States reported
enrichment facility, and statements about bolstering launches of two Scud-class short-range ballistic mis-
its nuclear deterrent capability were clear violations siles by the dprk on 2 March. Seven Member States
of Security Council resolutions. The Director General sent seven letters to the Committee, dated 15, 18,
called upon the dprk to comply with its obligations 19, 20 and 21 May, following information that the
under relevant Security Council resolutions, to dprk had conducted an underwater ballistic- missile-
cooperate with the Agency implementing its Non- related ejection test on 8 May. The Committee sent
Proliferation Treaty (npt) Safeguards Agreement and 32 communications to 16 Member States and other
to resolve all outstanding issues, including those that stakeholders with reference to the implementation
had arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors of the sanctions measures. The Committee did not
from the country. receive any request for exemptions. As at the end of
the reporting period, there were 12 individuals and 20
Sanctions Committee entities on the sanctions list of the Committee.
Report of Panel of Experts. In February, the
In 2015, the Security Council Committee estab- Panel of Experts submitted its final report [S/2015/131],
lished by resolution 1718(2006) on the dprk carried which stated that the dprk continued to defy Security
out its mandate to oversee the implementation of the Council resolutions by persisting with its nuclear
sanctions measures in that resolution, which included and ballistic missile programmes, as demonstrated
an arms embargo; a nuclear, ballistic missiles and other by the launch of an unprecedented number of bal-
weapons of mass destruction programmes-related em- listic missiles and continued activity at the facilities
bargo; and a travel ban and/or an assets freeze on des- associated with its nuclear weapons programme. The
ignated persons and entities. By resolution 1874(2009) Panel saw no evidence that the country intended to
[YUN 2009, p. 384], the Council imposed additional cease prohibited activities and found widespread ev-
measures—including an expansion of the embargo idence of resilience in the dprk’s efforts to circum-
on arms and related materiel and technology, as well vent the sanctions measures. Sanctions evasion was
as financial measures to include a ban on financial carried out through the network of Ocean Maritime
transactions, technical training, advice, services or Management Company, Ltd., designated by the Com-
assistance related to such arms and materiel—and es- mittee in 2014. The Company’s network operated in
tablished a Panel of Experts to carry out certain tasks Asia, Europe, South America and the Middle East,
under the Committee’s direction. In response to the using techniques such as shell companies, foreign
launch using ballistic missile technology in Decem- intermediaries and indirect payment methods to ob-
ber 2012 and the nuclear test of February 2013, the scure the nature of its business. Since its designation,
Council, by resolutions 2087(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 338] the Company had renamed and re-registered most
and 2094(2013) [ibid., p. 340], strengthened the sanc- of its vessels, which continued operations despite
tions regime in several areas. the assets freeze. Entities and individuals involved
By resolution 2207(2015) (see above), the Council in non-compliance had demonstrated capability to
extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts until evade sanctions and to conduct prohibited activities
5 April 2016. The Panel consisted of eight experts through legitimate commercial networks using ali-
appointed by the Secretary-General. On 30 March ases, agents, offices and complicit companies based in
[S/2015/223], the Secretary-General, referring to that multiple jurisdictions. Diplomats, officials and trade
resolution, informed the Council that he had ap- representatives of the dprk continued to facilitate the
pointed eight experts to the Panel. trade of prohibited items. Given the advancement of
Committee report. On 16 December, the its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, the Panel
Chair of the Committee transmitted to the Security was concerned about the dprk’s ability to procure and
Council the Committee’s report on its activities in transfer items related to those programmes. The Panel
2015 [S/2015/987]. The Committee met five times in observed Member States’ lack of implementation of
informal consultations (28 January, 11 February, Security Council resolutions, noting that inaction
20 April, 4 September, 18 December) and received and low reporting levels might be due to lack of will,
four briefings by the Coordinator of the Panel of Ex- technical capacity and issues within their domestic
perts (28 January, 11 February, 20 April, 4 Septem- legal systems. The Panel called on Member States
ber). The Chair of the Committee briefed the Council to implement the sanctions measures more robustly,
on the activities of the Committee on 26 February, recommended that the Committee designate addi-
28 May, 26 August and 4 November. The Com- tional individuals and entities involved in prohibited
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 175

activities or the evasion of sanctions, made recommen- On 13 August [A/69/1006-S/2015/627], the dprk trans-
dations to improve the enforcement of the sanctions mitted a memorial report entitled “Independent
regime and proposed updates to the sanctions list. reunification of Korea: the cornerstone of ensuring
peace and prosperity in North-East Asia”.
Other developments On 14 August [A/69/1010-S/2015/637], 17 August
[A/69/1011-S/2015/638] and 19 August [S/2015/650], the
Communications. On 21 January [A/69/739-​ dprk transmitted statements on the United States-
S/2015/47], the dprk drew attention to the fact that South Korea joint military exercise known as “Ulchi
a man called Sin Tong Hyok (also known as Shin Freedom Guardian” to be conducted against the
Dong-hyuk), whose testimony mainly contributed to dprk. By the communication of 19 August, the dprk
the report of the commission of inquiry on human requested that the issue of the joint military exercises
rights in the dprk, had confessed that he had given be placed on the agenda of the Security Council, and
false testimony and had apologized for misleading that a meeting of the Council be urgently held.
people. On 2 February [A/69/753-S/2015/84], the dprk On 18 August [S/2015/642], the Republic of Korea
referred to the revelation of the falsehood behind brought to the attention of the Security Council the
the “Report of the commission of inquiry on human incident that took place on the southern side of the de-
rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” militarized zone on the Korean Peninsula on 4 August,
which had become the basis of the “Human rights res- which seriously injured two soldiers from the Republic
olution” against the dprk adopted at the sixty-ninth of Korea who were on a routine patrol. On 21 Au-
session of the General Assembly [YUN 2014, p. 907]; gust [S/2015/658], the dprk replied that the so-called
the Report was based on “testimonies” by so-called “landmine incident” of 4 August was totally fabricated
“defectors from the north”, Sin Tong Hyok, who had by South Korea and had nothing to do with the dprk.
confessed before the international community that his
“testimony” was a fabrication. On 28 August [A/69/1018-S/2015/674], the dprk trans-
mitted a report released on that day on a high-level
On 27 January [S/2015/64], the dprk drew atten- meeting of the Central Military Commission of the
tion to the grim situation prevailing in the Korean Workers’ Party of Korea. The meeting analysed and
peninsula. reviewed the measures taken by the country to cope
On 4 February [S/2015/90], the dprk transmitted a with the dangerous, brink-of-war situation. At the
statement on the hostile policy pursued by the United meeting it was noted that the dprk initiative for the
States against the country. inter-Korean high-level urgent contact contributed to
On 3 March [S/2015/156], the dprk transmitted a addressing the situation in the interests of maintain-
statement on the joint nuclear war games currently ing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula.
waged by the United States and South Korea against On 8 September [S/2015/689], the dprk transmitted
the dprk. a statement entitled “The withdrawal of United States
On 21 May [S/2015/365], the dprk defended its right forces from south Korea is a requirement of the times”.
to carry out underwater test fire of a ballistic missile On 19 October [S/2015/799], the dprk transmit-
from a strategic submarine and addressed the “hostile ted a statement regarding the proposal to replace the
policy” of the United States towards the country. Korean Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty be-
On 25 May [S/2015/373], the dprk brought to the tween the dprk and the United States.
Security Council’s attention the joint military exer- On 21 December [A/70/630-S/2015/1007], the
cises of the United States and South Korea which had dprk transmitted a statement regarding the position
been conducted against the dprk in March and April. of the United States against the positive and sincere
On 4 June [A/69/924-S/2015/408], the dprk trans- efforts of the dprk to ensure lasting peace on the Ko-
mitted a statement on the dangerous schemes of rean peninsula.
biological warfare prepared by the United States Security Council consideration. On 3 Decem-
against the country. ber [S/2015/931], nine members of the Security Council
On 15 June [A/69/938-S/2015/435] the dprk rejected (Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New
the “groundless criticism” by the United States of the Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, United States)
country’s legitimate right to the peaceful use of outer requested a meeting of the Council on the situation
space, including for artificial satellite launches. in the dprk.
On 17 June [A/69/944-S/2015/456], the dprk trans- On 10 December [S/PV.7575], the Council held a
mitted a statement aiming to bring about a landmark meeting on the human rights situation in the dprk,
turn in improving inter-Korean relations. with briefings by Under-Secretary-General for
On 25 June [A/69/965-S/2015/478], the dprk trans- Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman and High Commis-
mitted a statement on the escalating hostile policy sioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. At
of the United States and its war moves of aggression the beginning of the meeting there was a procedural
towards the country. vote to adopt the agenda at the request of China, who
176 Part One: Political and security questions

said that the Security Council was not the venue for hammad Javad Zarif on 7 February. They agreed on
discussing issues of human rights and that the human the importance of continuing the dialogue between
rights situation in the dprk did not constitute a threat the Agency and Iran. The Director General stressed
to international peace and security. The agenda was the need to resolve all outstanding issues related to
adopted by a vote of four against (Angola, China, Iran’s nuclear programme. Iran had not provided any
Russian Federation, Venezuela), two abstentions explanations that enabled the Agency to clarify the
(Chad, Nigeria) and nine in favour (Chile, France, two outstanding practical measures, nor had it pro-
Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, posed any new practical measures.
United Kingdom, United States). Seventeen countries A June report [S/2015/425 & GOV/2015/34] stated that
took part in the ensuing debate. the Director General held talks with Iran’s Foreign
Minister on 27 April. The exchange focused on how
to accelerate the resolution of all outstanding issues
Iran and on the Agency’s monitoring and verification in
relation to the nuclear-related measures of the jcpoa.
In 2015, the United Nations continued to address The Director General held follow-up talks with
Iran’s nuclear programme and the sanctions imposed Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on
by the Security Council in resolution 1737(2006) 14 May. Iranian and Agency officials held further dis-
[YUN 2006, p. 436] and reinforced in further resolutions.
cussions on the continuation of the implementation
The Committee, established pursuant to resolution of the Framework for Cooperation. Since the jpa had
1737(2006), worked to oversee the implementation taken effect [YUN 2014, p. 471], Iran had not enriched
of the sanctions regime and was assisted by the Panel UF6 above 5 per cent U-235 at any of its declared
of Experts established in 2010 by Council resolution facilities, and all of its stock of UF6 enriched up to
1929(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 396]. In June, by resolution 20 per cent U-235 had been further processed through
2224(2015) (see p. 177), the Council extended the downblending or conversion into uranium oxide. En-
Panel’s mandate until 9 July 2016. Throughout the richment of UF6 up to 5 per cent U-235 had contin-
year, pursuant to Council resolution 1929(2010), the ued at a rate of production similar to that indicated in
iaea reported on the implementation of the Non- the Director General’s previous reports. The amount
Proliferation Treaty (npt) Safeguards Agreement and of such nuclear material that remained in the form of
relevant provisions of Council resolutions in Iran. UF6 enriched up to 5 per cent U-235 was 8714.7 kilo-
Following the agreement in Vienna on 14 July of the grammes. No additional major components had been
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (jcpoa)—by the installed at the IR-40 (Arak Nuclear Plant) Reactor
group of five Security Council permanent members and there had been no manufacture and testing of fuel
plus one (China, France, Russian Federation, United for the reactor. Iran continued to provide the Agency
Kingdom, United States, Germany) and Iran, relating with managed access to centrifuge assembly work-
to the latter’s nuclear programme—the United States shops, centrifuge rotor production workshops and
advised Council members that it would submit a draft storage facilities.
resolution to endorse the agreement. The Council on A September report [S/2015/706 & GOV/2015/50] said
20 July adopted resolution 2231(2015) (see p. 177), by that on 2 July, the Director General held meetings
which it endorsed the jcpoa. with the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, and the
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council,
Ali Shamkhani, to advance work towards the resolu-
Non-proliferation tion of all outstanding issues. On 14 July, the Director
IAEA reports General and the Vice-President of Iran and President
of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar
The Security Council had before it four reports Salehi, signed a “Road-map for the clarification of past
by the iaea Director General, submitted pursuant to and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear
Council resolution 1929(2010), regarding Iran’s im- programme” (Road-map). On the same day, the E3/
plementation of the 1974 npt Safeguards Agreement EU+3 countries (China, France, Germany, Russian
between Iran and the iaea and relevant Council reso- Federation, United Kingdom, United States, with
lutions. In all four reports (see below), the Agency in- the High Representative of the European Union for
dicated that it had continued to undertake monitoring Foreign Affairs and Security Policy) and Iran agreed
and verification in relation to the nuclear-related on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (jcpoa). On
measures set out in the Joint Plan of Action (jpa) 15 August, as agreed in the Road-map, Iran provided
[YUN 2013, p. 347]. to the Agency its explanations on past and present out-
In March [S/2015/159 & GOV/2015/15], the iaea standing issues. On 25 August, the iaea Board of Gov-
Director General reported on developments since his ernors authorized the Director General to implement
November 2014 report [YUN 2014, p. 472]. The Director the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran’s
General held talks with Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mo- nuclear-related commitments as set out in the jcpoa.
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 177

A December report [S/2015/922 & GOV/2015/65] stated stated that Iran had complied with its safeguards ob-
that, on 20 September, the Director General held ligations, implemented its commitments under the
talks with President Rouhani, Vice-President Salehi jpa and worked with the iaea on Framework for Co-
and Foreign Minister Zarif on the implementation of operation matters. As part of the jpa, concomitant
the Road-map and on issues related to Iran’s imple- with iaea’s confirmation that Iran was fulfilling the
mentation of its nuclear-related commitments under “voluntary measures” agreed in that format, some
the jcpoa. On 20 September, the Director General unilateral sanctions had been suspended, providing
and the Deputy Director General for Safeguards limited relief to Iran’s economy. The Panel had not
visited the location at the Parchin site of interest to identified cases of procurement for activities pro-
the Agency. Environmental samples were taken in hibited under Security Council resolutions, nor had
the days immediately prior to the visit. The activities any such cases being reported by Member States.
set out in the Road-map for the period to 15 Octo- Iran had not launched or unveiled any new types of
ber were completed on schedule. On 18 October, the medium-range ballistic missiles. However, the Fajr
day of implementation of the jcpoa, Iran informed satellite was launched by a Safir space launch vehicle
the Agency that, effective on that day, it would pro- and Iran’s annual Great Prophet military exercise
visionally apply the Additional Protocol to its Safe- reportedly involved the Fateh 110 ballistic missile.
guards Agreement and fully implement the modified Iran’s arms transfers had continued, raising concerns
Code 3.1. The Agency began conducting preparatory among some Member States. The Panel noted that
activities related to the verification and monitoring of no State had formally reported an actual case of
Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the jcpoa. non-compliance, although one State had informed
the Panel of an offer by Iran. The Panel had noted
Sanctions Committee travels to neighbouring countries of a prominent
designated Iranian individual; nevertheless, no vi-
In 2015, the Security Council Committee estab- olation of the travel ban as such had been formally
lished pursuant to resolution 1737(2006) [YUN 2006, reported to the Committee. The Panel observed that
p. 436] monitored the implementation of the embargo the private sector remained in compliance. Although
relating to Iran on proliferation-sensitive nuclear many companies were exploring possibilities, they
activities and the development of nuclear weapon had limited themselves to preliminary understand-
delivery systems; the ban on the export and procure- ings. The overall lack of reporting was a distinctive
ment of any arms and related materiel from Iran; feature of the mandate period. It might be linked to
financial and business restrictions; and an assets a decrease in Iran’s prohibited activities and restraint
freeze and travel ban on designated individuals and on the part of Member States so as not to affect nego-
entities. Those sanctions were renewed by resolutions tiations. The Panel refrained from additional recom-
1747(2007) [YUN 2007, p. 374], 1803(2008) [YUN 2008, mendations to those already proposed in its previous
p. 409] and 1929(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 396]. final reports.
The Committee was assisted by the Panel of Ex-
perts established pursuant to resolution 1929(2010) SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
to carry out tasks under the direction of the Com- On 9 June [meeting 7458], the Security Council
mittee. By resolution 2224(2015) (see below), the unanimously adopted resolution 2224(2015). The
Council extended the Panel’s mandate until 9 July draft [S/2015/413] was submitted by the United States.
2016. The Panel’s eight experts were appointed by the
Secretary- General on 30 June [S/2015/493]. The Panel Communications. In letters dated 16 July
in June submitted its final report (see below) pursuant [S/2015/544, S/2015/545], the United States transmitted to
to resolution 2159(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 473]. the Security Council President, respectively the jcpoa
and its annexes, subsequently adopted as Annex A to
Committee report. The Chair of the Security resolution 2231(2015) (see below), aimed at ensuring
Council Committee established pursuant to reso- that Iran’s nuclear programme would be exclusively
lution 1737(2006) transmitted to the Council the peaceful, as well as jcpoa statement and attachment,
Committee’s report [S/2015/947] covering its activities adopted as Annex B to the same resolution.
in 2015. During the year, the Committee met four
times in informal consultations (4 February, 1 June, SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
1 September, 24 November). The Committee sent On 20 July [meeting 7488], the Security Council
14 communications to 11 Member States and other unanimously adopted resolution 2231(2015). The
stakeholders with reference to the implementation of draft [S/2015/547] was prepared in the course of the
the sanctions measures. There were 43 individuals and Council’s prior consultations.
78 entities on the sanctions list of the Committee as
at the end of the reporting period. Communication. On 20 July [S/2015/550], Iran
Report of Panel of Experts. In June, the Panel of transmitted to the Council President a statement en-
Experts submitted its final report [S/2015/401], which dorsing the jcpoa.
178 Part One: Political and security questions

Council (gcc) Initiative and its implementation

Yemen mechanism [ibid., p. 406]. The Council underlined that
President Hadi was the legitimate authority based on
In 2015, the United Nations continued to address election results and the terms of the gcc Initiative and
the crisis in Yemen. On 19 January, fighting broke out its implementation mechanism; emphasized that all
between troops loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Man- parties must stand with President Hadi, Prime Min-
sour Hadi and the Houthi militias. The Houthis held ister Bahah and Yemen’s Cabinet to keep the country
the President, the Prime Minister and Cabinet mem- on track to stability; and urged all parties to resolve
bers under house arrest. On 22 January, President their differences through dialogue and consultation.
Hadi, Prime Minister Khalid Bahah and the Cabinet Security Council consideration. On 12 Feb-
resigned. On 15 February the Security Council, by res- ruary [S/PV.7381], the Council was briefed by the
olution 2201(2015) (see below), deplored the Houthis’s Secretary-General, his Special Adviser on Yemen, Ja-
actions to dissolve parliament and take over government mal Benomar, and Alya Ahmed Saif al-Thani of Qatar
institutions, urged the acceleration of negotiations and on behalf of the gcc.
placed a number of demands on the Houthis. On
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
24 March, President Hadi informed the Council that he
had requested from the Gulf Cooperation Council and On 15 February [meeting 7382], the Security Council
the League of Arab States to provide support, by all nec- unanimously adopted resolution 2201(2015). The
essary means, including military intervention, to protect draft [S/2015/116] was submitted by Angola, Chad,
Yemen and its people from the Houthis’s aggression. France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand,
A Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen began Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
military operations in March. On 14 April, by resolu- Security council press statements. In a press
tion 2216(2015) (see p. 179), the Council established a statement of 25 February [SC/11798], the Council
targeted arms embargo on the Houthis and forces loyal called for all parties, including the Houthis, to resolve
to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, also imposing a their differences through dialogue and consultation
financial and travel ban sanctions against Houthi lead- and refrain from actions to undermine the political
ers. The Secretary-General on 9 July announced that transition. The Council welcomed that the legitimate
the parties had agreed on a humanitarian pause, which, President, Mr. Hadi, was no longer under house ar-
however, was not respected. The first face-to-face talks rest, demanded that the Houthis release Prime Minis-
among the parties, facilitated by the Secretary-General’s ter Bahah and Cabinet members, called on all parties
Special Adviser on Yemen, took place in December. By to abide by the gcc Initiative and its implementa-
year’s end at least 21 million people—80 per cent of the tion mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive
population—relied on some measure of humanitarian National Dialogue Conference and the Peace and
assistance, while approximately half the population suf- National Partnership Agreement and its security
fered from malnutrition. annex, which provided for a Yemeni-led democratic
transition. The Council welcomed President Hadi’s
Political and security developments intention to engage in the UN-brokered negotiations
and urged all parties to accelerate those negotiations.
Security Council press statements. On 7 Jan- On 20 March, the Council condemned the air-
uary, the Council, by a press statement [SC/11728], strikes against the Presidential Palace in Aden and
condemned the 7 January bomb attack at the Police attacks at Aden International Airport [SC/11826], as
Academy in Sana’a, which killed at least 37 people. The well as suicide bombings at two mosques [SC/11827].
Council also condemned the bomb attacks in Ibb on
31 December 2014 and in Dhamar on 4 January 2015. SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Following the outbreak of fighting on 19 January On 22 March [meeting 7411], following consulta-
between troops loyal to President Hadi and Houthi tions among Security Council members, the Pres-
militias, with the Houthis holding the President, the ident made statement S/PRST/2015/8 on behalf of
Prime Minister and Cabinet members under house the Council.
arrest, the Council, by a press statement of 20 Janu-
ary [SC/11743], expressed concern about the worsening Communications. On 23 March [S/2015/207],
political and security crisis; condemned the recourse Iran, referring to Yemen’s statement during the
to violence, in particular the attack on 19 January Security Council’s emergency meeting on the situa-
against the Presidential Palace in Sana’a; called upon tion in Yemen of 22 March [S/PV.7411], stated that Iran
all parties to implement a ceasefire; and underscored respected Yemen’s independence, sovereignty, terri-
the importance of full implementation of the terms torial integrity and national unity, and underscored
of the Peace and National Partnership Agreement the need to continue national broad-based dialogues
[YUN 2014, p. 479], the National Dialogue Conference
among all Yemenis and to fight against terrorism in
Outcomes [ibid., p. 474] and the Gulf Cooperation the country.
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 179

On 24 March, President Hadi informed the (14-0-1). The draft [S/2015/245] was submitted by France,
Security Council that he had requested the gcc Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
and the League of Arab States (las) to immediately
VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2216(2015):
provide support, by all necessary means, including
In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
military intervention, to protect Yemen and its people Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, United Kingdom,
from Houthi aggression. United States, Venezuela.
On 26 March [S/2015/217], Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Against: None.
Saudi Arabia and the uae transmitted to the Council Abstaining: Russian Federation
a joint statement they had issued on that day in Appointment of Special Representative. On
response to President Hadi’s request for the protection 23 April [S/2015/283], the Secretary-General informed
of Yemen and its people. the Council of his intention to appoint Ismail Ould
On 31 March [S/2015/224], Eritrea referred to Cheikh Ahmed (Mauritania) as his new Special En-
statements made by some Yemeni officials and some voy for Yemen. The Council took note of that inten-
fabricated media reports alleging that the Houthis tion on 25 April [S/2015/284].
were receiving support from Iran via Eritrea. Eritrea Communications. On 17 April [S/2015/263], Iran
supported Yemen’s territorial integrity and recog- drew the Secretary-General’s attention to the alarm-
nized only Yemen’s legitimate leadership; denied the ing situation in Yemen, exacerbated by the provoca-
reports, statements and claims that had been circu- tive foreign military air campaign. On the same day
lated regarding an Iranian, Houthi, Israeli or other [S/2015/266], Yemen rejected Iran’s letter and requested
foreign presence in Eritrea; and affirmed that recent the Security Council to demand that Iran stop its con-
statements attributed to Yemeni officials were part of tinued intervention in Yemeni affairs and its arming
the rabid intelligence campaign being waged against of the Houthi militias. On 24 April [S/2015/279], Bah-
Eritrea. rain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the uae and Ku-
On 2 April [S/2015/232], the las transmitted a res- wait stated that Iran’s letter contained errors regarding
olution adopted by the las Council at its twenty- Operation Decisive Storm, which was carried out by
sixth summit-level session (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, a coalition comprising several countries, including
28–29 March). The resolution emphasized that the gcc member States. The gcc States had responded to
Arab States stood alongside Yemen, supported its the request made by President Hadi to the gcc and
constitutional authorities, particularly President Abd the las for assistance to protect Yemen from Houthi
Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, and welcomed the military aggression. On 12 May [S/2015/335], Iran replied by
operations in defence of Yemen’s legitimate authority rejecting such allegations, stating that they were fab-
undertaken, at the invitation of Yemen’s President, by ricated to distract attention from the misguided and
the coalition composed of the gcc member States and failed policies that had led to the crisis. Iran had pro-
a number of Arab States. posed a four-point plan to promote efforts towards
On 6 April [S/2015/238], Yemen said that during the ending the bloodshed and finding a political solution
past two weeks, the Houthi militias and forces loyal to to the crisis.
former President Saleh had committed human rights On 4 May [S/2015/310], Qatar, as the Chair of the
violations across the country and continued their thirty-fifth session of the gcc, transmitted a statement
indiscriminate shelling of Aden. In the face of those by Saudi Arabia in which it announced its intention to
actions, President Hadi had requested the gcc and the establish an integrated centre on its territory to deliver
las to provide support, including military interven- assistance to the Yemeni people.
tion, to protect Yemen and its people, also informing
On 5 May [S/2015/354], Yemen referred to President
the Security Council of that request. Accordingly, since
26 March, the objectives of the coalition formed in Hadi’s announcement on 4 May of a conference to be
response to that request had been to protect the Yem- convened in Riyadh on 17 May with the participation
eni people from the violence targeted at them by the of all Yemeni political parties.
Houthis and to support Yemen’s legitimate President. On 6 May [S/2015/317], Qatar stated that on 5 and
On 9 April [S/2015/249], Iran, referring to the letter 6 May the Houthi militias had launched random mor-
of 31 March from Yemen to the UN and its attach- tar shells and rockets on the city of Najran, Saudi Ara-
ment, rejected those allegations as unfounded and bia, and called upon the Security Council to demand
fabricated to distract attention from the misguided that all parties implement the Council’s resolutions.
and failed policies that had led to Yemen’s political Also on 6 May [S/2015/355], Yemen transmitted to
and humanitarian crisis. the Council a note concerning the latest atrocities in
the city of Aden brought about by the Houthi militias
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION and elements loyal to former President Saleh.
On 14 April [meeting 7426], the Security Council Security Council press statement. On 12 May
unanimously adopted resolution 2216(2015) by vote [SC/11888], the Council called on the Secretary-
180 Part One: Political and security questions

General to convene a conference of all Yemeni stake- General’s announcement on 9 July and parties’ com-
holders to broker a consensus-based political solution mitment to a humanitarian pause, President Hadi’s
to the crisis. letter of 8 July indicating his support for a humani-
Communications. Yemen, in a 13 May letter to tarian pause and the Secretary-General’s announce-
the Council President [S/2015/356], said that an Iranian ment on 9 July of the commitment by the Houthis,
ship had departed from the Iranian port of Bandar the General People’s Congress and other parties. The
Abbas, reportedly carrying 1,500 tons of relief sup- Council joined the Secretary-General in supporting
plies, 60 Iranian activists, seven international activists the implementation of a humanitarian pause to start
and crew heading for the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, on 10 July until the end of Ramadan.
without Yemen’s approval. Communications. On 11 July [S/2015/529],
On 15 May [S/2015/345], Yemen referred to the hu- referring to the Secretary-General’s announcement
manitarian pauses effective in Yemen from 12 May for on 9 July of a humanitarian pause, Yemen provided a
five days and alleged violations by the Houthi militias report on alleged violations committed by the Houthi-
and forces loyal to former President Saleh. Saleh rebels a few hours after the beginning of the
On 18 May [S/2015/351], Qatar, as the gcc chair, pause. On 28 July [S/2015/582] and 30 July [S/2015/583],
said that on 12 May, the Coalition to Restore Legit- Yemen transmitted reports on alleged violations of the
imacy in Yemen and the Yemeni Government had third humanitarian pause.
initiated a five-day humanitarian ceasefire, which Security Council consideration. Briefing the
had been consistently violated by Houthi militias and Council on 28 July [S/PV.7494], Stephen O’Brien,
forces loyal to former President Saleh. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
On 19 May [S/2015/357], Yemen transmitted the and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that with
Riyadh final communiqué, issued on 19 May at the 80 per cent of the population of about 26 million peo-
end of the Riyadh Conference on Saving Yemen and ple in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance,
Building a Federal State (Riyadh, 17–19 May). On and more than 1,895 civilians killed by fighting since
19 May [S/2015/359], Qatar, as the gcc Chair, trans- March, the impact of the conflict on civilians was cat-
mitted the message of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman astrophic. A humanitarian pause announced for late
bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to the Conference. On 26 May July had not been respected by any party.
[S/2015/374], Yemen transmitted the Conference’s Briefing the Council on 19 August on his visit to
official declaration and final statement. Yemen [S/PV.7507], Mr. O’Brien said that the scale of
On 19 May [S/2015/360], Qatar, as the gcc Chair, human suffering was almost incomprehensible. The
provided information about humanitarian efforts un- civilian population was bearing the brunt of the con-
dertaken by the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in flict: a shocking four out of five Yemenis required hu-
Yemen. manitarian assistance and nearly 1.5 million people
Security Council press statements. On 2 June were internally displaced.
[SC/11915], the Council expressed disappointment Security Council press statement. On 11 Sep-
that the consultations in Geneva planned for 28 May tember [SC/12042], the Security Council welcomed
had not taken place; urged Yemeni stakeholders to the announcement by the UN and the Secretary-
participate in the United Nations-brokered inclusive General’s Special Envoy on the upcoming peace talks
political consultations without preconditions; and that should take place in the region before Eid; com-
endorsed the Secretary-General’s call for a further mended Yemen’s decision to participate in the talks
humanitarian pause. along with other parties; and reaffirmed their call on
On 25 June [SC/11944], the Council took note of Yemeni parties to attend the talks.
the principles to advance United Nations-brokered Communications. On 15 September [S/2015/721],
consultations presented by the Special Envoy in his the las transmitted a resolution on developments in
Council briefing, also encouraging the parties to dis- Yemen adopted at the 144th Ministerial Meeting of
cuss those proposals. the las Council (Cairo, 13–14 September).
Communication. On 1 July [A/69/979-S/2015/497], On 28 September [S/2015/743], the United States
Kuwait, as Chair of the Organization of Islamic transmitted the commitments regarding the human-
Cooperation (oic) Group, transmitted the Ku- itarian crisis in Yemen by President Obama and King
wait Declaration, adopted by the oic Council of Salman of Saudi Arabia, following their meeting on
Foreign Ministers at its forty-second session (Ku- 4 September in Washington, D.C.
wait, 27–28 May), which commended the outcomes Security Council press statement. On 23 Octo-
of the Riyadh Conference and welcomed the Re- ber, following the briefing [S/PV.7542] by the Secretary-
store Hope operation for Yemen’s advancement and General’s Special Envoy, Mr. Ahmed, on his efforts to
reconstruction. arrange face-to-face peace talks, the Security Council
Security Council press statement. On 10 July [SC/12096] welcomed the announcement by the UN
[SC/11966], the Council welcomed the Secretary- and the Special Envoy on the upcoming talks; com-
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 181

mended Yemen’s decision to participate in the talks Nations Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the
along with other parties; and reaffirmed its call on Yemen Crisis, Amer Daoudi, briefed the Security
Yemeni parties to attend the talks. Council Committee established pursuant to resolu-
Communications. On 4 December [S/2015/934], tion 2140(2014) on his efforts to implement a United
Saudi Arabia transmitted a statement issued on behalf Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism for
of the leadership of the coalition to restore legitimacy Yemen. Mr. Daoudi said that the Mechanism would
in Yemen regarding the bombing of a mobile clinic seek to ensure compliance with the provisions of res-
in Ta’izz city belonging to Médecins sans frontières. olution 2216(2015) (see p. 179), with regard to the
On 10 December [S/2015/954], Saudi Arabia trans- targeted arms embargo and to help ensure access
mitted the final communiqué of the thirty-sixth gcc of commercial cargo to Yemen, which was essential
Summit (Riyadh, 9–10 December), which addressed for restoring the country’s economy. On 22 De-
the situation in Yemen. cember [S/PV.7596], the Deputy Emergency Relief
Coordinator, Ms. Kang, told the Security Council
On 17 December [S/2015/999], Yemen transmitted that the Mechanism was expected to be operational
information concerning alleged Houthi-Saleh mili- in mid-January 2016, thereby ensuring steady flows
tias’ violations of the ceasefire. of commercial supplies, especially those vital to the
Security Council consideration. Briefing the survival and well-being of the Yemeni people.
Security Council on 22 December [S/PV.7596], the
Special Envoy, Mr. Ahmed, said that he had just re- Sanctions
turned from the first face-to-face talks in the Yemen
peace process (Magglingen, Switzerland, 15 Decem- The Committee established pursuant to Security
ber), which he had facilitated. While the meetings did Council resolution 2140(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 474] was
not bring about an end to the fighting, they did result mandated to oversee the implementation of the sanc-
in constructive talks between the Yemeni Government tions measures relating to Yemen, namely, an asset
and its political and military opponents, providing a freeze and a travel ban. The measures applied to in-
foundation for resuming talks and ceasing hostilities. dividuals or entities designated by the Committee as
The Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Kyung- engaging in or providing support for acts that threat-
wha Kang, told the Council that the conditions inside ened the peace, security or stability of Yemen. The
Yemen were appalling, with around 7.6 million people Committee was assisted by a Panel of Experts.
requiring emergency food assistance to survive and at Committee report. In December, the Com-
least 2 million people being malnourished, including mittee reported on its activities in 2015 [S/2015/965]. It
320,000 children. met five times in informal consultations (2 February,
Security Council press statement. On 23 De- 17 and 25 August, 18 September, 9 October), and sent
cember [SC/12184], the Council welcomed the four communications to Member States with respect
participation of Yemeni parties in peace consultations to the implementation of the sanctions measures. As
from 15 to 20 December held under UN auspices; at the end of the reporting period, there were five in-
reiterated its call on all parties to resume and acceler- dividuals on the Committee’s sanctions list: three des-
ate consultations; welcomed the agreement to a ces- ignated by the Committee on 7 November and two
sation of hostilities; expressed concern at the number by the Security Council in its resolution 2216(2015)
of violations of the agreement committed during the on 14 April.
talks; and welcomed the parties’ commitment to con- Panel of Experts. In February, the Panel of
tinue the work of the Coordination and De-escalation Experts on Yemen established pursuant to Council
Committee established at the talks to reduce the resolution 2140(2014) transmitted its final report on
number of violations. its work [S/2015/125]. Since the designations of three
individuals by the Committee [YUN 2014, p. 480], the
Verification and Inspection Mechanism Panel had been conducting investigations on the
whereabouts of any assets of those individuals that
On 14 July [S/2015/535], Yemen informed the might be subject to the asset freeze. No Member State
Security Council that it approved, with some changes, had responded positively to the Panel’s asset enquiries.
the UN draft mechanism to monitor commercial The Panel noted that President Hadi and the Yemeni
shipping in Yemen. Briefing the Council on 28 July Government, led by Prime Minister Bahah, had to
[S/PV.7494], the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. make a number of concessions in favour of the major-
O’Brien, said that commercial imports, which before ity General People’s Congress Party in order to obtain
the conflict accounted for 90 per cent of Yemen’s im- a vote of confidence from Parliament. Those included
port of food and fuel, had decreased dramatically and the promise not to impose any UN sanctions measures
a light UN-based inspection mechanism to enable against former President Saleh or the two other desig-
the flow of commercial imports to increase was ur- nated individuals. The Security Council and Member
gently needed. On 25 August [SC/12026], the United States should consider additional measures to support
182 Part One: Political and security questions

the political transition, as well as enforcing the imple- workload, with full sets of appeal, trial and judicial
mentation of sanctions under resolution 2140(2014). investigation proceedings advancing simultaneously.
Member States should ensure that they had the ability Case 002 had been severed into multiple trials. In the
to implement the full range of sanctions. first trial, styled as case 002/01, the Trial Chamber
had pronounced its judgement in 2014 [YUN 2014,
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
p. 481], convicting two surviving senior leaders of
On 24 February [meeting 7390], the Security Council the Khmer Rouge regime, Nuon Chea and Khieu
unanimously adopted resolution 2204(2015). Samphan, of crimes against humanity and sentenc-
The draft [S/2015/126] was submitted by the United ing them to life imprisonment. Both had appealed
Kingdom. the convictions. Appeal proceedings before the Su-
preme Court Chamber had been fully briefed, and
Communications. In April [S/2015/237], as the Chamber had commenced initial appeal hear-
requested by Council resolution 2204(2015) (see ings. A second trial, styled as case 002/02, contained
above), the Secretary-General appointed four ex- additional charges against Nuon Chea and Khieu
perts to the Panel. In June [S/2015/455], as requested Samphan related to genocide, forced marriages and
by Council resolution 2216(2015) (see p. 179), he treatment of Buddhists, as well as alleged crimes com-
appointed a fifth expert; following the resignation mitted at four security centres and three worksites and
of an expert, he appointed a replacement in August in a group of work cooperatives. The trial commenced
[S/2015/639].
in 2014 [ibid.] and evidentiary hearings commenced
on 8 January 2015. In cases 003 and 004, judicial
investigations had made significant progress. One sus-
Other issues pect in case 003 and two suspects in case 004 were
formally charged in March 2015. It was projected
that the judicial investigations would conclude by the
Cambodia fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016,
respectively, with decisions by the co-investigating
In 2015, the Secretary-General reported on pro- judges on whether any of those cases would be sent
gress made in implementing the Agreement between for trial to follow by the end of 2016.
the UN and the Government of Cambodia concern- The Secretary-General provided a projection re-
ing the Prosecution under Cambodian Law of Crimes garding the anticipated use of the approved commit-
Committed during the Period of Democratic Kampu- ment authority for 2015; provided information on the
chea. The 2003 Agreement, which was approved by the estimated budget of the Extraordinary Chambers for
General Assembly in resolution 57/228 B [YUN 2003, 2016 and 2017; and sought the Assembly’s approval of
p. 385] and entered into force on 29 April 2005, regu-
an appropriation for a subvention for the international
lated cooperation between the UN and Cambodia in
component of the Extraordinary Chambers in the
bringing to trial senior leaders of Democratic Kam-
amount of $25.15 million for 2016.
puchea and those who were most responsible for the
crimes committed during the period from 17 April ACABQ report. In November [A/70/7/Add.20],
1975 to 6 January 1979. The Agreement provided the the Advisory Committee on Administrative and
legal basis and the principles and modalities of such Budgetary Questions (acabq) recommended that the
cooperation. General Assembly authorize the Secretary-General to
On 2 April, by section I of resolution 69/274 A enter into commitments in an amount not to exceed
(see p. 731), the Assembly authorized the Secretary- $12.1 million, and that the Assembly request him to
General, as an exceptional measure, to enter into com- report on the use of the commitment authority during
mitments not to exceed $12.1 million to supplement the main part of its seventy-first (2016) session.
the voluntary financial resources of the international On 23 December, by section IV of resolution
component of the Extraordinary Chambers in 70/248 A (see p. 734), the Assembly endorsed the
the Courts of Cambodia for 2015. The Assembly recommendations of acabq.
requested the Secretary-General to report on the use
of commitment authority in the context of the second India–Pakistan
performance report on the programme budget for the
biennium 2014–2015. The United Nations Military Observer Group in
Report of Secretary-General. In September India and Pakistan (unmogip) continued in 2015 to
[A/70/403], the Secretary-General provided details on monitor the ceasefire line in Jammu and Kashmir.
the judicial progress achieved by the Extraordinary On 4 September [S/2015/687], Pakistan brought to
Chambers since his previous report [YUN 2014, p. 480] the Security Council’s attention that Indian security
on the Khmer Rouge trials. Over the past year, the forces had allegedly resorted to unprovoked firing
Extraordinary Chambers had reached a point of peak across the line of control and the working boundary
Chapter IV: Asia and the Pacific 183

in Jammu and Kashmir, increasingly targeting civil- for the status of permanent neutrality declared by
ians. In July, Indian security forces had committed Turkmenistan; called once again upon States Mem-
36 violations of the ceasefire, resulting in five civilians bers of the UN to respect and support that status of
being killed and six injured. In August, the number Turkmenistan and to respect its independence, sov-
increased significantly, with the ceasefire violations ereignty and territorial integrity; and welcomed the
touching 90, leading to 20 civilians being killed and decision of the Government of Turkmenistan to de-
97 injured. Pakistan had urged India to stop those clare 2015 as the Year of Neutrality and Peace and to
ceasefire violations and abide by the 2003 ceasefire host an international conference on the theme “Policy
arrangement. of neutrality: international cooperation for peace,
On 9 September [S/2015/695], Pakistan expressed security and development” in December 2015.
concern at the reported plan by India to construct a The high-level international conference (Ashgabat,
10-metre high and 41-metre wide embankment (wall) Turkmenistan, 12 December) held on the occasion of
along the 197-kilometre working boundary between the twentieth anniversary of the neutrality of Turk-
Pakistan and Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. menistan, adopted the Ashgabat outcome document
On 24 November [S/2015/905], Pakistan transmit- [A/70/652–S/2016/20].
ted two letters it had sent to India. The first proposed GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
a mechanism for preserving the ceasefire arrangement
of 2003 and ending ceasefire violations on the Line On 3 June [meeting 92], the General Assembly
of Control and the Working Boundary. The second adopted resolution 69/285 [draft: A/69/L.70 & Add.1]
detailed lack of cooperation by the Indian authorities (Permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan) without
in Pakistan’s efforts to prosecute the accused in the vote [agenda item 32].
Mumbai trial and lack of prosecution by the Indian
authorities of the accused in the Samjhauta Express United Arab Emirates–Iran
attack [YUN 2007, p. 382], in which 42 innocent Paki-
The Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa
stanis lost their lives.
On 2 April [S/2015/232], the League of Arab States
Myanmar (las) transmitted a resolution on “The occupation by
the Islamic Republic of Iran of the three Arab islands
Communications. On 10 February [S/2015/103], in the Arabian Gulf belonging to the United Arab
the United Kingdom requested the retention of the Emirates: the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu
item on the situation in Myanmar on the list of mat- Musa”, adopted by the las Council at its twenty-sixth
ters of which the Security Council was seized. session (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, 28–29 March). The
On 16 June [A/69/940-S/2015/443], Kuwait, as Chair- las Council requested that the Secretary-General and
man of the oic Group, transmitted a resolution on the Security Council be informed of the importance
the situation of the Muslim community in Myanmar, of maintaining the issue on the list of matters of which
adopted during the forty-second session of the Council the Security Council was seized.
of Foreign Ministers of the oic (Kuwait, 27–28 May). In response, Iran on 15 May [S/2015/348] reiterated
The resolution expressed concern over the continued its sovereignty over the Iranian islands of Abu Musa,
acts of violence towards Rohingya Muslims; urged the the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian
Government of Myanmar to prevent such acts and Gulf, underlining that the decisions with regard to
violations; and called upon the Myanmar authorities and measures undertaken in those islands by Iranian
to adopt an inclusive, transparent policy towards the officials had always been taken on the basis of the
Rohingya as an integral part of their democratization principles of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
process and reform and to recognize them as an ethnic Therefore, the las letter was deemed as interference in
minority. Iran’s domestic affairs and was rejected.
On 15 September [S/2015/721], the las transmitted
Turkmenistan resolutions adopted by the 144th Ministerial Meeting
of the las Council (Cairo, 13–14 September) which
On 20 October 1995 [YUN 1995, p. 507], Turkmen- requested Arab States: to raise, in their contacts with
istan announced before the General Assembly’s First Iran, the issue of its occupation in order to stress the
(Disarmament and International Security) Com- need to end it, since the three islands were occupied
mittee its decision to make permanent neutrality the Arab territory; and to inform the Secretary-General
main principle of its foreign policy. The Assembly and the Security Council of the importance of main-
recognized and supported Turkmenistan’s status of taining the issue on the list of matters of which the
permanent neutrality by resolution 50/80 A [ibid.]. Security Council was seized.
On 3 June 2015, the Assembly adopted resolution On 10 December [S/2015/954], Saudi Arabia trans-
69/285 (see below), in which it reiterated its support mitted the final communiqué of the thirty-sixth
184 Part One: Political and security questions

Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Riyadh, decisions and actions in respect of the islands were
10 December), which rejected Iran’s continued occu- null and void and did not alter any historical and legal
pation of the islands; reaffirmed its support for the facts, all of which supported the sovereignty of the
sovereignty of the uae over the islands and over their uae; and called on Iran to respond to the efforts of
territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf and ex- the uae to resolve the question through negotiations
clusive economic zone; reiterated that Iran’s practices, or recourse to the International Court of Justice.
Chapter V

Europe and the Mediterranean

The United Nations in 2015 worked to entrench No progress was made towards the settlement of
peace, stability and recovery in post-conflict countries the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
in Europe and the Mediterranean, including through occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
efforts to re-establish their institutions and social and In Cyprus, efforts continued through the Secretary-
economic infrastructure. A number of issues, how- General’s good offices mission to reach a settlement
ever, remained unresolved, first and foremost the con- to the conflict opposing Greek Cypriots and Turkish
tinuing conflict in Ukraine. Cypriots. After more than seven months of stalemate,
Bosnia and Herzegovina in February adopted a the leaders of the two sides resumed peace talks,
written commitment with the European Union (eu), and on 28 May agreed on five concrete steps to im-
opening the way for a Stabilization and Association prove intercommunal relations. The United Nations
Agreement with the eu that entered into force on Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (unficyp) continued to
1 June. A border treaty was signed with Montenegro, cooperate with the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cyp-
and in November a long-awaited joint session of the riot communities. The Security Council extended the
Governments of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina mandate of unficyp through 31 January 2016.
took place in Sarajevo. Some politicians, however, In Ukraine, continuing fighting in the east be-
appeared determined to challenge the 1995 General tween the Government and separatist forces led to in-
Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herze- creased civilian casualties and a deteriorating human-
govina and destabilize the situation in the country. The itarian and human rights situation. Efforts to find a
ruling party of the Republika Srpska, in April, adopted political solution to the conflict, made more urgent by
a declaration that threatened to hold an independence an increase in violence in the east in the early months
referendum in 2018, and the Parliament of the Repub- of the year led to the adoption on 12 February of the
lika Srpska, in July, decided to organize a referendum Package of Measures for the Implementation of the
on whether the Republika Srpska authorities needed 2014 Minsk Agreements. On the same day, the Presi-
to respect the authority and decisions of the country’s dents of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and France
central judicial institutions. The Security Council re- and the Chancellor of Germany adopted in Minsk a
newed the authorization of the European Union Force- Declaration in support of the Package. The Security
Althea for a further 12 months. Council endorsed the Package on 17 February.
In Kosovo, the parties continued implementation The eastern part of Ukraine, however, saw an esca-
of the 2013 First Agreement of Principles Governing lation of violence, frequent violations of the ceasefire,
the Normalization of Relations. The high-level dia- fighting involving heavy weapons and tanks, grave vi-
logue between Belgrade and Pristina, facilitated by olations of the Minsk Protocol and Package of Meas-
the eu, resumed in February, when the Prime Minis- ures and lack of humanitarian access. The number of
ters of Serbia and Kosovo met in Brussels for the first displaced persons and refugees in Ukraine and neigh-
time, concluding an agreement on the integration of bouring countries reached 2.5 million people by July.
the Kosovo judiciary. In May, Serbia’s Prime Minister Throughout the year, the Secretary-General, as well
paid an historic State visit to Albania and held talks as the Trilateral Contact Group sought a diplomatic
on joint infrastructure projects and the two countries’ resolution of the conflict.
steps towards eu integration. In August, the Pristina On 29 July, a draft resolution seeking to establish
and Belgrade delegations, led by the respective Prime an international tribunal to hold accountable those
Ministers, concluded in Brussels a package of agree- responsible for the downing in 2014 of Malaysia Air-
ments. In October, Kosovo’s Prime Minister signed a lines flight MH-17 was not adopted owing to the veto
Stabilization and Association Agreement with the eu of a Member State.
which the Assembly of Kosovo ratified in November.
International efforts continued to advance the
Georgian-Abkhaz peace process. International dis- Bosnia and Herzegovina
cussions under the leadership of the eu, the United
Nations and the Organization for Security and Co- In 2015, the international community continued
operation in Europe to address security, stability and to assist the two entities comprising the Republic
humanitarian issues in Georgia were held throughout of Bosnia and Herzegovina—the Federation of
the year. Bosnia and Herzegovina (where mainly Bosnian

185
186 Part One: Political and security questions

Muslim—Bosniacs—and Bosnian Croats resided) Political situation and other developments

and the Republika Srpska (where mostly Bosnian Briefing the Council on 12 May [S/PV.7440], the
Serbs resided)—in implementing the 1995 General High Representative presented the forty-seventh
Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and report [S/2015/300], covering the period from 21 Oc-
Herzegovina and the annexes thereto (the “Peace tober 2014 to 21 April 2015. Three main political
Agreement”) [YUN 1995, p. 544], which had ended developments had dominated that period: the pro-
the 1992–1995 conflict. Since the conclusion of the cess of government formation following the general
United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina elections of October 2014; efforts to kick-start Bosnia
in December 2002 [YUN 2002, p. 359], those efforts and Herzegovina’s integration process in the eu;
had been led by the European Union (eu) and accom- and continued actions and statements challenging
plished through the activities of the Office of the High the fundamentals of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Following the elections of October 2014, prolonged
Agreement on Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible disagreement on the distribution of political posts
for the Agreement’s civilian aspects; the European among the Federation-based parties delayed the final
Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, re- appointment of the State-level Council of Ministers
sponsible for helping to develop sustainable policing and the Federation government until 31 March 2015.
arrangements; and the European Union Force-Althea
(eufor -Althea), responsible for the Agreement’s A significant development was the initiative
military aspects. The Peace Implementation Council launched by the Foreign Ministers of Germany and the
(pic) and its Steering Board continued to monitor United Kingdom in November 2014, offering Bosnia
and facilitate the Agreement’s implementation. and Herzegovina a real opportunity to make progress
on integration with the eu. After the Presidency’s writ-
The High Representative for Bosnia and Herze- ten commitment to the eu integration process was
govina reported on progress made in the implementa- signed by 14 political leaders and then adopted by the
tion process and related political developments during Bosnia and Herzegovina Parliamentary Assembly on
the year (see below) in the context of his mission imple- 23 February 2015, the eu Council on 21 April adopted
mentation plan, which set out a number of core tasks a decision concluding the Union’s Stabilization and
to be accomplished. Association Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Security Council, by resolution 2247(2015) A number of actions, however, raised concern.
of 10 November (see p. 188), renewed the authori- Those included the regular practice by the Republika
zation of the eufor -Althea for a further 12 months. Srpska-based Alliance of Independent Social Demo-
crats (snsd) and its partner, the Democratic People’s
Implementation of peace agreement Alliance, of walking out of sessions of the Bosnia
and Herzegovina House of Representatives, and a
Civilian aspects short-lived boycott by those parties of the Bosnia and
The civilian aspects of the 1995 Peace Agreement Herzegovina House of Peoples that briefly prevented
entailed a broad range of activities, including the the House from convening in March. On 17 April,
provision of humanitarian aid and resources for the Republika Srpska National Assembly adopted a
infrastructure rehabilitation, the establishment of declaration denying the authority of decisions of the
political and constitutional institutions, the promotion Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitutional Court as es-
of respect for human rights, and the holding of free tablished under the General Framework Agreement
and fair elections. The High Representative for Bosnia for Peace, which also represented a challenge to the
and Herzegovina, who chaired the pic Steering Board rule of law. In addition, a number of statements by
and other key implementation bodies, was the final officials of the Republika Srpska called for that enti-
authority with regard to implementing the civilian ty’s secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina—a step
aspects of the Peace Agreement. prohibited by the General Framework Agreement for
Peace, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Constitution and
Office of High Representative international law.
Reports of High Representative. The High On 8 July [S/PV.7481], the Security Council was
Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Valentin briefed by Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson
Inzko (Austria), reported to the Security Council and High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al
through the Secretary-General on the peace imple- Hussein on the twentieth anniversary of the events in
mentation process for the periods from 21 October Srebrenica [YUN 1995, p. 529]. The Council voted on a
2014 to 21 April 2015 [S/2015/300], 21 April to 21 Oc- draft resolution [S/2015/508], to commemorate the an-
tober [S/2015/841] and 22 October 2015 to 15 April niversary of Srebrenica; the draft, however, was vetoed
2016 [S/2016/395]. The Council considered the reports by the Russian Federation.
of the High Representative on 12 May [S/PV.7440] and Briefing the Council on 10 November [S/PV.7555],
10 November [S/PV.7555]. the High Representative presented the forty-eight
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 187

report [S/2015/841], covering the period from 21 April Sector Reform Strategy for 2014–2018, replacing the
to 21 October 2015, which was dominated by the previous strategy, which had expired in 2013. Dis-
decision of 15 July of the National Assembly of the Re- cussions within the eu -led Structured Dialogue on
publika Srpska to hold a referendum on the authority Justice continued, concentrating on new draft legisla-
of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Court and Prosecutor’s tion on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Office; the threat of the Republika Srpska-based snsd The implementation of legislation adopted by the
to hold an independence referendum in 2018; the Federation in July 2014 to create a special prosecu-
entry into force of the Stabilization and Association tors’ department for fighting corruption and organ-
Agreement; steps to advance the eu reform agenda, ized crime continued to be delayed owing to a lack
such as the adoption of the new Federation Labour of budgetary resources. As a result, legal uncertainty
Law; and a number of security incidents. remained in regard to the jurisdiction over the prose-
The decision of the Republika Srpska Assembly cution of corruption and organized crime, negatively
to hold a referendum and the threat of snsd to hold affecting prosecutions.
an independence referendum represented an escala- The Supervisory Board for the Implementation of
tion of snsd policy to challenge the fundamentals of the War Crimes Prosecution Strategy continued to
the Agreement and the steps taken to implement it. meet regularly, with the backlog of cases in the prose-
That was one of the most serious challenges to the cutor’s offices being systematically reduced. The Board
Agreement since its signing in 1995. concluded that the goal of reducing war crimes cases
Following the signing and adoption on 23 Febru- in the prosecutors’ offices by 15 per cent by 30 June
ary of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s written commitment 2015 had been met. The deadline set for the strategic
to the eu integration process, the eu decided that the goal of processing all serious war crimes cases within
Stabilization and Association Agreement with Bosnia seven years, however, expired in December, with that
and Herzegovina would enter into force on 1 June. goal not being achieved.
That was followed by the adoption in July of the re-
form agenda by State and entity authorities and the Economic reform
delivery of concrete steps, such as the Federation’s The year was generally positive in terms of economic
adoption of the new Labour Law. recovery, with industrial production increasing by
Security incidents included the shooting at a police 2.6 per cent, exports increasing by 3.5 per cent and
station in Zvornik on 27 April, several attacks on re- imports decreasing by 2.1 per cent. A positive trend
turnees which appeared to be ethnically motivated, continued in collection of indirect tax revenue. Public
and the attack on the Prime Minister of Serbia at the debt, however, increased by 3.6 per cent over 2014 and
twentieth anniversary commemoration for the geno- by 26.2 per cent compared to 2010; the administrative
cide committed in Srebrenica. unemployment rate was about 44 per cent at mid-year,
In a later report [S/2016/395], the High and about 60 per cent of youth was unemployed. Also
Representative said that the decision of 15 July of the discouraging were foreign direct investment levels,
National Assembly of the Republika Srpska to hold which in the first quarter of 2015 saw a decrease of
a referendum on the validity of the legislation on the 77.6 per cent compared with 2014. In July, the Parlia-
Court and Prosecutor’s Office was neither published in mentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted
the Republika Srpska official gazette nor implemented a Framework Transport Policy for 2015–2030, setting
during the reporting period. While welcoming state- sustainable transport development as a crucial element
ments that the referendum had been put to one side, of the country’s economic development.
the High Representative noted that the National As-
sembly’s decision had not been repealed. Media development
Challenges to state judicial institutions continued, Reforms aimed at ensuring the independence
the most notable of which was set out in a statement of public broadcasters, as well as their cooperation
signed by the leading Republika Srpska-based political within a single system, continued to be stalled by
parties expressing their refusal to implement the political disagreements about the relationship be-
26 November decision of the Constitutional Court tween the public broadcasters and the various levels
of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the unconstitu- of government. Efforts to establish an independent
tionality of provisions of the Republika Srpska Law on public broadcasting system continued to encounter
Holidays, and threatening to boycott state institutions difficulties, not least due to the long-running failure
if legislation concerning the Constitutional Court of to establish an umbrella Public Broadcasting System
Bosnia and Herzegovina was not adopted. Corporation—as required by legislation—to facili-
tate cooperation among the three public broadcast-
Judicial reform ers. Such failure continued to hold back overall public
On 8 September, the Council of Ministers of broadcasting reform, as well as the changeover from
Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the new Justice analog to digital broadcasting.
188 Part One: Political and security questions

Return of refugees and displaced persons Kosovo’s declaration of independence and maintained
Concerning the implementation of the 2012 Re- that that action by Kosovo’s Provisional Institutions
turn Strategy, returnees continued to face difficulties violated Council resolution 1244(1999), which reaf-
in the education sector in several local communities, firmed Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
not least in relation to the use of official languages. including Kosovo and Metohija. The position of the
Twenty years after the signing of the Peace Agreement, UN on the status of Kosovo was of status neutrality.
the issue of war crimes continued to divide local com- The International Court of Justice (icj), in a 2010
munities, pointing to the work that needed to be done advisory opinion [YUN 2010, p. 416], concluded that
to ensure that justice was served and reconciliation Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate
advanced so that local communities could reintegrate. any applicable rule of law. In September of that year,
the General Assembly acknowledged the icj advisory
opinion and welcomed the readiness by the eu to fa-
Military and police aspects cilitate dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina [ibid.].
EUFOR
The European Union Force-Althea (eufor-Althea) Political and security developments
in Bosnia and Herzegovina executed the military
aspects of the Peace Agreement as specified in an- Reports of Secretary-General. The Secretary-
nexes 1-A and 2, which were transferred to it by the General reported on the implementation of the unmik
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato) in 2004 mandate covering the periods from 16 October 2014
[YUN 2004, p. 401]. Eufor -Althea activities in 2015
to 15 January 2015 [S/2015/74]; 16 January to 15 April
[S/2015/303]; 16 April to 15 July [S/2015/579]; 16 July
were described in reports covering the period from
1 March to 31 August [S/2016/299] and from 1 Septem- to 15 October [S/2015/833]; and 16 October 2015 to
ber 2015 to 29 February 2016 [S/2016/663], which were 15 January 2016 [S/2016/99].
submitted by the eu High Representative for Foreign The major political developments in early 2015
Affairs and Security Policy. centred on the consolidation of the new Kosovo
Eufor-Althea was comprised of around 600 per- Government and the resumption of the high-level
sonnel, based in Sarajevo, with liaison and observa- dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which was
tion teams in other parts of the country. It continued facilitated by the eu. On 9 February, the Prime Min-
to monitor and advise the authorities of Bosnia and ister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Kosovo
Herzegovina in the context of activities related to Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, met in Brussels for the
ammunition and weapons storage sites; the civilian first time. The discussions achieved concrete results,
and military movement of weapons and military the most important of which was an agreement on the
equipment; the disposal of surplus weapons and am- integration of the Kosovo judiciary.
munition; and defence industry factories. On 23 April, following political discussions with
Kosovo Albanian ruling parties, Kosovo Serb repre-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION sentatives from the Serbian Civic Initiative resumed
full participation in the Kosovo Government and
On 10 November [meeting 7555], the Security Council
Assembly after a two-month absence, enabling the
unanimously adopted resolution 2247(2015).
governing coalition to proceed with pressing matters.
The draft [S/2015/847] was submitted by the Russian
On 27 May, the Prime Minister of Serbia paid an his-
Federation.
toric State visit to Albania, the first at that level, and
held talks on subjects including joint infrastructure
projects and the two countries’ respective steps
Kosovo towards eu integration.
On 3 August, the Kosovo Assembly approved the
In 2015, the United Nations Interim Administra- constitutional amendment needed to establish a spe-
tion Mission in Kosovo (unmik) continued to fulfil cialist court to investigate allegations of war crimes
its mandate based on Security Council resolution and crimes against humanity committed during the
1244(1999) [YUN 1999, p. 353] and the reconfigured armed conflict in Kosovo.
functions outlined in the Secretary-General’s June On 25 August, the Pristina and Belgrade dele-
and November 2008 reports [YUN 2008, pp. 438 & 441], gations, led by the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and
following Kosovo’s declaration of independence in Serbia, met in Brussels under the facilitation of the
February 2008 [ibid., p. 437], the entry into force of eu. The sides concluded a package of agreements, in-
the Kosovo Constitution on 15 June [ibid., p. 439] and cluding on energy, telecommunications, freedom of
the deployment of the European Union Rule of Law movement on a bridge dividing the town of Mitrovica
Mission in Kosovo (eulex) throughout Kosovo in and establishment of the association/community of
December of that year [ibid., p. 442]. Serbia condemned Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo. On 26 Au-
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 189

gust, Kosovo signed in Vienna an agreement on ter- Eulex provided advice to the Kosovo police on the
ritorial delineation with Montenegro, conforming to operational planning for several public order events
the former administrative boundary of 1974 of the and supported steps in implementing eu -facilitated
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. dialogue agreements. In the framework of the cus-
In a later report [S/2016/99], the Secretary-General toms agreement, full implementation of the licensing
said that opposition lawmakers in the Assembly of regime for controlled goods, including medicine,
Kosovo frequently disrupted the Assembly’s func- was introduced. Belgrade and Pristina suggested and
tioning to protest against the agreements adopted on agreed to the opening of two additional interim cross-
25 August. Progress was achieved, however, in the ing points by 2016.
European integration process. On 27 October, the The Reports of the eu High Representative for
Prime Minister of Kosovo, together with his Minister Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on eulex activities
of European Integration, signed a Stabilization and in 2015 were annexed to the Secretary-General’s
Association Agreement with eu High Representative reports to the Security Council on unmik [S/2015/74,
and the eu Commissioner for European Neighbour- S/2015/303, S/2015/579, S/2015/833].
hood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations. On
2 November, the Assembly of Kosovo ratified the UNMIK
agreement.
In northern Kosovo, implementation of elements The United Nations Interim Administration in
of the agreements of 25 August was mixed. The im- Kosovo (unmik), established in 1999 [YUN 1999,
p. 357] to facilitate a political process to determine
plementation of the agreed plan for the revitalization
of the main Mitrovica bridge and its surroundings be- Kosovo’s political future, comprised five compo-
gan on 17 October. Nevertheless, a memorandum of nents: interim administration, institution-building,
understanding delineating the administrative bound- economic reconstruction, humanitarian affairs, and
aries of cadastral areas in certain neighbourhoods had police and justice. Following Kosovo’s declaration
yet to be signed. of independence in 2008 [YUN 2008, p. 437], and the
deployment of eulex in 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 412], the
The Security Council considered the Secretary- profile and size of unmik were reconfigured. The
General’s reports [S/2015/74, S/2015/303, S/2015/579, Mission’s strategic goal remained the promotion
S/2015/833] and on 6 February [S/PV.7377], 26 May
of security, stability and respect for human rights
[S/PV. 7448], 21 August [S/PV.7510] and 19 November in Kosovo and in the region through engagement
[S/PV.7563], respectively. with all communities in Kosovo, with the leader-
ship in Belgrade and Pristina, and with regional
EULEX and international actors. Unmik was headed by the
Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Farid
The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Zarif (Afghanistan), who was succeeded in October
Kosovo (eulex), established to undertake an en- by Zahir Tanin (Afghanistan), appointed in August.
hanced operational role in the rule-of-law area, with
a focus on policing, justice and customs, became fully
Financing
operational in April 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 412]. It oper-
ated under the overall authority and within the status- The General Assembly considered the Secretary-
neutral framework of the UN and submitted reports General’s performance report on the unmik budget
to it on a regular basis. for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014
Eulex continued its monitoring, mentoring and [A/69/591], the proposed budget for the period from
advising activities, and to implement its executive 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 [A/69/729] and the related
functions in the rule-of-law area. The Mission sup- report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative
ported the Kosovo Border Police and the Ministry and Budgetary Questions (acabq) [A/69/839/Add.10].
of Internal Affairs with technical advice to deal with
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the potential influx of irregular migrants and refugees
into Kosovo. Against the backdrop of the political On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on
stalemate and demonstrations by the opposition, the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative and
eulex provided advice to the Kosovo police in their Budgetary) Committee [A/69/959], adopted resolution
response to the protests, some of which turned violent. 69/300 (Financing of the United Nations Interim
The Mission facilitated the first-ever meeting of the Administration Mission in Kosovo) without vote
Police Directors of Serbia and Kosovo, held in Bel- [agenda item 158].
grade in March, and the third central level meeting On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
on the implementation of the agreement on the decided that the item on unmik financing would re-
integrated management of crossing points, held in main for consideration during its resumed seventieth
Pristina in March. (2016) session.
190 Part One: Political and security questions

KFOR economic and cultural rights, the restriction of the

freedom of movement and the right to education in
In accordance with resolution 1244(1999) the native language. Participants assessed the overall
[YUN 1999, p. 353], the Secretary-General transmitted to security situation as relatively calm and stable. They
the Security Council reports on the activities during expressed their concerns, however, with regard to pro-
2015 of the Kosovo Force (kfor) covering the periods cedures for crossings and the broader issue of freedom
from 1 January to 31 March [S/2015/361], 1 April to of movement. The Geneva discussions remained the
30 September [S/2015/886] and 1 October to 31 Decem- only forum for stakeholders to address the issues iden-
ber [S/2016/118]. As at 31 December, the number of kfor tified in resolution 69/286 (see below) on idps.
troops in theatre remained at approximately 4,600. Communications. Throughout 2015, Georgia
During the year, kfor, in close cooperation with submitted letters to the Secretary-General and the
the Kosovo police and eulex, continued to contrib- Security Council on issues relating to the Black Sea re-
ute to maintaining a safe and secure environment gion, the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia and Russia.
and ensuring freedom of movement in Kosovo. The The letters addressed the alleged signature of a treaty
situation in the northern part of Kosovo remained between the Russian Federation and the Tskhinvali
reasonably stable, with the ongoing implementation region [A/69/824-​S/2015/193]; the alleged placement of
of the eu -facilitated agreement on the normalization banners marking the territory adjacent to the village
of relations between Belgrade and Pristina of 2013 of Tsiteluba [A/69/982-​S/2015/532]; alleged markings of
[YUN 2013, p. 361] continuing to have a positive effect the territory of Georgia by Russian military forces
on the security situation. [A/69/1005-​S/2015/612, A/69/1008-​S/2015/629]; Russia’s al-
leged efforts to annex the Abkhazia region [A/70/584-​
S/2015/924]; alleged ratification by the Russian State
Georgia Duma of the Treaty between the Russian Federation
and Abkhazia [A/69/746-​S/2015/63] and the Treaty be-
In 2015, international efforts continued to advance tween the Russian Federation and the Tskhinvali
the Georgian-Abkhaz peace process, based on the 2001 region [A/69/964-​S/2015/470]; the seventh anniversary
Basic Principles for the Distribution of Competences of the August 2008 war [A/69/1002-​S/2015/609]; and
between Tbilisi (Georgia’s Government) and Su- military-related and other activities by the Russian
khumi (the Abkhaz leadership) [YUN 2001, p. 386]. That Federation affecting Georgia, Abkhazia and the
document was intended to serve as a framework for Tskhinvali/South Ossetia region [A/69/813-​S/2015/164,
negotiations on the status of Abkhazia as a sovereign A/69/1013-​S /2015/653, A/69/893-​S /2015/314, A/69/1017-​
state within Georgia. Following the termination of S/2015/666, A/70/617–S/2015/958].
the mandate of the United Nations Observer Mission IDPs and refugees. In response to General
in Georgia (unomig) in 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 418], the Assembly resolutions 68/274 [YUN 2014, p. 494] and
UN continued to support the Geneva international 69/286 (see below), the Secretary-General submitted
discussions on security and stability and the return of reports on the status of idps and refugees from Abk-
internally displaced persons (idps) and refugees. hazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, cov-
Geneva talks. In accordance with the 12 August ering the periods from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015
2008 six-point ceasefire plan between Georgia and [A/69/909] and 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 [A/70/879].
the Russian Federation [YUN 2008, p. 456], and the The reports focused on the right to return of all
provisions of the 8 September 2008 ceasefire imple- refugees and idps and their descendants; prohibition
mentation plan [ibid., p. 457], international discussions of forced demographic changes; humanitarian access;
co-chaired by the eu, the Organization for Security the importance of preserving the property rights of
and Cooperation in Europe (osce) and the UN to refugees and idps; and the development of a timetable
address security, stability and humanitarian issues in to ensure the prompt voluntary return of all refugees
Georgia were held throughout the year. At the thirty- and idps to their homes.
first (18 March) [A/69/831-​S/2015/200], thirty-second Owing to objections expressed by some partici-
(1 July) [A/69/975-​S/2015/511], thirty-third (7 October) pants, the Secretary-General said, there was little sub-
[A/70/434-​S/2015/798] and thirty-fourth (10 Decem- stantive discussion and no progress in addressing the
ber) [A/70/618-​S/2015/957] sessions, participants met issue of idps and refugees and their voluntary return.
in two parallel groups. Working Group I focused There was no sustainable return to areas of habitual
on security and stability in the occupied Abkhazia residence and no new significant displacements.
and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia, especially the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
key issues of the non-use of force and international
security arrangements. Working Group II addressed On 3 June [meeting 92], the General Assembly
the situation of idps, including their right of return adopted resolution 69/286 [draft: A/69/L. 469] (Status
and other durable solutions, and humanitarian and of internally displaced persons and refugees from
human rights issues, especially the violation of social, Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 191

South Ossetia, Georgia) by recorded vote (75-16-78) by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan on
[agenda item 33]. 10 February ​[A/69/772-​S/2015/105] rejected allegations
made by Armenia in its letter dated 8 January.
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 69/286:
In favour: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, On 5 February [A/69/767-​S/2015/99], Armenia re-
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Bulgaria, Can- ported an alleged increase in violations of the ceasefire
ada, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech by the armed forces of Azerbaijan on the line of con-
Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Finland, France, tact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and
Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hun- across the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On
gary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Liberia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malta, Mar- 17 April [A/69/876-​S/2015/261], Armenia transmitted the
shall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mon- Pan-Armenian Declaration on the Centennial of the
tenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Panama, Armenian Genocide, which mentioned the “Artsakh
Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, war”. Azerbaijan replied on 16 July [A/69/985–S/2015/539]
Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent that what Armenia defined as “Artsakh” was Azerbai-
and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Sierra
Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Spain,
jan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Sweden, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu, On 12 October [A/70/419-​S/2015/781], Armenia
Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States. addressed elections held on 13 September in the
Against: Armenia, Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Democratic People’s Nagorno-Karabakh region. On 13 October [A/70/427-​
Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mal-
S/2015/791], Armenia reported on alleged escalation of
dives, Myanmar, Nauru, Nicaragua, Russian Federation,
Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Venezuela, Viet Nam, tensions along the line of contact between Nagorno-
Zimbabwe. Karabakh and Azerbaijan and across the border be-
Abstaining: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, tween Armenia and Azerbaijan. On 18 December
Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darus- [A/70/663-​S/2015/1020], Armenia drew attention to
salam, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Chile, the alleged adoption of a legislative act by Nagorno-
China, Colombia, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Karabakh to unilaterally accede to the International
Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Honduras, India, Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan drew the Secretary-General’s attention
Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Madagascar, to violations of the ceasefire by the military forces of
Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Niger,
Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic Armenia in letters dated 8 January [A/69/718 S/2015/11],
of Korea, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, South 14 January [A/69/726-​S/2015/26], 16 January [A/69/735-​
Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Switzerland, Thailand, the S/2015/34], 12 February [A/69/777-​S/2015/112], 9 March
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, United Arab [A/69/815-​S/2015/170], 14 April [A/69/869-​S/2015/255],
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, 8 May [A/69/897-​S/2015/329], 11 June [A/69/936-​
Vanuatu.
S/2015/431], 16 July [A/69/986-​S/2015/540], 7 August
[A/69/1003-​S /2015/610], 14 September [A/69/1031-​
S/2015/712] and 21 October [A/70/442-​S/2015/814]. On
Armenia–Azerbaijan 9 January [A/69/719-​S/2015/14], Azerbaijan reported that
on 3 January the armed forces of Armenia allegedly
In 2015, Armenia and Azerbaijan maintained shelled the defence positions of the Azerbaijani army.
their positions with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh On 25 February [A/69/796-​S/2015/140], Azerbaijan
region of Azerbaijan. The conflict, which began in recalled the incident on 25–26 February 1992 when
1992 [YUN 1992, p. 388], was followed by a ceasefire the Armenian armed forces allegedly invaded and ru-
in 1994 [YUN 1994, p. 577]. Both sides addressed ined the town of Khojaly. In response, Armenia on
communications to the Secretary-General regard- 17 March [A/69/821-​S/2015/192] drew attention to a 2012
ing the conflict. The Minsk Group of osce (France, statement [YUN 2012, p. 367] of its Ministry of Foreign
Russian Federation, United States) continued to me- Affairs on that event. In response, Azerbaijan on
diate the dispute between the two countries. 8 April [A/69/885-​S/2015/280] said that Armenia’s letter
Communications. In letters dated 8 January of 17 March testified to Armenia’s policy of denial of
[A/69/718-​S/2015/11], 29 January [A/69/755-​S/2015/71], its responsibility for atrocious crimes against civilians.
5 February ​[A/69/767-​S/2015/99], ​10 February [A/69/776-​ On 6 March [A/69/840-​S/2015/215] and 8 May [A/69/896-​
S/2015/111], 16 March [A/69/817-​S/2015/186], 16 April​ S/2015/325], Azerbaijan transmitted statements from its
[A/69/875-​S/2015/259], ​ 11 May [A/69/910-​S/2015/362], Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the alleged elec-
18 June [A/69/949-​S/2015/469], 13 July [A/69/983-​ tions to be held in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on
S/2015/536], 17 August [A/69/1012-​S/2015/643], 23 Sep- 3 May. On 26 May [A/69/914-​S/2015/384], Azerbaijan
tember [A/70/390-​S/2015/738], ​16 October [A/70/437-​ transmitted a summary of the reaction of the
S/2015/803], 18 December ​[A/70/662-​S/2015/1019] and international community to the alleged elections by
21 December ​[A/70/664-​S/2015/1021], ​A rmenia reported Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on 3 May.
to the Secretary-General on violations of the ceasefire On 17 June [A/69/945-​S/2015/449], Azerbaijan transmit-
192 Part One: Political and security questions

ted a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs stasiades marked the resumption of the talks after a
regarding the 16 June decision of the European Court seven-month stalemate. At their second meeting on
of Human Rights on the case of Chiragov and Others 28 May, the leaders agreed to focus on the issue of
v. Armenia, which ruled in favour of the applicants, missing persons and on five concrete steps: working
recognizing continuing violations by Armenia of to open more crossing points, interconnecting the
a number of their rights under the Convention for electricity grids, making mobile telephone networks
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental interoperable, working on the prevention of radio
Freedoms. On 8 July [A/69/974-​S/2015/516], Azerbaijan frequency interferences and establishing a committee
transmitted an interview of Azerbaijan’s Minister on gender equality. As a part of confidence-building
for Foreign Affairs with the apa news agency re- measures, the leaders agreed to open two new cross-
lated to the 16 June decision of the European Court ing points. On 1 September, the Secretary-General’s
of Human Rights. On 1 July [A/69/971-​S/2015/499], Special Adviser on Cyprus hosted a meeting between
Azerbaijan drew attention to the alleged movement the two Cypriot leaders, who focused mainly on the
of personnel in leadership positions between Armenia issues of property and governance.
and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. On 8 September The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
[A/69/1025-​S/2015/692], Azerbaijan transmitted a state- (unficyp), established to prevent the recurrence of
ment from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs concern- fighting between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish
ing the alleged elections to be held in the Nagorno- Cypriot communities and to contribute to the main-
Karabakh region on 13 September. On 11 September tenance and restoration of law and order and a return
[A/69/1028-​S/2015/704] Azerbaijan reported an alleged to normal conditions, continued to assist in the res-
attack by the Armenian armed forces on civilians in toration of normal conditions and in humanitarian
Gapanly village of the Terter district on 1 September. functions. The Security Council extended unficyp’s
On 3 November [A/70/537-​S/2015/836], Azerbaijan al- mandate until 31 January 2016. The Secretary-General
leged repeated gunfire from territories controlled by submitted two reports covering unficyp activities for
Armenia’s armed forces in the direction of the posi- the periods from 16 December 2014 to 20 June 2015
tions of Azerbaijan’s armed forces. On 11 December [S/2015/517] and 21 June to 18 December [S/2016/11].
[A/70/610-​S/2015/961], Azerbaijan transmitted a memo-
randum concerning the “International Day of Com-
memoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime UNFICYP
of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime”. The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General (unficyp), established in 1964 [YUN 1964, p. 165], con-
Assembly decided that the item on the situation in tinued to monitor the ceasefire lines between the
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan would remain Turkish and Turkish Cypriot forces on the northern
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) side of the island and the Cypriot National Guard on
session. the southern side; maintain the military status quo
and prevent recurrence of fighting; and undertake hu-
manitarian and economic activities. Lisa Buttenheim
Cyprus (United States) continued to serve as the Secretary-
General’s Special Representative for Cyprus and Head
of unficyp. Espen Barth Eide (Norway) continued
During 2015, the United Nations continued its to serve as the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on
sponsorship of the Cyprus peace talks. The Secretary- Cyprus. Major General Kristin Lund (Norway) was
General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, with the support the unficyp Force Commander. As at 15 December,
of the Special Representative, assisted the Greek Cyp- unficyp comprised 860 troops and 57 civilian police.
riot and Turkish Cypriot leaders in implementing the
8 July 2006 Set of Principles and Decision [YUN 2006,
p. 487], which included commitment to the unification Political and security developments
of Cyprus based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation Reports of Secretary-General. In his report of
and political equality, and an agreement to meet reg- 2 July [S/2015/517], covering unficyp activities from
ularly on issues affecting the day-to-day life of the 16 December 2014 to 20 June 2015, the Secretary-
Cypriot people. Discussions centred on core issues re- General said that after an almost seven-month hiatus,
lating to governance and power-sharing, citizenship, negotiations were relaunched on 15 May with the
property and territory. facilitation of his Special Adviser on Cyprus, during a
The political environment surrounding the talks meeting between the Greek Cypriot leader, Nicos An-
changed significantly when, following runoff elec- astasiades, and Mustafa Akıncı, who assumed the lead-
tions on 26 April, Mustafa Akinci was elected the new ership of the Turkish Cypriot community on 30 April.
leader of Turkish Cypriots. On 15 May, the meeting At the meeting, Mr. Anastasiades provided Mr. Akıncı
of Mr. Akinci and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Ana- with the coordinates of 28 minefields laid by the Cyp-
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 193

riot National Guard in the north of the island before Persons had exhumed the remains of 1,059 missing
and during 1974. Mr. Akıncı announced that, from persons on both sides of the island. The remains of
the following day, there would no longer be a require- 625 individuals had been identified and returned to
ment to fill in administrative forms at crossing points. their families.
The positive momentum surrounding the resumption A related report of the Secretary-General on his
of the talks was enhanced on 23 May, when the two mission of good offices in Cyprus [S/2016/15] covered
leaders took a walk together in old town Nicosia, north developments from 15 May to 22 December.
and south and crossing through the buffer zone, dur-
ing which they emphasized their common vision for a Communications. Throughout the year,
united Cyprus and their joint commitment to reaching the Secretary-General received letters from the
a solution. On 28 May, the leaders announced further Government of Cyprus, and from Turkish Cypriot
confidence-building measures to bring the two com- authorities containing charges and counter-charges,
munities closer together, including working towards protests and accusations, and explanation of positions
the opening of more crossing points. regarding the question of Cyprus. Letters from the
“Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” were trans-
On 4 June, the Secretary-General met Mr. Akıncı,
mitted by Turkey.
who asked for assistance in addressing the challenge
of the 28 minefields. In response, unficyp and the By letters of 14 January [A/69/727-​S/2015/25],
United Nations Mine Action Service (unmas) worked 16 January [A/69/736-​S/2015/33], 10 February [A/69/771-​
to refine the data provided and map out the minefields. S/2015/101], 20 March [A/69/829-​S/2015/197], 21 April
[A/69/878-​S/2015/267], 26 May [A/69/913-​S/2015/379],
Unficyp continued to maintain the integrity and
stability of the buffer zone. It fostered bicommunal 17 June [A/69/947-​S/2015/452], 21 July [A/69/989-​
cooperation and reconciliation, including by sup- S/2015/553], 26 August [A/69/1016-​S/2015/665], 11 Sep-
porting 70 civil society events in cooperation with tember [A/69/1029-​S/2015/701], 27 October [A/70/447-​
international and local partners, at which nearly S/2015/822], 11 November [A/70/551-​S/2015/864] and
5,000 individuals from both communities engaged 14 December [A/70/620-​S/2015/971], Cyprus reported
in sporting, cultural, educational and other activities. alleged violations of international air traffic regu-
In a later report [S/2016/11], covering developments lations, airspace and territorial waters of Cyprus
from 21 June to 18 December, the Secretary-General by Turkey. The “Turkish Republic of Northern
said that the talks between the Greek Cypriot and Cyprus” responded to those allegations in let-
the Turkish Cypriot leader, as well as their respective ters of 4 February [A/69/761-​S/2015/92], 25 February
negotiators, continued to take place at a steady pace. [A/69/798-​S/2015/145], 3 April [A/69/859-​S/2015/239],
In addition, the sides worked intensively in various 8 May [A/69/898-​S /2015/330], 9 June [A/69/931-​
working groups of experts and technical committees. S/2015/423], 26 June [A/69/967-​S/2015/489], 29 July
[A/69/995-​S/2015/578], 5 October [A/70/404-​S/2015/765],
The Turkish forces installed closed-circuit televi-
sion equipment at 28 locations along the length of its 13 November [A/70/561-​S/2015/889] and 3 December
[A/70/591-​S/2015/932].
ceasefire line, in addition to the existing 29 locations
in sectors 2 and 4. Of the 57 closed-circuit television- On 6 March [A/69/814-​S/2015/169], responding to the
equipped locations, 42 posts had seen no reduction statement made by Cyprus on 23 February [S/PV.7389]
in military personnel. Without such reductions, at the Security Council’s debate on “Maintenance of
closed-circuit television cameras conferred a military international peace and security: reflect on history,
advantage and, as such, constituted a breach of the reaffirm the strong commitment to the purposes and
status quo. In addition, military positions established principles of the Charter of the United Nations”, the
by both forces inside the buffer zone that violated the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” stated that
status quo remained in place and were classified as none of the Council’s resolutions on Cyprus referred
permanent violations. to the legitimate presence of Turkish troops in the
Following the transfer by Mr. Anastasiades to Mr. island as “occupation”.
Akıncı of the coordinates of 28 minefields (see p. 192), SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
a survey by unmas, facilitated by unficyp, revealed
that 25 of the 28 locations did not pose a threat. Re- On 29 January [meeting 7370], the Security Council
garding the remaining three locations, and two further unanimously adopted resolution 2197(2015). The
areas that were identified from information received draft [S/2015/60] was submitted by the United King-
from the Turkish Cypriot security forces, unficyp dom and the United States.
deemed that they did not pose immediate risk to life, On 29 July [meeting 7496], the Security Council
as they were either inaccessible or well-marked. unanimously adopted resolution 2234(2015). The
As at 18 December, out of the 2,001 persons on draft [S/2015/564] was submitted by Angola, France,
the official list of missing persons, the bicommunal Lithuania, New Zealand, the Russian Federation,
teams of archaeologists of the Committee on Missing Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
194 Part One: Political and security questions

On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General tion seeking to establish an international tribunal to
Assembly decided that the item on the question of hold accountable those responsible for the downing
Cyprus would remain for consideration during its re- of flight Malaysia Airlines MH-17 [YUN 2014, p. 507].
sumed seventieth (2016) session. On 29 July a draft resolution presented by Malaysia
and co-sponsored by a number of Council and non-
Financing Council members was not adopted owing to the veto
of the Russian Federation.
In June, the General Assembly considered the The Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights
Secretary-General’s report on the unficyp financial kept the Security Council informed on human rights
performance for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June violations on the territory of Ukraine, including in the
2014 [A/69/587], the proposed unficyp budget for the areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions not under
period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 [A/69/741] and Government control. He also spoke about the human
the related acabq report [A/69/839/Add.7 & Corr.1]. rights situation in Crimea. Throughout the year, the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Trilateral Contact Group—Ukraine, the Russian
Federation and osce—sought a diplomatic resolution
On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, of the conflict.
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
[A/69/956], adopted resolution 69/296 (Financing of
Political, security and humanitarian
the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) developments
without vote [agenda item 153].
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly Security Council consideration. Briefing the
decided that the item on the question of the financing Security Council on 21 January [S/PV.7365], the
of unficyp would remain for consideration during its Under-​Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey
resumed seventieth (2016) session. Feltman, said that following weeks of relative calm,
eastern Ukraine had seen the worst hostilities since the
ceasefire and the Minsk protocol were agreed to on
5 September 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 510]. Signs of progress,
Ukraine such as the exchange of hundreds of prisoners, had
been overshadowed by renewed fighting and a deepen-
In early 2015, continuing fighting in eastern ing political stalemate. Violence had spread through-
Ukraine between the Government and separatist out the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, including
groups led to increased civilian casualties and a de- in heavily populated civilian areas, such as the city of
teriorating humanitarian and human rights situation. Donetsk. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had
Efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, made stated that there were more than 9,000 regular Russian
more urgent by an increase in violence in the eastern troops in Ukraine, an accusation that Moscow denied.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions in January-February, The upsurge in fighting had been accompanied by mu-
led to the adoption on 12 February of the Package of tual recriminations between Kyiv and Moscow, and
Measures for the Implementation of the 2014 Minsk a continued impasse on the diplomatic and political
Agreements [YUN 2014, p. 510]. On the same day, the front. A country that until the previous year had no
Presidents of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and displaced people reportedly had at least 850,000 citi-
France and the Chancellor of Germany adopted zens displaced within its borders and over 600,000 in
in Minsk, Belarus, a Declaration in support of the neighbouring States.
Package. On 17 February, by resolution 2202(2015) Communications (22–24 January). On 22 Jan-
(see p. 195), the Council endorsed the Package of uary [S/2015/49], Ukraine transmitted a statement of its
Measures, reaffirmed its respect for Ukraine’s sover- Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged terrorist act
eignty, independence and territorial integrity, and wel- in Donetsk committed on that same day. On 24 Jan-
comed the Declaration of 12 February. uary [S/2015/55], Ukraine transmitted a statement of
The east of Ukraine, however, saw an escalation its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged terror-
of violence, frequent violations of the ceasefire, fight- ist attack committed on that same day in Mariupol,
ing involving the use of heavy weapons and tanks, Donetsk region.
grave violations of the Minsk Protocol and Package Security Council consideration. Briefing the
of Measures, lack of humanitarian access and an in- Council on 26 January [S/PV.7368], Under-​Secretary-
creasing number of displaced persons and refugees in General Feltman said that over 5,000 lives had been
Ukraine and neighbouring countries, which by July lost in the conflict. In just five days since the last
had reached 2.5 million people. Council meeting on Ukraine, close to 50 civilians had
In July Malaysia, on behalf of the members of the been killed. On 22 January, at least 10 civilians were
Joint Investigation Team (Australia, Belgium, Malay- killed amid heavy fighting in the city of Horlivka,
sia, Netherlands, Ukraine) presented a draft resolu- and over a dozen civilians died when rockets hit their
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 195

trolleybus in Donetsk city. On 24 January, attacks The stark escalation of hostilities had led to in-
with multiple rocket launcher systems hit the city creased violations of international human rights and
of Mariupol, killing dozens of civilians. On 23 Jan- humanitarian law, with a sharp spike in casualties
uary, the leader of the so-called Donetsk People’s and devastating consequences for the population.
Republic announced a unilateral withdrawal from the The estimated number of people killed had passed
ceasefire and a boycott of future consultations with the 6,000 mark.
the Trilateral Contact Group and threatened to seize
further territory, acts that constituted a violation of Communication. On 30 March [S/2015/225],
the Minsk accords. The Ukrainian leadership had been Ukraine transmitted a letter from its Minister for
vocal about its commitment to the Minsk accords and Foreign Affairs requesting the UN to deploy a
had said that it remained in a defensive position. The peacekeeping operation in Ukraine. The first step
National Security and Defence Council, however, would be the dispatch of a preliminary assessment
had adopted emergency measures, particularly on mission, so as to bring lasting peace and stability to
“strengthening counter-terrorism measures”. the areas of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Communications (10–12 February). On 10 Feb- Security Council consideration. Briefing the
ruary [S/2015/102], Ukraine transmitted a statement of Council on 5 June [S/PV.7457], Under-​Secretary-
its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged shelling General Feltman said that the ceasefire continued to
of Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, carried out on that largely hold in most parts of the conflict zone, and the
same day. On 12 February [A/69/778-​S/2015/110], the political process aimed at full implementation of the
Russian Federation transmitted the Declaration of Minsk agreements was finally under way. The ongoing
the Presidents of the Russian Federation, Ukraine and deadly clashes, the use of heavy weaponry, the laying
France and the Chancellor of Germany, adopted on of minefields on both sides of the contact line, the
the same day, in support of a package of measures for reported continued presence of foreign mercenaries
implementing the Minsk accords. and the reported flows of heavy weaponry into eastern
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Ukraine, however, ran contrary to key provisions of
the Package of Measures. The latest death toll stood at
On 17 February [meeting 7384], the Security Council over 6,400 people and the internally displaced num-
unanimously adopted resolution 2202(2015). bered over 1.3 million. The Secretary-General visited
The draft [S/2015/117] was submitted by the Russian Poland, Ukraine and Russia from 7 to 10 May and
Federation. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian
Communication. On 24 February [S/2015/135], President Vladimir Putin had reassured him of their
Ukraine transmitted the Protocol on the results of the continued commitment to a peaceful resolution of the
consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group (Minsk, conflict.
Belarus, 5 September 2014) and the memorandum Communications. On 10 August [S/2015/611],
on the fulfilment of the Protocol based on the results Ukraine transmitted a statement of its Ministry of
of the consultations of the Trilateral Contact Group Foreign Affairs on the alleged attacks on Ukrainian
(Minsk, 19 September 2014). military positions in the Donbas region. On 25 Au-
Security Council consideration. Briefing the gust [S/2015/662], Ukraine transmitted a statement of
Council on 6 March [S/PV.7400], Under-​Secretary- its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged decision
General Feltman said that the most significant by the Russian authorities to sentence Ukrainian cit-
development related to the conflict in eastern Ukraine izens Oleg Sentsov and Oleksandr Kolchenko. On
was the signing, on 12 February by the Trilateral Con- 27 August [S/2015/675], Ukraine transmitted a state-
tact Group and rebel representatives, of a package of ment of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the alleged
measures for implementing the Minsk agreements, continued illegal detention by Russian authorities of
which provided a road map for lasting peace. On Ukrainian parliament member Nadiya Savchenko.
that same day, however, the fight for Debaltseve had On 6 November [A/70/545-​S/2015/848], Ukraine in-
reached its climax, with innocent civilians caught in formed the Secretary-General of the release of the
the crossfire. Since 18 February, the situation appeared report of the Commissioner for Human Rights of
to have calmed. Nevertheless, the ceasefire remained the Council of Europe following his visit to Ukraine
fragile, not having taken hold firmly across the region. (29 June–3 July). On 12 November [S/2015/869] and
Nearly 1.1 million people were registered as 27 November [S/2015/913], Ukraine transmitted com-
internally displaced, more than 670,000 people had ment of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the deterio-
fled to neighbouring countries and more than 2 ration of the situation in Donbass. On 25 November
million people were living in conflict-affected areas. [A/70/582-​S/2015/920], Ukraine transmitted a statement
Five million people were in need of humanitarian of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on an alleged decision
assistance—1 million in Government-controlled areas by Russia’s Supreme Court in the case of two convicted
and 3 million in non-Government-controlled areas. Ukrainians, Mr. Sentsov and Mr. Kolchenko.
196 Part One: Political and security questions

Security Council consideration. Briefing the Downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH-17
Council on 11 December [S/PV.7576], Deputy Secretary- Security Council consideration. On 10 July
General Jan Eliasson said that the situation in eastern [S/2015/528], Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Nether-
Ukraine remained tense and volatile. Since the ceasefire lands and Ukraine requested the Security Council to es-
began on 1 September, fighting throughout the conflict tablish an ad hoc international criminal tribunal under
zone had generally subsided. Sporadic fighting, how- Chapter VII of the UN Charter to prosecute persons
ever, had resumed around parts of the Donetsk and responsible for crimes connected with the downing of
Luhansk regions. The parties had started to implement Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukrainian territory
the agreement to withdraw so-called lighter weapons on 17 July 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 507].
from the contact line, but the process remained in-
complete. On the diplomatic front, modest but tan- On 20 July [S/2015/551], the Netherlands provided
gible progress had been made following the 2 October an update on the steps that it had taken regarding the
meeting of the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and downing of flight MH17 since its last letters to the
Ukraine. Most of the provisions of the Minsk agree- Council [YUN 2014, p. 509] with regard to the repatriation
ments, nevertheless, remained unimplemented and the and recovery efforts, the technical investigation and the
conflict zone remained highly militarized. accountability process.
On 29 July [S/PV.7498], the Council examined a draft
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights resolution [S/2015/562] submitted by 18 States, by which
Ivan Šimonović told the Council that, despite a con- the Council would establish an international tribunal
siderable decrease in hostilities, people continued to for prosecuting persons responsible for crimes connected
die, increasingly from explosive remnants of war and with the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
improvised explosive devices. In the east, the lack of Annexed to the draft resolution was the Statute of the
the rule of law made the human rights situation of the International Criminal Tribunal for Malaysia Airlines
estimated 2.7 million people living in the territories flight MH17. During the consultations, the Russian
controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Federation presented a different draft resolution,
Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic very difficult. focusing on further implementing resolution 2166(2014)
Communication. On 28 December [A/70/657-​ [YUN 2014, p. 507] and requesting the Secretary-General
S/2016/24], Ukraine transmitted an appeal of the Ver- to play an active role in the investigation and to report
khovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine to parliaments to the Council. The draft providing for the establish-
of foreign States, the European Parliament and par- ment of an international tribunal was not adopted ow-
liamentary assemblies of international organizations ing to the negative vote of the Russian Federation, with
to extend and toughen sanctions against the Russian Angola, China and Venezuela abstaining.
Federation for organizing terrorist acts in Ukraine. On 13 October [S/2015/780], the Netherlands drew
the Council’s attention to the final report regarding
Situation in Crimea the accident, published on the same day by the Dutch
Communications. On 30 January [S/2015/76], Safety Board and submitted to the International Civil
Ukraine transmitted a statement of its Ministry Aviation Organization. The report, available on the
of Foreign Affairs on the alleged arrest by Russian Board’s website, concluded that “the in-flight disinte-
Federation authorities of the Deputy Chairman of the gration of the aeroplane near the Ukrainian/Russian
Mejlis (executive-representative body) of the Crimean border was the result of the detonation of a warhead.
Tatar People. On 23 March [A/69/822-​S/2015/194], The detonation occurred above the left hand side of the
Ukraine transmitted a statement of its Ministry of cockpit. The weapon used was a 9N314M-model war-
Foreign Affairs on the anniversary of the illegal occupa- head carried on the 9M38-series of missiles, as installed
tion of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine, on the Buk surface-to-air missile system”.
by the Russian Federation. On 18 May [S/2015/347], al-
leging repression and violations of human rights of the
Crimean Tatar population in Crimea by the Russian Other issues
Federation, Ukraine transmitted information on the
deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944 and measures Strengthening of security and
undertaken by Ukraine to protect the rights of the cooperation in the Mediterranean
deported nations. On 18 August [S/2015/644], Ukraine
transmitted a statement of its Ministry of Foreign In response to General Assembly resolution 69/80
Affairs protesting the visit of the Russian President, [YUN 2014, p. 511], the Secretary-General in July sub-
the head of the Russian Government and other high- mitted a report [A/70/160 & Add.1] containing replies
level officials to Crimea and Sevastopol on 17 August. from Portugal, Spain, Qatar and the eu to his 9 Feb-
On 4 November [A/70/542-​S/2015/838], Ukraine trans- ruary note requesting the views of Member States on
mitted a joint statement of 36 UN Member States on ways to strengthen security and cooperation in the
the human rights situation in Crimea. Mediterranean region.
Chapter V: Europe and the Mediterranean 197

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Ukraine), a regional cooperation organization es-

On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, tablished by the 2006 Kyiv Declaration [YUN 2006,
on the recommendation of the First (Disarmament p. 486], was headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine. On the
and International Security) Committee [A/70/465], issue of conflict settlement, guam emphasized respect
adopted resolution 70/72 (Strengthening of for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviola-
security and cooperation in the Mediterranean bility of the internationally recognized borders of its
region) without vote [agenda item 102]. member States.
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
Organization for Democracy and Assembly decided that the item on protracted con-
Economic Development–GUAM flicts in the guam area and their implications for
international peace, security and development would
The Organization for Democracy and Economic remain for consideration during its resumed seventi-
Development– guam (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, eth (2016) session.
Chapter VI

Middle East

The year 2015 was characterized by the reconstruction with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Is-
of Gaza, continued breakdown in talks between the raeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Amman
Israelis and the Palestinians, violence and diplomatic on 13 November where both sides announced firm
activity. On 2 January, the Secretary-General accepted commitments to maintain the status quo regarding
instruments of accession to sixteen multilateral treaties the holy sites.
submitted by the State of Palestine. The political and In Lebanon, the International Support Group
security situation remained tense throughout the worked to help preserve the country’s stability and
year. Apart from a meeting between the Israeli and unity by mobilizing international assistance in a range
Palestinian chief negotiators in Amman in late July of areas, including to the Lebanese Armed Forces and
2015, there were no direct peace process-related talks in support of Government efforts to deal with the
between the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships. exceptional refugee presence as a consequence of the
In June, the Palestinian Authority and Israel conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic. In August, the
reached an agreement on a new mechanism to allow Security Council extended the mandate of the United
Palestinians in Gaza access to necessary construction Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (unifil) for one
material for the reconstruction of fully destroyed year, until 31 August 2016, with no major operational
homes and for new construction. By December, the changes.
temporary Gaza reconstruction mechanism achieved In 2015, the conflict in Syria entered its fifth year.
some success with more than 90 per cent of dam- By the end of the year, 13.5 million Syrians were in
aged schools and hospitals repaired. In the absence need of assistance, as almost half the population had
of progress on intra-Palestinian reconciliation and been displaced, either internally or as refugees. The
stronger ceasefire arrangements between Israelis United Nations continued to promote a political
and Palestinians, the situation in Gaza remained solution based on the 2012 Geneva communiqué
precarious. and Security Council resolution 2254(2015), which
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for noted that the only sustainable solution to the cri-
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (unrwa) contin- sis in Syria was through an inclusive and Syrian-led
ued to support Gaza reconstruction efforts. Of the political process that met the legitimate aspirations of
$720 million the Agency estimated for rebuilding the Syrian people. The mandate of the United Nations
over 140,000 damaged or destroyed Palestine refugee Disengagement Observer Force, established to super-
homes, only $247 million had been pledged by the vise the observance of the ceasefire between Israel and
end of 2015. Syria in the Syrian Golan and to ensure the separation
In the West Bank, unrwa provided basic education of their forces, was renewed twice in 2015, in June and
to 48,884 children and vocational and technical in December, each time for a six-month period.
training to an additional 1,773 students. In the Syrian
Arab Republic, 44 unrwa schools continued to oper-
ate, down from 118 prior to the crisis, complemented Peace process
by 55 afternoon-shift schools hosted in Ministry of
Education facilities. In total, 45,541 students were
accommodated. In Lebanon, unrwa provided social Diplomatic efforts
safety net support to 61,709 poor refugees, as well An ever widening trust deficit between the
as access to microcredit initiatives and vocational Palestinian National Authority and Israel marked
training opportunities for 1,100 people, while in Jor- the beginning of the year. On 2 January, six-
dan unrwa provided safety net support to 58,937 teen Palestinian instruments of accession to 18
special hardship cases. international treaties including the Rome Statute of
Israeli policies and practices related to settlements the International Criminal Court were accepted by
continued to be central to most violations of the the Secretary-General in deposit. In retaliation, Israel
human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank, includ- decided to freeze Palestinian tax revenues, contrary
ing East Jerusalem, and put pressure on Palestinians to its obligations under the Paris Protocol of the Oslo
to leave their homes and lands. Accords. By an agreement on 27 March, Israel trans-
King Abdullah of Jordan and United States Secre- ferred more than $470 million in tax revenues col-
tary of State John Kerry organized separate meetings lected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (pa).

198
Chapter VI: Middle East 199

Following consultations with Palestinian President S/2015/784; A/ES/-10/696-S/2015/790; A/ES/-10/697-S/2015/805;

Mahmoud Abbas, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing A /E S/-10/698 -S/2015/807; A /E S/-10/699-S/2015/827;
from 13 to 19 June and for three additional days in the A/ES/-10/700-S/2015/834; S/2015/839; A/ES/-10/701-S/2015/861;
last week of June in both directions. Also, in June, the S/2015/872; A /E S/-10/702-S/2015/887; S/2015/893;
pa and Israel reached an agreement on a new mecha- A /E S/-10/703 -S/2015/907; A /E S/-10/704 -S/2015/925;
nism to allow Palestinians in Gaza access to needed A/ES/-10/705-S/2015/948; S/2015/970; A/ES/-10/706-S/2015/989;
construction material for the reconstruction of fully A/ES/-10/707-S/2015/1023; S/2015/1033].
destroyed homes and for new construction. By De- Appointment. On 30 January [S/2015/88], the
cember, the temporary Gaza reconstruction mecha- Secretary-General informed the Security Council
nism had some success with more than 90 per cent of President of his intention to appoint Nickolay Mlad-
damaged schools and hospitals repaired. enov (Bulgaria) as the Special Coordinator for the
The Middle East Quartet (Russian Federation, Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative
United States, European Union, United Nations) to the Palestine Liberation Organization (plo) and the
met at the principals level on 8 February in Munich, pa, succeeding Robert H. Serry (Netherlands), who
Germany, to examine ways to reverse the negative would complete his assignment on 31 March 2015.
trend. It prioritized the urgent resumption of negoti- On 3 February [S/2015/89], the Council took note of
ations; regular and direct outreach to the Arab States, the Secretary-General’s intention.
and called for the acceleration of reconstruction in Security Council consideration). The Security
Gaza. Through the year, the Quartet envoys con- Council was briefed throughout the year on the
sulted with Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the League security and political situation in the Middle East. On
of Arab States, the Gulf Cooperation Council and key 15 January [S/PV.7360], Assistant Secretary-General
international partners on how to preserve the two- for Political Affairs Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen
State solution and establish conditions for the parties reported that the likelihood of resumed talks be-
to return to meaningful negotiations. tween the Israelis and Palestinians was very low. In
The Security Council discussed the situation in the Gaza, the security situation showed signs of serious
Middle East, including the Palestinian question, at deterioration.
meetings held on 15 January [S/PV.7360], 18 February Meanwhile, violence continued in the occupied
[S/PV.7386], 26 March [S/PV.7417], 21 April [S/PV.7430], West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
27 March [S/PV.7419], 19 May [S/PV.7446], 24 June On 18 February [S/PV.7386], Under-Secretary-
[S/PV.7470], 23 July [S/PV.7490], 19 August [S/PV.7506], General (USG) for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman
15 September [S/PV.7521], 16 October [S/PV.7536], briefed the Council that the conflict between Israel
22 October [S/PV.7540], 19 November [S/PV.7562] and and the Palestinians continued to threaten further
16 December [S/PV.7584]. escalation; and if that occurred, it would have highly
damaging and potentially irreversible consequences
Occupied Palestinian Territory for both parties and for the two-State solution.
In February, the Israeli Government announced
Political and security developments
that, for a second month, it would withhold the trans-
Communications. Israel and Palestine brought fer of the tax revenues it collected on behalf of the
to the attention of the Secretary-General, the Pres- pa in retaliation for the Palestinian accession to the
idents of the Security Council and the General International Criminal Court bringing the total with-
Assembly information on attacks or violations of held amount to over $200 million. The Middle East
international law committed by either side through- Quartet that met at the principals level on 8 February
out the year [A/69/711-S/2015/1; A/ES/-10/670-S/2015/4; in Munich prioritized the resumption of negotiations
S/2015/46; A/ES/-10/671-S/2015/68; A/ES/-10/672-S/2015/81; and a strengthening of its engagement to prepare for a
A/ES/-10/673-S/2015/109; S/2015/115; A/ES/-10/674-S/2015/139; revival of the peace process, including through regular
A/ES/-10/675-S/2015/149; A/69/830-S/2015/196; A/ES/-10/676-​ and direct outreach to the Arab States. The Quartet
S/2015/213; A/ES/-10/677-S/2015/260; A/ES/-10/678-S/2015/309; also called for the acceleration of reconstruction in
A /E S/-10/679-S/2015/327; A /E S/-10/680 -S/2015/417; Gaza, where more than 75,000 individuals had been
A/ES/-10/681-S/2015/433; S/2015/463; S/2015/466; S/2015/496; cleared to receive construction material for shelter
A /E S/-10/682-S/2015/505; A /E S/-10/684 -S/2015/521; repairs and more than 47,000 had already procured
S/2015/552; A/ES/-10/685-S/2015/571; A/ES/-10/686-S/2015/589; construction material as part of the temporary Gaza
S/2015/595; S/2015/597; S/2015/607; A/ES/-10/687-S/2015/616; reconstruction mechanism. The pa had approved
S/2015/640; A/ES-10/688-S/2015/649; A/69/1023-S/2015/691; 18 reconstruction projects involving housing, water
A /E S/-10/689-S/2015/703; A /E S/-10/690 -S/2015/707; networks and schools. On 12 February, the United
S/2015/720; S/2015/722; A/ES/-10/691-S/2015/736; S/2015/757; Nations, in partnership with the Government of
A /E S/-10/692-S/2015/759; A /E S/-10/693 -S/2015/769; Palestine, launched the strategic response plan for
A/ES/-10/694-S/2015/772; S/2015/773; A/ES/-10/695-S/2015/777; 2015 to address the humanitarian needs of 1.6 mil-
200 Part One: Political and security questions

lion Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The Representative of the Secretary-General, Nickolay
plan requested $705 million, 75 per cent of which Mladenov, expressed concern with the advancement
was for Gaza. of settlement activities in East Jerusalem and the West
The Israeli authorities continued to demolish Bank. On 14 May, tenders were issued for 85 housing
Palestinian structures in the occupied West Bank, in- units in Givat Ze’ev, south of Ramallah. On 6 May,
cluding East Jerusalem. As the Secretary-General had the District Planning and Building Committee
repeatedly expressed, settlement activity was illegal approved permits for 400 new residential units in the
under international law and an obstacle to peace; it settlement of Ramat Shlomo, and, on 27 April, 77
should be halted and reversed. tenders were issued for residential units in two other
On 26 March [S/PV.7417], the Special Coordinator East Jerusalem settlements.
for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal In a briefing to the Council on 24 June [S/PV.7470],
Representative of the Secretary-General, Robert Serry, USG for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said that
briefed the Council and said that the Israelis and the the Israeli Government’s decision on 14 June to rein-
Palestinians were heading towards an outcome that he troduce draft legislation to permit the force-feeding
could only describe as a one-State reality. Mr. Serry of prisoners on hunger strike under certain condi-
said that in the campaigning leading up to the tions would, if approved by the Knesset, contravene
17 March general elections in Israel, he was concerned international standards.
by many of the hard-line statements, raising serious The demolition of homes and structures in the
doubts about Israel’s commitment to the two-State West Bank continued, and in June 52 structures, in-
solution. Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax reve- cluding 17 residences, were demolished.
nues amounting to over $400 million was deepening On 23 July [S/PV.7490], the Special Coordinator,
the financial crisis of the pa. In Gaza, an equally de- Mr. Mladenov, said that the activities of Salafi ji-
structive financial crisis, related to the lack of progress hadists and other extremist groups were a cause for
on civil service reform, continued to escalate tensions. concern, not only in Gaza but also in neighbouring
Mr. Serry welcomed Israel’s steps to ease some of Sinai, where there were reports of their active support
its restrictions on the movement of people and goods of militants on the Egyptian side of the border.
in the West Bank and Gaza. Settlement planning and Mr. Mladenov said that the Secretary-General called
activity, however, continued. upon all actors in Gaza to provide information as to
On 21 April [S/PV.7430], Secretary-General Ban Ki- the possible whereabouts and conditions of two Is-
moon briefed the Council and stated that the prospect raeli civilians who had entered Gaza within the pre-
of a two-State solution continued to recede; he urged vious year and remained unaccounted for, as well as
the incoming Government in Israel to reaffirm Israel’s to take prompt action to facilitate their safe return to
commitment to the two-State solution and to freeze their families. On 12 July, Israel announced that it
settlement activity. The Secretary-General welcomed would seek to execute orders to demolish structures
the agreement reached in April between the pa and in the Palestinian village of Susiya. Against that back-
Israel, under which Israel transferred more than $470 drop, intra-Palestinian talks to form a national unity
million in revenues collected on behalf of the pa. Government faltered.
Seven months since his last visit to Gaza [YUN 2014, Communication. In a 13 August letter [A/69/1009-​
p. 518], the Secretary-General stressed that he was S/2015/632] to the Secretary-General, Kuwait, in its
concerned by the fragile security situation, the lack of capacity as Chair of the Organization of Islamic
progress on intra-Palestinian reconciliation and the Cooperation (oic) Ambassadorial Group in New
pace of reconstruction. Gaza was facing a crushing York, shared the concern of oic over Israel’s decision
financial crisis and its public sector employees re- to force-feed Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners,
mained unpaid. He noted that the temporary Gaza which constituted a flagrant violation of international
reconstruction mechanism had enabled approximately human rights norms and standards that prohibited
70 per cent of households in need of shelter repairs the force-feeding of detainees.
to procure the necessary materials, while 60 of 130 Security Council consideration (August–Octo-
projects funded by the international community and ber). On 19 August [S/PV.7506] the USG for Political
the private sector had been approved by Israel. In the Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, briefed the Council and reit-
West Bank, clashes between Israeli security forces and erated the Secretary-General’s strong condemnation
Palestinians continued, along with the destruction of of the terrorist arson attack, apparently committed
Palestinian-owned structures. Both sides had to take by extremist Jewish settlers, in the occupied West
more constructive actions, such as Israel’s approval of Bank village of Duma on 31 July, which resulted in
a master plan for building 2,500 housing units and the death of two members of a Palestinian family and
public buildings for Palestinians in East Jerusalem. wounding of two others. The Secretary-General had
On 19 May [S/PV.7446], the Special Coordinator welcomed the strong condemnations of the attack
for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Chapter VI: Middle East 201

other Israeli officials, as well as political and religious decided to share the review with the Council. The
leaders across the spectrum. internal review did not propose any particular system
Israel’s practice of demolishing homes and or systems of protection for the Occupied Palestinian
structures also continued in the occupied West Territory, but was a summary of a number of histor-
Bank, including East Jerusalem. Turning to Gaza, ical precedents that was compiled for the purpose of
Mr. Feltman welcomed some positive developments assisting and informing any future work that might
on reconstruction, particularly under the residential take place within the Secretariat on the subject.
stream of the Gaza reconstruction mechanism. Security Council consideration (November–
In his 15 September [S/PV.7521] briefing to the December). On 19 November [S/PV.7562], the Special
Council, the Special Coordinator for the Middle Coordinator, Mr. Mladenov, in briefing the Council,
East Peace Process and Personal Representative of noted that the epicentre of violence had moved to
the Secretary-General, Mr. Mladenov, voiced con- Hebron, which, like Jerusalem, had holy sites revered
cern over the violence and continuing clashes in and by both Muslims and Jews and had been a cause of
around the Old City of Jerusalem. On the morning friction for decades.
of 13 September, Israeli police entered the area out- In a 16 December [S/PV.7584] briefing to the
side the Al-Aqsa Mosque in what they said was an Council, Assistant Secretary-General for Political
operation to head off attempts by extremists to disrupt Affairs, Miroslav Jenča, said that tensions had calmed
visits by Jews and non-Muslim tourists. As Palestinian around the flashpoint of Al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple
youth sought to barricade themselves in the Mosque, Mount. In addition, four months after members of
clashes ensued. Also, deeply troubling was the con- a Palestinian family had been murdered in the West
tinuing Israeli policy of settlement construction and Bank village of Duma on 31 July (see p. 200), several
the demolition of Palestinian-owned structures in the arrests had been made by Israeli authorities.
West Bank, including East Jerusalem. At the same time, demolitions against Palestinian
In a 16 October [S/PV.7536] briefing to the Council, communities in the Jordan valley were carried out by
Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Tayé- Israeli forces, while in Gaza leaders on both sides con-
Brook Zerihoun, noted another example of the esca- tinued to ignore the underlying causes perpetuating
lating violence when a large group of Palestinians set violence and fuelling extremism on all sides.
fire, with no reported injuries, to the compound con-
taining the holy site of Joseph’s Tomb in the West Peaceful settlement of the question
Bank city of Nablus.
of Palestine
The United Nations had maintained a consistent
position on collective punishment, including house Report of Secretary-General. In a September
demolitions, that they were counterproductive and report [A/70/354-S/2015/677], submitted in response to
contravened international law, and had urged Israel General Assembly resolution 69/23 [YUN 2014, p. 521]
to cease that damaging practice. and covering the period from September 2014 to Au-
On 22 October [S/PV.7540], the Deputy Secretary- gust 2015, the Secretary-General shared the replies re-
General, Jan Eliasson, briefed the Council and said ceived from the parties concerned to the notes verbales
that between 1 and 21 October, 47 Palestinians he had sent pursuant to that resolution, and presented
and 7 Israelis had been killed, and more than 5,000 his observations on the state of the Israeli-Palestinian
Palestinians and about 70 Israelis had been injured. conflict and on international efforts to move the peace
Tensions at the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusa- process forward.
lem continued; Israel’s Prime Minister assured that In a May note, the Secretary-General had sought
his country had no intention of changing the historic the positions of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and
status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Syria, as well as the State of Palestine, receiving re-
Letter of Secretary-General. In a 21 October plies from Israel and Palestine. Palestine stated that
letter [S/2015/809] to the Security Council President, Assembly resolution 69/23 on the peaceful settlement
the Secretary-General informed that, in reference to of the question of Palestine continued to receive over-
the July 2014 letter [YUN 2014, p. 518] from President whelming support, calling for Israel’s complete with-
Mahmoud Abbas who requested that “the territory of drawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since
the State of Palestine be placed under an international June 1967. Israel stated that resolution 69/23, and the
protection system by the United Nations”, the UN numerous one-sided resolutions passed annually and
Secretariat had undertook an internal review of his- automatically by the General Assembly, only served to
torical precedents for regimes that had been devised undermine the credibility of the United Nations as an
to provide varying forms of protection for areas of impartial agent for the advancement of peace.
territory and their inhabitants. In view of the enquir- The Secretary-General observed that apart from a
ies that the Secretariat had received and the interest meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian chief ne-
that had been generated, the Secretary-General had gotiators in Amman in late July 2015, there had been
202 Part One: Political and security questions

no direct peace process-related talks between the two nei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cam-
leaderships. bodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica,
Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s
He had travelled to Cairo on 12 October 2014 for Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic,
the International Conference on Palestine: Recon- Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji,
structing Gaza, hosted by Egypt and supported by Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece,
Norway. That event garnered $5.4 billion in pledges Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hun-
gary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ja-
from some 50 countries, with $3.5 billion intended maica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyz-
to support Gaza. As at 14 April, the World Bank re- stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon,
ported that only 27.5 per cent of those pledges had Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ma-
been disbursed. laysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex-
A number of incidents occurred during the period ico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nic-
under review in which United Nations personnel, aragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,
premises and operations were affected. In response, an Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea,
internal board of inquiry to review and investigate ten Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint
of those incidents found that seven incidents in which Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Ma-
United Nations premises were hit were attributable rino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa,
to Israel. The Board also reviewed three incidents in- Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab
volving weapons found in United Nations Relief and Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu-
East (unrwa) schools. In two instances, the Board nisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
found that Palestinian armed groups might have used Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania,
unrwa school premises to launch attacks. Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
Unemployment in Gaza reached 43 per cent at the lau, United States.
end of 2014. Since the establishment of the temporary Abstaining: Australia, Cameroon, Honduras, Papua New Guinea,
Gaza reconstruction mechanism, approximately Paraguay, South Sudan, Tonga.
90,000 households in Gaza had accessed construc- In resolution 70/141 of 17 December (see p. 318),
tion material for partially damaged housing). Israel the General Assembly reaffirmed the right of the
had lifted the eight-year ban on exports from Gaza Palestinian people to self-determination, including
to Israel and the West Bank, increasing quotas and their right to an independent State of Palestine.
expanding criteria for the exit of Palestinians from
Gaza through the Erez crossing and increasing the
capacity of the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israeli settlements
Shortly after the beginning of the reporting period, The issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank,
Israel appeared to put on hold settlement planning including East Jerusalem, remained central to the
and tendering in the West Bank and East Jerusa- question of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the
lem. The proposed planning freeze was violated in peace negotiations. The Quartet road map [YUN 2003,
July 2015 by the Government’s decision to advance p. 464] and the Joint Understanding [YUN 2007, p. 446]
construction and “legalization” of hundreds of units. reached at the 2007 Annapolis Conference [ibid., p. 445]
While settler violence had decreased since 2014, as committed Israel to dismantle all settlement outposts
a result of attacks by settlers, two Palestinians were erected since 2001 and to freeze, consistent with the
killed and 86 Palestinians, including 22 children, 2001 report of the Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding
were injured during the reporting period. Meanwhile Committee (Mitchell Report) [YUN 2001, p. 409], all
four Israeli settlers were killed and 96 Israeli settlers settlement activity, including “natural growth”.
were injured by Palestinians. In addition, 441 struc- Report of Secretary-General. In response to
tures were demolished, causing the displacement of Assembly resolution 69/92 [YUN 2014, p. 526], which
some 632 Palestinians. reiterated its demand for the immediate and complete
cessation of all Israeli settlement activities in the Oc-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
cupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusa-
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General lem and in the occupied Syrian Golan, the Secretary-
Assembly adopted resolution 70/15 [draft: A/70/L.13 General submitted an August report [A/70/351],
& Add.1] (Peaceful settlement of the question of prepared by the Office of the United Nations High
Palestine) by recorded vote (155-7-7) [agenda item 38]. Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr), covering
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/15:
the period from 16 May 2014 to 15 May 2015. The
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anti-
report provided an update on Israeli authorities’ de-
gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, cisions and activities aimed at creating or expanding
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhu- settlements including through retroactive legalization
tan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bru- of outposts under Israeli law.
Chapter VI: Middle East 203

According to an Israeli non-governmental Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
organization (ngo), a record 4,485 tenders were issued South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzer-
land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
from January to December 2014, the highest number Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and
in a decade. In a significant and unprecedented pos- Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
itive development in March 2015, 2,200 new homes Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United
for Palestinians in Jabal al-Mukabber were approved Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet
by the Jerusalem District Planning Committee, and Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
300 existing homes were retroactively legalized. In Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
lau, United States.
parts of the West Bank, Israel’s policies and prac- Abstaining: Australia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte
tices to promote tourism and archaeology sites in the d’Ivoire, Honduras, Paraguay, Togo, Vanuatu.
areas around Qaryut consolidated settler presence
there while excluding Palestinians from the right to Jerusalem
participate in and enjoy the area’s cultural life and Report of Secretary-General. On 31 August
heritage. The creation and consolidation of unauthor- [A/70/353], the Secretary-General reported that one
ized outposts in the “Shiloh corridor” was brought Member State—Brazil—had replied to his request for
about through violence, intimidation and unlawful information on steps taken or envisaged to implement
activity that had resulted in violations of the rights of Assembly resolutions 69/24 [YUN 2014, p. 528] on Jeru-
Palestinian residents of the are. salem. The resolution stressed that a comprehensive,
The report concluded that Israel needed to cease just and lasting solution to the question of Jerusalem
funding and supporting touristic and archaeological would have to take into account the legitimate con-
projects, often managed by settler organizations; fulfil cerns of both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and in-
its obligations under international humanitarian law clude internationally guaranteed provisions to ensure
to cease the transfer of its civilian population into the freedom of religion and of conscience of its in-
occupied territory and had to freeze and reverse all habitants, as well as permanent, free and unhindered
settlement activity; and implement relevant United access to the holy places by people of all religions and
Nations resolutions, including Security Council res- nationalities.
olutions pertaining to territories occupied since 1967.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
Assembly adopted resolution 70/16 [draft: A/70/L.14 &
on the recommendation of the Fourth (Special
Add.1] (Jerusalem) by recorded vote (153-7-8) [agenda
Political and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/497]
item 37].
adopted resolution 70/89 (Israeli settlements in
the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/16:
Jerusalem, and the occupied Syrian Golan) by re- In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anti-
corded vote (161-7-8) [agenda item 55]. gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhu-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/89: tan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bru-
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar- nei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad,
gentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of
Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bru- Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecua-
nei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland,
Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada,
Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyz-
Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon,
Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ma-
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, laysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex-
Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, ico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nic-
Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liech- aragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Phil-
tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal- ippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic
dives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Ara-
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige- bia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slove-
ria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, nia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan,
Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren- Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,
adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
204 Part One: Political and security questions

United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vene- pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/90 [YUN 2014,
zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. p. 534], by which the Assembly requested the Special
Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
lau, United States.
Committee, pending complete termination of the
Abstaining: Australia, Cameroon, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Israeli occupation, to continue to investigate Israeli
Paraguay, South Sudan, Togo, Tonga. policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, especially Israeli
Other matters violations of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War
Israeli practices affecting human rights (Fourth Geneva Convention), and to report to the
of Palestinian people Secretary-General as soon as possible. The Assembly
Board of Inquiry. In an April note to the Security also requested the Special Committee to continue to
Council [S/2015/286], the Secretary-General said that investigate the treatment of the thousands of prison-
he had established a United Nations board of inquiry ers and detainees, including women and children, in
to review and investigate ten incidents among many Israeli prisons and detention centres in the Occupied
more that occurred between 8 July and 26 August Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and
2014 during the course of the conflict in the Gaza other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
Strip and Southern Israel that affected or involved The Special Committee held its annual consulta-
United Nations personnel, premises and operations. tions with Member States concerned with the imple-
The board was tasked to identify any gaps in the Or- mentation of resolution 69/90 in Geneva on 2 August
ganization’s procedures, to take any measures and put and in Amman (4–8 August). The Special Committee
in place any arrangements to prevent a recurrence of was unable to visit the Gaza Strip through the Ra-
such incidents, or at least to mitigate their effects. fah crossing owing to heightened insecurity. It was
The Board, headed by Patrick Cammaert (Neth- also unable to travel to Syria because of the prevailing
erlands), conducted a field visit from 26 November to security situation in the country; instead, the Special
13 December 2014 and submitted its report on 5 Feb- Committee convened meetings with interlocutors
ruary 2015. Regarding the seven incidents in which who travelled to Amman and heard testimonies on
death or injuries occurred at, or damage was done to, teleconference from witnesses who couldn’t travel. The
United Nations premises, the Secretary-General de- Special Committee was unable to gain access to the
plored the fact that at least 44 Palestinians were killed Occupied Palestinian Territories within its mandate
as a result of Israeli actions and at least 227 injured at or consult with the Israeli authorities due to the
United Nations premises while they were being used Government of Israel’s practice of non-cooperation.
as emergency shelters. United Nations premises were According to ngos, an estimated 5,700 Palestinians
inviolable, and it was a matter of the utmost gravity continued to be held in Israeli detention as at July
that those who looked to them for protection and 2015, including 400 persons under administrative
who sought and were granted shelter there had their detention, 160 children (22 under 16 years of age), 26
hopes and trust denied. Concerning the discovery by female prisoners and seven members of the Palestinian
the United Nations of weaponry on United Nations Legislative Council. In most cases of arrest and de-
premises, the Secretary-General expressed dismay that tention of minors, the charge was for alleged stone-
Palestinian militant groups would put United Nations throwing during demonstrations or clashes with
schools at risk by using them to hide their arms. The Israeli soldiers.
three schools at which weaponry was found were The Special Committee called upon the General
empty at the time and were not being used as shel- Assembly to adopt measures to address Israel’s
ters. The fact, however, that they were used by those long record of non-cooperation with the United
involved in the fighting to store their weaponry and, Nations, particularly regarding the implementation
in two cases, probably to fire from was unacceptable. of Assembly and Security Council resolutions; and
Special Committee on Israeli Practices. By an upon the international community to apply pressure
October note [A/70/406 & Corr.1], the Secretary-General to ensure the lifting of the blockade; and called upon
submitted the forty-seventh report of the Special Com- Israel to provide access to the Occupied Palestinian
mittee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Territory, including Gaza, which would enable the
Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Special Committee to meet with victims and families
Arabs of the Occupied Territories (Special Committee of human rights violations, and with the government
to Investigate Israeli Practices), which was established officials of Israel and Palestine.
by Assembly resolution 2443(XXIII) [YUN 1968, Report of Secretary-General. In response to
p. 555]. In 2015, the Special Committee was composed Assembly resolution 69/93 [YUN 2014, p. 531], the
of three Member States: Sri Lanka (Chair), Malay- Secretary-General submitted an October report
sia and Senegal. The report covered the period from [A/70/421] on Israeli practices affecting the human
5 June 2014 to 10 August 2015 and was submitted rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied
Chapter VI: Middle East 205

Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, prohibition of forcible transfer and annul any plans
covering the period 16 May 2014 to 31 May 2015. to relocate Bedouin and herder communities with-
The report focused on factors that were preventing out their free and informed consent. The Secretary-
Palestinians from enjoying their human rights; an- General called on the State of Palestine to conduct
alysed how the blockade of Gaza was undermining prompt, thorough, effective, independent and impar-
reconstruction and recovery efforts; and provided an tial investigations into allegations of unlawful killing,
update on the situation in the West Bank, including injury or summary executions by security forces and
East Jerusalem. any violations of international humanitarian law by
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza resulting from Palestinian actors.
the hostilities between July and August 2014 com- Report of the Special Rapporteur. By a 25 Sep-
pounded an already precarious situation, further un- tember note [A/70/392], the Secretary-General trans-
dermining the enjoyment by the inhabitants of their mitted to the General Assembly the report by Special
economic and social rights, including the rights to Rapporteur Makarim Wibisono on the situation of
housing, water and health. The destruction of water human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied
and sanitation facilities and the shelling of the only since 1967, submitted in accordance with Human
power plant in Gaza in 2014 had further aggravated Rights Council resolution 5/1 [YUN 2007, p. 662].
the electricity crisis. (For information on the right of the Palestinian
The Gaza reconstruction mechanism, a temporary people to self-determination, see p. 318, and on the
arrangement established under an agreement between human rights situation in the territories occupied by
the Palestinian and Israeli authorities brokered by Israel, see p. 204).
the United Nations, was designed to enable the en- UN Register of Damage. On 30 June, in accor-
try into Gaza of what Israel classified as “dual use” dance with General Assembly resolution ES-10/17
materials such as aggregate, metal bars and cement [YUN 2006, p. 529], the Secretary-General submitted to
and of heavy machinery. In 2015, Israel expanded the the Assembly a progress report of the Board of the
list of items classified as dual use, adding items such United Nations Register of Damage Caused by the
as timber, claiming it was used in Gaza for the con- Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian
struction of military tunnels. After a slow start, use Territory [A/ES-10/683] covering the period from
of the reconstruction mechanism by stakeholders had 20 June 2014 to 19 June 2015. During that period, the
increased substantially, but the pace of reconstruction Board held five meetings in Vienna to review 4,844
overall remained inadequate, partly due to limited claims containing category A (agriculture) losses, 526
donor funding. At sea, the Israel Defense Forces (idf) containing category B (commercial) losses, 176 con-
enforced a six nautical mile fishing limit along the taining category C (residential) losses and 349 con-
entire Gaza coast, with a 1.5 nautical mile “no fishing taining category E (access to services) losses.
zone” along the maritime boundaries between Gazan The Board also addressed and reached decisions
waters and Israel in the north and Egypt in the south. on legacy claims and claims by heirs; loss of access
The vast majority of recorded incidents at sea had to marketplace; theft of property in the Occupied
occurred within the six-mile limit. Palestinian Territory between the Green Line and the
During the reporting period, Bedouin in the Wall; rental agreements; road closures; guard towers;
central West Bank—the vast majority of whom were demolition of residence; rerouting of the Wall; late
refugees registered with unrwa—had been under arrival of fire brigades; and peddlers.
renewed and imminent threat of forcible transfer by As at 19 June, the Board had decided to include
the Israeli military, in violation of international law. most or all of the losses set out in 18,138 claim forms
Impunity for violations committed in the West Bank, and excluded 707 claim forms where none of the
including East Jerusalem, also remained of concern. losses met the eligibility criteria, bringing the total
During the reporting period, the State of Palestine number of decided claims to 18,845.
became party to seven of the core international The Board expressed its appreciation for the in-
human rights treaties, the Optional Protocol to the dispensable cooperation extended by the pa and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child on the in- Palestinian National Committee for the Register of
volvement of children in armed conflict, the Geneva Damage, as well as for the support provided by local
Conventions of 12 August 1949, Additional Protocol governors, mayors and members of village councils
I to the Geneva Conventions and the Convention re- on many practical aspects, without which outreach
specting the Laws and Customs of War on Land. and claim-intake activities could not have been un-
The Secretary-General called on the Government dertaken. The Government of Israel continued to
of Israel to fully lift the blockade of Gaza and end the consider that any claims in relation to damage caused
collective punishment against the civilian population by the construction of the wall should be addressed
and ensure sustainable economic recovery and through the existing Israeli mechanism. Nonetheless,
development; and ensure full compliance with the the Executive Director of the Register of Damage
206 Part One: Political and security questions

continued to maintain constructive contacts with The Department of Public Information continued
relevant Israeli authorities and, during the reporting to cover and promote the activities of the Special Com-
period, the Office of the Register of Damage did mittee using a wide spectrum of traditional means of
not experience any problem with access, freedom of communication and various social media platforms
movement, security and delivery of needed materials in different languages. News stories appearing on the
or issuance of required visas by Israel. United Nations News Centre platform were also dis-
tributed through Facebook and Twitter, via rss feeds
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and by means of the portal’s e-mail news subscription.
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, The Department’s Meetings Coverage Section also
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee produced eight press releases of the Special Commit-
[A/70/497], adopted resolution 70/90 (Israeli prac- tee’s meetings and statements in English and French.
tices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in-
cluding East Jerusalem) by recorded vote (158-8-10) On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
[agenda item 55]. on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
[A/70/497], adopted resolution 70/87 (Work of the
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/90:
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar-
Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
gentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian Peo-
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, ple and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories)
Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei by recorded vote (92-9-75) [agenda item 55].
Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/87:
Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Democratic In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Domini- Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bra-
can Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, zil, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Democratic
Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guy- People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic,
ana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea,
Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jor-
Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya,
Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Monte- Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nica-
negro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, ragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Nor- Qatar, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and
way, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singa-
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, pore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian
Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tur-
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren- key, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates,
adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzer- Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Nauru, Palau, Panama, United States.
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bel-
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, gium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cam-
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United eroon, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica,
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia,
Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary,
Nauru, Palau, United States. Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liech-
Abstaining: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco,
Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Malawi, Paraguay, Togo, Vanuatu. Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
Work of Special Committee Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,
Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swe-
In response to Assembly resolution 69/90 den, Switzerland, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic
[YUN 2014, p. 534], the Secretary-General issued an Au- of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Ukraine, United
gust report on the work of the Special Committee to Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu.
Investigate Israeli Practices [A/70/341]. The Committee
collected testimony and information from a number Economic and social situation
of victims, witnesses, officials and civil society repre- In May, the Economic and Social Commission
sentatives working on documenting and preventing for Western Asia, in accordance with Economic and
violations of human rights and international human- Social Council resolution 2014/26 [YUN 2014, p. 537]
itarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. and Assembly resolution 69/241 [ibid., p. 540], prepared
Chapter VI: Middle East 207

a report [A/70/82–E/2015/13 ] on the economic and social Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living Guatemala, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Portugal, Republic of
conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Korea, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, South Africa,
Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United
the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan. Kingdom, Zimbabwe.
The report covered the period from 31 March 2014 to Against: Australia, United States.
28 February 2015. Abstaining: Honduras, Panama.
The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
2014 stood at 42.8 per cent in the Gaza Strip and at
17.4 per cent in the West Bank (20.5 per cent among On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
refugees). The direct damage incurred during the on the recommendation of the Second (Economic and
Israeli offensive in Gaza conflict in July and August Financial) Committee [A/70/480], adopted resolution
2014 led to more than 20 per cent of Gaza’s industrial 70/225 (Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian
people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in-
enterprises and over 4,000 commercial and trade en-
cluding East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population
terprises destroyed or damaged. The total effect of the
in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural
offensive on the agriculture sector was estimated at
resources) by recorded vote (164-5-10) [agenda item 64].
between $450 million and $550 million. In the West
Bank, economic development remained constrained RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/225:
by a multilayered system of movement and access In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, An-
restrictions. tigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
The situation of women in Gaza was particularly Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bra-
problematic, with women suffering from an unem- zil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
ployment rate of 59.3 per cent, reaching as high as Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chile,
83.3 per cent among women between the ages of China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croa-
15 and 29. In order to augment household income, tia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Domini-
many women had been forced to take unprotected, can Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia,
low-paying jobs close to home in the informal and un- Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany,
protected sectors. During the 2014 offensive in Gaza, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, GuineaBissau,
up to 71 per cent of the population there became Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,
food insecure, as prices of basic foodstuffs soared 40 Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Ku-
and 179 per cent. In seven weeks, most Palestinians wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia,
Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
in Gaza could no longer meet their most basic needs Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
and unrwa had to effectively support the entire Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia,
population of the Gaza Strip. Access to reproductive Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
health services had also deteriorated as a result of the Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
protracted blockade and the offensive on Gaza. Dur- Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Ro-
ing the Gaza offensive, 26 schools were completely mania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
destroyed and 122 damaged, 83 of which were unrwa Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi
schools. In the occupied Syrian Golan, Syrian farm- Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slo-
ers had been allowed 200 cubic metres of water for venia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
every dunam, a quantity that was considerably lower Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajik-
than the minimum 600 cubic metres needed. Syrian istan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turk-
farmers usually received one fourth of the allocation menistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United
granted to Israeli settlers. Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, United
States.
On 20 July [meeting 50] the Economic and Abstaining: Australia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Papua
Social Council adopted resolution 2015/17 [draft: New Guinea, Paraguay, South Sudan, Togo, Tonga, Vanuatu.
E/2015/L.22] (Economic and social repercussions of
the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of Fourth Geneva Convention
the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian The applicability of the 1949 Geneva Convention
Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Arab relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time
population in the occupied Syrian Golan) by re- of War (Fourth Geneva Convention) to the Israeli-
corded vote (44-2-2) [agenda item 16]. occupied territories was reaffirmed during the year
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2015/17: by the General Assembly and several other United
In favour: Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Benin, Bo- Nations bodies, including the Special Committee on
livia, Botswana, Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Israeli Practices.
208 Part One: Political and security questions

Report of Secretary-General. The Secretary- Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau,
General, in a July report [A/70/133], informed the United States.
Abstaining: Australia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte
General Assembly that Israel had not replied to his d’Ivoire, Liberia, Paraguay, Togo, Vanuatu.
27 March request for information on steps taken or
envisaged to implement resolution 69/91 [YUN 2014,
p. 542], which demanded that Israel accept the de jure
applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the Issues related to Palestine
Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jeru-
salem, and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, General aspects
and that it comply scrupulously with its provisions.
The Secretary-General had also drawn the attention In 2015, the General Assembly, the Committee on
of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention, the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian
including Palestine, to paragraph 3 of the same reso- People (Committee on Palestinian Rights) and other
lution, which called on them to ensure Israel’s respect UN bodies addressed issues related to Palestine, and
for the Convention’s provisions. Six Member States— several UN programmes and agencies continued to
Brazil, Cuba, Ireland, Turkey, Qatar and Switzer- provide assistance to the Palestinian people.
land—had replied to his request for information on
steps taken to implement the resolution. Committee on Palestinian Rights
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalien-
able Rights of the Palestinian People (Committee
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, on Palestinian Rights) was established by General
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
Assembly resolution 3376(XXX) [YUN 1975, p. 248]
[A/70/497], adopted resolution 70/88 (Applicability
with the task of recommending a programme designed
of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection
to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their inal-
of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August
ienable rights. In 2015, the Committee was composed
1949, to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in-
of 26 Members States and had 20 Member States as
cluding East Jerusalem, and the other occupied
observers, in addition to the State of Palestine, the
Arab territories) by recorded vote (163-6-8) [agenda
African Union, the League of Arab States and the
item 55].
Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/88: Committee report. In response to Assembly
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argen- resolution 69/20 [YUN 2014, p. 544], the Committee
tina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bang- submitted its annual report [A/70/35] covering the
ladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darus- period from 7 October 2014 to 6 October 2015. Dur-
salam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambo- ing the reporting period, the activities of the Com-
dia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa mittee and its Bureau focused on efforts by the United
Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Nations and the international community to support
People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Domini- reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following the Israeli
can Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany,
military operations in July and August 2014, which
Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, caused widespread destruction and physical and
Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, human devastation; and the submission by the State
Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, of Palestine of documents to accede to a number of
Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic international treaties and conventions, including the
Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, The Committee monitored the situation and political
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, developments on the ground, implemented its
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige- programme of international meetings and conferences
ria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, and held consultations with representatives of Govern-
Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, ments, national parliaments and interparliamentary
Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren-
organizations, as well as civil society. In its continued
adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, support to revitalize the peace negotiations, the Com-
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, mittee aligned itself with the view that the paradigm
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzer- of bilateral negotiations, which after more than two
land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former decades had not yielded any success, had to be revised.
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trin- There was a need to obtain a firm commitment from
idad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Israel with regard to the two-State solution on the
United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vene- basis of the pre-1967 borders and in accordance with
zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. the relevant United Nations resolutions.
Chapter VI: Middle East 209

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Palestine between September and November; and or-
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General ganized the International Day of Solidarity with the
Assembly adopted resolution 70/12 [draft: A/70/L.10 & Palestinian People (29 November). The Committee
Add.1] (Committee on the Exercise of the Inalien- on Palestinian Rights, in its annual report [A/70/35],
able Rights of the Palestinian People) by recorded requested the Division to continue its work.
vote (102-8-57) [agenda item 38].
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/12:
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General Assembly
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar-
gentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhu-
adopted resolution 70/13 [draft: A/70/L.11 & Add.1]
tan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina (Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat)
Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Congo, by recorded vote (99-8-59) [agenda item 38].
Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/13:
Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar-
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, gentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhu-
Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, tan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina
Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Congo,
Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mau- Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of
ritius, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El
Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Papua Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada,
New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,
and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sin- Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
gapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Malay-
Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor- sia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,
Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nica-
Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, ragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar,
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia,
Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
Nauru, Palau, United States. South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajik-
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia istan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turk-
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia, menistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia,
Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Zimbabwe.
Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Lux- Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
embourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nauru, Palau, United States.
Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Croatia,
Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom. Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zea-
Division for Palestinian Rights land, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova,
The Division for Palestinian Rights in the UN Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia,
Department of Political Affairs, in cooperation Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
with relevant technical and library services of the the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga,
Ukraine, United Kingdom.
Secretariat, continued to administer, maintain, ex-
pand and develop the United Nations Information Special information programme
System on the Question of Palestine and the “Ques-
tion of Palestine” website on the UN home page. That As requested by Assembly resolution 69/22
included the ongoing maintenance and upgrading of [YUN 2014, p. 547], the Department of Public Information
the technical components of the system and involved continued its special information programme on the
the expansion of the document collection to include question of Palestine during the reporting period from
relevant new and old United Nations and other doc- 7 October 2014 to 6 October 2015.
uments. Through its Facebook and YouTube pages, The Department organized the international me-
as well as Twitter feeds, the Division disseminated dia seminar on peace in Astana, Kazakhstan (26 and
information about the work of the Committee on 27 May 2015); it also organized the five-week annual
Palestinian Rights and the United Nations as a whole training programme for Palestinian journalists (New
on the question of Palestine, and continued to publish York and Washington, D.C., 3 November to 5 De-
a periodic online bulletin on civil society initiatives. cember 2014).
Furthermore, the Division carried out research and At UN Headquarters in New York, the
monitoring activities; conducted the annual training Department, in conjunction with unrwa and the
programme for four government staff of the State of Division for Palestinian Rights, arranged for the
210 Part One: Political and security questions

display of the “Long Journey” exhibit as part of the Social Council, on the implementation of assistance
commemoration of Solidarity Day, from November to the Palestinians.
2014 to January 2015. The question of Palestine, the During the reporting period, the Palestinian
International Day and the Year of Solidarity were all Government continued to implement the Palestinian
promoted widely on the multilingual United Nations National Development Plan 2014–2016: State-
website, through United Nations social media building to Sovereignty. In support of those efforts,
accounts managed by the Department and through the United Nations continued to implement the
the Department’s traditional media platforms, includ- United Nations Development Assistance Framework
ing United Nations Radio, United Nations Television for 2014–2016. The financial resources required
and the United Nations News Centre. for the assistance provided through the Framework
amounted to $1.2 billion.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
The United Nations responded to humanitarian
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General and development challenges in the context of the oc-
Assembly adopted resolution 70/14 [draft: A/70/L.12 cupation, but placed particular focus on providing
& Add.1] (Special information programme on the humanitarian assistance during and after the conflict
question of Palestine of the Department of Public in Gaza between 8 July and 26 August and support to
Information of the Secretariat) by recorded vote the Palestinian Government. The United Nations also
(155-7-7) [agenda item 38]. brokered a temporary agreement between Israel and
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/14: Palestine to enable the entry, use and monitoring of
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anti- “dual-use” material into Gaza to allow reconstruction
gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, and the rehabilitation of damaged facilities.
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhu- The 2015 Strategic Response Plan sought $705
tan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bru- million to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs
nei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cam-
bodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, by enhancing the protective environment and tack-
Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s ling the food insecurity of the most vulnerable groups
Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. To
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, complement that programming and respond to the
Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, governance, recovery, reconstruction and structural
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hun-
gary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Ja-
development needs that had been compounded by
maica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyz- the conflict in Gaza, the United Nations Support
stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Plan for the Transformation of the Gaza Strip
Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Ma- 2014–2016, detailed the contribution of the United
laysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex- Nations to the Palestinian National Early Recovery
ico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza for 2014–2017
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nic-
aragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,
and requested $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, through the
Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, 2014 Strategic Response Plan, the United Nations and
Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, its partners continued to coordinate and deliver hu-
Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren- manitarian and protection assistance, including food
adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, assistance, to 1.9 million vulnerable Palestinians, in
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, particular in Gaza.
Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden,
Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the Between 1 May 2014 and 28 February 2015, 2,295
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trin- Palestinians were killed (2,245 in Gaza, including
idad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, some 1,500 civilians; 50 civilians in the West Bank;
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United overall, 569 children and 297 women) and 16,506 in-
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam,
Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
jured (11,233 in Gaza, including 3,436 children and
Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, 3,540 women, and 5,273 in the West Bank, including
Palau, United States. 1,011 children and 100 women) by the Israeli security
Abstaining: Cameroon, Honduras, Nauru, Paraguay, South Sudan, forces. The vast majority of those deaths and injuries
Togo, Tonga. (2,219 deaths and 10,500 injuries) were a result of the
conflict in Gaza. During the reporting period, 85 Is-
Assistance to Palestinians raelis (5 civilians as a result of the conflict in Gaza and
12 civilians in the West Bank) were killed.
UN activities
In addition, the conflict caused unprecedented
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/242 displacement, with up to 500,000 Palestinians forced
[YUN 2014, p. 550],the Secretary-General submitted a to flee their homes at the height of the Gaza conflict.
report covering the period from May 2014 to March Some 293,000 sought shelter in 85 unrwa schools
2015 [A/70/76-E/2015/57], through the Economic and serving as designated emergency shelters. At the time
Chapter VI: Middle East 211

of the report, unrwa was continuing to provide shel- West Bank, which provided legal advisory, consulta-
ter and basic services to almost 10,000 internally tion and representation services.
displaced persons living in 14 unrwa - run collective At the request of the Palestinian Government, the
centres. An estimated 100,000 homes in Gaza were United Nations, the World Bank and the European
severely destroyed or damaged and severe damage Union embarked on a detailed needs assessment to
was caused to public infrastructure, including the sole provide a comprehensive assessment of the damages,
power plant in Gaza and critical water and sanitation losses and recovery needs in the governance, produc-
infrastructure. tive, infrastructure and social sectors, following the
During the reporting period, including during escalation of hostilities in Gaza, to inform recovery
the Gaza conflict, the United Nations continued to planning and prioritization of interventions.
coordinate and deliver humanitarian assistance, in- The Office of the United Nations High Commis-
cluding food assistance, to more than 1 million peo- sioner for Human Rights (ohchr) continued to work
ple, water and sanitation assistance to more than 1.5 with the Palestinian authorities, the Independent
million people and health and nutrition services to Commission for Human Rights and civil society to en-
some 2.5 million people in the Occupied Palestinian sure that the commitments set forth in the Palestinian
Territory. National Development Plan for 2014–2016: State-
Nine United Nations agencies continued to support building to Sovereignty, were implemented in accor-
the “Education for All” package, which included sup- dance with the new legal commitments stemming
porting the Palestinian Government in the opening of from the Government’s accession to various human
47 preschool classrooms (33 in the West Bank and 14 rights treaties. The World Food Programme supported
in Gaza) and implementing the new strategy on early the Civil Defence in building capacity in the area of
childhood development. In Gaza, 86.5 per cent of the emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction
252 unrwa schools operated on a double- or triple- and the United Nations Office for Project Services
shift system. This was an increase from 71 per cent in continued to support the Palestinian civil police, the
2013 because of a continuously growing population national security forces, the Presidential Guard and
and using several unrwa school buildings as shelters other security services through training, equipment
for 10,000 internally displaced persons. and information management. The United Nations
The United Nations Development Programme Conference on Trade and Development (unctad),
(undp) targeted around 3,500 families across the building upon their previous collaboration, continued
West Bank and Gaza and focused on income- to strengthen the institutional and functional capacity
generating activities in microenterprise and small of the Palestinian Shippers’ Council.
enterprise development, housing, education, health Of the $5.4 billion pledged at the Cairo
and rehabilitation. The United Nations Entity for International Conference on Palestine: Reconstruct-
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women ing Gaza [YUN 2014, p. 515], some 23 per cent was
(UN-Women), through 62 women’s centres, focused disbursed. Of the $705 million requested through
on job opportunities in food processing and market- the 2015 Strategic Response Plan, 21 per cent was
ing, which had directly benefited 761 women workers, raised. United Nations agencies sought $1.2 billion
with over 43,400 women benefitting from the overall to support development programming in the con-
services provided at the centres. text of the United Nations Development Assistance
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the Framework, of which 53 per cent was funded. The
United Nations (fao) provided intensive training to unrwa Emergency Appeal for 2015 sought $414.4
over 1,000 farmers on integrated pest management million to cover the most pressing humanitarian
and global agricultural practices certification. A needs of Palestine refugees and it estimated that $720
total of 1,400 people in Area C benefited from the million was needed to allow families to repair their
rehabilitation of wells irrigating 7,250 dunums of homes and to provide ongoing rental subsidies.
agricultural land efficiently. Fao also rehabilitated five On 20 July, by decision 2015/221, the Economic
wells, benefiting 1,400 persons, and undp rehabili- and Social Council took note of the Secretary-General’s
tated another 10, benefiting 300 new farms in highly report on assistance to the Palestinian people.
marginalized areas; it also constructed 36 kilometers
of agricultural access roads and 120 water cisterns to UNCTAD assistance to Palestinians
enable supplementary irrigation. At its sixty-second session (Geneva, 14–25 Septem-
UN-Women provided capacity-building activities ber) [TD/B/62/11], the unctad Trade and Development
for Palestinian civil police in family protection units Board considered a secretariat report [TD/B/62/3] on
to respond to cases of violence against women with a assistance to the Palestinian people and developments
view to safeguarding rights and due process. It contin- in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
ued to support the Mehwar Centre for the Protection The Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in
and Empowerment of Women and Families in the July and August 2014, the third conflict with full-scale
212 Part One: Political and security questions

military operation in six years, sent the Palestinian ditions of unimaginable suffering. Despite the substan-
economy into its first recession since 2006. Given tial burden placed on Jordan and Lebanon, those two
5 per cent gdp growth in the West Bank and a drop of countries had been generous in offering sanctuary to
15 per cent in Gaza’s gdp, the economy of the Occu- more than one million civilians fleeing Syria.
pied Palestinian Territory contracted by 0.4 per cent In Gaza, as a result of the nine-year Israeli block-
and gdp per capita further shrank by 3.3 per cent in ade, almost the entire population was dependent on
2014. Reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip were aid to meet basic needs, as unemployment remained
extremely slow relative to the magnitude of devasta- among the highest in the world. Tens of thousands of
tion, and Gaza’s local economy did not have a chance homes remained in ruins after the 2014 conflict. In
to recover. Socioeconomic conditions were at their the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, violence and
lowest point since 1967. operations by Israeli security forces, access restrictions,
The Palestinian economy was the economy of forced displacement, demolitions and other rights vio-
an occupied territory, and therefore –contrary to lations had increased significantly since October 2015.
the claims of some observers—the efficacy of donor Regarding the financial situation, in 2015 unrwa
support had been undermined by the occupation, not faced the most serious financial crisis in its 66-year-
by the inadequacy of Palestinian National Authority long history, which threatened the opening of some
policies or poor donor coordination. The fiscal burden 700 schools in the Middle East. The extraordinary
of the humanitarian crises and the occupation-related mobilization of partners allowed unrwa to bridge
fiscal losses had diverted donor aid from development that gap and sustained the schooling for 500,000 girls
to humanitarian interventions and budget support. and boys.
Unctad had been supporting the Palestinian Communication. In identical letters of 13 April
people through research, advisory services, building [A/69/867–S/2015/253] addressed to the Secretary-
international consensus on the needs of the Palestinian General, the Presidents of the General Assembly and
economy and implementing technical cooperation the Security Council, the State of Palestine conveyed
projects. its grave concern about the dire situation of Palestine
refugees in Syria, in particular the humanitarian ca-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION tastrophe in the Yarmouk refugee camp.
On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly Special Report of Commissioner-General.
adopted resolution 70/108 [draft: A/70/L.18 & Add.1] Unrwa Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl
(Assistance to the Palestinian people) without vote issued a special report in August [A/70/272] on the
[agenda item 73 (b)]. financial crisis affecting the work of the Agency.
Unrwa had a deficit of $101 million in its core
UNRWA budget, the General Fund, which was largely funded
by voluntary contributions. The Agency had taken
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency measures to ensure that its essential services in health,
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (unrwa) relief and sanitation could be delivered until the end of
continued to provide education, health, relief and 2015 to protect the public health and safety of Palestine
social services, and microfinance to the growing refugee and host communities. As at 3 August 2015,
refugee population in all its five geographical fields of however, unrwa lacked the funds to open its 685
operation—the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, schools that provided education for some 500,000
Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. Palestine refugee boys and girls in its five geographi-
Report of Commissioner-General. The cal fields of operation and its eight vocational training
Commissioner-General of unrwa, in his annual centres that provided training for some 7,000 young
report [A/71/13], noted a general deep sense of despair people. Unless the shortfall in the core General Fund
and insecurity that ran through the Palestine refugee budget was fully funded by the middle of August, the
community and, confronted with hopelessness and financial crisis was poised to force the suspension of
fear, amplified by the unresolved Palestinian refugee the landmark education programme of unrwa.
question. Without secured funding, the Agency lacked the
In Syria, as the armed conflict entered its sixth year ability to pay teachers and cover the expenses associ-
and intensified across multiple front lines. The wide- ated with operating its schools. That would directly
spread disregard for civilian lives had continued to affect refugee and host communities in Jordan,
result in increasing humanitarian and protection needs. Lebanon, the Syria, Gaza and the West Bank (includ-
The 560,000 Palestine refugees registered with unrwa ing East Jerusalem) and some 22,000 staff members
in Syria were among those worst affected, with hun- who would not be paid during the suspension, as well
dreds of thousands subjected to continued and repeated as the extended families whom they support.
displacement, and thousands in Yarmouk and Khan More than 97 per cent of the income of unrwa was
al-Shih exposed to active conflict and violence, in con- voluntarily contributed through three funding por-
Chapter VI: Middle East 213

tals: the core General Fund, which covered the costs payment of compensation, noted that it had nothing
of direct delivery of core services to a population of 5 to report since its previous submission.
million registered Palestine refugees; a project budget,
through which unrwa sought to meet infrastructural GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
requirements as well as provide technical assistance On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
and undertake monitoring and evaluation; and on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
emergency appeals to address the situation in the Oc- [A/70/496], adopted resolution 70/83 (Assistance
cupied Palestinian Territory and in Syria, Lebanon and to Palestine refugees) by recorded vote (167-1-11)
Jordan. The Commissioner-General proposed that an [agenda item 54].
emergency flash appeal be launched by the Secretary-
General, calling for the full funding of the Agency’s RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/83:
General Fund for 2015; and in order to address the In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar-
gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
chronic funding issues faced by the Agency for 2016 Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
and beyond, the annual unrwa pledging conference Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,
for 2016 be brought forward to October 2015 to draw Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo
attention to the scale and impact of the financial crisis. Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros,
Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Communication. In a 5 August letter [A/69/1000– Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
S/2015/603] to the Secretary-General and the Presidents Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea,
of the General Assembly and the Security Council, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia,
the State of Palestine drew the urgent attention of the Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
international community to the serious financial crisis Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
being experienced by unrwa. India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Advisory Commission. The unrwa Advisory Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Leso-
Commission in its comments on unrwa’s report on its tho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
2015 activities (see p. 212) noted that it was extremely Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mau-
concerned about the increasing volatility in the re- ritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands,
gion and the increasing violence, marginalization and New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman,
poverty that continued to affect Palestine refugees Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines,
across the five geographical fields of operations; the Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of
level of threats and attacks against unrwa person- Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts
nel in conflict areas, in particular threats to and at- and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
tacks on staff while delivering services; and about the Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
Agency’s lack of access to and information on its staff Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian
detained by certain authorities. Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav
The Commission noted with alarm the conditions Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad
facing Palestine refugees in Syria and recognized the and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United
additional strain on neighbouring countries result- Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet
ing from the arrival of Palestine refugees from Syria Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
—41,000 were in Lebanon at the end of 2015 and Against: Israel.
16,400 in Jordan. The Commission was concerned Abstaining: Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Côte
that settler violence had continued with relative d’Ivoire, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Para-
impunity, resulting in death, injuries and damages guay, United States, Vanuatu.
to private Palestinian property, including those of Financing
Palestine refugees. The Commission remained con-
cerned about persisting funding shortfalls, in par- In 2014, unrwa expended $1.29 billion. Staff
ticular for the unrwa programme budget, which costs of $651.5 million represented 50 per cent of
undermined the Agency’s efforts to promote human total expenses. The General Fund, restricted funds,
development and meet refugees’ needs. Microfinance Department and projects fund recorded
Report of Conciliation Commission. In deficits of $30.4 million, $15.0 million, $0.5 million
response to Assembly resolution 69/86 [YUN 2014, and $18.7 million, respectively.
p. 554], the United Nations Conciliation Commission Education remained the largest programme funded
for Palestine submitted, in its sixty-ninth report from the general fund, accounting for $487.5 million,
[A/70/319], covering the period from 1 September 2014 followed by relief and social services at $426.8 mil-
to 31 August 2015. The Commission, which was es- lion, support departments at $226.2 million; health
tablished by Assembly resolution 194(III) [YUN 1948– at $150.7 million; and infrastructure at $39.7 million.
49, p. 203] to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and An addendum to the Commissioner-General’s
economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and report on the work of unrwa in 2014 [A/70/5/Add.4]
214 Part One: Political and security questions

included the report of the Board of Auditors on the wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia,
financial statements of unrwa for the year ended on Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mau-
31 December 2014. ritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,
Working Group. The Working Group on the Fi- Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Neth-
nancing of unrwa was established by Assembly resolu- erlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,
tion 2656(XXV) [YUN 1970, p. 280] to study all aspects Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philip-
of the financing of unrwa. In 2013, its mandate was pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of
Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts
renewed until 30 June 2017 by Assembly resolution and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
68/76 [YUN 2013, p. 412]. In 2015, the Working Group Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
consisted of nine Member States and held five meet- Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
ings, on 1 July; 15 July; 6 August 2 and 17 September Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzer-
[A/70/379]. land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
The Working Group expressed its serious con- Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
cern at the large funding gap affecting the Agency’s Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
General Fund in 2015, and appreciated the efforts by United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vene-
the international community to close the projected zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
$101 million deficit facing the Agency, thereby ena- Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau,
bling continued education services in 2015 for some United States.
Abstaining: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Nauru, Paraguay, Vanuatu.
500,000 Palestine refugees. The Working Group en-
couraged the General Assembly to keep the Agency’s
programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017 Displaced persons
under review to ensure that the Agency was not Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/87 [YUN 2014,
further affected in its ability to deliver vital services p. 559] the Secretary-General submitted an August
to Palestine refugees. report [A/70/308] on persons displaced as a result of
The Working Group urged all potential donors, the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities.
whether traditional or non-traditional, to redou- On 14 May, the Secretary-General sought
ble their efforts to fully respond to the Agency’s information from Member States, including Israel, on
emergency appeal for 2015 and to the appeal for funds action taken or envisaged to implement the provisions
for reconstruction needs in Gaza resulting from the of Assembly resolutions 69/87 and 69/89 [YUN 2014,
hostilities of mid-2014. The Working Group was con- p. 563]. Unrwa was not involved in any arrangements
cerned about the inadequacy of project funding in for the return of unregistered refugees or displaced
view of the Agency’s urgent need to meet the needs persons. Its information was based on requests by
of a growing refugee population; it also deplored the returning registered refugees for the transfer of their
deaths of 14 unrwa staff in Syria since the beginning unrwa records from Jordan, Lebanon or Syria to the
of the conflict and the killing of 11 personnel in Gaza areas to which they had returned. Based on information
during the hostilities of mid-2014. obtained from the unrwa Commissioner-General for
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, 300
refugees registered with the Agency had returned to
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, the West Bank and 182 to the Gaza Strip from places
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee outside the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Some of
[A/70/496], adopted resolution 70/85 (Operations of those may not have been displaced in 1967, but may
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for have been displaced in earlier or later years or may
Palestine Refugees in the Near East) by recorded have been family members of a displaced registered
vote (169-6-5) [agenda item 54]. refugee. The number of displaced registered refugees
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/85: known by unrwa to have returned since June 1967
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar- amounted to approximately 36,110. The Agency was
gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, unable to estimate the total number of displaced in-
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, habitants who had returned, although it had kept rec-
Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, ords of registered refugees.
Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo
Verde, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, [A/70/496], adopted resolution 70/84 (Persons
France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subse-
Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, quent hostilities) by recorded vote (164-7-7) [agenda
Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Ku- item 54].
Chapter VI: Middle East 215

RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/84: In the labour market, women’s participation

In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar- rates remained low at 16 per cent (compared to
gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, 65.8 per cent for men) in Gaza and 18 per cent (com-
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,
pared to 71.3 per cent for men) in the West Bank.
Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Women’s unemployment rates remained high dur-
Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, ing the reporting period at 61 per cent in Gaza and
Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 26 per cent in the West Bank. In the Gaza, however,
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, the situation was particularly dire with unemploy-
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, ment rates of 86.3 per cent for young women and
Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Ger-
many, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, 51.8 per cent for young men. Discrimination within
Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ire- the workplace continued to persist: the average daily
land, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiri- wage for women represented 81.1 per cent of that for
bati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, men in 2013, demonstrating an increase of the wage
Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, gap of 5.7 percentage points compared to 2012.
Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mau-
ritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, In Gaza, the crisis had left health-care centres dam-
Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Neth- aged, without adequate medical equipment and stock,
erlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, and health-care providers unable to properly attend to
Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philip- the needs of women and girls requiring sexual and re-
pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic
of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and
productive health services. More than 45,000 pregnant
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, women were deprived of access to basic reproductive
San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sin- health services, and around 5,000 deliveries took place
gapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, in extremely poor conditions. The water and energy
Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab situation remained critical. Gaza’s only aquifer would
Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
become unusable as early as 2016, with the damage
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, irreversible by 2020; 95 per cent of water from the aq-
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United uifer was unfit for human consumption. For drinking,
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Ven- people either purchased desalinated water from tank-
ezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. ers or depended on small desalination units at home.
Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
lau, United States. In terms of education, the situation showed mixed
Abstaining: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, results. The adjusted net enrolment rate in primary
Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Paraguay. education in Palestine was 92.74 per cent in 2012, with
a gender parity index of 0.99. In the case of lower sec-
Palestinian women ondary education, the enrolment rate was 83.6 per cent
In a report to the 2015 session of the Commission and the index 1.06 with girls slightly outnumbering
on the Status of Women [E/CN.6/2015/5], submitted in boys. For upper secondary education the rate was 71.55
accordance with Economic and Social Council reso- and the index 1.24 in favour of girls. Prior to the crisis,
lution 2014/1 [YUN 2014, p. 562], the Secretary-General Gaza faced a shortage of almost 200 schools and two-
highlighted the situation of Palestinian women be- thirds of schools were operating on a double shift basis.
tween 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014 and The hostilities were expected to magnify the shortage
gave an overview of UN assistance in education and of classrooms as roughly 258 schools (including at
training; health; economic empowerment and liveli- least 75 unrwa schools) sustained damage and some
hoods; the rule of law and violence against women; schools were completely destroyed.
power and decision-making; and institutional While women continued to participate in a range of
development. roles in political life, they remained underrepresented
The conflict in July and August 2014 in Gaza— in formal decision-making bodies. As at Septem-
the third major conflict in six years— left an unprec- ber 2014, women held only three out of a total of 17
edented level of loss of life and destruction and had ministerial level posts in the Palestinian Government.
a devastating impact on women and their families, In the justice sector, women only accounted for
further increasing vulnerability and insecurity. Dis- 15 per cent of judges, 16 per cent of prosecutors and
placement proved especially difficult for women and 21 per cent of lawyers, with some drops registered
girls with reports of sexual harassment and gender- from the previous year when figures were 15, 19.5 and
based violence in shelters, limited privacy, compro- 32.5 per cent, respectively.
mised dignity and reduced access to hygiene. Psycho- In terms of rule of law, the existing legal frameworks
social distress levels, already high among the Gaza contained laws that were outdated and discriminated
population, had worsened significantly as a result of against women, particularly in matters of divorce and
the conflict and would require specialized support, es- child custody. Nineteen cases of femicide were reported
pecially for children and women. between January and September 2014, compared to 28
216 Part One: Political and security questions

cases for the whole year of 2013. The number of cases, August report [A/70/340] on Palestine refugees’ proper-
however, was most likely underreported. ties and their revenues. Argentina, Australia, Belgium,
In May 2014, the Palestinian President issued Japan, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea had replied
a decree that amended articles of the Penal Code to his request for information from Member States on
by removing provisions for leniency with regard to action taken or envisaged in relation to paragraph 4
murder in the name of so-called family honour. The of resolution 69/86 [YUN 2014, p. 554], paragraph 4 of
Palestinian Cabinet approved the National Referral resolution 69/87 [ibid. p. 559] and paragraphs 26 and
System for Women Victims of Violence (Takamol) 27 of resolution 69/88 [ibid. p. 556]. No information
in 2014 and the Office of the Attorney-General ap- had been received from Member States regarding the
pointed 15 trained prosecutors to investigate violence implementation of resolution 69/89.
against women cases.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
The United Nations continued its efforts to respond
to the range of development and humanitarian chal- On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
lenges. Priorities for the United Nations support to the on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
Palestinian people were outlined in a set of key doc- [A/70/496], adopted resolution 70/86 (Palestine
uments, including the United Nations Development refugees’ properties and their revenues) by re-
Assistance Framework for the State of Palestine 2014– corded vote (167-7-4) [agenda item 54].
2016, which was aligned with the Palestinian National RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/86:
Development Plan 2014–2016, and the 2014 Strategic In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar-
Response Plan for the occupied Palestinian territory, gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
which outlined the humanitarian programming. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
The Secretary-General noted that many observa- Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bra-
zil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
tions from previous reports still stood. Restrictions Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
on movement and access, increased settlement expan- Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba,
sion and settler violence, demolitions of Palestinian Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of
infrastructure and displacement, the fragmentation Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
of the territory and the closure of the Occupied Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland,
Palestinian Territory, particularly the Gaza Strip, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras,
continued to have a negative gender-differentiated Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy,
impact on the lives of Palestinian women and their Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Ku-
families. He also observed that the engagement of wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia,
Palestinian and Israeli women in the peace process Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
and talks had to be supported in accordance with Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mau-
ritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,
Security Council resolutions 1325(2000) [YUN 2000, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Neth-
p. 1113] and 2122(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 1109] on women, erlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,
peace and security. Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philip-
pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sa-
On 10 June [meeting 36], the Economic and Social moa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
on the Status of Women [E/2015/27], adopted res- Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzer-
olution 2015/13 (Situation of and assistance to land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
Palestinian women) by recorded vote (16-2-20) Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
[agenda item 19 (a)].
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2015/13: United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vene-
In favour: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Guatemala, India, Kuwait, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nepal, Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
Russian Federation, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe lau, United States.
Against: Australia, United States. Abstaining: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Paraguay, Vanuatu.
Abstaining: Albania, Austria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, France,
Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Pakistan,
Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden,
Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Lebanon

Property rights By the end of 2015, Lebanon had been without a

president for eighteen months. Thirty parliamentary
In response to Assembly resolution 69/89 sessions to elect a president had been inquorate ow-
[YUN 2014, p. 563], the Secretary-General submitted an ing to the continued boycott by Hizbullah and the
Chapter VI: Middle East 217

Free Patriotic Movement. On 30 September, the UN auspices, contributing to calming of tensions between
Secretary-General convened and chaired a ministerial the Sunni and Shia communities.
meeting of the International Support Group for The Special Tribunal for Lebanon continued to
Lebanon in New York in the presence of Lebanese present evidence at trial of the persons accused in
Prime Minister Tammam Salam. The participants connection with the 2005 killing of former Prime
expressed concern over the increasing difficulties Minister Rafiq Hariri [YUN 2005, p. 551].
faced by the Government and Parliament in taking
important decisions, which limited the impact of
international support to the country. Political and security developments
In addition, Lebanon continued to host the largest Security Council consideration (January-March).
number of Syrian refugees per capita in the world with The Security Council considered the situation in
1,078,338 registered refugees by the end of September. Lebanon, unifil and the implementation of Council
Violations of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial resolutions 1559(2004), 1680(2006) and 1701(2006)
integrity had continued along the country’s eastern in meetings held throughout the year.
borders as a direct result of the conflict in Syria. No On 15 January [S/PV.7360], in a briefing to the
progress was made towards the delineation of the Council, Assistant Secretary-General ad interim for
Lebanese-Syrian border, as called for in Security Political Affairs Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen said
Council resolutions 1680(2006) [YUN 2006, p. 571] and that two rounds of talks, facilitated by Parliament
1701(2006) [ibid., p. 583]. The delineation of the border Speaker Nabih Berri, had taken place between the
was crucial to extend the authority of the Government Future Movement and Hizbullah, aimed at calming
of Lebanon throughout all Lebanese territory and to sectarian tensions and resolve the deadlock over the
enable the Lebanese Armed Forces (laf) to secure bor- election of a new president for the country.
ders. Further, there had been no progress on the issue New procedures were formally introduced at entry
of the Shab’a Farms, the disputed agricultural area points on the Lebanese border with Syria, which, as a
where Lebanon, Syria and Israel converged. consequence, restricted the entry of refugees, except
The situation along the Blue Line and in the area for extreme humanitarian cases.
of operations of the United Nations Interim Force In an 18 February [S/PV.7386] briefing, Under-
in Lebanon (unifil) remained relatively calm. Both Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman
parties continued to work with unifil through the es- noted that the border with Syria remained impacted
tablished liaison and coordination arrangements even by security incidents and cross-border fighting. Laf
as Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace continued on shelled positions of armed militants in the Bekaa
a daily basis. Israel also continued to occupy northern outskirts of Arsal, Baalbeck and Al-Qaa. Politically,
Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line, in the dialogue between the Future Movement and
violation of Security Council resolutions 1559(2004) Hizbullah had led to consensus on security issues
[YUN 2004, p. 506] and 1701(2006) and of Lebanese and steps to lower sectarian tensions. Meetings be-
sovereignty. tween the leaders of Lebanon’s major Christian parties
During the year, laf and Lebanese security services continued, but without success on the presidential
worked together to maintain security in the country stalemate.
and arrested suspects alleged to had been involved
in acts of terrorism or attacks against laf. By year’s SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION

end, efforts to release the 26 soldiers and security per- On 19 March [meeting 7409], following consulta-
sonnel taken hostage by the Nusra Front and Islamic tions among Security Council members, the Pres-
State in Iraq and the Levant (isil) in Arsal in August ident made statement S/PRST/2015/7 on behalf of
2014 continued, but had not yet resulted in their re- the Council.
lease. No tangible progress had been made towards Security Council consideration (May–Decem-
the disbanding and disarming of Lebanese and non- ber). On 19 May [S/PV.7446], Special Coordinator
Lebanese militias, which lay at the heart of the sover- for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal
eignty and political independence of Lebanon. Representative of the Secretary-General Nickolay
In September, the first session of a parliamentary Mladenov said that Lebanon had been without a pres-
dialogue focussing on the issue of the vacuum in the ident for one year as at 25 May. The country had 1.2
Presidency and involving leaders of all political fac- million registered Syrian refugees, forming the high-
tions and co-chaired by Prime Minister Salam and est per capita concentration of refugees in the world,
Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri was held at the while the Lebanese-Syrian border remained impacted
Speaker’s initiative. Dialogue also continued between by incidents and infiltration attempts by armed ex-
the Future Movement—former Prime Minister Rafiq tremist groups. On 20 April, Lebanon received its
Hariri’s party, led after his death by his son Saad first shipment of military equipment from France,
Hariri—and Hizbullah under Speaker Nabih Berri’s financed by a $3 billion grant from Saudi Arabia.
218 Part One: Political and security questions

On 24 June [S/PV.7470], Under-Secretary-General Reports of Secretary-General (April and Oc-

for Political Affairs Feltman informed the Council tober). In April [S/2015/258], the Secretary-General,
that six months after the launch of the Lebanon in his twenty-first semi-annual report, remarked that
Crisis Response Plan, the United Nations had urged the conflict in Syria and its corresponding impact on
donors to fulfil existing pledges to assist the 1.2 mil- Lebanon continued to limit progress in the imple-
lion registered refugees and Lebanese host commu- mentation of the outstanding provisions of resolu-
nities. Along Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria, tion 1559(2004) and other resolutions pertaining to
Hizbullah had reportedly seized a number of posi- Lebanon. On 19 March, the Security Council adopted
tions from armed extremist groups, including isil and a presidential statement (see p. 217) in which, among
the Al-Nusra Front, in the region of Qalamoun up other things, expressed concern at violations of Leba-
to the outskirts of the town of Arsal. Laf had been non’s sovereignty, the stalemate in the election of Leb-
deployed in and around Arsal to prevent the fighting anon’s President, the impact of the conflict in the Syria
from reaching the town. On 19 August [S/PV.7506], on Lebanon’s security and stability, and condemned
Mr. Feltman again informed the Council that the acts of terrorism that had taken place in Lebanon.
situation along the Blue Line and in the unifil area The delineation of the Syrian-Lebanese border,
of operations had remained calm, despite Israeli vio- which was strongly encouraged by the Council in
lations of Lebanese air space on an almost daily basis. its resolution 1680(2006), remained pending, while
On 15 September [S/PV.7521], the Special Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias along the border
Coordinator, Mr. Mladenov, told the Council that the continued to pose a threat to the stability of the
United Nations welcomed the launch of a political country and the region. There were at least 45 cross-
leaders’ dialogue on 9 September to address key issues, border shooting incidents, seven incidents of cross-
including the presidency. border-shelling and 16 rocket attacks from the Syrian
In his 16 December [S/PV.7584] briefing to the side of the border, including air raids by the Syrian
Council, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Government in violation of Lebanese sovereignty
Affairs Miroslav Jenča noted that the release ofe and territorial integrity. The continued occupation
members of laf and Lebanese security services held by Israel of the northern part of the village of Gha-
hostage by the Al-Nusra Front since August 2014 was jar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line stood
a welcome development and hoped for the speedy re- in violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and reso-
lease of the remaining hostages held by isil. lutions 1559(2004) and 1701(2006); there was also
no progress on the Shab’a Farms issue with neither
Communication. In a 19 May letter [S/2015/353]
Syria nor Israel had yet responded with regard to the
to the Secretary-General and the Security Council
provisional definition of the area contained in the
President, Iran drew attention to the provocative and
Secretary-General’s report in 2007 [YUN 2007, p. 488].
aggressive statement made by the Defence Minister
Israel also continued to make almost daily overflights
of Israel, Moshe Yaalon, on 5 May, at the Shurat Ha-
over Lebanon in violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
Din Law of War Conference in Jerusalem, in which
he threatened to use nuclear bombs against Iran and While several groups across the political spectrum
to continue killing civilians, including women and in Lebanon possessed weapons outside government
children, in Gaza and Lebanon. control, the armed component of Hizbullah was the
most significant and most heavily armed Lebanese
In resolution 70/194 of 22 December (see p. 521),
militia in the country. The maintenance of arms by
the General Assembly reiterated its request to Israel to
Hizbullah and other groups continued to pose a se-
assume responsibility for compensation to Lebanon
rious challenge to the State’s ability to exercise full
and other countries affected by the oil slick on
sovereignty and authority over its territory.
Lebanese and Syrian shores caused by Israeli military
action in 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 1215]. The situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon
and the limited resources available to unrwa to assist
them remained a concern, particularly with the in-
Implementation of resolution 1559(2004) flux of 45,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria who
The Secretary-General submitted his twenty-first had fled the violence there. Once again, no sessions of
and twenty-second semi-annual reports on the imple- the National Dialogue were held during the reporting
mentation of Security Council resolution 1559(2004) period—another tangible effect of the continued
[YUN 2004, p. 506], which called for strict respect of the vacuum in the presidency.
sovereignty, territorial integrity, unity and political In October, the Secretary-General submitted his
independence of Lebanon under the sole and exclu- twenty-second semi-annual report [S/2015/764] on the
sive authority of the Government, the withdrawal of implementation of resolution 1559(2004).
all remaining foreign forces from Lebanon, and the The presidency of Lebanon had been vacant for
disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and over 16 months and while Parliament had been called
non-Lebanese militias. into session 28 occasions to elect a president, owing
Chapter VI: Middle East 219

to the lack of quorum due to the boycott of the ses- regional donors, to fulfil their burden-sharing respon-
sions by the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah, sibilities by contributing generously through the crisis
the presidency remained vacant. The delineation of response plan and the other mechanisms addressed
the Lebanese-Syrian border encouraged by Security at the Third International Humanitarian Pledging
Council resolution 1680(2006) remained pending; Conference (Kuwait, 31 March).
while the existence and activities of Lebanese and
non-Lebanese militias along the border continued
to pose a threat to the stability of Lebanon and the
Implementation of resolution 1701(2006)
region. In August, the seventeenth dialogue between and UNIFIL activities
the Future Movement and Hizbullah was held and, Security Council resolution 1701(2006)
although no solutions to various political issues had [YUN 2006, p. 583], which was approved by both the
emerged from the talks, the continuation of the di- Lebanese and the Israeli Governments, brought about
alogue had contributed to a reduction of tensions a ceasefire, effective 14 August 2006, between Israel
between various groups in the country. There were and Hizbullah after a month-long conflict that caused
at least 96 cross-border shooting incidents, nine in- hundreds of civilian deaths and major infrastructure
cidents of cross-border-shelling, three rocket attacks damage throughout Lebanon. By the same resolu-
from the Syrian side of the border and eight at- tion, the Council expanded the mandate of unifil to
tempted incursions by militants, including air raids undertake substantial new tasks, in addition to tasks
by the Syrian Government in violation of Lebanese mandated under resolutions 425(1978) [YUN 1978,
sovereignty and territorial integrity. Israel continued p. 312] and 426(1978) [ibid.], and authorized an in-
its occupation of the northern part of the village of crease in unifil strength from 2,000 to a maximum
Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line of 15,000 troops. The Secretary-General updated
in violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and res- the Council on the implementation of resolution
olutions 1559(2004) and 1701(2006); there was also 1701(2006) in three periodic reports during the year.
no progress on the issue of the Shab’a Farms area and
Unifil was established by Council resolution
neither Syria nor Israel had yet responded to the provi-
sional definition of the area contained in report of the 425(1978), following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon
[YUN 1978, p. 296]. The Force was originally entrusted
Secretary-General in 2007 [YUN 2007, p. 488]. Israel’s
unmanned aerial vehicles and fixed-wing aircraft con- with confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces, re-
tinued to make almost daily overflights over Lebanon storing international peace and security, and assist-
in violation of Lebanese sovereignty. ing Lebanon in regaining authority in the southern
part of the country. Following a second invasion in
While the Secretary-General repeatedly expressed
1982 [YUN 1982, p. 425], the Council, in resolution
deep concern to Lebanese leaders about the serious
511(1982) [ibid., p. 450], authorized the Force to carry
risks that armed groups posed to the stability of
out the additional task of providing protection and
the country and the region, Hizbullah claimed that
humanitarian assistance to the local population. After
its military capacity was separate from that of the
the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon in 2000
Lebanese State and that its arms served as a deterrent
[YUN 2000, p. 465], unifil was reinforced in order to
against potential aggression from Israel.
monitor those territories previously occupied by Israel,
The security situation in the Palestinian refugee to prevent the recurrence of fighting and to create con-
camps was relatively calm, with the exception of ditions for the restoration of Lebanese authority in
Ein El-Hilweh camp, where two people were killed
the area.
on 18 June when fighting broke out between two
groups. The presence of Palestinian armed groups Communications. Throughout the year,
outside the camps, however, continued to challenge Lebanon reported on Israeli violations of resolution
the ability of Lebanon to exercise full sovereignty over 1701(2006) by air, land and sea, which resulted in the
its territory. The Secretary-General noted the work of loss of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity
the Palestinian joint security force in preventing an [A/69/715-S/2015/5; A/69/714-S/2015/8; A/69/742-S/2015/50;
even graver escalation of conflict on several occasions A/69/754–S/2015/69; A/69/757-S/2015/86; A/69/803-S/2015/150;
in Ein El-Hilweh camp and welcomed the renewed A/69/852-S/2015/226; A/69/894-S/2015/319; A/69/899–S/2015/328;
commitment of Palestinian leaders to disassociate the A/69/933–S/2015/427; A/69/935-S/2015/428; A/69/978-S/2015/513;
Palestinian camps in Lebanon from the violence in A/69/980-S/2015/527; A/69/997-S/2015/591; A/69/1015-S/2015/657;
Syria the and the region more broadly. The Secretary- A/70/413-S/2015/758; A/70/449-S/2015/828; A/70/577-S/2015/912;
General called upon Israel to adhere to its obligations A/70/670-S/2015/1051].
under relevant Security Council resolutions: to with- Israel, in communications sent during the year,
draw its forces from the northern part of the village responded to some of Lebanon’s letters and reported
of Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line; on Lebanese violations of Israeli sovereignty [S/2015/45;
and to cease its overflights of Lebanese airspace. He S/2015/58; S/2015/104; S/2015/304; S/2015/382; S/2015/450;
also strongly encouraged Member States, including S/2015/514; S/2015/1003; S/2015/1045].
220 Part One: Political and security questions

Report of Secretary-General. In February, the Unifil generally enjoyed freedom of movement

Secretary-General submitted his report[S/2015/147] on throughout its area of operations. There were how-
the implementation of Security Council resolution ever two serious incidents during the period in which
1701(2006), covering the period from 6 November unifil patrols were assaulted by men with unauthor-
2014 to 27 February 2015. ized weapons and unifil patrols encountered four
A serious breach of the cessation of hostilities be- instances of aggressive behaviour. Despite those in-
tween Lebanon and Israel occurred on 28 January, cidents, unifil relations with the local population
when Hizbullah launched several anti-tank guided remained generally positive and the Force continued
missiles from the unifil area of operations towards to implement and monitor quick-impact projects in
an Israeli military convoy south of the Blue Line in the support of its mandate, including projects undertaken
vicinity of the Shab’a Farms area. Two Israeli soldiers by troop-contributing countries.
were killed and several other soldiers and civilians in- Unifil and laf continued to carry out their daily
jured in the attack. Subsequent fire by Israel Defense coordinated activities between the Blue Line and the
Forces (idf) into Lebanon killed a peacekeeper from Litani River.
unifil; the Council condemned the death. Rockets The unifil Maritime Task Force continued to
were then fired from the unifil area of operations and carry out its dual mandate of conducting maritime in-
further shelling by idf ensued before the firing ceased. terdiction operations and training laf. The maritime
In spite of the serious violation, Israel and Lebanon border between Israel and Lebanon was disputed and
reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation unifil had no mandate to monitor the line of buoys,
of resolution 1701(2006) and to the stability of the which was installed unilaterally by Israel and was not
Blue Line area. recognized by Lebanon. Unifil continued the process
There had been continued violence in and around of visibly marking the Blue Line. As at 9 February, out
the town of Arsal, including car bombs and attacks of a total of 527 markers assessed for the entire length
on laf, whose members continued to be held hostage of the Blue Line, 313 were agreed by both parties. Of
near Arsal by the Nusra Front and isil. the 313 agreed points, unifil had cleared access lanes
As at 1 February, there were over 1,168,000 Syrian to 312 points from mines and unexploded ordnance,
refugees registered with the Office of the United measured 241 points, constructed 229 points and ver-
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) in ified 208 points.
Lebanon, an increase of approximately 30,000 since As at 9 February, the total military strength of
November 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 571]. However, there had unifil was 10,171, including 366 women, supported
been an overall decline in the number of refugees be- by 59 military observers, including three women, of
ing registered as a result of new restrictions on entry the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
into Lebanon. (untso). The civilian component consisted of 278
There had been nineteen sessions of Parliament to international and 607 national staff, including 82 and
elect a new president, but owing to the lack of a quo- 156 women, respectively.
rum resulting from the absence of members of Parlia- The Secretary-General observed that the impact of
ment from the Hizbullah-led 8 March bloc, the par- events in Syria continued to harm Lebanon’s security,
liamentary process had been blocked. Five sessions of political stability and economy.
dialogue initiated by Speaker Nabih Berri in Decem- Communication. In a 16 March letter [S/2015/184]
ber 2014 continued between the Future Movement to the Secretary-General and the Security Council
and Hizbullah aimed at measures to lower tensions be- President, Syria transmitted its comments on the
tween the Sunni and Shia communities, and agreeing Secretary-General’s February report on the implemen-
on a mechanism to elect a new president for Lebanon. tation of resolution 1701(2006) (see above) noting it was
Air violations by Israel, mostly by unmanned aerial surprised that the Secretariat persisted in mentioning
vehicles, continued almost daily in violation of resolu- Syria in its reports, while 1701(2006) was adopted as a
tion 1701(2006) and of Lebanese sovereignty. Unifil result of Israel’s military aggression against Lebanon.
protested to idf, but Israeli authorities claimed that Accordingly, reports of the Secretariat should conform
the reconnaissance overflights were necessary security to the mandate set out in the resolution, instead of
measures. deviating from its primary objective.
Israel also continued to occupy northern Gha- Reports of Secretary-General (June and No-
jar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line, in vember). In June, the Secretary-General submitted
violation of resolution 1701(2006) and of Lebanese his second report of the year [S/2015/475] on the imple-
sovereignty. Israel was yet to respond to the unifil mentation of Security Council resolution 1701(2006),
proposal regarding security arrangements aimed at covering the period from 28 February to 26 June 2015.
facilitating idf withdrawal from the area, submitted In May, Lebanon marked one year without a pres-
to both parties on 25 June 2011; laf had informed ident. Twenty-four parliamentary sessions to elect a
unifil of its approval the same year [YUN 2011, p. 463]. new president had been inquorate owing to the con-
Chapter VI: Middle East 221

tinued boycott of the proceedings by members of with the Hizbullah Resistance Brigades on 5 April
Hizbullah and of the Free Patriotic Movement from and a series of other assassination attempts.
the 8 March bloc. The unifil area of operations re- During the reporting period, there was an increase
mained generally calm and stable despite the tense in cross-border fire from Syria into Lebanon, with 87
regional context and following the serious breach incidents of shooting, 10 incidents of shelling and
of the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and 10 rockets fired into Lebanon, and at least 22 air-
Israel on 28 January (see p. 220). Fighting between strikes by Syrian Government aircraft on Lebanese
Hizbullah and extremist armed groups from Syria, territory. In April, the first shipment of French arms
including the Nusra Front and isil, in the border re- under the $3 billion grant from Saudi Arabia arrived
gion of Qalamoun, presented an ongoing risk for the in Lebanon.
safety of the populations living in the Beqaa, particu- Conditions for refugees in Lebanon had deterio-
larly the town of Arsal. Laf deployed heavily around rated. Women and children constituted 80 per cent
the town and clashed with extremist armed groups, of the refugee population. Reports continued of early
including the Nusra Front and isil. Security plans and forced marriage, and survival sex, particularly
for the southern Beqaa valley and southern suburbs among refugee women and girls. Two thirds of the
of Beirut continued to be implemented and negotia- 53,000 children born to Syrian refugee parents since
tions to secure the safe release of Lebanese soldiers and March 2011 did not have a birth certificate.
security personnel seized by the Nusra Front and isil Unifil cleared more than 468 square metres of
in August 2014 continued. land contaminated with mines to provide access to
As at 4 June, there were 1,171,929 Syrian refugees Blue Line points during the period from 28 Febru-
registered with unhcr in Lebanon. In May, Lebanon ary to 10 June. In addition, 15 anti-personnel mines
asked unhcr to suspend registration of new refugees. were located and destroyed. Furthermore, the United
Ground violations of the Blue Line, mainly in the areas Nations Mine Action Service team conducted 12 val-
of Shab’a Farms, and mostly by shepherds and farm- idation events, 26 quality assurance visits to opera-
ers, were consistent with the seasonal pattern of the tional or completed sites, 6 training support events
corresponding period of the previous year. The most and 113 coordination meetings, briefings and demon-
serious ground violation of the Blue Line occurred on strations. No progress was made in delineating or de-
10 March, when six men in civilian attire, later iden- marcating the Lebanese-Syrian border, including in
tified as part of laf intelligence branch, crossed south areas where it was uncertain or disputed, as called for
of the Blue Line. Idf fired several warning shots before in Council resolutions 1680(2006) and 1701(2006).
the men returned north of the Blue Line. As at 31 May, the total military strength of unifil
Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace continued was 10,463 including 398 women, from 39 troop-
almost daily. Israel also continued to occupy northern contributing countries, supported by 52 untso military
Ghajar and an adjacent area north of the Blue Line, observers, including four women. The civilian compo-
in violation of resolution 1701(2006) and of Lebanese nent consisted of 272 international and 600 national
sovereignty. Israel had yet to respond to the unifil staff, including 82 and 150 women, respectively.
proposal regarding security arrangements aimed at The Secretary-General observed that it was a mat-
facilitating idf withdrawal from the area, submitted ter of serious concern that Israel continued to violate
to both parties on 25 June 2011; laf had informed Lebanese airspace on an almost daily basis; while
unifil of its approval the same year. he reminded the Lebanese authorities of their pri-
Unifil relations with the local population remained mary responsibility to ensure that the area between
largely positive; among its various initiatives unifil the Litani River and the Blue Line was free of un-
collaborated with undp in organizing training for 50 authorized weapons. He remained concerned about
municipal police officials to further good governance the threat posed by violent extremist groups to the
in southern Lebanon. Unifil continued to work with Lebanese population living in eastern areas bordering
the parties to erect visible markers along the Blue Line. Syria, and condemned the participation of Lebanese
Hizbullah continued to acknowledge publicly that citizens in the conflict in Syria in breach of the policy
it maintained a substantial and sophisticated military of disassociation adopted by Lebanon and of the prin-
capacity separate from that of the Lebanese State, a ciples in the Baabda Declaration [YUN 2012, p. 422].
capacity Hizbullah said served as a deterrent against In November, in his third report of the year
potential aggression from Israel. There had been no [S/2015/837] on the implementation of Council reso-
progress on the dismantling of military bases main- lution 1701(2006) covering the period from 25 June
tained by the Popular Front for the Liberation of to 4 November, the Secretary-General noted that the
Palestine-General Command and Fatah al-Intifada. security situation along the Blue Line and in the area
The situation in the Palestinian camp of Ein El- of operations of unifil had generally remained calm,
Hilweh had been tense during the reporting period without progress, however, on the outstanding obli-
following the murder of a Lebanese national affiliated gations of Lebanon and Israel under the resolution
222 Part One: Political and security questions

and no movement towards a permanent ceasefire. the National Dialogue were implemented, specifically
Lebanon had been without a president for more than those relating to the disarmament of non-Lebanese
five hundred days and thirty parliamentary sessions groups and the dismantling of the bases of the
to elect a president had been inquorate owing to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General
continued boycott by members of Hizbullah and the Command and Fatah al Intifada. The Secretary-
Free Patriotic Movement. General welcomed the continued commitment of the
During the reporting period, most ground viola- Palestinian leadership to disassociate the Palestinian
tions of the Blue Line were carried out by Lebanese camps in Lebanon from the violence in the region,
shepherds and farmers, particularly in the Shab’a while observing that the economic, humanitarian,
Farms area (Sector East) and near Rumaysh (Sector social and security challenges facing Lebanon were
West), respectively, and by fishermen or swimmers in considerable and mounting as each year of the Syrian
the Wazzani River (Sector East). On two occasions, conflict passed without resolution.
idf violated the Blue Line and Israeli overflights of Communication. In notes verbales of 2 April
Lebanese airspace continued in violation of resolution [S/2015/232] and of 15 September [S/2015/721] to the
1701(2006) and of Lebanese sovereignty. Israel also Security Council President, the League of Arab
continued to occupy northern Ghajar and an adjacent States shared details of resolutions on solidarity with
area north of the Blue Line and was yet to respond to and support for Lebanon and developments in the
the unifil proposal regarding security arrangements situation in Syria, Yemen and Lybia, it had adopted
aimed at facilitating idf withdrawal from the area, at its summit meeting (Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt,
submitted to both parties on 25 June 2011. 28–29 March) and at its ministerial meeting (Cairo,
As at 30 September, 1,078,338 Syrian refugees 13–14 September).
were registered in Lebanon, a reduction of some
93,000 refugees since June. UNIFIL
Israel and Lebanon continued to engage with unifil
at all levels in a constructive and positive manner, how- Extension of UNIFIL mandate. On 5 August
ever, there was no progress towards the establishment [S/2015/598], the Secretary-General requested the
of a unifil liaison office in Tel Aviv. Unifil made Security Council to consider the renewal for one year
progress with the parties in establishing markers along of the mandate of unifil, which was due to expire on
the Blue Line. As at 20 October, the number of Blue 31 August. On 21 August, by resolution 2236(2015)
Line points agreed upon by the parties for marking re- (see below), the Council extended the mandate for one
mained 313 out of a total of 527. Of the agreed points, year, until 31 August 2016.
unifil demining teams had cleared access to 312, of As at 24 July, unpaid assessed contributions to the
which 249 had been measured. Additional Blue Line Special Account for unifil amounted to $97.1 mil-
markers were constructed by unifil and verified by the lion and amounts owed to unifil troop-contributors
parties during the period, bringing the overall number totalled $26.9 million. Reimbursements of troop and
of markers to 237 constructed and 224 verified. contingent-owned equipment costs had been made for
As at 20 October, the total military strength of the periods up to 30 April and 31 March, respectively,
unifil was 10,727 from 39 troop-contributing in accordance with the quarterly payment schedule.
countries, including 423 women, supported by 53 Letter of Secretary-General. In a 26 June letter
untso military observers, including three women. [S/2015/494] to the President of the Security Council,
The civilian component consisted of 257 international the Secretary-General informed that in the absence
and 583 national personnel including 76 and 148 of a demining component within the United Nations
women, respectively. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and on the basis of an
The Secretary-General remained deeply concerned initial risk assessment made by the United Nations
at the vacuum in the Presidency, which was respon- Mine Action Service, he had dispatched to Cyprus
sible for weakening the country’s institutions and its as a matter of urgency a small unit of Cambodian
ability to respond to the substantial challenges. Five deminers serving in unifil to conduct a clearance
years into the Syrian conflict, while the rising poverty operation, under the framework of Inter-Mission
rates and increased vulnerability among refugees and Cooperation. The Council took note of the letter on
host populations was concerning, the Lebanese people 30 June [S/2015/495].
had been generous in granting safety and assistance
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
to those seeking it, in full respect of the principle of
non-refoulement. The Secretary-General observed On 21 August [meeting 7509], the Security Council
that the maintenance of arms by Hizbullah and other unanimously adopted resolution 2236(2015). The
groups outside the control of the State continued to draft [S/2015/652] was submitted by France, Italy, Jor-
pose a serious threat to Lebanese sovereignty and sta- dan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Spain, the United King-
bility. It remained important that earlier decisions of dom and the United States.
Chapter VI: Middle East 223

Financing On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly

The General Assembly had before it the Secretary- decided that the agenda item on unifil financing
General’s performance report on the budget of unifil would remain for consideration during its seventieth
for the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 (2016) session.
[A/69/606]. Expenditures amounted to $491.9 million,
representing an almost full utilization of resources, Special Tribunal for Lebanon
leaving an unencumbered balance of $722,300.
The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was established in
In January [A/69/731], the Secretary-General sub- 2007 [YUN 2007, p. 505] to investigate and prosecute the
mitted the budget of unifil for the period from 1 July perpetrators of the terrorist bombing on 14 February
2015 to 30 June 2016, amounting to $517,553,200. 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 551] that resulted in the death of
The budget provided for the deployment of 15,000 former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and 21
military personnel, 275 international staff and 635 others as well as injuring 226 more in Beirut. It suc-
national staff. ceeded the United Nations International Independent
In April [A/69/839/Add.8], the Advisory Committee Investigation Commission, which was established by
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq) Security Council resolution 1595(2005) [ibid., p. 553]. The
recommended that the unencumbered balance of Tribunal consisted of the Chambers, the Office of the
$722,300 as well as other income and adjustments Prosecutor, the Defence Office and the Registry. Since
in the amount of $9,302,300 be credited to Member 16 January 2014, when the Special Tribunal opened the
States. It also recommended that the Assembly appro- in absentia trial of the persons accused in connection
priate $514,059,300 for the maintenance of unifil with the killing of Prime Minister Hariri, 199 witnesses
for the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 if the had given evidence and over 1,200 exhibits had been
Security Council decided to extend the mandate of admitted. In December 2014, the Secretary-General
unifil beyond 31 August 2015. extended the mandate of the Tribunal for a period of
three years beginning 1 March 2015.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on

the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative and
Budgetary) Committee [A/69/954], adopted resolution Syrian Arab Republic
69/302 (Financing of the United Nations Interim
Force in Lebanon) by recorded vote (137-3-0) [agenda In 2015, the conflict in Syria entered its fifth year
item 161 (b)]. with over a quarter of a million people killed, and
some 6.5 million people internally displaced. Of the
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 69/302: 4.5 million people living in hard-to-reach areas, some
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and 393,700 remained besieged in the country, while
Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and some 13.5 million people were in need of some form
Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina of humanitarian or protection assistance, including
Faso, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa some six million children. All parties to the conflict
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, disregarded international humanitarian law and the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, obligation to protect civilians. By the end of the year,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea,
Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany,
French, Russian and United States-led coalition forces
Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, were operating in Syria.
Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, It- Following discussions in Vienna in October and
aly, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, November, the International Syria Support Group—
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jor-
Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mo- dan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
naco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Namibia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom,
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Ni- the United States, the European Union, the League
geria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, of Arab States and the United Nations—tasked
Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of the United Nations to bring together the Syrian
Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vin-
cent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
Government and the opposition; as well as explore
Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri modalities for a nationwide ceasefire to run in parallel
Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab with a renewed political process along the lines of the
Republic, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tur- key principles of the 2012 on the final communiqué of
key, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United King- the Action Group for Syria, also known as the Geneva
dom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet communiqué [YUN 2012, p. 448].
Nam, Zimbabwe.
Against: Canada, Israel, United States. During the year, the Security Council issued two
Abstaining: None. presidential statements and adopted four resolutions.
224 Part One: Political and security questions

A resolution in August recommended the estab- Security Council consideration. The Council
lishment and operation of an Organization for the discussed the situation in Syria in meetings held
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (opcw)-United on 28 January [S/PV.7369], 26 February [S/PV.7394],
Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism; a resolution 26 March [S/PV.7418], 28 May [S/PV.7452], 29 June
in November urged Member States to intensify efforts [S/PV.7476], 28 July [S/PV.7493], 29 July [S/PV.7497],
to prevent foreign terrorist fighters from entering Iraq 7 August [S/PV.7501], 17 August [S/PV.7504], 27 Au-
and Syria and to prevent and suppress the financing gust [S/PV.7513], 16 September [S/PV.7524], 27 October
of terrorism; and two more resolutions in December [S/PV.7543], 16 November [S/PV.7560], 18 December
endorsed the Vienna Statements of 30 October and [S/PV.7588], 21 December [S/PV.7592] and 22 Decem-
14 November in pursuit of the full implementation ber [S/PV.7595].
of the 2012 Geneva Communiqué as the basis for a
Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition; and Implementation of resolutions 2139(2014),
demanded that all parties to the conflict comply with 2165(2014) and 2191(2014)
their obligations under international law. Report of Secretary-General. In Febru-
ary [S/2015/124], pursuant toCouncil resolutions
Political and security developments 2139(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 578], 2165(2014) [YUN 2014,
p. 583] and 2191(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 590], in which the
Communications. Throughout the year, Syria, Council requested the Secretary-General to report to
in a series of letters [A/69/717-S/2015/7; A/69/724-S/2015/20; it every 30 days on the implementation of the reso-
A /69/744-S/2015/59; S/2015/61; A /69/758-S/2015/83; lution by all parties in Syria, the Secretary-General
A/69/770-S/2015/96, S/2015/132, S/2015/136, A/69/795–S/2015/137, provided information on the humanitarian situation
A/69/804–S/2015/152, A/69/816–S/2015/171, A/69/833–S/2015/201, in the country covering the period from 1 to 31 Jan-
A/69/836–S/2015/204, A/69/835–S/2015/205, S/2015/294] uary 2015. The information was based on the data
brought to the attention of the Secretary-General available to United Nations on the ground and reports
and the Security Council President interference from open sources and from the Syrian Government.
by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the Syrian crisis;
The Secretary-General noted that after nearly
the presence in Syria of terrorist groups, including
four years of fighting and one year since the adop-
the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil) and
tion of 2139(2014), the situation for the people in
organizations affiliated with Al-Qaida, which car-
Syria continued to deteriorate. Widespread conflict
ried out attacks in Damascus, Aleppo and other cities
and high levels of violence continued throughout the
and villages; and Syria’s position on the eleventh
country during the reporting period, particularly in
report of the Secretary-General [YUN 2014, p. 580] and Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Rif Dimashq,
the twelfth report (see below) on the implementation Damascus, Al-Hasakeh, Idlib, Dar’a, Quneitra and
of Council resolutions 2139(2014), 2165(2014) and Raqqa. Indiscriminate aerial bombings, including
2191(2014). the use of barrel bombs by Government forces and
In a series of letters [S/2015/57; S/2015/94; S/2015/107; indiscriminate shelling by armed opposition, extrem-
S/2015/133; S/2015/160; S/2015/181; S/2015/190 and S/2015/214] ist and terrorist groups such as isil and the Nusra
transmitted by Turkey, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Front, resulted in deaths, injuries and displacement
Lithuania and Luxembourg to the Security Council of civilians. Shelling and aerial bombardment, in-
President, the Syrian Coalition expressed its concern cluding with barrel bombs, by pro-government
about the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria forces and mortar, rocket and gas canister attacks
and the growing violence perpetrated by Syrian forces by armed opposition groups continued in Aleppo;
and foreign terrorist groups; the Syrian Government’s while in opposition-controlled areas in other gover-
systematic use of chemical weapons, barrel bombs and norates, Government forces carried out shelling and
cluster munitions in civilian-occupied areas; and the aerial bombardment. There had been fourteen attacks
slaughter unfolding in the Syrian suburb of Douma, with improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne
eastern Ghouta and Aleppo. improvised explosive devices. Since the end of Decem-
On 22 February [S/2015/127], Turkey informed the ber 2014, an influx of some 9,000 people had been
Secretary-General and the Security Council President reported from several towns in the Ghouta area to
that facing an imminent threat from isil, the Turkish collective shelters in Rif Dimashq.
armed forces conducted a military operation for the Some 12.2 million people required humanitarian
relocation of the Süleyman Şah Memorial Outpost, a assistance in Syria, while some 7.6 million people were
10-acre area of land of Turkish territory inside Syria. internally displaced, and more than 3.8 million Syr-
On 15 March [S/2015/183], Syria informed the ians had fled to neighbouring countries and North
Secretary-General and the Security Council President Africa. Despite the extremely challenging operating
that it rejected the allegation levelled by Turkey in its environment, United Nations and partners continued
22 February letter (see above). to reach millions of people in need in the month of
Chapter VI: Middle East 225

January. Of the 4.8 million people in hard-to-reach people besieged by non-State armed groups in Nubul
areas, however, some 212,000 people remained be- and Zahraa. In February, no food, non-food items or
sieged in the country, with Government forces be- medical assistance reached any besieged locations.
sieging 185,500 people in eastern Ghouta, Darayya The Secretary-General was concerned that condi-
and Yarmouk, and non-state armed groups besieging tions had deteriorated for the besieged people and noted
26,500 people in Nubul and Zahraa. that his Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura,
Meetings were held between opposition groups continued to work to bring about a suspension of vio-
in Cairo, on 23 and 24 January, and between select lence in Aleppo and while the proposed freeze was not
members of the opposition and the Government, an end in itself, it was meant as a confidence-building
in Moscow, from 26 to 29 January that called for a step leading to an inclusive, Syrian-led political process
political solution based on the Geneva communiqué based on the Geneva communiqué of 2012.
[YUN 2012, p. 448]. Communication. In a 31 March [S/2015/221] letter,
The Secretary-General observed that the conflict Canada informed the Security Council President that
had become business as usual and said that progress it was taking necessary and proportionate measures in
had to be achieved in five areas: lifting the siege on Syria in support of the collective self-defence of Iraq,
212,000 people; ensuring access for the delivery in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations
of medical and surgical supplies to all parts of the Charter.
country; ending the practice of using the denial of key Report of Secretary-General. In his April
services as a weapon of war; rebuilding the education report [S/2015/264] covering the period from 1 to
system in Syria; and addressing the relentless and 31 March, on the implementation of Council reso-
indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including through lutions 2139(2014), 2165(2014) and 2191(2014) the
the use of barrel bombs. Secretary-General said that indiscriminate aerial
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION bombings, including the use of barrel bombs, by
Government forces and indiscriminate shelling by isil
On 12 February [meeting 7379], the Security Council and the Nusra Front continued as part of widespread
unanimously adopted resolution 2199(2015). The conflict in Syria.
draft [S/2015/100] was submitted by 56 Member States.
The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and
Report of Secretary-General. In his March Opposition Forces (Syrian Coalition) alleged that
report [S/2015/206] on the implementation of Council Government forces used a chlorine agent during at-
resolutions 2139(2014), 2165(2014) and 2191(2014), tacks in Idlib governorate in March, a claim denied
the Secretary-General said that widespread conflict by the Syrian Government. Fighting and shelling
and high levels of violence continued throughout between Government forces and non-State armed
Syria in February. Indiscriminate aerial bombings, groups inside Aleppo city continued. Government
including the use of barrel bombs, by Government forces continued the aerial bombardment of areas in
forces and indiscriminate shelling by non-State armed Rif Dimashq.
groups and extremist and listed terrorist groups—isil Non-State armed groups continued to fire mor-
and the Nusra Front—resulted in deaths, injuries and tars and rockets on Damascus city. In particular,
displacement of civilians. Jaish al-Islam continued to attack Government posi-
Tens of thousands of people were displaced by tions and areas populated by civilians in Ladhiqiyah
fighting in February in Al-Hasakeh governorate, governorate using homemade rockets, while the use
Dar’a, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo governorates. The of improvised explosive devices and vehicle-borne
Nusra Front and isil continued to violate international improvised explosive devices continued.
humanitarian law and commit human rights abuses For the tenth month in a row, the United Nations
in areas in which they exercised control, including ex- Children’s Fund (unicef) was unable to send water
ecutions, abductions and restrictions on fundamental treatment materials to Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa gov-
freedoms. ernorates owing to the difficulty of delivering hu-
Some 12.2 million people required humanitarian manitarian supplies through areas controlled by
assistance in Syria, while about 7.6 million people were isil. The World Food Programme continued to halt
internally displaced, and more than 3.9 million people deliveries to areas controlled by isil, affecting some
had fled Syria to neighbouring countries and North 700,000 people in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakeh and
Africa. The number of ngos authorized to partner with Aleppo governorates. As at 31 March, 116 authorized
the United Nations increased from 107 as at 1 Decem- national ngos were operating through 174 branches
ber 2014 to 114 as at 28 February 2015. Of the 4.8 under complex procedures in partnering with United
million people in hard-to-reach areas, some 212,000 Nations agencies.
people remained besieged in the country, including The Secretary-General was appalled at the
185,500 people besieged by Government forces in collective punishment being meted out to people in
eastern Ghouta, Darayya and Yarmouk; and 26,500 Syria who were purposefully denied water, electricity
226 Part One: Political and security questions

and basic services and made a special plea to the Syrian the State of Palestine conveyed the grave concerns of
Government for protection and assistance to the espe- the Palestinian leadership about the dire situation of
cially vulnerable Palestinian refugee population in the Palestine refugees in Syria as a result of the armed
Yarmouk camp in Damascus. conflict there; and called the international communi-
Communications. In identical letters of 1 April ty’s attention to the humanitarian catastrophe in the
[A/69/855–S/2015/228] to the Secretary-General and the Yarmouk refugee camp.
Security Council President, Syria noted that terror- In identical notes verbales of 14 April [A/69/873–​
ist groups, including isil, the Nusra Front, the Free S/2015/254] to the Secretary-General and the Council
Army, Army of Islam and the Islamic Front, carried President, Jordan brought attention to the security,
out an attack against the village of Mab’ujah in the political and humanitarian situation in Syria that had
countryside of Salamiyah, killing more than 60 civil- continued to deteriorate as a result of the Syrian Gov-
ians, the majority of whom were children and women, ernment’s daily acts against its own people, flagrantly
and gravely injuring dozens of others. and repeatedly violating the provisions of international
Germany, in a 1 April letter [S/2015/230] to the humanitarian law and the relevant Security Council
Council President, transmitted a letter from the resolutions.
Syrian Coalition drawing attention to a new set of In letters of 17 April [S/2015/265] and 24 April
chlorine gas attacks perpetrated by Syrian forces in [S/2015/277] to the Security Council President, the
and near the Syrian province of Idlib. United Kingdom and Qatar transmitted letters from
the Syrian Coalition drawing attention to chemical
In identical letters of 2 April [A/69/862–S/2015/233]
weapons attacks by Syrian aerial forces in the Syrian
to the Secretary-General and the Council President,
governorate of Idlib.
Syria informed that hundreds of isil terrorists, in
coordination with terrorists from the Nusra Front, On 23 April [S/2015/276], in identical letters ad-
entered the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in dressed to the Secretary-General and the Council
Damascus. President, Syria responded to the Secretary-General’s
April report (see p. 225).
Jordan on 3 April [A/69/872–S/2015/236] rejected the On 25 April [A/69/887–S/2015/281], in identical
allegation levelled against it by Syria regarding devel- letters addressed to the Secretary-General and the
opments in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Council President, Jordan rejected the allegations
Damascus. levelled against it by Syria in its letter dated 23 April
On 6 April [S/2015/241], Syria called on the Security (see above).
Council to take stern measures against States that
supported and financed terrorism in Syria, including SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. On 24 April [meeting 7433], following consultations
On 9 April [A/69/865–S/2015/244], Jordan conveyed among Security Council members, the President
in identical letters to the Secretary-General and the made statement S/PRST/2015/10 on behalf of the
Council President that Syria had continued to repeat Council.
its futile allegations against Jordan in an attempt to
distract attention from Syria’s actions against its own Report of Secretary-General. In his May report
people. [S/2015/368],on the implementation of Council res-
olution 2139(2014), covering the period from 1 to
France, in a 9 April letter [S/2015/257] addressed to
30 April, the Secretary-General observed that wide-
the Council President, transmitted a letter from the
spread conflict and high levels of violence continued
Syrian Coalition drawing attention to the humanita-
across Syria. Indiscriminate aerial bombardment,
rian disaster unfolding in the Yarmouk Palestinian
including the use of barrel bombs by Government
refugee camp.
forces and indiscriminate shelling by non-State armed
On 13 April [S/2015/250], Syria transmitted to the groups and extremist and listed terrorist groups—isil
Secretary-General and the Council President the and the Nusra Front—continued.
points that were agreed on at the second Moscow Fighting between the parties also moved south-
consultative meeting concerning the assessment of west from Idlib city towards the Sahel al-Ghab valley
the situation in Syria. in north-west Hama Governorate. There were reports
Also on the same date [A/69/868–S/2015/251], Syria of an alleged chlorine attack in Saraqib, Idlib, on
conveyed in identical letters to the Secretary-General 2 May. Further alleged chlorine attacks were reported
and the Council President that, on 11 April, missiles in Janoudieh, Kansafrah and Kafr Batiekh on 7 May.
were fired at the civilian areas of Aleppo, killing 19 In Aleppo Governorate, indiscriminate attacks by
civilians and injuring 90 others, including 11 children Government forces and non-State armed groups con-
and 17 women. tinued to cause civilian deaths, property destruction
In identical letters of 13 April [A/69/867–S/2015/253] and interruption to essential services. The Kurdish
to the Secretary-General and the Council President, People’s Protection Units and the Free Syrian Army
Chapter VI: Middle East 227

continued joint advances in areas in Aleppo Governo- On 20 May [A/69/911–S/2015/363], Jordan rejected
rate under the control of isil, reportedly taking over the claims set out in the 18 May letter from Syria (see
Dafiye, Arne, Qerat and some hills overlooking Ser- above).
rin, to the south of Kobane/Ayn al-Arab. On the same date [S/2015/352], Syria attached a list
Some 228,000 people living in the besieged neigh- containing the names of 96 Syrian civilians, includ-
bourhoods of Deir ez-Zor city continued to be without ing 41 children, killed in Aleppo by terrorist groups
electricity following deactivation by isil of the Tayem during the period from 13 April to 7 May.
power plant in late March. On 5 May, the Secretary- On 25 May [A/69/912–S/2015/371], 29 May
General’s Special Envoy, Mr. de Mistura, launched [A/69/919–S/2015/392] and 12 June [A/69/937–S/2015/429]
the Geneva Consultation —a series of separate bi- Syria stressed that the acts of terrorism in Syria would
lateral discussions between the Special Envoy and not have occurred were it not for the support that
Syrian parties, as well as regional and international certain States had been providing for more than four
actors. The consultations were aimed at exploring years to terrorist organizations such as isil, the Nusra
ways to operationalize the Geneva communiqué of Front, the so-called Army of Conquest, the Free Army
30 June 2012. and other terrorist organizations.
Disrespect for human life and dignity contin- On 28 May [S/2015/388], in identical letters ad-
ued with ohchr receiving allegations and cases of dressed to the Secretary-General and the Council
arbitrary detention, torture and death of persons in President, Syria responded to the Secretary-General’s
Government detention centres run by the Syrian May report (see p. 226).
security forces in Damascus and Homs. On 10 April,
isil reportedly kidnapped around 50 civilians from In identical letters of 2 June [A/69/923–S/2015/403]
Sunni and Ismaili communities after attacking the and 16 June [A/69/943–S/2015/440], Jordan rejected the
village of al-Mabouga and were taken into areas con- allegations of Syria in its 25 May and 12 June letters
trolled by isil further east of Hama. (see above) and called on Syria to focus on safeguard-
ing the lives of its people.
Some 12.2 million people remained in need of hu-
manitarian assistance in the country, including more On 5 June [S/2015/410], Syria alleged that Turkey
than 5 million children. About 7.6 million people supported terrorist groups since the outset of the crisis
were internally displaced, and nearly 4 million peo- in Syria.
ple had fled to neighbouring countries and North On 8 June [A/69/930–S/2015/414], Syria conveyed its
Africa. The Secretary-General observed that parties position on the decisions by the United States and
to the conflict continued to behave with impunity the European Union to extend unilateral coercive
and total disregard for the basic tenets of humanity economic measures against Syria for an additional year.
and international humanitarian law. The number of On 9 June [S/2015/418], Syria rejected what it
attacks on medical facilities in April was the highest referred to as false allegations made in the 12 May
monthly total on record in the monthly reports since letter from Qatar (see above); in response, Qatar on
the adoption of resolution 2139(2014). 12 June [S/2015/430], rejected Syrian claims.
The Council President issued, on 29 April, state- On 14 June [S/2014/434], Turkey said that in line
ment S/PRST/2015/11 on the threats to international with its open border policy, temporary protection and
peace and security caused by terrorist acts (see p. 52). assistance was being provided to 260,000 Syrians in
Communications. On 6 May [S/2015/316] and 25 shelters in Turkey, causing almost $6 billion in
18 May [S/2015/350], the United Kingdom and Qatar financial burden while bilateral and multilateral con-
transmitted to the Council President letters from the tributions amounted to $393 million.
Syrian Coalition drawing attention to proliferation of Syria, on 16 June [S/2015/442], noted that Aleppo’s
chlorine gas attacks perpetrated by Syrian forces in residents had become the victims of a heinous crime
Idlib and Hama governorates. They also alleged that the day before as the armed terrorist groups—known
Syria misled the Security Council with respect to its by the sponsors of terrorism as the “moderate armed
initial declaration of its chemical weapons stockpiles opposition”— indiscriminately fired more than 100
to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical rockets killing 36, including 12 children.
Weapons (opcw). On 18 June [S/2015/454], Belgium, Luxembourg
In a 12 May [S/2015/332] letter to the Council Pres- and the Netherlands wrote to the Security Council
ident, Qatar stated that it rejected the allegations and President on behalf of 71 countries expressing their
accusations that Syria had continuously made against collective outrage on the continued bloodshed and vi-
Qatar since the start of the revolution in Syria. olence against civilians in Syria caused, in particular,
On 18 May [A/69/905–S/2015/346], Syria rejected by the systematic use of barrel bombs, and stressed the
the allegations levelled against it by Jordan in its note urgent need for the full implementation of relevant
verbal on 14 April (see p. 226) and in its letter on Council resolutions and the importance of full com-
25 April (see p. 226). pliance with international humanitarian law.
228 Part One: Political and security questions

Jordan, on 19 June [A/69/948–S/2015/461], rejected olence perpetrated by Syrian forces, including through
charges made by Syria on 16 June. the systematic and illegal use of indiscriminate aerial
In letters of 28 May [S/2015/387] and of 2 June weapons.
[S/2015/404] transmitted by Denmark and France to On 26 June [S/2015/480], Syria rejected the allega-
the Council President, the Syrian Coalition drew the tions made by the Syrian Coalition.
attention of the Council to the worsening humani- On 28 June [S/2015/488], Syria responded to the
tarian crisis in Syria and the urgent need for decisive Secretary-General’s June report.
Council action to stop the killing of innocent civil- Syria, on 29 June [A/69/969–S/2015/487] noted that
ians and alleviate humanitarian suffering, including Syrian cities and towns had been the targets of terror-
through the imposition of a no-fly zone. ist attacks, and that those attacks were a continuation
Report of Secretary-General. In June [S/2015/468], of the terrorist war to which Syria had been subjected
the Secretary-General submitted his sixteenth for more than four years, with direct and open support
report on the implementation of Council resolution from States, including France, Israel, Jordan, Qatar,
2139(2014), covering the month of May, during which Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other Western States.
widespread conflict and high levels of violence contin- On 6 July [S/2015/507], Turkey refuted a series of
ued throughout Syria. allegations made by Syria in May and June.
In the city of Aleppo heavy fighting continued On 9 July [S/2015/524], Syria drew attention to a
with indiscriminate attacks by Government forces, video clip of the mass execution of a number of Syrian
non-State armed groups and isil. Heavy fighting also soldiers by child members of isil in the city of Palmyra.
continued in the city of Idlib. Following isil infil- Report of Secretary-General. In July [S/2015/561],
tration of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in the Secretary-General submitted his seventeenth report
Damascus in early April, the humanitarian situation on the implementation of Security Council resolution
in the camp deteriorated as a result of frequent armed 2139(2014), covering the month of June, during which
clashes and the use of heavy weapons. Throughout the humanitarian crisis in Syria further deepened with
the country, civilian infrastructure continued to be civilians caught in between severe fighting.
attacked and basic services, including electricity and
water, continued to be cut. Isil captured the ancient The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria,
city of Palmyra/Tadmur on 21 May and the surround- Mr. de Mistura, completed the initial phase of the Ge-
ing gas fields of al-Hail and Arak, and, according neva consultations after holding more than 80 meet-
to ohchr, isil reportedly carried out door-to-door ings with Syrian, regional and international parties,
searches for suspected Government agents and exe- with a view to developing recommendations on the
cuted at least 14 civilians suspected of affiliation with operationalization of the Geneva Communiqué. The
the Government. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on
the Syrian Arab Republic presented its oral update to
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, the Human Rights Council covering the period from
Mr. de Mistura, continued the Geneva consultations 15 March to 15 June. In its update, the Commission
with Syrian, regional and international delegations, reiterated its earlier findings that the main cause of
with a view to developing recommendations on the civilian casualties, mass displacement and destruction
operationalization of the Geneva Communiqué was the deliberate targeting of civilians, indiscriminate
[YUN 2012, p. 448]. The level of funding for humani- and disproportionate attacks, attacks on civilian and
tarian activities also continued to be outpaced by the protected objects, and the punitive imposition of
scale of needs. sieges and blockades.
Of the 4.8 million people in hard-to-reach areas, Some 12.2 million people required humanitarian
some 422,000 remained besieged in Syria, including assistance in Syria, more than 5 million of whom
167,500 people besieged by Government forces in were children; around 7.6 million people had been
eastern Ghouta and Darayya; 26,500 people besieged internally displaced, and more than 4 million people
by non-State armed groups in Nubul and Zahra; and had fled Syria to neighbouring countries and North
228,000 people besieged by isil in the Government- Africa. Of the 4.6 million people living in hard-to-
controlled western neighbourhoods of Deir ez-Zor city. reach areas in Syria, 422,000 remained besieged
The Secretary-General observed that the symbols whose deplorable conditions the Secretary-General
of community life —markets, bakeries, schools, hos- highlighted in the report. The delivery of humani-
pitals, transportation hubs, mosques, churches—had tarian assistance to many of the 12.2 million people
been reduced to rubble and children continued to remained extremely challenging in June owing to
bear the brunt of the conflict. active conflict, insecurity and shifting front lines, as
Communications. On 25 June [S/2015/476] Lith- well as deliberate obstructions and interference by
uania transmitted to the Security Council President a the parties, including restrictions on movement and
letter from the Syrian Coalition drawing attention to burdensome administrative procedures. In addition,
the worsening humanitarian crisis in Syria and the vi- the level of funding for humanitarian activities con-
Chapter VI: Middle East 229

tinued to be outpaced by the scale of needs; the 2015 Communiqué, the Secretary-General’s Special En-
Syria Response Plan was only 26 per cent funded as voy for Syria, Mr. de Mistura, announced, during a
at 15 July. briefing to the Security Council on 29 July, that he
Communications. On 1 July [A/69/977–S/2015/498], would continue the diplomatic efforts by establishing
Jordan rejected the allegations set out in the letters an intra-Syrian dialogue process, focusing on four key
dated 28 and 29 June from Syria (see above). thematic working groups, among which humanita-
In letters of 9 July [S/2015/526], 23 July [S/2015/559] rian access would figure prominently.
and 27 July [S/2015/568] transmitted by the United As in the previous months, the delivery of human-
Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and France, respectively, to itarian assistance to many of the 12.2 million people
the Security Council President, the Syrian Coalition in need of assistance remained extremely challenging,
drew the attention of the Council to the worsening hu- and access to the 4.6 million people living in hard-to-
manitarian crisis in Syria and the violence perpetrated reach areas remained critical and very limited com-
by Syrian and Hizbullah forces, including through pared with the level of need. During the reporting
the systematic and illegal use of indiscriminate period, the United Nations and partners reached
aerial weapons. The Syrian Coalition, among other 1.8 per cent of the 422,000 besieged population with
things, called on the Council to support the estab- health assistance. A new list of national ngos author-
lishment of safe zones inside Syria to protect civilians ized to partner with the United Nations was received
from the Syrian Government’s indiscriminate aerial on 12 August, increasing the number from 122 to 131.
bombardment and from militant extremists alike; The Secretary-General observed that there was a
to vigilantly monitor the Iranian nuclear deal and complete and utter absence of protection for civilians
Council resolution 2231(2015) (see p. 177), which, in Syria with total disregard for human life and dig-
when implemented, could release billions of dollars nity by all parties to the conflict.
to the Iranian regime and that, in turn, could fuel and Communications. On 3 August [A/69/999–​
arm the Syrian regime’s killing machine; and to refer S/2015/593], Jordan rejected the allegations made
the situation in Syria to the International Criminal against it in the 28 June communication from Syria
Court (ICC). (see p. 228).
Turkey, on 24 July [S/2015/563], conveyed to the Iran, on 6 August [S/2015/604], rejected all the al-
Security Council President that it had initiated nec- legations against it as contained in the 23 July letter
essary and proportionate military actions against isil from Saudi Arabia (see above). Also on the same date
in Syria, including in coordination with individual [A/69/1004–S/2015/606], Jordan rejected the allegations
members of the Global Coalition, in order to counter made by Syria on 31 July (see above).
the terrorist threat and to safeguard Turkish territory
On 11 August [S/2015/617] and 17 August [S/2015/641],
and citizens. In response, Syria, in identical letters
Qatar and the United Kingdom transmitted to the
to the Secretary-General and the Council President
Security Council President letters from the Syrian
of 29 July [A/69/996-S/2015/574], rejected the attempt
Coalition drawing attention to the adoption of
by Turkish to portray itself as a victim acting in self-
Council resolution 2235(2015) (see p. 236), which,
defence.
if implemented effectively and rigorously enforced,
On 31 July [S/2015/588], Syria responded to the would send a strong signal to Syria that its use of
Secretary-General’s seventeenth report on the imple- chemical weapons would not go unaccounted for;
mentation of resolution 2139(2014). The letter sum- and calling for an emergency session of the Council
marized efforts by the Government to facilitate the to address the massacre of innocent civilians in Syria
delivery of humanitarian assistance and rejected the by aerial raids conducted by the Syrian Government.
report’s endeavour to minimize the humanitarian suc- The United Kingdom also brought attention to the
cesses achieved in Syria in coordination and coopera- bombing of a popular market in Douma city, a rural
tion with the Government. suburb of Damascus, which resulted in the death of
Report of Secretary-General. In August some 100 civilians and the wounding of 300 others.
[S/2015/651], the Secretary-General submitted his That massacre was part of a bloody campaign carried
eighteenth report pursuant to Security Council res- out by the Syrian regime and Iranian forces around
olutions 2139(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 578] and 2165(2014) the Ghouta area near Damascus and in Idlib, which
[YUN 2014, p. 583], covering the period from 1 to 31 July. had already claimed the lives of 450 civilians, most of
Civilian infrastructure continued to be affected them women and children.
as water supplies were cut off eight times in July in
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
Aleppo by fighting, at times deliberately by non-
government parties to the conflict, affecting an es- On 17 August [meeting 7504], following consulta-
timated 1.7 million people. Meanwhile, following tions among Security Council members, the President
the Geneva consultations, which concluded in July made statement S/PRST/2015/15 on behalf of the
and were aimed at making operational Geneva Council.
230 Part One: Political and security questions

Report of Secretary-General. The Secretary- tember and early October, over 80,000 people were
General submitted his nineteenth report in September displaced from various areas in Homs, Aleppo, Rif
[S/2015/698] on the implementation of Security Council Dimashq, Dayr al-Zawr, Hama and Idlib governo-
resolutions 2139(2014) and 2165(2014), covering the rates owing to fighting.
period from 1 June to 31 August. The scale and severity of abuses and violations of
Ohchr continued to receive allegations and to international human rights and humanitarian law
document cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, remained grave. As in previous months, all unrwa
torture and other ill-treatment, as well as death in operations in the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp
custody inside Government detention centres. Four continued to remain suspended in September. The
joint inter-agency convoys, one of which was only par- Secretary-General noted that more progress needed
tially completed, delivered assistance to over 200,000 to be achieved in five areas: addressing the relentless
people in June, however, no inter-agency convoys were and indiscriminate attacks on civilians; lifting the
completed in July and August. Continued conflict in sieges; ensuring access for the delivery of medical and
several governorates hindered the effective delivery of surgical supplies to all parts of the country; ending
humanitarian assistance, as well as people’s access to the practice of using the denial of key services as a
essential services. weapon of war; and rebuilding the education system
The United Nations and its partners reached an in the country.
average of 9 per cent of 422,000 besieged people Communications. On 1 September [S/2015/679]
per month with health assistance, compared with Syria conveyed to the Secretary-General and the
2 per cent in the previous three months. The number Security Council President that the Syrian cities of
of national ngos authorized to partner with United Fu’ah and Kafraya in Idlib governorate had been under
Nations organizations increased from 118 on 1 June total siege by armed terrorist groups since 28 March.
to 131 on 27 August. On the same date [A/69/1021–S/2015/680], Jordan re-
The deterioration in the security situation in many jected the allegations set out in the 25 August letter
parts of the country had resulted in increases in the from Syria (see above).
prices of medicines and pharmaceutical supplies and On 7 September [S/2015/688], the United Kingdom
a shortage of medical supplies in local markets. The informed the Council President that it undertook
availability of life-saving health services, was also military action in Syria against isil in accordance
hampered. The Secretary-General called on all Gov- with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. On
ernments in the region and beyond to stop the flow of the following dayr [S/2015/690], Syria conveyed to the
arms and fighters to all parties in Syria. Secretary-General and the Council President its po-
Communications. On 25 August [S/2015/663], sition regarding the interference by the United King-
Saudi Arabia transmitted to the Security Council dom Government in Syria’s internal affairs.
President a letter from theSyrian Coalition about the In identical letters to the Secretary-General and
rising death toll in Syria and the wanton destruction the Security Council President, France on 8 Sep-
of civilian life by Syrian forces. tember [S/2015/745], and Australia on 9 September
On the same date [S/2015/664], Syria replied to the [S/2015/693], noted that in accordance with Article
Secretary-General’s nineteenth report (see above). 51 of the United Nations Charter, they had taken
Report of Secretary-General. The Secretary- military action against isil in Syria in support of the
General submitted in October [S/2015/813] his twen- self-defence of Iraq.
tieth report on the implementation of Council res- In a 14 September communication [S/2015/708],
olutions 2139(2014) and 2165(2014) covering the Syria brought to the attention of the Secretary-
period from 1 to 30 September. Indiscriminate and General and the Council President a terrorist act com-
disproportionate aerial bombings and ground attacks mitted on the same day by what it defined as terrorist
continued in places with a large presence of civil- groups, including isil, the Nusra Front and the Army
ians, including through the use of barrel bombs by of Islam, against civilians in the city of Hasakah kill-
Government forces and indiscriminate shelling by ing 20 civilians and seriously injuring 100 others, the
non-State armed opposition groups and designated majority of whom were women and children.
terrorist groups—isil and the Nusra Front—that On 16 September [S/2015/714], Syria replied to the
continued to kill, injure and displace civilians. On Secretary-General’s nineteenth report (see above)
30 September, air strikes from Russian forces com- on the implementation of resolutions 2139(2014),
menced and were reported principally in Hama, Idlib, 2165(2014) and 2191(2014) [YUN 2014, p. 590].
Homs and Ladhiqiyah; limited strikes were also re- On the same date [S/2015/717], Syria drew attention
ported in Raqqah, Dayr al-Zawr and Rif Dimashq to the 312 mortar shells and rockets fired by terror-
governorates. ist groups on the city of Damascus and its suburbs
Attacks continued to be launched by isil in vari- during the period from 30 August to 14 September,
ous governorates during the reporting period. In Sep- which killed 41 civilians and injured 285 others,
Chapter VI: Middle East 231

most of them women and children. In a separate 147 hard-to-reach locations with food assistance
communication also dated 16 September [S/2015/718], for around 225,000 people, health support for over
Syria noted that the previous day, armed terrorists had 130,000 medical treatments, with water, sanitation
fired missiles and explosive shells at the city of Aleppo, and hygiene assistance for more than 50,000 people
killing 31 civilians, of whom 13 were children, three and with relief items for almost 20,000 people.
women and 15 men. Following discussions in Vienna, the International
In identical letters of 17 September [S/2015/719], Syria Support Group—China, Egypt, France, Ger-
Syria informed the Secretary-General and the Council many, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qa-
President that the United Kingdom, Australia and tar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emir-
France had taken military measures against Syria in- ates, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, the
voking a distorted reading of the intention of Article United States, the European Union and the League
51 of the United Nations Charter. of Arab States—issued a joint communiqué task-
On 18 September [A/70/387-S/2015/724], Jordan re- ing the United Nations to bring together the Syrian
jected the allegations made by Syria at the Security Government and the opposition, as well as exploring
Council meeting on 16 September and in the 17 Sep- modalities for a nationwide ceasefire to run in parallel
tember identical letters of Syria (see above). with a renewed political process. While the Secretary-
On the same date [S/2015/726], the United King- General was encouraged that, on 30 October in Vi-
dom transmitted to the Council President a letter enna, the international community finally re-engaged
from the Syrian Coalition drawing attention to the in the process of finding a political solution to the
growing toll of the Syrian conflict and its impact on Syrian conflict, he repeated his call that the situation
the global refugee crisis, and urging the Council to in Syria be referred to the icc.
solve the crisis and provide protection to civilians both Communications. On 1 October [S/2015/750], the
inside and outside of Syria. United Kingdom transmitted to the Security Council
On 21 September [A/70/385–S/2015/727], Syria called President a letter of the same day from the Syrian Co-
on the United Nations, its competent entities and its alition drawing attention to the escalating military
Member States to make a genuine and sincere com- aggression by the Russian Federation in Syria and its
mitment to fight terrorism; to fully and decisively en- impact on civilians.
force the texts adopted over the years; to hold States On 5 October [S/2015/761], Syria drew attention to
sponsors of terrorism to account; and to prevail on the mortar shells and rockets fired by terrorist groups
them to refrain from violating international law and on the city of Damascus and its suburbs during the
the United Nations Charter. period from 16 September to 2 October.
In two letters of 24 September [S/2015/740] and On 14 October [A/70/429–S/2015/789], Syria brought
[S/2015/751] to the Secretary-General, Iran rejected the to the attention of the Secretary-General and the
allegations against it contained in the 17 August letter Council President that the Russian Federation had
from the United Kingdom (see p. 229) and the 27 July taken a number of measures in response to a request
letter from France (see also p. 229). from the Syrian government to cooperate in counter-
Report of Secretary-General. In November ing terrorism and to provide military support for the
[S/2015/862], the Secretary-General submitted his counter-terrorism efforts of the Government and the
twenty-first report on the implementation of Security Syrian army.
Council resolutions 2139(2014) and 2165(2014), cov- On 15 October [S/2015/792], the Russian Federation
ering the period from 1 to 31 October. informed the Council President that in response to a
The conduct of hostilities by all parties continued request from the President of Syria to provide military
to be characterized by a widespread disregard for assistance in combating isil and other terrorist groups
international humanitarian law and the obligation operating in Syria, the Russian Federation had begun
of all parties to protect civilians. While the United launching air and missile strikes against the assets of
Nations had no independent means of verification, terrorist formations in Syria on 30 September.
many sources reported a continuation of the use of On 19 October [S/2015/800] and 2 November
barrel bombs, while non-State armed opposition [S/2015/831], Syria alleged that mortar shells and rockets
groups continued to launch mortars and to shell had been launched by terrorist groups on Damascus
Damascus city. Also, both Russian and United States- and its suburbs during the period from 4 to 17 Oc-
led coalition forces continued their operations in Syria tober 2015, and from 19 to 31 October, respectively,
throughout October. which left many civilians dead or injured.
Over 190,000 people remained displaced from In a 23 October [S/2015/816] communication
various areas in Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Homs, Rif transmitted by the United Kingdom to the Council
Dimashq, Dayr al-Zawr, Raqqah and Dar’a gov- President, the Syrian Coalition drew attention to
ernorates due to the fighting. In October, United the dire humanitarian situation inside Syria and the
Nations agencies and partners reached 46 of the growing toll of the Russian Federation’s campaign
232 Part One: Political and security questions

of indiscriminate military aggression, which had re- twenty-second report on the implementation of
sulted in over 231 civilian casualties. Security Council resolutions 2139(2014) and
On 26 October [S/2015/821], Syria responded to the 2165(2014), covering the period from 1 to 30 Novem-
twentieth report (see p. 230) of the Secretary-General ber. Indiscriminate and disproportionate aerial bomb-
on the implementation of resolutions 2139(2014) and ings and ground attacks in places with a large presence
2165(2014). of civilians continued, including the use of barrel
On 9 November [S/2015/843] and 16 November bombs by Government forces and indiscriminate
[S/2015/882], Lithuania, on behalf of the Syrian Co- shelling by non-State armed opposition groups and
alition, noted that for the discussions in Vienna to designated terrorist groups—isil and the Nusra
bring about an end to the violence in Syria to have Front—that killed, injured and displaced civilians.
any hope of success, the protection of Syrian civilians Non-State armed opposition groups continued to
had to be guaranteed; and that the root of the crisis launch mortars and to shell Damascus city, while in-
in Syria was indiscriminate killing, in particular aerial tensified fighting between the parties to the conflict
bombardment. continued in the northern governorates of Syria.
In a 9 November [S/2015/851] and 10 November On 24 November, a Russian warplane was shot
[S/2015/857] letters, Syria noted that a United States down by Turkey close to the Syrian-Turkish border.
aircraft had violated its sovereignty under the pretext While Turkey asserted that the warplane was flying in
that it was targeting isil, and that two terrorist at- Turkish airspace when it was shot down, the Russian
tacks by the Nusra Front and the Ahrar al-Sham had Federation denied that and said the warplane was fly-
occurred in the city of Ladhiqiyah killing and injuring ing in Syrian airspace. The United Nations did not
many civilians. have independent means of verification to certify the
On 16 November [S/2015/873], Syria conveyed its claim of either Member State. The Russian Federation
position on the twenty-first report of the Secretary- officially invited international experts to take part in
General (see p. 231). the opening of the black box of the Russian plane.
On 21 November [S/2015/904], Turkey informed French, Russian and United States-led coalition
the Council President that ongoing intense aerial forces pursued their operations in the Syria through-
bombardment by Russian Federation air forces and out November. Civilian displacement continued
the land offensive by the Syrian forces, supported by throughout Syria in November, with over 121,500
Hizbullah militias, had caused heavy civilian cas- people displaced from areas in Aleppo, Dar’a, Dayr
ualties and triggered a new influx of 10,000 people al-Zawr, Hama, Hasakah, Homs, Idlib, Ladhiqiyah
towards the Turkish border, two thousand of whom and Raqqah governorates. All unrwa operations in
had already entered Turkey; it further called upon Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus con-
the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the tinued to remain suspended during November, with
United Nations agencies to fully assume their respon- the most recent mission conducted on 28 March. The
sibilities without further delay, and to take all nec- number of national ngos authorized to partner with
essary measures to prevent the targeting of civilians. the United Nations increased from 131 to 138 be-
On 24 November [S/2015/906], the Russian tween 1 September and 30 November.
Federation forwarded to the Council President the Some 393,700 people remained besieged in the
text of the remarks made by President Vladimir Putin, Syria. In November, 1,077 children received text-
at his meeting on the same day with King Abdullah books and 50 children were provided with winter
II of Jordan, with regard to the Russian aircraft shot clothes. No other assistance reached the besieged areas
down over Syrian territory by a Turkish plane. in November. The week before the second meeting of
On 30 November [S/2015/915] Syria protested the the International Syria Support Group, 44 non-State
action by the United Kingdom taken as the rotating armed opposition groups, including Jaysh al-Islam,
President of the Security Council for November. Ac- met in Istanbul, Turkey, and agreed to form a united
cording to Syria, the United Kingdom had ignored the military council for all of Syria. A number of the par-
request for a Council meeting made by Syria on 6 No- ticipating groups subsequently met with the National
vember and reiterated by e-mails of 9 and 12 November, Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition
as well as by a formal memorandum of 12 November. Forces (Syrian Coalition) umbrella group on 13 No-
vember to coordinate positions for future negotiations
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION under the Vienna process (see p. 231).
On 20 November [meeting 7565], the Security Council The Secretary-General observed that notwith-
unanimously adopted resolution 2249(2015). The standing efforts to scale up the delivery of life-saving
draft [S/2015/890] was submitted by France. humanitarian assistance, especially for the 4.5 mil-
lion people in hard-to-reach areas, access continued
Report of Secretary-General. The Secretary- to be deliberately hindered by parties to the conflict.
General submitted in December [S/2015/962] his He urged the international community to continue
Chapter VI: Middle East 233

to work together to secure a nationwide ceasefire and the country and abroad, including all components
launch a credible political process to fully implement of Syrian society: Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrians,
the Action Group for Syria, also known as the Geneva Syriac communities, Circassians and Armenians.
Communiqué of 30 June 2012 [YUN 2012 p. 448] and On 12 December [S/2015/964], Syria said that ter-
the Vienna Statements of 30 October and 14 Novem- rorists carried out bombings in several Syrian gover-
ber (see p. 224). norates, killing approximately 100 innocent civilians
Communications. On 2 December [S/2015/927], and causing various injuries to others.
Syria drew attention to terrorist attacks, mortar shells On 16 December [S/2015/986], Qatar transmitted to
and rockets launched by terrorist groups during the the Security Council President a letter from the Syrian
period from 2 to 29 November, which left many civil- Coalition drawing attention to the indiscriminate at-
ians dead or injured and resulted in damage to public tacks by a combination of Syrian military missiles and
and private properties. air strikes that took place in eastern Ghouta, killing
On 3 December [S/2015/928], the United King- at least 45 civilians and wounding at least 100 others.
dom informed the Security Council President that, In an 18 December communication [S/2015/998],
in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Syria noted that Turkish interference in internal Syrian
Charter, it was taking necessary and proportionate affairs had taken on many forms over the course of the
measures against isil/Da’esh in Syria, as called for crisis, including the direct participation of the Turk-
by the Council in resolution 2249(2015) (see p. 232), ish armed forces in offensive military operations in
in exercise of the inherent right of individual and support of terrorists waging war against Syria.
collective self-defence.
Security Council consideration. On 18 De-
On 7 December [S/2015/933], Syria conveyed to the cember [S/PV.7588], the Secretary-General briefed the
Secretary-General and the Council President that, on Security Council on the situation on Syria and stated
6 December, four aircraft belonging to the coalition that the Syrian conflict began with peaceful popular
led by the United States fired nine missiles at a Syrian demands for political change, but soon became de-
army camp in the city of Dayr al-Zawr killing three fined by internal, regional and international divisions,
soldiers and wounding 13 others. including in the Security Council. He welcomed
On 8 December [S/2015/941], the United Kingdom the draft resolution 2254(2015) (see below) that the
transmitted to the Council President a letter from Council was about to adopt, the first such resolution
the Syrian Coalition drawing attention to a major to focus on the political path to resolving the crisis.
escalation of indiscriminate aerial bombardment by The International Syria Support Group had made two
Russian Federation forces in the opposition-held areas major requests of the United Nations: first, to con-
of north-west Syria, in direct violation of international vene formal negotiations in January 2016 between the
humanitarian law. Syrian Government and opposition representatives,
On 10 December [S/2015/946], Germany informed with a focus on a Syrian-led transition process; and
the Council President that in accordance with Arti- second, in parallel, to determine the requirements
cle 51 of the United Nations Charter, Germany, in and modalities of a nationwide ceasefire. The United
the exercise of the right of collective self-defence, had Nations stood ready to undertake those tasks.
initiated military measures against isil and that the The Secretary-General urged the International
measures were not directed against Syria. Syria Support Group to apply the necessary pressure
On 10 December [S/2015/949], [S/2015/950], Syria on the Syrian parties to immediately implement the
brought to the attention of the Secretary-General following confidence-building measures: first, to stop
and the Council President that aircraft of the United the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians,
States coalition attacked gas and oil installations, and including barrel bombs, which had continued despite
had bombarded the water treatment plants of the the Government’s pledge to refrain from such assaults;
Aleppo Water Authority. second, to allow unconditional and unimpeded access
On the same date [A/70/616-S/2015/951], Syria noted for aid convoys—tens of thousands of people in be-
that on 7 and 9 December, terrorist groups affiliated sieged areas had been forced to live on grass and weeds;
with the Nusra Front and allied terrorist groups fired third, to halt attacks on medical and educational fa-
various types of missiles at peaceful residential neigh- cilities and lift all restrictions on medical and surgical
bourhoods in the city of Aleppo, killing several civil- supplies from humanitarian convoys; and, fourth, to
ians and injuring others. release all detainees—reports indicated that prisoners
On 11 December [S/2015/956], Saudi Arabia trans- faced torture and atrocious conditions.
mitted to the Council President a statement issued
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
the previous day by the Syrian Coalition about an
expanded meeting held in Riyadh on 9 and 10 De- On 18 December [meeting 7588], the Security Council
cember. The meeting was attended by armed groups unanimously adopted resolution 2254(2015). The
and the range of Syrian opposition movements in draft [S/2015/996] was submitted by the United States.
234 Part One: Political and security questions

Communications. In letters of 21 December UNSMIS

[S/2015/1002] and 24 December [S/2015/1028] Denmark
and Saudi Arabia transmitted to the Security Council By its resolution 2059(2012) [YUN 2012, p. 449], the
President letters from the Syrian Coalition drawing Security Council renewed the mandate of the United
attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis inside Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (unsmis) for a
Syria, and to a new chemical attack by Syrian forces final period of 30 days and expressed its willingness to
in the city of Moadamiyeh. renew it again only if the Secretary-General reported,
and the Council confirmed, the cessation of the use of
In identical letters of 22 December [A/70/654-​ heavy weapons and a reduction of violence by all sides
S/2015/1014] and 27 December [A/70/671-S/2015/1043],
sufficient to allow unsmis to implement its mandate.
Syria conveyed its concern about the attacks by aircraft As those conditions were not met, unsmis mandate
of the coalition, led by the United States, against the oil came to an end on 19 August 2012.
and gas installations and the economic infrastructure
of Syria, under the pretext of targeting isil.
Financing
Also in a 22 December communication [S/2015/1022]
to the Security Council President, Lebanon for- In an 18 November 2014 report [A/69/594 & Corr.1],
warded a copy of a 20 December letter from its foreign the Secretary-General provided details on the do-
minister providing comments on Council resolution nation of, and the final disposition of, the assets of
2254(2015) (see above) and on the situation inSyria. unsmis with a total inventory value of $15,718,700,
that were disposed of as at 15 September. He recom-
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION mended that the General Assembly take note of the
report on the final disposition of the assets of unsmis.
On 22 December [meeting 7595], the Security Council
unanimously adopted resolution 2258(2015). The In March [A/69/847], acabq recommended that the
draft [S/2015/1001] was submitted by 11 Member States. Assembly take note of the Secretary-General’s report,
subject to its comments and observations.
Communications. On 24 December [S/2015/1029],
Turkey rejected the allegations levelled against it by GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the Russian Federation at the meeting of the Security On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
Council Ministers of Finance, which was held on on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
17 December. [A/69/953], adopted resolution 69/304 (Financing
On 28 December [S/2015/1044], Syria conveyed to of the United Nations Supervision Mission in the
the Secretary-General and the Security Council Pres- Syrian Arab Republic) without vote [agenda item 164].
ident that on that same day terrorists targeted the By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General
cities of Aleppo and Homs, killing 40 civilians and Assembly decided that the agenda item on the financ-
injuring 83 others. ing of unsmis would remain for consideration during
On 29 December [A/70/673-S/2015/1048], Syria its seventieth (2016) session.
conveyed to the Secretary-General and the Council
President that terrorists, with international support,
had turned on Syria with all of the means at their Use of chemical weapons
disposal, taking a heavy toll on State institutions and OPCW-UN joint mission for the elimination
infrastructure and on Syrian civilians and soldiers. of the chemical weapons programme in Syria
Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General On 27 September 2013, the Executive Council
for Syria of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (opcw) decided to establish special pro-
During the year, Staffan de Mistura served asthe
cedures for the expeditious destruction of Syria’s
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria.
chemical weapons programme. On the same day,
Financing
the Security Council, by its resolution 2118(2013)
[YUN 2013, p. 443], endorsed the opcw Executive
In September [A/70/348/Add.1], the Secretary- Council decision, authorized a United Nations advance
General proposed resource requirements for the team to provide early assistance to opcw activities in
Office of the Special Envoy of Secretary-General for Syria, and requested the opcw Director-General and
Syria for 2016 in the amount of $12,211,600 (net of the Secretary-General to closely cooperate in the im-
staff assessment). plementation of the Executive Council decision. In a
In December [A/70/7/Add.10], acabq, subject to its letter of 7 October 2013 to the Council, the Secretary-
recommendations and observations, recommended General outlined the proposal for a Joint Mission of
that the General Assembly approve the resources opcw and the United Nations, which was officially
requested by the Secretary-General. authorized by the Council on 11 October.
Chapter VI: Middle East 235

On 23 June 2014, the Joint Mission confirmed structure and two hangars remaining inaccessible for
that all declared chemical weapons materials of Syria security reasons.
had been removed from Syrian territory. In the imme- On 28 May [S/2015/391], the Secretary-General
diate months following the completion and removal transmitted the twentieth monthly report of the
of declared chemical weapons, the Joint Mission re- opcw covering the period from 23 April to 21 May,
configured its capacities, and then was formally closed and noted that on the destruction of the remaining
on 30 September. 12 chemical weapons production facilities in Syria,
Letter of Secretary-General. On 6 February the export licence for the explosives required to de-
[S/2015/95], the Secretary-General forwarded a letter stroy the five hangars had been issued and that the
from the opcw Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü delivery of those explosives was expected to take place
transmitting the decision of the opcw Executive by mid-June. He also noted that the installation of
Council regarding the reports of the opcw fact- monitoring equipment at the first of the four acces-
finding mission that looked into allegations of the use sible underground structures would take place at the
of toxic chemicals as weapons in Syria. The Council end of May; the security situation, however, contin-
expressed serious concern regarding the findings of ued to render one underground structure and two
the fact-finding mission, made with a high degree of hangars inaccessible.
confidence, that chlorine had been used as a weapon Between 22 May and 22 June [S/2015/485], with re-
in Syria in the villages of Talmenes, Al Tamanah, and spect to the destruction of the 12 chemical weapons
Kafr Zita from April to August 2014. production facilities, the explosives required to de-
OPCW reports. In monthly letters sent to the stroy the hangars were expected to arrive in Syria by
Council, the Secretary-General transmitted twelve the end of June. Access to one additional hangar had
monthly reports issued in 2015—from the sixteenth permitted the completion of drilling operations. As a
to the twenty-seventh report—by the opcw Director- result, six of the seven hangars were ready to receive
General pursuant to Security Council resolution the explosives. The seventh, as before, remained inac-
2118(2013). Collectively, the reports covered the cessible owing to security considerations.
period from 23 December 2014 to 21 December 2015. Between 23 June and 22 July [S/2015/572], of the
In the January report [S/2015/56], the Secretary- 12 chemical weapons production facilities, all five
General noted that the destruction of the remaining underground structures had been verified by opcw
12 chemical weapons production facilities in Syria as having been destroyed. One hangar had also been
were underway, beginning with the first and second destroyed, using the explosives that arrived in June.
tunnels, and hoped that the delays in the start of those In August [S/2015/668], opcw verified four of the
activities could be overcome and that the anticipated seven hangars as destroyed and that all five under-
completion date of 30 June could be met. ground structures had been verified as destroyed. The
Between 23 January and 22 February [S/2015/138], Secretary-General said he looked forward to progress
the opcw Declaration Assessment Team had carried in the destruction of the remaining three hangars,
out a visit to Syria to hold further consultations with bearing in mind the security environment.
the Syrian authorities and to continue technical-level Between 23 August and 22 September [S/2015/737],
discussions. The Secretary-General also attached the in the twenty-fourth monthly report, the Secretary-
three reports of the fact-finding mission that was General noted that with respect to the destruction of
looking into allegations of the use of toxic chemicals the 12 chemical weapons production facilities, five of
as weapons in Syria. the seven hangars had been verified by opcw as having
Between 23 February and 22 March [S/2015/211], been destroyed and that all five underground struc-
Syria continued with the destruction of the 12 re- tures had been verified as destroyed. He also noted the
maining chemical weapons production facilities, with security situation that was impeding access to the final
opcw confirming that the third underground struc- two hangars, as well as discussions between opcw, the
ture had been destroyed, and the destruction of the United Nations Office for Project Services, the con-
fourth should be completed shortly. tractor and the Syrian National Authority with regard
Transmitting the opcw nineteenth report in April to the procurement of additional explosives required
[S/2015/295] covering the period from 23 March to for the destruction of the two hangars.
22 April, the Secretary-General noted that with re- Transmitting the twenty-fifth opcw report in Oc-
spect to the destruction of the remaining 12 chemical tober [S/2015/820] covering the period from 23 Septem-
weapons production facilities in Syria, all four un- ber to 21 October, the Secretary-General noted that
derground structures that were accessible had been opcw had verified the destruction of the sixth of the
verified by opcw as destroyed. In addition, four of seven hangars. The verified destruction of six hangars
seven hangars had been prepared for destruction with and five underground structures left one remaining
explosive, and resources had been mobilized to be- hangar to be destroyed; the final hangar continued to
gin drilling at the fifth hangar with one underground be inaccessible, owing to the security situation.
236 Part One: Political and security questions

In the twenty-sixth report [S/2015/908], the Secretary-​ administrative and financial regulations of the United
General noted that with respect to the destruction of Nations. Voluntary contributions to the trust fund
the 12 chemical weapons production facilities, com- would be used for the material and technical needs
prising five underground structures and seven hang- of the Mechanism.
ars, only one hangar had yet to be destroyed. That The Council acknowledged the recommendations
hangar, however, remained inaccessible, owing to of the Secretary-General on 10 September [S/2015/697].
the security situation. The reports of the opcw fact- In a 9 November letter to the Council President
finding mission, transmitted by the Secretary-General [S/2015/854], the Secretary-General informed that the
to the Council in February, contained some disturb- Mechanism would begin its full operations on 13 No-
ing conclusions, including the finding of the likely vember.
use of one or more toxic chemicals as a weapon, and
confirmation with “utmost confidence” of the use of Appointments. On 11 September [S/2015/709], the
sulphur mustard. Secretary-General, in coordination with the Director-
General of opcw, informed the Security Council of
In the twenty-seventh opcw monthly report his intention to appoint Virginia Gamba (Argentina)
[S/2015/1049] covering the period 24 November to as head of the independent three-member panel to be
21 December, the Secretary-General noted that of the set up to lead the Joint Investigative Mechanism. The
12 chemical weapons production facilities scheduled Council took note of the Secretary-General’s inten-
for destruction, one hangar had yet to be destroyed, tion on 15 September [S/2015/710].
as it remained inaccessible owing to the security
situation.
The Syrian Golan
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
The Golan Heights in the Syrian Arab Republic,
On 6 March [meeting 7401], the Security Council occupied by Israel since 1967, were effectively annexed
adopted resolution 2209(2015) by vote (14-0-1). The when Israel extended its laws, jurisdiction and admin-
draft [S/2015/161] was submitted by 37 Member States. istration to the territory in 1981 [YUN 1981, p. 309]. In
VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2209(2015): 2015, the General Assembly reiterated its demand
In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania, that Israel withdraw from all the occupied Syrian
Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Spain, Golan to the line of 4 June 1967, in implementation
United Kingdom, United States. of the relevant Security Council resolutions and called
Against: None. upon Israel to resume talks with Syria and Lebanon.
Abstaining: Venezuela. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
On 7 August [meeting 7501], the Security Council (undof) continued to supervise the ceasefire between
unanimously adopted resolution 2235(2015). The Israel and Syria in the Golan Heights, and to ensure
draft [S/2015/602] was submitted by France, Jordan, the separation of militaries. The Force’s mandate
Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, the United was extended twice during the year, in June and in
Kingdom and the United States. December.
Reports of Secretary-General. In his 12 Au-
gust report [A/70/312] to the General Assembly, the
OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism Secretary-General stated that no reply had been re-
Notes of Secretary-General. In a 27 August ceived from Israel in response to a May note verbale
letter [S/2015/669] to the Security Council President, the addressed to it by the Office of the United Nations
Secretary-General, in coordination with the Director- High Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr) on
General of opcw, submitted to the Security Council his behalf requesting information on steps taken or
for its authorization, in accordance with resolution envisaged for the implementation of resolution 69/94
2235(2015) (see above), recommendations regarding [YUN 2014, p. 598]. Replies had been received from Bra-
the establishment and operation of an opcw - United zil, Cuba and Syria.
Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism. On 31 August [A/70/353], the Secretary-General re-
In a 9 September note [S/2015/696] to the Council ported that, as at 17 August, only Brazil had replied
president, the Secretary-General noted that with re- to his request for information on steps taken or en-
gard to the Mechanism, one of the steps to be taken visaged to implement Assembly resolutions 69/24 on
would be to consult with Syria regarding a status of Jerusalem and resolution 69/25 on the Syrian Golan
mission agreement. That was necessary for the proper [ibid., p. 597].
implementation of the mandated activities of the Special Committee on Israeli Practices. The
Mechanism, including with respect to privileges, Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices
immunities and security. The trust fund to be estab- Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian Peo-
lished in support of the activities of the Mechanism ple and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories, in
needed to be administered in accordance with the its October report [A/70/406 & Corr.1], stated that the
Chapter VI: Middle East 237

Committee was not able to hold meetings in Syria ow- Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Democratic People’s
ing to the situation in the country, but had met with Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Gre-
civil society representatives, witnesses, representatives nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India,
of Bedouin and refugee communities, Palestinian of- Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,
ficials and United Nations representative in Amman. Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
The Special Committee was informed of financial Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mau-
ritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
incentives of up to $12,000 offered to Israeli families Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
that settled in the occupied Syrian Golan for a min- Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian
imum of five years. The Committee was also informed Federation, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
of Israel’s efforts to populate the occupied Syrian Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solo-
Golan under the “farms project”, involving the estab- mon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Trinidad
lishment of 750 new farms. It was noted that 90 Israeli and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United
families had already been transferred to settle on those Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay,
farms in 2015 and that the influx would continue at a Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
rate of 150 families per year until all 750 farms were Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau,
occupied. As part of the “farms project”, Israel had United States.
reportedly illegally diverted water to irrigate those Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus,
farms, thereby depleting water resources and depriv- Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
ing Syrians of their use. While there were no recent Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
reported cases of major demolitions of property in the Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
occupied Syrian Golan, civil society representatives Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zea-
indicated that demolition orders for Syrian properties land, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic
issued in the past in the occupied Syrian Golan were of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia,
Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
still in place. It was also alleged that Israel had taken the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga,
advantage of the instability generated by the Syrian Ukraine, United Kingdom.
conflict to further expand settlements and to exploit
natural resources. Civil society representatives high- On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
lighted the difficulties for Syrian residents living in on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
the occupied Syrian Golan, including in the town of [A/70/497] adopted resolution 70/91 (The occupied
Majdal Shams, which was surrounded by an Israeli Syrian Golan) by recorded vote (160-1-16) [agenda
military camp and in close proximity to landmines. item 55].

The Special Committee called upon Israel to RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/91:
comply with Security Council resolution 497(1981) In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar-
[YUN 1981, p. 312], which annulled the decision of Israel gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
on the annexation of the occupied Syrian Golan. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,
Communication. In identical letters of 7 May Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo
[A/69/895–S/2015/318] to the Secretary-General and the Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Como-
President of the Security Council, Syria complained ros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic,
about the establishment of 750 farming projects by Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea,
Israel in the occupied Syrian Golan in violation of Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia,
international law, the Geneva Conventions and Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-
Security Council resolution 497(1981), in which the Bissau, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Council deemed that the Israeli decision to impose its Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Liechtenstein,
Syrian Golan Heights was null and void and without
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
international legal effect. Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia,
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige-
ria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
On 24 November [meeting 64], the General Assembly Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea,
adopted resolution 70/17 [draft: A/70/L.17 & Add.1] Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint
(The Syrian Golan) by recorded vote (105-6-56) Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren-
[agenda item 37]. adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/17: South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzer-
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar- land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
gentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and
Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United
238 Part One: Political and security questions

Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet re-arrested the activist Sidqi al-Maqt, who had been
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. released in August 2012 after being held in Israeli
Against: Israel.
Abstaining: Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Côte
prisons for 27 years without legal or moral basis, raid-
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Micro- ing his family home in the village of Majdal Shams in
nesia, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Togo, Tonga, United States, the occupied Syrian Golan.
Vanuatu. On 2 March [A/69/807–S/2015/154], Syria informed
the Secretary-General and the Council President that
UNDOF Israel had detained Sheikh Atif Darwish and Fida’
The mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Majid al-Sha’ir in yet another violation of the Fourth
Observer Force (undof), established by Security Geneva Convention of 1949.
Council resolution 350(1974) [YUN 1974, p. 205] to su- Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
pervise the observance of the ceasefire between Israel Security Council resolution 2192(2014) [YUN 2014,
and Syria in the Syrian Golan and to ensure the sep- p. 604], the Secretary-General reported in March
aration of their forces, was renewed twice in 2015, [S/2015/177] to the Council on undof activities be-
in June and in December, each time for a six-month tween 20 November 2014 and 3 March 2015.
period. The ceasefire between Israel and Syria was main-
To carry out its mandate, undof maintained an tained albeit in a continuously volatile environment
area of separation, which was over 75 kilometres attributable to the ongoing conflict in Syria. The
long and varied in width between approximately Syrian armed forces carried out military activities
10 kilometres in the centre and 200 metres in the and security operations against armed groups, often
extreme south. Undof headquarters was located at in response to offensives carried out by the armed
Camp Yafour, and an administrative office was main- groups. Inside the area of separation, the presence
tained in Damascus. Logistics support to undof was of the Syrian armed forces and military equipment,
provided by Camp Ziouani, the alternate headquar- as well as any other armed personnel and military
ters of the Force. equipment, other than that of undof, was in violation
As at 13 November, undof comprised 768 troops, of the Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
including 23 women, from Bhutan, the Czech A number of incidents occurred on 7 December
Republic, Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Neth- 2014 and 18 and 27 January 2015 across the ceasefire
erlands, and 77 military observers, including three line. Undof observed and reported instances of
women, from the untso. transborder movements of unidentified individuals
Appointments. On 1 January [S/2015/29] the between Lebanon and Syria in the northern part of
Secretary-General informed the Security Council the area of separation. Several incidents also occurred
of his intention to appoint Major General Purna during the reporting period that jeopardized United
Chandra Thapa (Nepal) as the Head of Mission and Nations personnel and positions.
Force Commander of undof, succeeding Lieutenant As at 22 February, undof comprised 789 troops,
General Iqbal Singh Singha (India), who completed including 32 women from Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal
his assignment on 2 January. The Council took note and the Netherlands, and 67 military observers from
of the letter on 15 January [S/2015/30]. untso, including one woman, who assisted the Force.
Communications. In a 28 January letter On 9 February, as part of the reconfiguration of the
[S/2015/65] to the Secretary-General and the Security Force, 146 troops of the Fijian contingent redeployed
Council President, Israel reported that it held the to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Syrian Government responsible for four rockets fired (unifil).
from Syria on 27 January that exploded in Israel’s Communications. In letters dated 16 March
Golan Heights, and all other attacks emanating from [S/2015/182], 31 March [A/69/849–S/2015/220] and 7 May
Syrian territory and for all violations of the 1974 sep- [A/69/895–S/2015/318], Syria informed the Secretary-
aration of forces agreement. General and the Security Council President of its po-
In identical letters to the Secretary-General and sition regarding the March report (see above) of the
the Council President on 9 February [S/2015/98], Syria Secretary-General on undof; of the status of Syrian
drew attention to relevant United Nations resolutions, prisoner Sidqi al-Maqt, who was being detained by
including resolution 497(1981) confirmed that the Israel; and of Israel establishing 750 new farms in the
Israeli decision of 14 December 1981 to impose its occupied Syrian Golan.
laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied On 28 April [S/2015/293], Israel expressed its con-
Syrian Golan was null and void and had no validity cern over four terrorists originating from Syria who
whatsoever. had infiltrated Israeli territory and attempted to plant
In a 25 February communication [A/69/799–​ an improvised explosive device in the Israeli Golan
S/2015/143], Syria noted that on 25 February, Israel Heights.
Chapter VI: Middle East 239

Report of Secretary-General. In his June report General was concerned of the alleged rocket fire into
[S/2015/405], the Secretary-General gave an account of Israel on 20 August, which, if verified, would be the
undof activities from 3 March to 28 May. first such strike from Syria into Israel since the con-
On 26 April, idf informed undof that they had clusion of the Agreement.
killed four terrorists carrying heavy equipment near The Secretary-General observed that the increased
the UN observation post 73. The following day, use of heavy weapons by both the Syrian armed forces
undof initiated an investigation into the incident, and armed groups in the continuing Syrian conflict,
though idf gave undof only until midday of the including the use of air power by Syrian Government
following day to conduct its investigation. Owing to forces in the area of limitation on the Bravo (Syrian)
the idf deadline, undof was unable to complete its side, was disturbing. Armed opposition groups and
investigation and could not confirm claims made by other armed groups continued to maintain control
idf that the individuals intended to place improvised over significant sections of the areas of separation and
explosive devices. Crossing of the ceasefire line by limitation in the southern part of the undof area of
civilians, primarily shepherds, was also observed by operations and remained present along the section of
UN personnel on an almost daily basis. Since the the main road connecting the two undof camps. The
temporary relocation of undof from a number of established crossing between the Alpha and the Bravo
its positions on the Bravo side in September 2014, sides remained closed.
undof, in consultation with the parties, continued As at 26 August, undof comprised 799 troops, in-
to review the situation in the area of separation. cluding 24 women, from Bhutan, the Czech Republic,
As at 20 May, undof comprised 788 troops, includ- Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Netherlands, and
ing 31 women, from Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the 69 untso military observers, including three women.
Netherlands, and 67 untso military observers, includ- Communications. On 21 August [S/2015/659],
ing two women. In December 2014 and in April 2015, Israel noted that the previous day, four rockets were
seven United Nations personnel based in Damascus— fired from Syrian territory and struck the northern
six undof and one untso personnel—were declared Galilee and the Golan Heights in Israel during an
“unwelcome” in Syria by the Syrian Government. indiscriminate and premeditated terrorist attack
Communication. In identical letters of 22 June against Israeli territory without any provocation from
[S/2015/465] to the Secretary-General and the Security the Israeli side. According to Israel, the attack was car-
Council President, Syria conveyed its position re- ried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and directed
garding the June report of the Secretary-General on by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. On
undof (see above) emphasizing the need to address 11 September [S/2015/715], Iran rejected the allegations
the fundamental reason for the presence of undof in made by Israel.
the region, namely, the continuing Israeli occupation In identical letters of 18 September [S/2015/725] to
of the Syrian Golan. the Secretary-General and the Council President,
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION Syria conveyed its position regarding the September
report of the Secretary-General on undof (see above).
On 29 June [meeting 7477], the Security Council
unanimously adopted resolution 2229(2015). Lebanon, in identical letters of 18 September
[A/70/413–S/2015/758] to the Secretary-General and the
The draft [S/2015/474] was submitted by the Russian
Federation and the United States. Council President, transmitted a statistical summary
of Israeli violations of Council resolution 1701(2006)
Report of Secretary-General. In September [YUN 2006, p. 583] committed during the month of
[S/2015/699], the Secretary-General reported on undof August 2015.
activities between 29 May and 28 August. Report of Secretary-General. In December
During the reporting period, the ceasefire between [S/2015/930], the Secretary-General reported on undof
Israel and Syria was maintained, albeit in a continu- activities between 29 August and 18 November.
ously volatile environment attributable to the ongoing Syrian armed forces carried out military activities
conflict in Syria and notwithstanding a number of and security operations against armed groups, often
significant violations of the Disengagement of Forces in response to offensives carried out by those groups
Agreement of 1974. in the area of separation and the area of limitation on
In order to maintain the ceasefire and see that it the Bravo (Syrian) side.
was scrupulously observed, undof protested all firing On seven occasions, United Nations personnel at
across the ceasefire line to the Senior Syrian Delegate observation post 54 observed interactions at the Is-
and idf. In his regular interactions with both sides, raeli technical fence gate between idf personnel and
the undof Force Commander continued to call upon individuals from the Bravo side, some of whom were
both parties to the Disengagement Agreement to ex- armed. On 28 October, undof observed individuals
ercise utmost restraint and prevent an escalation of from the Bravo side handing over an injured person
the situation across the ceasefire line. The Secretary- on a stretcher to idf personnel.
240 Part One: Political and security questions

On several occasions during the reporting period, $52,261,222, a reduction of $40,478 to the Secretary-
undof observed armed and unarmed persons digging General’s proposals, for the maintenance of undof
out and removing landmines from around United for the 12-month period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June
Nations observation post 54 in the vicinity of the 2016, should the Security Council decide to extend
ceasefire line. the mandate of undof beyond 30 June 2015.
As at 13 November, undof comprised 768 troops, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
including 23 women, from Bhutan, the Czech
Republic, Fiji, India, Ireland, Nepal and the Neth- On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly,
erlands, and 77 untso military observers, including on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
three women. [A/69/960], adopted resolution 69/301 (Financing
The Secretary-General observed that there should of the United Nations Disengagement Observer
be no military forces in the area of separation other Force) without vote [agenda item 161 (a)].
than those of undof, urged the Syrian Government By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the Assembly
to stop the use of air strikes and also urged idf to re- decided that the agenda item on the financing of
frain from carrying out air strikes across the ceasefire undof would remain for consideration during its
line. He recommended that the Security Council ex- seventieth (2016) session.
tend the mandate of undof for further six months,
until 30 June 2016, a decision to which both Syria
and Israel agreed. UNTSO
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
The United Nations Truce Supervision Organiza­
On 22 December [meeting 7594], the Security Council tion (untso) was the first ever peacekeeping operation
unanimously adopted resolution 2257(2015). The established by the United Nations. It was originally
draft [S/2015/1004] was submitted by the Russian set up to monitor the ceasefire called for by Security
Federation and the United States. Council resolution S/801 of 29 May 1948 [YUN 1947–
48, p. 427] in the newly partitioned Palestine. Untso
Financing continued its work through its military observers
The General Assembly had before it the perfor- who fulfilled evolving mandates—from supervising
mance report of undof from 1 July 2013 to 30 June the four armistice agreements between Israel and its
2014 [A/69/586 & Corr.1 & 2], which showed expendi- neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian Arab
tures amounting to $59,343,200 gross ($57,980,500 Republic) to monitoring other ceasefires, as well as
net) against an appropriation of $60,654,500 gross performing other tasks. During the year, untso per-
($59,264,500 net). The budget provided for the de- sonnel also worked with the two other peacekeeping
ployment of 1,047 military contingent personnel, 48 forces in the area: undof and unifil. In addition,
international staff and 110 national staff. untso maintained liaison offices in Egypt, Lebanon,
The Assembly also considered the Secretary- Syria, and Jerusalem for liaison with Israel and
General’s report [A/68/732] containing the budget for Jordan.
the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, which Untso operated under a UN regular budget ap-
amounted to $52,301,700 gross ($50,900,800 net) propriation of $69,667,500 million for the 2014–2015
and provided for the deployment of 950 military con- period.
tingent personnel, 54 international staff (including Appointments. In a 14 July letter [S/2015/541], the
eight temporary positions) and 89 national staff. Secretary-General informed the Security Council of
In April [A/69/839/Add.1], acabq recommended his intention to appoint Major General Arthur Da-
that the unencumbered balance of $1,311,300 for vid Gawn (New Zealand) as Head of Mission and
the period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014, as well Chief of Staff of untso. Major General Gawn would
as other income and adjustments in the amount of succeed Major General Michael Finn (Ireland),
$710,800, for the period ended 30 June 2014, be who would complete his assignment on 31 July. The
credited to Member States. It also recommended Council took note of the Secretary-General’s inten-
that the General Assembly appropriate an amount of tion on 16 July [S/2015/542].
Chapter VII

Disarmament

In the field of disarmament, 2015 saw a continua- Progress was mixed at the regional level. The
tion of the mixed trends and developments that had successful completion of international negotiations
characterized the work of the United Nations during on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s
the previous year—some progress as well as some set- nuclear programme was a notable advance for non-
backs. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- proliferation, peace and security in the Middle East
able Development in September was a milestone for and beyond, although its implementation seemed
the cause of disarmament because the Agenda linked, poised to remain a challenge. Unfortunately, the
for the first time, sustainable development with dis- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea continued to
armament. By specifically highlighting the devastat- defy the international community by advancing its
ing impact that the illicit and unregulated arms trade nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, contrary
was having on lives and livelihoods, the Agenda gave to the decisions of the Security Council.
impetus to tackling that threat to human security. Humanitarian concerns played a prominent role
The debate over nuclear disarmament highlighted in debates over nuclear disarmament. Building on
widening divisions, in particular between nuclear- prior international conferences that focused on the
weapon States and their allies on the one hand, and humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons,
non-nuclear-weapon States on the other, over the the General Assembly adopted several resolutions
pace and scale of the implementation of nuclear dis- reflecting those concerns. Those included a resolu-
armament commitments. That was prominently dis- tion establishing an open-ended working group to
played at the Review Conference of the Parties to the address legal measures, provisions and norms in order
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to attain a world without nuclear weapons.
(npt), which was unable to reach agreement on a During the year, the mission of the Organization
substantive final document. The absence of progress for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (opcw) to
on the establishment of a Middle East zone free eliminate the chemical weapons programme of the
of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass Syrian Arab Republic continued. Despite the re-
destruction remained one of the main reasons for moval and destruction of almost all of the country’s
the inability of the npt Review Conference to reach declared chemical weapons stockpile, the Syrian con-
a consensus. flict continued to be the scene of allegations involving
Efforts to increase cooperation between nuclear- the use of chemical weapons and toxic chemicals. In
weapon-free zones also stagnated. The proceedings a united effort to identify the perpetrators of those
of the Third Conference of States Parties and Signa- crimes and bring them to justice, the Security
tories of Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Council in August passed resolution 2235(2015),
Zones and Mongolia were limited to a general ex- establishing the Organization for the Prohibition of
change of views after the participants were unable to Chemical Weapons–United Nations Joint Investiga-
overcome a dispute regarding participation and lost tive Mechanism.
a common vision for how to implement the practical The historic adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty
steps that had been agreed to in 2010. in 2013 had marked a milestone in international
Continuing divisions were evident in the efforts to regulate the global trade in conventional
Conference on Disarmament, which was once again arms and to promote peace and security. As at the
unable to break its deadlock and commence ne- end of 2015, roughly two thirds of Member States
gotiations or discussions on the basis of an agreed had signed the Treaty since its opening for signa-
programme of work. There was also no progress on ture on 3 June 2013, and 79 States had ratified or
a convention on the prohibition of the use of nuclear acceded to it.
weapons, since the Conference on Disarmament, The United Nations regional centres for peace
during its annual session, was unable to undertake and disarmament continued their work on capacity-
negotiations on that subject as called for by the building measures for preventing the illicit trade in
General Assembly in 2014. Stagnation in both the small arms and light weapons, while also assisting
Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Member States and key stakeholders in implementing
Commission also contributed to renewed failure to Security Council resolution 1540(2004) regarding
bring into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- the non-proliferation to non-state actors of weapons
Ban Treaty. of mass destruction.

241
242 Part One: Political and security questions

memorate and promote the International Day for

UN machinery the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (30 Sep-
tember) by helping organize the screening of the film
Disarmament issues before the United Nations The Man Who Saved the World, a documentary about
were considered mainly through the Security Council, the 26 September 1983 incident during the exercise
the General Assembly and its First (Disarmament and Able Archer, which brought the world to the verge of
International Security) Committee, the Disarmament a nuclear weapons exchange. Additionally, unoda,
Commission (a deliberative body) and the Conference in collaboration with Hibakusha Stories, a New
on Disarmament (a multilateral negotiating forum York–based ngo that brought atomic bomb survi-
which met in Geneva). The Organization also main- vors to New York City high schools to tell their sto-
tained efforts to engage civil society institutions con- ries, organized briefings by hibakusha (atomic bomb
cerned with disarmament issues. survivors) for United Nations tour guides, staff and
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs permanent mission interns. On 3 November, unoda
provided substantive and organizational support to co-sponsored a workshop at the United Nations on
UN bodies, fostered disarmament measures and dis- nuclear disarmament for 30 teachers from New York
seminated impartial and up-to-date information. City high schools.
During the year, unoda issued its flagship pub-
lication, The United Nations Disarmament Yearbook,
UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Vol. 39 (Parts I and II): 2014 (Sales Nos. E.16.IX.3
The United Nations Office for Disarmament and E.16.IX.4).
Affairs (unoda) continued to facilitate norm-setting
in disarmament through the General Assembly and Fourth special session devoted
its First Committee, the Disarmament Commission, to disarmament
the Conference on Disarmament and other bod-
ies. It fostered disarmament measures, encouraged On 23 December (decision 70/551), the General
regional disarmament efforts, provided information Assembly decided, by recorded vote (149-0-5), to
on multilateral disarmament and reinforced the Or- hold, in 2016, an organizational session of the Open-
ganization’s potential for advocacy in the area of dis- ended Working Group on the fourth special session
armament and non-proliferation. of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, for
the purpose of setting the dates for its substantive ses-
Throughout 2015, unoda strengthened its co-
sions in 2016 and 2017. The Working Group was also
operation with regional organizations in the area of
requested to submit a report on its work, including
disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, in
possible substantive recommendations, before the end
particular through the activities of its three regional
of the Assembly’s seventy-second (2017) session. The
centres for peace and disarmament in Africa, Asia and
Assembly further decided to include in the provisional
the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
agenda of its seventy-first (2016) session the item on
The unoda Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch and
the convening of the fourth special session.
the regional centres increased their cooperation with
regional organizations—such as the African Union,
the Caribbean Community and the Organization of Disarmament Commission
American States—to provide assistance to Member In 2015, the United Nations Disarmament
States in implementing their obligations pursuant to Commission, comprising all UN Member States,
Security Council resolution 1540(2004) regarding held ten plenary meetings (New York, 6–24 April)
the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction [A/70/42]. The main agenda items included recom-
to non-state actors. Various regional meetings and mendations for achieving the objective of nuclear dis-
capacity-building activities were convened to that end. armament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,
Unoda also continued to promote its information addressed by the Commission’s Working Group I,
and outreach activities, through the unoda website and practical confidence-building measures in the
and by partnering with permanent missions to the field of conventional weapons, addressed by Working
United Nations, the United Nations Department Group II.
of Public Information, and non-governmental Working Group I held nine meetings, during
organizations (ngos) in holding events, implementing which the Chair circulated a revised Chair’s non-
activities and issuing publications. The unoda web- paper which could form a basis for discussion at future
site continued to feature new content with the aim of sessions of the Commission. Working Group II held
providing the latest information to Member States, eight meetings, during which it discussed the pre-
conference participants, ngos and the general public. vious Chair’s conference room paper. On 15 April, the
In the area of nuclear disarmament and non- Chair circulated a non-paper based on the previous
proliferation, unoda contributed to efforts to com- Chair’s conference room paper, incorporating pro-
Chapter VII: Disarmament 243

posals made by delegations. On 21 April, the Chair its effectiveness would be judged on a single criterion:
introduced a conference room paper and on the same its ability to conclude disarmament treaties.
day the Working Group completed its first reading of The Conference concluded its 2015 session without
that paper. The Commission did not put forward any reaching consensus on a programme of work.
recommendations.
On 18 September, the Conference adopted its
On 24 April, the Disarmament Commission report [CD/2046] for transmission to the General
adopted its report for presentation to the General Assembly.
Assembly.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First (Disarmament on the recommendation of the First Committee
[A/70/462], adopted resolution 70/67 (Report of the
and International Security) Committee [A/70/462],
adopted resolution 70/68 (Report of the Disarm- Conference on Disarmament) without vote [agenda
item 99 (a)].
ament Commission) without vote [agenda item 99 (b)].
On the same day (decision 70/515), the Assembly
took note of the report of the First Committee
Conference on Disarmament
[A/70/468] under the agenda item entitled “Revitalizing
The Conference on Disarmament, a multilateral the work of the Conference on Disarmament and tak-
negotiating body, held 40 formal and 33 informal ing forward multilateral disarmament negotiations”.
plenary meetings (New York, 19 January–27 March,
25 May–10 July, and 3 August–18 September) Comprehensive programme of disarmament
[A/70/27]. The Conference considered the cessation
The Conference on Disarmament [A/70/27] dis-
of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; cussed agenda item 6, “Comprehensive Programme
prevention of nuclear war, including all related of Disarmament”, during the general debate. Delega-
matters; prevention of an arms race in outer space; tions reaffirmed or further elaborated their respective
effective international arrangements to assure non- positions on the agenda item.
nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use
of nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of mass
destruction and new systems of such weapons: radi- Multilateral disarmament agreements
ological weapons; comprehensive programme of dis- As at 31 December 2015, the number of States
armament; and transparency in armaments (for all parties to the multilateral arms regulation and dis-
those agenda items, see below). armament agreements listed below (in chronological
The Secretary-General, on 20 January [CD/ order, with the years in which they were signed or
PV.1330], in his message to the Conference, cautioned opened for signature) was as follows:
delegates that the role of the Conference on Disarm-
Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War
ament as the single standing negotiating forum for
of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of
multilateral disarmament risked being overtaken by
Bacteriological Methods of Warfare (1925 Geneva
events because Governments and civil society were
Protocol): 140 parties
increasingly looking outside the Conference to make
progress on disarmament. On 24 December 2014, the Antarctic Treaty (1959): 53 parties
international community had celebrated the success Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the At-
of the latest such achievement with the entry into mosphere, in Outer Space and under Water (Partial
force of the Arms Trade Treaty, while in the area of Test Ban Treaty) (1963): 126 parties
outer space, the General Assembly had strengthened Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of
support for the implementation of transparency and States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, in-
confidence-building measures and examined the cluding the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (Outer
question of the non-placement of weapons in outer Space Treaty) (1967) [YUN 1966, p. 41, GA res. 2222(XXI),
space. The Secretary-General observed that past annex]: 104 parties
achievements of the Conference showed its potential
Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
and urged delegates to regain that sense of shared re-
in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of
sponsibility and do their part to advance peace and
Tlatelolco) (1967): 33 parties
security through disarmament. He acknowledged
the determined and creative efforts over the previous Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
year to bring the Conference back to work despite Weapons (npt) (1968) [YUN 1968, p. 17, GA res. 2373(XXII),
the long years of impasse, noting, however, that the annex]: 191 parties
Conference on Disarmament was not designed to de- Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement
liberate; its mandate was to negotiate, and ultimately, of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass
244 Part One: Political and security questions

Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor

and in the Subsoil Thereof (Sea-bed Treaty) (1971) UN role in disarmament
[YUN 1970, p. 18, GA res. 2660(XXV), annex]: 94 parties
Convention on the Prohibition of the Develop-
ment, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriolo­ Disarmament and development
gical (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on
Their Destruction (bwc) (1972) [YUN 1971, p. 19, GA Report of Secretary-General. In response to
res. 2826(XXV), annex]: 173 parties
General Assembly resolution 69/56 [YUN 2014, p. 613],
the Secretary-General in July [A/70/163 & Add.1] re-
Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any ported on trends to further strengthen within the
Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification United Nations the relationship between disarmament
Techniques (1977) [YUN 1976, p. 45, GA res. 31/72, an- and development. The report contained information
nex]: 77 parties
received from eight countries (Argentina, Armenia,
Agreement Governing the Activities of States Cuba, El Salvador, Jamaica, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine)
on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (1979) as well as the European Union (eu) on measures to de-
[YUN 1979, p. 111, GA res. 34/68, annex]: 16 parties vote part of the resources made available by the imple-
Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the mentation of disarmament and arms limitation agree-
Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May ments to economic and social development. Within
Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have the United Nations, the main coordination mecha-
Indiscriminate Effects (ccw) (1981): 121 parties nisms on issues relating to disarmament and devel-
South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Raro- opment included the United Nations Coordinating
tonga Treaty) (1985): 13 parties Action on Small Arms, the United Nations Mine
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Action Team, and the Inter-Agency Working Group
(cfe Treaty) (1990): 30 parties on Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration.
Treaty on Open Skies (1992): 34 parties The Secretary-General stated that, in the prior
decade, the United Nations had broadened the scope
Convention on the Prohibition of the Develop-
of disarmament and arms regulation efforts to ad-
ment, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical
dress the social and economic impact of the use of
Weapons and on Their Destruction (cwc) (1993): conventional weapons, their proliferation and accu-
192 parties mulation, and the illicit trade, particularly in small
Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty arms. Examples included the work undertaken by
(Bangkok Treaty) (1995): 10 parties the United Nations Mine Action Service, the United
African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Devel-
(Pelindaba Treaty) (1996): 39 parties opment Programme (undp) and other UN system
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (ctbt) partners addressing the impact of explosive weapons
(1996): 164 parties in populated areas; the capacity-building programmes
Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti- including on implementation of the Firearms Proto-
personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Anti- col; and the efforts of undp on crisis prevention and
Personnel Mine Ban Convention, formerly known as recovery. The Arms Trade Treaty, which had entered
the Ottawa Convention) (1997): 162 parties into force in 2014, set common standards for States
Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit parties in international transfers of conventional arms,
Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Am- ammunition and parts and components.
munition, Explosives, and Other Related Materials The Secretary-General added that in his latest
(1997): 31 parties report to the Security Council on the issue of small
Inter-American Convention on Transparency in arms and light weapons [S/2015/289], he had highlighted
Conventional Weapons Acquisitions (1999): 16 parties measures for addressing the illicit circulation of arms
and ammunition including through the monitoring
Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central of arms embargoes, peacekeeping efforts, security
Asia (canwfz Treaty) (2006): 5 parties sector reform, disarmament, demobilization and
Convention on Cluster Munitions (2008): reintegration programmes, and the strengthening of
98 parties the rule of law, and recommended that specific atten-
Central African Convention for the Control of tion be paid to curbing the illicit flows of ammunition.
Small Arms and Light Weapons, Their Ammunition
and All Parts and Components That Can Be Used for GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Their Manufacture, Repair and Assembly (Kinshasa On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
Convention) (2010): 5 parties. on the recommendation of the First Committee
Arms Trade Treaty (2013): 79 parties. [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/32 (Relationship
Chapter VII: Disarmament 245

between disarmament and development) without

vote [agenda item 97 (d)]. Nuclear disarmament
Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters In response to General Assembly resolutions 69/40
[YUN 2014, p. 616], 69/43 [ibid., p. 627] and 69/48 [ibid.,
The Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, p. 620], the Secretary-General submitted a July report
which advised the Secretary-General and served as [A/70/181] on nuclear disarmament. The Secretary-
the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Institute General observed that since the previous report
for Disarmament Research (unidir), held its sixty- [YUN 2014, p. 615], States had exerted various efforts
third (Geneva, 28–30 January) and sixty-fourth (New to facilitate the implementation of nuclear disarma-
York, 29 June–1 July) sessions. The Board focused on ment and non-proliferation agreements, and that the
the role of arms control in managing conflict; new United Nations had commemorated the first Inter-
challenges to disarmament and the increasing role of national Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear
non-state actors; and the humanitarian consequences Weapons on 26 September 2014 with various events
of nuclear use. A report [A/70/186] of the Secretary- held around the world.
General summarized the Board’s deliberations.
The Secretary-General reported about the ninth
With respect to the role of arms control in managing Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the
conflict, the Board recommended that the Secretary- Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (New York,
General commission a study by unidir to assess the 27 April–22 May). Throughout the negotiations,
history of arms control measures in peacekeeping delegations were sharply divided on how to charac-
activities, in particular UN peacekeeping missions terize the pace and implementation of disarmament
and such regional organizations as the African Union obligations, as well as on next steps for achieving and
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation maintaining a world free of nuclear weapons. Despite
in Europe. On the basis of that assessment, unidir extensive consultations, the Conference was unable
should prepare a handbook of measures implemented to reach agreement on a substantive final document.
by those peacekeeping missions. In his statement on the outcome of the Conference,
The Board also recommended that the Secretary- the Secretary-General expressed his disappointment
General consider including training on weapons at the inability of the States parties to reach consensus
control and disarmament when planning relevant UN on a substantive outcome. He regretted, in particular,
peacekeeping missions, and that weapons control and that States parties were unable to narrow their dif-
disarmament experts be included in the team of ex- ferences on the future of nuclear disarmament or to
perts on such missions. The Office for Disarmament arrive at a new collective vision on how to achieve a
Affairs should provide comments and recommenda- zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons
tions on the mandate of UN missions, especially in of mass destruction in the Middle East. He appealed
view of recommendations of the report of the High- to States to sustain the momentum they had built
level Independent Panel on Peace Operations [A/70/95] over the previous five years, including new initiatives
(see p. 58). in the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and efforts to
The Board further recommended that the Secretary- strengthen nuclear non-proliferation.
General call upon the international community and The Secretary-General noted that since commenc-
regional organizations to strengthen early warning of ing its 2015 session, the Conference on Disarmament
hate speech and organized activity designed to pro- had remained unable to begin negotiations on the
mote sectarian or extremist agendas, as well as encour- basis of an agreed programme of work. On 5 June, the
age States to conduct national assessments of risks re- Conference had re-established an informal working
lated to extremism and radicalization. Action needed group with a mandate to produce a programme of
to be taken to empower the Human Rights Council work. Amid setbacks in establishing new zones and in
to undertake periodic reviews of member States that fostering greater cooperation between existing zones,
were vulnerable to and/or complicit in the promo- the international community had continued efforts
tion of extremist groups and agendas. With respect to make progress towards nuclear disarmament, in-
to the humanitarian consequences of nuclear use, the cluding at the third Conference of States Parties and
Board underscored the importance of the cessation of Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-
nuclear testing and the early entry into force of the Free Zones and Mongolia (New York, 24 April), the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. sixth conference of the nuclear-weapon States (Lon-
Serving as the Board of Trustees of unidir, the don, 4–5 February), and continuing work by the
Advisory Board approved the workplan and budget Russian Federation and the United States towards
of unidir for 2015–2016 and approved the submis- the full implementation of the Treaty on Measures
sion to the General Assembly of the unidir Director’s for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic
report on the Institute’s activities and financial status Offensive Arms. However, while States had continued
[A/70/177]. to identify ways of intensifying their efforts to move
246 Part One: Political and security questions

forward the objective of nuclear disarmament, there GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

remained deep frustration among States regarding the On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, on
lack of demonstrable progress. the recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/460],
The report included replies from Cuba, El Salvador, adopted resolution 70/57 (Universal Declaration on
India, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mexico, Portugal, Qatar the Achievement of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World)
and the Sudan on measures they had taken with re- by recorded vote (133-23-28) [agenda item 97 (b)].
spect to the implementation of resolution 69/43 and RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/57:
nuclear disarmament. In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barba-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
dos, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Bra-
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, on zil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
the recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/460], Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba,
adopted resolution 70/37 (Reducing nuclear danger) Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dom-
by recorded vote (127-48-10) [agenda item 97 (o)]. inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/37:
Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana,
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhu- Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
tan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Ma-
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central lawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mau-
African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, ritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique,
Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,
of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dom- Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guy- Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka,
ana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad- Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozam- Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
bique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Against: Albania, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Es-
Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, tonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sen- Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom, United States.
egal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Abstaining: Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Democratic People’s Republic of
Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Korea, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, India, Ireland, Japan,
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Liechtenstein, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan,
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tur-
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia key, Ukraine.
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liech- Ethical imperatives
tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, Mo- for a nuclear-weapon-free world
naco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Po-
land, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, On 20 October [A/70/460], South Africa, also on
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former behalf of 18 other countries, introduced a draft res-
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United olution entitled “Ethical imperatives for a nuclear-
Kingdom, United States. weapon-free world” [A/C.1/70/L.40]. Subsequently,
Abstaining: Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, China, Georgia, Japan,
Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Uzbekistan.
15 countries joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Universal Declaration On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
On 22 October [A/70/460], Kazakhstan intro- on the recommendation of the First Committee
duced at the First Committee a draft resolution en- [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/50 (Ethical imper-
titled “Universal Declaration on the Achievement of atives for a nuclear-weapon-free world) by recorded
a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World” [A/C.1/70/L.52]. On vote (132-36-16) [agenda item 97].
5 November, Kazakhstan, also on behalf of six other RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/50:
countries, introduced a revised draft [A/C.1/70/L.52/ In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Rev.1]. Subsequently 30 countries joined in sponsoring Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barba-
the draft resolution. dos, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Bra-
Chapter VII: Disarmament 247

zil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Do- Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kir-
minican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial ibati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gre- Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar,
nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mo-
Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic rocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand,
Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Ma- Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua
lawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mau- New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint
ritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Ni- Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singa-
geria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, pore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suri-
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint name, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia,
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hun-
Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. gary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mo-
Against: Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, naco, Netherlands, Poland, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States.
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Lux- Abstaining: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland,
embourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Georgia, Greece, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, the former
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine.
United States.
Abstaining: Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China,
Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Georgia, Cessation of nuclear arms race, nuclear
India, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Pakistan, Republic of disarmament, prevention of nuclear war
Moldova, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia. The Conference on Disarmament [A/70/27] dis-
cussed the agenda items “Cessation of the nuclear
Follow-up to General Assembly high-level arms race and nuclear disarmament” and “Prevention
meeting on nuclear disarmament of nuclear war, including all related matters”. Before
the Conference were 24 documents transmitted by
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/58 Member States, including the statement [CD/2018]
[YUN 2014, p. 618], the Secretary-General transmitted issued by the npt nuclear-weapon States, or P5, at
in July a report [A/70/182 & Add.1] containing the re- the sixth P5 Conference (London, 4–5 February); the
plies of eight Member States (one also on behalf of special declaration [CD/2016] on the urgent need of a
the States members of the Movement of Non-Aligned world free of nuclear weapons adopted at the Third
Countries) to his request for their views on achiev- Summit of Heads of State and Government Officials
ing the objective of the total elimination of nuclear of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean
weapons, in particular on the elements of a compre- States (Belén, Costa Rica, 28–29 January); and a letter
hensive convention on nuclear weapons. of 22 June from the Secretary-General [CD/2023] trans-
mitting the report of the Group of Governmental Ex-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION perts established by resolution 67/53 to make recom-
On 7 December [meeting 67], on the recommenda- mendations on possible aspects that could contribute
tion of the First Committee [A/70/460], the General to a treaty banning the production of fissile material
Assembly adopted resolution 70/34 (Follow-up for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices
to the 2013 high-level meeting of the General (see below). Delegations reaffirmed or further elabo-
Assembly on nuclear disarmament) by recorded rated their respective positions on those agenda items.
vote (140-26-17) [agenda item 97 (cc)].
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/34:
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, on the recommendation of the First Committee
Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/52 (Nuclear disarm-
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, ament) by recorded vote (127-43-15) [agenda item 97 (b)].
Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/52:
Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barba-
248 Part One: Political and security questions

dos, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei other nuclear explosive devices, was held on 26 Feb-
Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, ruary. In addition, the Conference, at an informal
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba,
meeting held on 6 August, addressed the ban of the
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons and
of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecua- other nuclear explosive devices.
dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ja-
maica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz- On 7 December [meeting 67], on the recommen-
stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, dation of the First Committee [A70/460], the General
Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Assembly adopted resolution 70/39 (Treaty ban-
Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, ning the production of fissile material for nuclear
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, weapons or other nuclear explosive devices) by re-
Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint corded vote (179-1-5) [agenda item 97 (a)].
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/39:
Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa,
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic,
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates,
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo-
United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,
Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and
African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros,
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,
Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Den-
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein,
mark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Micronesia, Monaco, Netherlands,
El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany,
Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,
Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tur-
Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq,
key, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kir-
Abstaining: Austria, Belarus, Cyprus, India, Ireland, Japan, Malta,
ibati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Mauritius, Montenegro, New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of
Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lith-
Korea, Serbia, Sweden, Uzbekistan.
uania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives,
Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex-
ico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
Fissile material Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 67/53 Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama,
Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Por-
[YUN 2012, p. 478], the Secretary-General transmitted tugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Roma-
to the General Assembly the report [A/70/81] of the nia, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint
Group of Governmental Experts to make recommen- Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,
dations on possible aspects that could contribute to a Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia,
treaty banning the production of fissile material for Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,
nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-
The Group reaffirmed that a treaty banning the Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emir-
other nuclear explosive devices should be legally bind- ates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United
ing, non-discriminatory, multilateral and internation- States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam,
ally and effectively verifiable. It also reaffirmed that Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Pakistan.
the 1995 Shannon report [CD/1299], and the mandate Abstaining: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Iran,
contained therein, remained the most suitable basis Israel, Syrian Arab Republic.
on which future negotiations could commence in the
Conference on Disarmament. The Group agreed that
their report should serve as a useful resource for nego- Security assurances
tiators of a future treaty. The Conference on Disarmament [A/70/27], during
During the general debate of the Conference its general debate, discussed agenda item 4: “Effective
on Disarmament [A/70/27], one plenary meeting on international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-
agenda item 1 entitled “Cessation of the nuclear arms weapon States against the use or threat of use of
race and nuclear disarmament” and on agenda item 2 nuclear weapons” (or “negative security assurances”)
entitled “Prevention of nuclear war, including all re- on 10 March and 7 August. The Conference consid-
lated matters”, with a general focus on the ban of the ered a briefing note [CD/2045] submitted by Iran, on
production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons and behalf of member States of the Group of 21 (G-21), en-
Chapter VII: Disarmament 249

titled “Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of member deposited their instruments of ratification. By year’s
States of G-21. Working paper. Negative security end, 36 of those States had ratified the Treaty.
assurances”. Delegations reaffirmed or further elab- Group of Eminent Persons. The senior states-
orated their respective positions on that agenda item. men, politicians and experts who constituted the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Group of Eminent Persons met in Seoul in June
to rally support for the Treaty’s entry into force
On 7 December [meeting 67], on the recommenda- and highlight the threat posed by nuclear weapons
tion of the First Committee [A/70/457], the General testing. During that meeting, the Group considered
Assembly adopted resolution 70/25 (Conclusion the status of the Treaty, identified ways to advance
of effective international arrangements to assure its entry into force, assessed developments on the
non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or Korean peninsula and their implications for regional
threat of use of nuclear weapons) by recorded vote peace and security and issued the Seoul Declaration,
(127-0-55) [agenda item 94]. containing a call for the Treaty’s entry into force. The
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/25: Group also met in Hiroshima, Japan, in August and
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, adopted the Hiroshima Declaration, which stated that
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Be- the entry into force of the Treaty was one of the most
nin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, essential practical measures for nuclear disarmament
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, and non-proliferation, also calling for a multilateral
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, approach to engage the leadership of the remaining
Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, eight Annex 2 States and with the aim of facilitating
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, their respective ratification processes.
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/171],
Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guy- pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/81
ana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan,
[YUN 2014, p. 626], the Secretary-General, in consul-
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, tation with the Preparatory Commission for ctbt,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Is- reported on the efforts of States that had ratified the
lands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Treaty towards its universalization, and on possibili-
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Ni- ties for providing assistance on ratification procedures
ger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, to States that requested it, covering the period from
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sa- June 2014 to May 2015.
moa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon
Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Conference on facilitating CTBT
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste,
Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan,
entry into force
Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, The ninth biennial Conference on Facilitating
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
Zambia, Zimbabwe.
the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear
Against: None. Test-Ban Treaty (New York, 29 September) [CTBT-
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Art.XIV/2015/6] was attended by 91 States. Participants
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, included delegates from five of the Annex 2 States
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, whose ratification was required for entry into force:
France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel and the United States. The
Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Lux-
embourg, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Nether-
Conference adopted the Final Declaration and Meas-
lands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of ures to Promote the Entry into Force of the Compre-
Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, hensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty which contained 14
San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Swit- practical measures to accelerate the ratification process
zerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and achieve entry into force. In his closing remarks,
Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States. the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission
for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization thanked ratifying and signatory States
for their support and highlighted the need for concrete
Status
steps to advance the entry into force of the Treaty.
As at 31 December, 164 States had ratified the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (ctbt)
adopted by General Assembly resolution 50/245 On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
[YUN 1996, p. 454]. Angola became a party during the on the recommendation of the First Committee
year. In accordance with article XIV, ctbt would en- [A/70/466], adopted resolution 70/73 (Comprehen-
ter into force 180 days after the 44 States possessing sive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty) by recorded vote
nuclear reactors listed in Annex 2 of the Treaty had (181-1-3) [agenda item 103].
250 Part One: Political and security questions

RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/73: graph 1, of the Agreement to Regulate the Relationship
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, An- between the United Nations and ctbto, annexed to
tigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Assembly resolution 54/280 [YUN 2000, p. 501].
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Be-
larus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Advisory opinion of the
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colom- International Court of Justice
bia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 69/40
Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecua- [YUN 2014, p. 616], 69/43 [YUN 2014, p. 627] and 69/48
dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, [YUN 2014, p. 620] relating to the advisory opinion of
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ger- the International Court of Justice that the threat of use
many, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- of nuclear weapons was contrary to the UN Charter
Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran,
[YUN 1996, p. 461], the Secretary-General presented in
Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic July information [A/70/181] from nine Member States
Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechten- (Cuba, El Salvador, India, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mex-
stein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, ico, Portugal, Qatar, Sudan) on measures they had
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, taken to implement the resolution and towards nuclear
Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mo- disarmament.
zambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zea-
land, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Pa-
lau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, on
Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint the recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/460],
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Ara-
bia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, adopted resolution 70/56 (Follow-up to the advisory
Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suri- opinion of the International Court of Justice on the
name, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons) by
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, recorded vote (137-24-25) [agenda item 97 (k)].
Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/56:
Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Against: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo-
Abstaining: India, Mauritius, Syrian Arab Republic. tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Preparatory Commission for the Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
CTBT Organization Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Domi-
The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehen- nica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equa-
sive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (ctbto), torial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
established by the signatory States in 1996 [YUN 1996, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hon-
duras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan,
p. 452], held its forty-fourth (18 June) and forty-fifth
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
(16–18 November and 7 December) sessions in Vienna Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad-
[CTBT/ES/2015/5]. agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
The Commission made further progress in strength- Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco,
ening its verification capabilities. Following outreach Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nic-
aragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New
with host States, the Commission reached political Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint
agreements for the establishment of stations of the In- Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
ternational Monitoring System (ims) in a number of Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singa-
States in Africa and South America where there had pore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suri-
been slow progress in previous years. The organization name, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic,
also took major steps to complete some ims facilities Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
that were under construction. With additional certi- Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
fications in 2015, the total number of certified ims fa- Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.
cilities reached 282, improving both the coverage and Against: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
the resilience of the network. That figure represented France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lith-
84 per cent of the network foreseen by the Treaty. uania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russian
Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United King-
Note of Secretary-General. In July, the Secretary- dom, United States.
General transmitted to the General Assembly the report Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Canada,
[A/70/159] of the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Croatia, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, Micro-
Commission for 2014, pursuant to article IV, para- nesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Palau, Republic of Korea,
Chapter VII: Disarmament 251

Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, the former Yugoslav the “Joint Statement on the Humanitarian Con-
Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia. sequences of Nuclear Weapons” [CD/2038], which
was delivered by Austria during the npt Review
Prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons Conference on 28 April on behalf of 159 countries;
and the “Humanitarian Pledge” [CD/2039] supported
In 2015, no progress was made on a convention by 114 UN Member States.
on the prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons, as
the Conference on Disarmament was unable to un- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
dertake negotiations on that subject as called for in
General Assembly resolution 69/69 [YUN 2014, p. 629]. On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
The Assembly reiterated its request to the Conference on the recommendation of the first Committee
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/47 (Humanitarian
to commence negotiations.
consequences of nuclear weapons) by recorded vote
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION (144-18-22) [agenda item 97 (b)].
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/47:
on the recommendation of the First Committee In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,
[A/70/461], adopted resolution 70/62 (Convention on Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain,
the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons) by Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bo-
livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
recorded vote (130-48-8) [agenda item 98 (a)]. Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/62: Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecua-
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indone-
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Co- sia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
moros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mar-
El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, shall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia,
Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,
Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jor- New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Pan-
dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao ama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar,
People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and
Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzer-
Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Against: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco, Poland, Republic of
United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Turkey, United
Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Kingdom, United States.
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia Abstaining: Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Bulgaria, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger- Korea, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Lux-
many, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, embourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Por-
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, tugal, Republic of Moldova, Slovakia, Slovenia.
Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Ma- Also on 7 December [meeting 67], the General
rino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Assembly, on the recommendation of the First Com-
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom,
United States. mittee [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/48 (Human-
Abstaining: Armenia, Belarus, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russian itarian pledge for the prohibition and elimination
Federation, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan. of nuclear weapons) by recorded vote (139-29-17)
[agenda item 97 (b)].
Humanitarian approach RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/48:
to nuclear disarmament In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Bar-
buda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
Communications. By notes of 28 August, Aus- Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bo-
tria transmitted to the Conference on Disarmament livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
252 Part One: Political and security questions

Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African The general debate in plenary, during which 121
Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa statements [NPT/CONF.2015/INF/3/Rev.4] were made by
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecua-
States parties in their national capacities or on behalf
dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, of various groups, was held from 27 April to 1 May.
Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Despite intensive consultations, the Conference was
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ire- not able to reach agreement on the substantive part of
land, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, the draft Final Document.
Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Maurita-
nia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Ni- on the recommendation of the First Committee
geria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/51 (Towards a
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint nuclear-weapon-free world: accelerating the imple-
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon
mentation of nuclear disarmament commitments)
Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, by recorded vote (142-7-36) [agenda item 97 (q)].
Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/51:
land, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni-
sia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,
Against: Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad,
Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Mon- Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire,
tenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti,
Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
Kingdom, United States. Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia,
Abstaining: Albania, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Finland, Georgia, Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Ja-
Greece, Iceland, India, Japan, Mauritius, Norway, Pakistan, maica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz-
Portugal, Republic of Moldova, the former Yugoslav Republic stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho,
of Macedonia. Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauri-
tius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Para-
Non-proliferation guay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San
Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore,
Non-Proliferation Treaty Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
Status Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajik-
istan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
In 2015, the number of States parties to the Treaty Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (npt) Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emir-
ates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
stood at 191, following the accession to the treaty by Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
the State of Palestine in February. Regarded as the Against: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, France, India,
cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation Israel, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States.
regime, the Treaty was adopted by the General Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia
Assembly in 1968 by resolution 2373(XXIII) and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech
[YUN 1968, p. 16], and entered into force in 1970. It was Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxem-
extended indefinitely in 1995 by Assembly resolution bourg, Micronesia, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland,
50/70 [YUN 1995, p. 189]. Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey.
2015 Review Conference On the same date [meeting 67], the Assembly,
Following the entry into force of the npt, review on the recommendation of the First Committee
conferences for the treaty were held every five years, [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/40 (United action
as called for under article VIII, paragraph 3 of the with renewed determination towards the total
Treaty, beginning in 1975 [YUN 1975, p. 27]. At the 2015 elimination of nuclear weapons) by recorded vote
Review Conference (New York, 27 April–22 May) (166-3-16) [agenda item 97 (aa)].
[NPT/CONF.2015/50 (Vols. I-III)], States parties examined RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/40:
the implementation of the Treaty’s provisions since In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
2010 and held 15 plenary meetings. Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Chapter VII: Disarmament 253

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Nigeria, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Phil-
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Can- Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
ada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Co- Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai-
moros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, land, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turk-
Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Den- menistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic
mark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equato- of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Ga- Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
bon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz- Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Liechten-
stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Le- stein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco,
sotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mar- Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
shall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mon- Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,
golia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Abstaining: Armenia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of
Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Korea, Georgia, India, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Panama, Samoa,
Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Switzerland, Turkey.
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Ara-
bia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swazi-
2020 Review Conference
land, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of on the recommendation of the First Committee
Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/28 (2020 Review
Nam, Yemen, Zambia. Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the
Against: China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its
Federation.
Abstaining: Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, India, Iran, Israel, Mauri-
Preparatory Committee) by recorded vote (176-0-3)
tius, Myanmar, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Syrian [agenda item 97].
Arab Republic, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe. RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/28:
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Follow-up to disarmament obligations of Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
1995, 2000 and 2010 NPT Review Conferences Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,
on the recommendation of the First Committee Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/38 (Follow-up to Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
nuclear disarmament obligations agreed to at the Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecua-
1995, 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences of the dor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia,
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
Nuclear Weapons) by recorded vote (121-48-12) Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indo-
[agenda item 97 (x)]. nesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Ka-
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/38: Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liech-
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Ma-
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bela- laysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex-
rus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei ico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama,
Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Por-
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, tugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Ro-
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, mania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guy- Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San
ana, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka- Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia,
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Is- Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav
lands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
254 Part One: Political and security questions

Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Non-proliferation of

United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. weapons of mass destruction
Against: None.
Security Council Committee on WMDs
Abstaining: India, Israel, Pakistan.
Committee report. The Security Council Com-
Missiles mittee set up to report on the implementation of
resolution 1540(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 544] on the non-
The Missile Technology Control Regime (mtcr), proliferation of wmds, and extended to 25 April 2021
comprising 34 member States, held its twenty-ninth by resolution 1977(2011) [YUN 2011, p. 506], submitted
plenary meeting (Rotterdam, Netherlands, 5–9 Oc- a December report [S/2015/1052] on the review of the
tober) to review the mtcr activities over the pre- implementation of the resolution for 2015. The first
vious 12 months and to intensify efforts to prevent part of the report described trends in implementa-
the proliferation of unmanned delivery systems tion and summarized activities of States in the areas
capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction of implementation; assistance; cooperation with in-
(wmds). Mtcr partners recalled that the prolifer- ternational, regional and subregional organizations;
ation of wmds (nuclear, chemical and biological and transparency and outreach. The second part
weapons) and their means of delivery remained a contained an assessment and analysis of implementa-
threat to international peace and security. They re- tion and future perspectives. As at December, 176 of
iterated their commitment to limit the risks of pro- the 193 Member States had submitted national im-
liferation by controlling international transfers that plementation reports, including three States (Cabo
could contribute to delivery systems for wmd. Mtcr Verde, Sao Tome and Principe, Zambia) that had sub-
partners discussed various country issues, including mitted initial reports. In addition, 33 States provided
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran, additional information; described effective practices
highlighting the importance of implementing the rel- or provided comments and updates on their revised
evant Security Council resolutions. They expressed matrices, including on measures related to prohibit-
concerns associated with global missile proliferation ing non-State actors from using nuclear, chemical and
activities, in particular regarding missile programmes biological weapons and their means of delivery; and
in the Middle East, Northeast Asia and South Asia, strengthened controls to prevent the illicit trafficking
which might fuel missile proliferation activities else- of such weapons and related materials.
where. They stressed that the rapid technological de-
velopment and changes in proliferant procurement During the year, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
practices related to sensitive items and technologies the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Senegal, Spain and
required great awareness and effective action. Togo submitted national implementation action plans,
bringing the total number of such plans received by the
Committee to 21. The Committee’s Group of Experts
Hague Code of Conduct was involved in efforts to develop those voluntary plans
The 137 Subscribing States to The Hague Code through interaction with Ghana, Jordan, Malawi,
of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Prolifera- the Republic of Moldova, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo,
tion (hcoc) held their fourteenth regular meeting Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Those States were in
(Vienna, 28–29 May). Subscribing States reaffirmed the process of developing or finalizing such plans.
the threat to international peace and security posed The Committee’s working group on monitoring and
by the proliferation of wmds and their means of deliv- national implementation considered 125 matrices pre-
ery, which constituted a serious concern, particularly sented to it by the Group of Experts. All 193 matrices,
in the Middle East, North-East Asia and South Asia. which had been revised by 30 June 2015, were sent to
In that regard, the Democratic People’s Republic of States for their review, and subsequent to the further
Korea’s increased number of ballistic missile launches revision of some matrices on the basis of comments
in 2014–2015 were noted. Subscribing States stressed received from 25 States, the Committee approved 183
the need to stem the proliferation of wmds and their matrices on 23 December.
means of delivery and to encourage new subscriptions The Committee recommended that the compre-
to the hcoc, particularly by countries with space hensive review of the implementation of resolution
launch vehicle and ballistic missile capabilities. They 1540(2004), to be submitted to the Security Council
agreed to continue efforts towards universalization of before December 2016, be both retrospective and
the hcoc; stressed the importance of the full imple- forward-looking in terms of the modalities, and draw
mentation of the Code, in particular with regard to on an analysis of the implementation of the resolu-
pre-launch-notifications and the timely submission tion since the 2009 review. The review should aim
of annual declarations; and declared their intention at: improving the implementation of the resolution
to encourage and achieve improved performance in by Member States by identifying and recommending
those areas. specific, practical and appropriate actions; analysing
Chapter VII: Disarmament 255

the operation of the Committee in the conduct of its of Nuclear Material and six States had adhered to the
tasks; and recommending any changes considered 2005 Amendment thereto, bringing the number of
necessary. Furthermore, the final report should be Contracting States to the Amendment to 84. As at
based on information at the disposal of the Com- 30 June, adherence to the Amendment by an addi-
mittee, including through its approved matrices and tional 17 States was still needed to reach the total of
relevant information and inputs from Member States two-thirds of parties to the Convention required for
and intergovernmental, regional and subregional the Amendment to enter into force.
organizations. As at 30 June, 125 States had informed the
During the year, reports on implementation of Director General of their intention to implement the
the resolution were submitted by Cabo Verde [S/ 2003 Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security
AC.44/2015/1], the Dominican Republic [S/AC.44/2015/8], of Radioactive Sources [YUN 2003, p. 1033]—a non-
Ghana [S/AC.44/2015/2], Kyrgyzstan [S/AC.44/2015/3], binding international legal instrument that provided
Morocco [S/AC.44/2015/6], Sao Tome and Principe [S/ guidance for ensuring the control of radioactive
AC.44/2015/5], Sri Lanka [S/AC.44/2015/4] and Zambia sources—and 94 States of their intention to imple-
[S/AC.44/2015/7]. ment its supplementary Guidance on the Import and
In January [S/2015/75], the Committee submitted Export of Radioactive Sources [YUN 2005, p. 1563]. The
its fourteenth programme of work for the period from International Convention for the Suppression of
1 February 2015 to 30 January 2016. Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, adopted by the General
Assembly in resolution 59/290 [YUN 2005, p. 1411],
New types of WMDs gained five States Parties during the reporting period,
bringing the number to 99 as at 30 June. The Agency
Conference on Disarmament. The issue of radi- continued to facilitate adherence to and implementa-
ological weapons, which had been on the agenda of tion of international instruments, not only through
the Conference on Disarmament since 1979, was con- its regular activities within its legislative assistance
sidered during the general debate of the Conference, programme, but also by holding a Treaty Event dur-
under agenda item 5 on “New types of weapons of ing the fifty-eighth General Conference to promote
mass destruction and new systems of such weapons; universal adherence to the multilateral treaties for
radiological weapons” [A/70/27]. Delegations reaf- which it was depositary. The Agency continued its
firmed or further elaborated their respective positions coordinating role among Member States’ programmes
on that agenda item. dedicated to the security of radioactive sources. The
fourth meeting of the Working Group on Radioactive
Terrorism and WMDs Source Security, held in April, discussed activities
implemented through bilateral and multilateral initi-
The United Nations continued to promote interna- atives and national efforts to improve the security of
tional action against terrorism through collaborative radioactive material worldwide, as well as the Agency’s
efforts with Member States and regional and inter- programme and activities.
national organizations, and through the work of the During the reporting period, five States joined the
Counter-Terrorism Committee (see p. 53) and the Al- Agency’s Incident and Trafficking Database (itdb)
Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee (see p. 165). Programme, bringing the number of participants to
Report of Secretary-General. In response to 131 as at 30 June. States reported 243 incidents to
General Assembly resolution 69/39 [YUN 2014, p. 644], itdb, 16 of which involved illegal possession of and at-
the Secretary-General, in July [A/70/169 & Add.1], pre- tempts to sell nuclear material or radioactive sources,
sented the views of 16 Member States and 12 inter- with six of those involving nuclear material. All of
national organizations, including UN agencies, on the materials involved in those incidents were seized
measures taken to prevent terrorists from acquiring by the competent authorities within the reporting
wmds, their means of delivery, and related materials State. There were 61 reported cases of theft or loss of
and technologies. radioactive sources, ten of which involved the theft of
IAEA report. The International Atomic Energy Category 1 to 3 radioactive sources. In two of the ten
Agency (iaea) Director General, in a July report [GOV incidents involving dangerous sources, the radioactive
/2015/42-GC(59)/12] on nuclear security covering the sources had not yet been reported to the itdb as hav-
period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, stated that ing been recovered by competent authorities within
the Agency had continued to facilitate adherence to the reporting State. A total of 169 reported incidents
and implementation of key international instruments involved other unauthorized activities. Those included
for nuclear security. During the reporting period, the detection of unauthorized disposal of nuclear
adherence to the international instruments estab- material and radioactive sources, the detection of
lishing the international legal framework for nuclear material with radioactive contamination, the recovery
security had increased. Three States had become of radioactive material outside of regulatory control
parties to the Convention on the Physical Protection and the discovery of nuclear material and radioactive
256 Part One: Political and security questions

sources in unauthorized or undeclared storage. One of Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
the reports involved high enriched uranium. Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Ma-
laysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauri-
The Agency continued to give priority to the de- tius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
velopment and implementation of integrated nuclear Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
security support plans to assist States in applying Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
a holistic approach to nuclear security capacity- Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
building and enabling increased coordination be- Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri
tween the Agency, the State concerned and potential Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic,
donors. During the reporting period, 13 Member Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and To-
States approved their plans, bringing the number of bago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates,
approved plans to 67. An additional eight Member United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
States and one non-Member State finalized new plans Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Israel, Micronesia, United Kingdom, United States.
and were in the process of approving them, and 16 Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bel-
Member States with existing plans held joint review gium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,
meetings with the Agency to update their plans. Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
The Agency also continued to develop the Nuclear Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,
Security Information Portal. As at 2015, the Portal Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
had over 2500 registered users from 150 Member Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova,
States and 19 organizations. Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swe-
den, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Tonga, Turkey, Ukraine.
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First Committee Also on 7 December [meeting 67], the General
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/36 (Measures to
Assembly, on the recommendation of the First Com-
prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass mittee [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/33 (Taking
destruction) without vote [agenda item 97 (t)]. forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotia-
tions) by recorded vote (138-12-34) [agenda item 97 (bb)].
Multilateralism in disarmament RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/33:
and non-proliferation In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barba-
Report of Secretary-General. In response to dos, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
General Assembly resolution 69/54 [YUN 2014, p. 645], Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
the Secretary-General, in July [A/70/157], presented Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa
replies received from Argentina, Armenia, Cuba, El Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of
Salvador, Georgia, Portugal, Qatar, Serbia, Spain, Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dom-
Sudan and Ukraine regarding their views on the pro- inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
motion of multilateralism in the area of disarmament Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia,
Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-
and non-proliferation. Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,
Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyr-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
gyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Leso-
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, tho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Ma-
on the recommendation of the First Committee laysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique,
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/31 (Promotion
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Ni-
of multilateralism in the area of disarmament ger, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
and non-proliferation) by recorded vote (129-4-50) Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
[agenda item 97 (r)]. Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San
Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/31: Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the
Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bela- former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo,
rus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic Against: China, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Hungary, Israel,
of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russian Federation, United King-
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, dom, United States.
Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Belarus, Bel-
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indone- gium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland,
sia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg,
Chapter VII: Disarmament 257

Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, further nuclear tests, including an April statement by
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, the Foreign Minister’s office which confirmed that
Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Uzbekistan.
the dprk would bolster its capabilities for self-defence
with the nuclear deterrent as a pivot. The Director-
IAEA safeguards General noted that because the Agency remained
The verification programme of the International unable to carry out verification activities in the dprk,
Atomic Energy Agency (iaea) remained at the core of its monitoring of the country’s nuclear programme
multilateral efforts to curb the proliferation of nuclear was limited mainly to satellite imagery. Based on
weapons. The Agency had an essential verification role the available information, however, the dprk nuclear
under the npt, as well as other treaties, such as those programme remained a matter of serious concern and
establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones. Comprehen- had undergone regrettable developments that con-
sive safeguards agreements concluded pursuant to stituted clear violations of relevant Security Council
the npt and the Model Additional Protocols to those resolutions. The Director General called on the dprk
agreements, which granted the Agency complemen- to comply fully with its obligations under relevant
tary verification authority, were approved by the iaea Security Council resolutions, to cooperate promptly
Board of Governors in 1997 [YUN 1997, p. 486]; they re- with the Agency in the full and effective implementa-
mained the principal legal instruments strengthening tion of its npt Safeguards Agreement and to resolve
the Agency’s safeguards regime. all outstanding issues, including those that had arisen
during the absence of Agency inspectors.
According to the iaea 2015 annual report [GC(60)/9],
safeguards were applied during the year for 181 States IAEA General Conference. In a September res-
with safeguards agreements in force with the Agency. olution [GC(59)/RES/14], the iaea General Conference
Of the 121 States that had both a comprehensive safe- condemned the three nuclear tests conducted by the
guards agreement and an additional protocol in force, dprk and called on the country to refrain from con-
the Agency concluded that all nuclear material re- ducting any further tests. The Conference deplored
mained in peaceful activities in 67 States; for 54 States, all the dprk ongoing nuclear activities, including the
as the necessary evaluations remained ongoing, the restart of the 5MW(e) graphite moderated reactor,
Agency was unable to draw the same conclusion. For the operation and extension of the uranium enrich-
those 54 States, and for the 52 States with a compre- ment facility, and the construction activities at the
hensive safeguards agreement but with no additional light water reactor at Yongbyon, and urged it to halt
protocol in force, the Agency concluded only that de- such activities and any efforts to readjust or expand its
clared nuclear material remained in peaceful activities. nuclear facilities.
Integrated safeguards were implemented for 54 States. (For more information on UN concern with the
Safeguards were also implemented with regard to dprk nuclear programme and related sanctions, see
nuclear material in selected facilities in the five nuclear- p. 173.)
weapon States with voluntary offer agreements. For
those States, the Agency concluded that nuclear Iran
material in selected facilities to which safeguards had During the year, the Director General submitted
been applied remained in peaceful activities or had four reports [GOV/2015/15, GOV/2015/34, GOV/2015/50,
been withdrawn from safeguards, as provided for in GOV/2015/65] to the Board of Governors on the imple-
the agreements. For the three States in which specific mentation of Iran’s npt safeguards agreements and
safeguards were implemented, the Agency concluded relevant Security Council resolutions. The Director
that nuclear material, facilities or other items to which General reported that while the Agency continued to
safeguards had been applied remained in peaceful verify the non-diversion of declared nuclear material
activities. The Agency could not draw any safeguards at the nuclear facilities and locations outside facili-
conclusions for 12 npt States parties without safe- ties where nuclear material was customarily used,
guards agreements in force. the Agency was not in a position to provide credible
The General Assembly, in resolution 70/10 of assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear
17 November (see p. 506), took note of the iaea report material and activities, and therefore to conclude that
for 2014 [A/70/219]. all nuclear material in Iran was in peaceful activities.
The Agency began conducting preparatory
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea activities related to the verification and monitoring of
In August, the Director General submitted a report Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the Joint
[GOV/2015/49-GC(59)/22] to the iaea Board of Governors Plan of Action [YUN 2013, p. 495], including verification
and General Conference on the application of safe- and monitoring of the steps Iran had begun taking
guards in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea towards the implementation of those commitments.
(dprk), indicating that dprk officials had made public The Security Council on 9 June, by resolution
statements reiterating the country’s right to conduct 2224(2015), extended until 9 July 2016 the mandate
258 Part One: Political and security questions

of the Panel of Experts established in 2010 by Council early application of full-scope Agency safeguards to all
resolution 1929(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 396]. On 20 July, nuclear activities in the region.
the Council adopted resolution 2231(2015), endors- Report of Secretary-General. In October
ing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action con- [A/70/153 (Part II)], responding to General Assembly
cluded on 14 July. resolution 69/78 [YUN 2014, p. 649], the Secretary-
(For more information on UN concern with Iran’s General reported that, apart from the iaea resolution
nuclear programme and related sanctions, see p. 176.) on the application of Agency safeguards in the Middle
East (see above), he had not received any additional
Middle East information since his 2014 report [ibid.].
Report of Director General. In a July report
[GOV/2015/45-GC(59)/15] on the application of iaea
Syrian Arab Republic
safeguards in the Middle East, the iaea Director In a November statement to the iaea Board of
General noted that all States in the region, except Governors on the implementation of npt safeguards
Israel, were parties to npt and had undertaken to ac- agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Director
cept comprehensive Agency safeguards. As at 28 July, General stated that, in September, Agency inspec-
one of these States (Somalia) had yet to take action tors had conducted a physical inventory verification
to conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreement of nuclear material, and a design information verifi-
with the iaea. Additional protocols were in force for cation, at the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor in
Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Damascus. The Director General recalled that, in May
Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and the United Arab 2011, he had reported [YUN 2011, p. 515] that it was very
Emirates. Iran and Tunisia had signed but not yet likely that a building destroyed at the Dair Alzour
brought into force additional protocols, and an ad- site had been a nuclear reactor that should have been
ditional protocol had been approved for Algeria but declared to the Agency by Syria. He stated that the
not yet signed. A long-standing and fundamental dif- Agency remained unable to provide any assessment
ference of views between Israel and the other States concerning the nature or operational status of other
of the region remained with regard to the application locations referred to in his report of May 2011 and
of comprehensive Agency safeguards to all nuclear urged Syria to cooperate fully with the Agency in
activities in the region. All States in the region, ex- connection with all unresolved issues.
cept Israel, maintained that there was no automatic
sequence linking the application of comprehensive GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
safeguards to all activities in the Middle East, or the On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone, to the on the recommendation of the First Committee
prior conclusion of a peace settlement, and that the [A/70/463], adopted resolution 70/70 (The risk of
former would contribute to the latter. Israel, on the nuclear proliferation in the Middle East) by re-
other hand, took the view that Agency safeguards, corded vote (157-5-20) [agenda item 100].
as well as all other regional security issues, could not
be addressed in isolation from the creation of stable RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/70:
regional security conditions, and that those issues In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anti-
should be addressed in the framework of a regional gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Be-
security and arms control dialogue that could re- nin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei
sume in the context of a multilateral peace process. Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
The Director General was therefore unable to make Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
progress in fulfilling his mandate regarding the appli- Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba,
cation of comprehensive Agency safeguards covering Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark,
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt,
all nuclear activities in the Middle East, but would El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Fin-
continue consultations regarding the early application land, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,
of comprehensive Agency safeguards on all nuclear Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iceland, Indo-
activities in the region. nesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Ka-
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
IAEA General Conference. In a resolution Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,
of 17 September [GC(59)/RES/15], the iaea General Libya, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal-
Conference affirmed the need for all States in the re- dives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,
gion to accept the application of full-scope Agency Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
safeguards to all nuclear activities as an important Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Par-
confidence-building measure and as a step in enhanc- aguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea,
ing peace and security in the context of the estab- Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint
lishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone. It requested Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren-
the Director General to continue consultations on the adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Chapter VII: Disarmament 259

Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, missions, including from the decommissioning of
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The
Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo,
General Conference requested the Secretariat to assist
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Member States, including those phasing out nuclear
Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, power and those with damaged facilities, with the
Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, identification of decommissioning strategies.
Zimbabwe.
Against: Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Palau, United State. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Abstaining: Australia, Belgium, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech
Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
India, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Pan- on the recommendation of the First Committee
ama, Poland, Rwanda, Swaziland, United Kingdom. [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/59 (Prohibition
of the dumping of radioactive wastes) without vote
Radioactive waste [agenda item 97 (e)].

As described in the iaea 2015 annual report

[GC(60)/9], the Fifth Review Meeting (Vienna, Nuclear-weapon-free zones
11–22 May) of the Contracting Parties to the Joint Conference on nuclear-weapon-free zones
Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and Mongolia
and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management
(The Joint Convention) [YUN 1997, p. 487], which In April, the interested States Parties convened
entered into force in 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 487], was in New York to hold the Third Conference of States
attended by 61 of the 69 Contracting Parties. Par- Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish
ticipants discussed the progress made with regard to Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia. How-
the management of disused sealed sources; the safety ever, due to a procedural dispute triggered by political
implications of very long storage periods and delayed differences among several States Parties of one of the
disposal of spent fuel and radioactive waste; and inter- zones, which were not germane to the subject matter
national cooperation in finding solutions for the long- of the Conference, the participating States failed to
term management and disposal of different types of begin formal discussions and adopt a final report or
radioactive waste and spent fuel. The meeting included a declaration.
a session on lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima
Daiichi accident in Japan. The discussions focused on Africa
spent fuel and radioactive waste management, and on
related issues such as the relevance of the Fukushima The African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty
Daiichi accident for Contracting Parties without a (Treaty of Pelindaba) [YUN 1995, p. 203], which entered
nuclear power programme, the management of large into force in 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 533], had been ratified,
volumes of accident waste and lessons learned from as at 31 December, by 39 countries.
decontamination following a radiological accident.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
In February, the Agency conducted the third in-
ternational peer review of the road map towards the On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear on the recommendation of the First Committee
power plant. The mission involved 15 international ex- [A/70/453], adopted resolution 70/23 (African
perts, who found that the situation had improved since Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty) without vote
the previous Agency mission in 2013. Several impor- [agenda item 90].
tant tasks had been accomplished: the fuel had been
removed from Unit 4; the systems for treating contam- Asia
inated water had been expanded and improved; the un-
derground water bypass was in operation; and further South-East Asia
clean-up of the site debris had resulted in a reduction The 10 States parties to the Treaty on the South-East
in the radiological dose rate. In January, the Agency Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (Bangkok Treaty),
established the International Project on Decommis- which was opened for signature in 1995 [YUN 1995,
sioning and Remediation of Damaged Nuclear Facili- p. 207] and entered into force in 1997 [YUN 1997, p. 495],
ties, aimed at sharing and learning from the experience continued to promote and strengthen implementation
gained during decommissioning and remediation of of the Treaty.
damaged nuclear facilities and legacy sites.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
IAEA General Conference. On 17 September
[GC(59)/RES/9], the iaea General Conference encour- On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
aged the Agency to share the lessons learned from on the recommendation of the First Committee
decommissioning activities and iaea peer review [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/60 (Treaty on
260 Part One: Political and security questions

the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone southern hemisphere and adjacent areas) by recorded
(Bangkok Treaty)) without vote [agenda item 97 (z)]. vote (178-4-1) [agenda item 97 (i)].
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/45:
Middle East In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Report of Secretary-General. In response to Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
General Assembly resolution 69/29 [YUN 2014, p. 655], Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the Secretary-General in July [A/70/153 (Part I) & Add.1] Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina
reported on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon- Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
free zone in the Middle East. Efforts intensified at Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,
bringing the States of the region together to reach Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
agreement on the arrangements for the postponed Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark,
conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El
free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji,
destruction. The Secretary-General reported that Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,
despite extended consultations and other activities, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hon-
there continued to be differences among the parties duras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,
on several important aspects of the Conference, in- Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati,
Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lat-
cluding its agenda. The facilitator of the conference via, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithua-
(Finland) and the convenors continued to engage nia, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives,
with the States of the region to finalize the arrange- Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,
ments for the Conference at the earliest possible date. Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
They were ultimately unable to arrive at an agreement Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicara-
gua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua
by the States of region on the arrangements for the New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Conference prior to the 2015 npt Review Conference. Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
The report included the replies on the matter from Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and
seven States (China, Cuba, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Por- the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
tugal, Ukraine) as well as the eu. Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Swe-
den, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste,
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turk-
on the recommendation of the First Committee menistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
[A/70/456], adopted resolution 70/24 (Establishment United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Against: France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United
Middle East) without vote [agenda item 93]. States.
Abstaining: Israel.
South Pacific
Bacteriological (biological) weapons
As at 31 December, the number of States parties
to the 1985 South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty Bacteriological (biological) weapons
(Treaty of Rarotonga) [YUN 1985, p. 58] remained at 13. convention
China and the Russian Federation had ratified Pro-
tocols 2 and 3, and France and the United Kingdom As at 31 December, 171 States had either ratified
had ratified all three Protocols. Under Protocol 1, the or acceded to the Convention on the Prohibition of
States internationally responsible for territories situated the Development, Production and Stockpiling of
within the zone would apply the relevant prohibitions Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on
of the Treaty to those territories; under Protocol 2, the Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention)
five nuclear-weapon States would provide security as- (bwc). Andorra and Mauritania became parties during
surances to parties or territories within the zone; and the year.
under Protocol 3, the five nuclear-weapon States would
not carry out any nuclear tests in the zone. Meeting of States parties
In accordance with the decision of the Seventh
Southern hemisphere and adjacent areas Review Conference of the States Parties to bwc
[YUN 2011, p. 522], a meeting of those States was con-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
vened (Geneva, 14–18 December) [BWC/MSP/2015/6].
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, on It was attended by 111 States parties, three signatory
the recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/460], States, two observer States, the United Nations, in-
adopted resolution 70/45 (Nuclear-weapon-free cluding the United Nations Interregional Crime and
Chapter VII: Disarmament 261

Justice Research Institute and the Office of Disarma- tended deadline of 29 April 2012 for the destruction
ment Affairs, six observer organizations and 27 ngos of their chemical weapons stockpiles, and noted that
and research institutes. measures were being implemented to that end. The
Participants addressed cooperation and assistance, Conference noted that measures continued to be
developments in the field of science and technology taken for destruction activities to meet the planned
related to the Convention, and strengthening national completion date of December 2016 by Libya, 31 De-
implementation. Participants also considered progress cember 2020 by the Russian Federation and Sep-
towards achieving the universality of the Convention. tember 2023 by the United States. The Conference
The Meeting considered the arrangements for encouraged those States to include confirmation, in
the Eighth Review Conference and decided that the required reporting to the Executive Council and
the Conference would be held in Geneva from 7 to the Conference, that they remained on schedule to
25 November 2016. complete destruction activities by their planned com-
pletion dates. With regard to the destruction of the
Meeting of experts chemical weapons abandoned by Japan in China, the
Conference encouraged continued cooperation be-
The Meeting of Experts (Geneva, 10–14 August) tween the two countries.
[BWC/MSP/2015/MX/3], which was attended by 100 States
The Conference approved the report of the
parties, three signatory States, one observer State, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
United Nations and several of its bodies and agencies, Weapons (opcw) on the implementation of the
and other international and non-governmental Convention in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 662].
organizations, discussed strengthening cooperation
and assistance under Article X, developments in GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
science and technology related to the Convention, and
strengthening national implementation. On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First Committee
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/41 (Implementa-
tion of the Convention on the Prohibition of the
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of
on the recommendation of the First Committee Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction) by
[A/70/467], adopted resolution 70/74 (Convention on
recorded vote (174-0-4) [agenda item 97 (l)].
the Prohibition of the Development, Production
and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/41:
and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction) In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
without vote [agenda item 104]. Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Chemical weapons Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Chemical weapons convention Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros,
Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,
As at 31 December, 192 States had either ratified Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
or acceded to the Convention on the Prohibition of Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gam-
bia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,
Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. Dur- Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Ice-
ing the year, Myanmar and Angola became parties. land, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica,
The Convention was adopted by the Conference on Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz-
Disarmament in 1992 [YUN 1992, p. 66] and entered stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Le-
into force in 1997 [YUN 2007, p. 499]. sotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Is-
lands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco,
Twentieth Session of the Conference of States Parties Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
The twentieth session of the Conference of States Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Ni-
Parties (The Hague, 30 November–4 December) ger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New
Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,
[C-20/5] was attended by 134 States parties, one
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda,
observer signatory State (Israel), five international Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
organizations, specialized agencies and other inter- Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Ser-
national bodies, 52 ngos, and representatives of the bia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
global chemical industry and scientific community. Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzer-
land, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of
The Conference expressed concern that the three Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni-
possessor States parties (Libya, Russian Federation, sia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
United States) were unable to fully meet the final ex- United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States,
262 Part One: Political and security questions

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, anism, which was mandated to identify individuals,
Zambia, Zimbabwe. entities, groups or Governments who were perpetra-
Against: None.
Abstaining: China, Iran, Russian Federation, Syrian Arab Republic.
tors, organizers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the
use of chemicals as weapons in Syria. The Mechanism
Organization for the Prohibition became operational in November.
of Chemical Weapons
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (opcw), mandated to oversee implementa- Conventional weapons
tion of the Chemical Weapons Convention and pro-
vide a forum for consultation, reported [C-21/4] that Arms Trade Treaty
in 2015, it had verified the destruction of 2,993.343
metric tonnes of chemical weapons, bringing the over- The historic adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty in
all amount of Category 1 chemical weapons verified as 2013 via resolution 67/234 B [YUN 2013, p. 508] had
destroyed since the entry into force of the Convention marked a significant point in efforts to regulate the
in 1977 [YUN 1977, p. 499] to 64,437.944 metric tonnes, global trade in conventional arms and to promote
or 91.41 per cent of the declared global amount of peace and security. As at the time of the opening of
chemical weapons. The Russian Federation completed the first Conference of States Parties to the Treaty,
the destruction of stockpiles located at four facilities, on 24 August 2015, 69 Member States had become
and the United States continued to work towards its parties. As at 31 December, the number of parties had
target date of September 2023 for the destruction of increased to 79. The impact of the Treaty’s entry into
its remaining chemical weapons stocks. force began to be felt during the year, as the Treaty’s
The Organization carried out 241 inspections of obligations were cited in a range of calls made by civil
industrial facilities in 2015, equalling the number con- society advocates and parliamentarians seeking to
ducted in 2014, which remained the highest number ensure accountability in cases of alleged irresponsible
ever conducted in a single year. The Secretariat con- transfers involving States parties.
tinued to make improvements to the verification
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
process. Updated reporting templates for industrial
inspections were implemented and, for the first time, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
sampling and analysis was carried out both at other on the recommendation of the First Committee
chemical production facilities and for Schedule 3 in- [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/58 (The Arms
spections. Trade Treaty) by recorded vote (157-0-26) [agenda
The year 2015 marked a century since the first item 97 (y)].
large-scale use of chemical weapons at Ieper, Belgium. RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/58:
During the year, the secretariat conducted 16 in- In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
spections at declared chemical weapons production Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain,
facilities, including 11 in Syria to verify weapon Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan,
destruction. Five other inspections were conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darus-
the Russian Federation. salam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cam-
bodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad,
The Secretariat conducted ten inspections in two Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
States Parties: China (nine inspections) and Syria Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
(one inspection). Syria also reported the completion Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equa-
of the destruction of its declared abandoned chemical torial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Ga-
weapons in 2015. The Secretariat also conducted six bon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras,
inspections regarding old chemical weapons in Bel- Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
gium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
United Kingdom. Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
Security Council action. Despite the removal Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives,
and destruction of almost all the declared chemical Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mex-
ico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
weapons stockpile of Syria, the Syrian conflict contin- Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New
ued to be the scene of allegations of the use of chemical Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama,
weapons and toxic chemicals as weapons. The Security Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Council in March, by resolution 2209(2015), con- Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
demned any use of any toxic chemical, such as chlo- Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia,
rine, as a weapon in Syria. To identify the perpetrators Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa,
of those crimes and bring them to justice, the Council Spain, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
in August passed resolution 2235(2015), establishing Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-
the opcw–United Nations Joint Investigative Mech- Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Chapter VII: Disarmament 263

Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, trade in small arms and light weapons in all its
United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, aspects) without vote) [agenda item 97 (p)].
Uruguay, Vanuatu, Yemen, Zambia.
Against: None.
Abstaining: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Assistance to States for curbing illicit
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, small arms traffic
Fiji, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, Nicaragua, Oman, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi In July [A/70/183], the Secretary-General provided
Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Uganda, an overview of the activities undertaken by Member
Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zimbabwe. States, the UN system and other organizations, from
August 2014 to July 2015, to implement General
Small arms Assembly resolutions 69/51 [YUN 2014, p. 665], on the
illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its
Report of Secretary-General. In response to aspects, and 69/33 [YUN 2014, p. 668], on assistance to
Security Council resolution 2117(2013) [YUN 2013, States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and
p. 509], the Secretary-General in April submitted to the light weapons and collecting them.
Council a biennial report [S/2015/289] on small arms
The Secretary-General stated that 2015 was nota-
and light weapons, including on the implementation
ble for the success of the second Open-ended Meeting
of that resolution. The Secretary-General focused on
small arms and light weapons, including their ammu- of Governmental Experts on the Implementation of
nition, but also reported on the increased diversion the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
and misuse of heavy weapons, as had recently been Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
observed with the diversion of weapons from Iraq and Weapons in All Its Aspects (New York, 1–5 June)
[A/CONF.192/MGE/2015/1], and for the adoption by
Libya to Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. In Section II of
the report, the Secretary-General framed the issue of the Security Council of resolution 2220(2015) on
arms and ammunition, focusing not only on conflict small arms and light weapons (see above). He added
and post-conflict situations, but also on situations that Member States recognized the importance of
of transnational organized crime and terrorism, and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustain-
armed violence. In Section III, he examined ways able development, and that they had proposed this as
of addressing the risk of the misuse, diversion and one of the post-2015 sustainable development goals.
illicit circulation of arms and ammunition, and high- Included in the draft goals were targets to signifi-
lighted government responsibility in proper weapons cantly reduce illicit arms flows.
use, safe storage, sound legislation and adequate pro- The Secretary-General observed that the entry into
cedures for the tracing and destruction of weapons. force of the Arms Trade Treaty in December 2014
Subsequently, the Secretary-General explored how to was a significant development in the global efforts to
address the illicit circulation of arms and ammuni- stem the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
tion, including through arms embargo monitoring, because the Treaty would strengthen and complement
peacekeeping activities, security sector reform, the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
disarmament, demobilization and reintegration Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light
programmes and the strengthening of the rule of law. Weapons in All Its Aspects [YUN 2001, p. 499] in the
He put forward 14 recommendations for considera- area of export assessment, preventing diversion and
tion by the Security Council. countering illicit arms brokering.
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 22 May [meeting 7447], the Security Council On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
adopted resolution 2220(2015) by vote (9-0-6). The on the recommendation of the First Committee
draft [S/2015/333] was submitted by 57 Member States. [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/29 (Assistance to
VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2220(2015):
States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms
In favour: Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zea-
and light weapons and collecting them) without
land, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. vote [agenda item 97 (n)].
Against: None.
Abstaining: Angola, Chad, China, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Stockpile management
Venezuela.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

UN Programme of Action on illicit trade in arms On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First Committee
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/35 (Problems
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, arising from the accumulation of conventional
on the recommendation of the First Committee ammunition stockpiles in surplus) without vote
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/49 (The illicit [agenda item 97 (v)].
264 Part One: Political and security questions

Convention on excessively injurious or destruction of explosive remnants of war and

conventional weapons and Protocols recording, retaining and transmission of information
[CCW/P.V/CONF/2015/4]; victim assistance [CCW/P.V/
Status CONF/2015/5 & Corr.1]; cooperation and assistance
[CCW/P.V/CONF/2015/6 & Corr.1]; and generic preventive
As at 31 December, the accession of Algeria and
the State of Palestine brought to 121 the number of measures [CCW/P.V/CONF/2015/9].
States parties to the 1980 Convention on Prohibitions The Conference encouraged affected High Con-
or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional tracting Parties to provide updates on their imple-
Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively mentation of national programmes in the fields of
Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (ccw). Its surveillance, clearance and destruction of explosive
Protocol I, on Non-Detectable Fragments [YUN 1980, remnants of war and in particular to report on the
p. 76], had 116 States parties; its Protocol II, on challenges encountered and lessons learnt. It encour-
Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, aged those High Contracting Parties, international
Booby Traps and Other Devices, as amended on 3 May organizations and institutions to provide cooperation
1996 [YUN 1996, p. 484], had 102 parties; and its Proto- and assistance for addressing the impact of explosive
col III, on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of remnants of war. High Contracting Parties and
Incendiary Weapons [YUN 1980, p. 78], had 112 parties. observer States were called on to submit national an-
The 1995 Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons nual reports. The Conference decided to continue to
(Protocol IV) [YUN 1995, p. 221], which took effect review the implementation of the commitments on vic-
in 1998 [YUN 1998, p. 530], stood at 105 parties, as tim assistance, and in particular to focus on the provi-
Algeria became a party during the year. The number sion of cooperation and assistance and best practices in
of parties to the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of that area, as well as to exchange experiences and lessons
War (Protocol V), which entered into force in 2006 learned on victim assistance with other relevant legal
[YUN 2006, p. 663], remained at 87. The number of parties
instruments.
to the amendment to Article I of the Convention,
which entered into force in 2004, increased to 82, as Amended Protocol II on Mines, Booby-traps
Algeria became a party in 2015. and Other Devices
Meeting of experts
Meeting of High Contracting Parties
The Amended Protocol II Group of Experts meeting
At the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to (Geneva, 9–10 April) [CCW/AP.II/CONF.17/3] continued
the Convention (Geneva, 12–13 November) [CCW/ discussions on the operation and status of Amended
MSP/2015/9], participants welcomed the report [CCW/ Protocol II, matters arising from the national reports,
MSP/2015/4] on promoting universality of the Convention and the development of technologies to protect civilians
and its Protocols and reaffirmed their commitment to against indiscriminate effects of mines, as requested by
the Accelerated Plan of Action on Universalization. The the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the High Con-
Meeting recommended that the UN Secretary-General tracting Parties to Amended Protocol II [YUN 2014,
and the President-designate of the 2016 Meeting of the p. 671]. It made recommendations to the Seventeenth
High Contracting Parties to the Convention exercise Annual Conference of High Contracting Parties to
their authority to achieve the goal of universality of Amend Protocol II (see below).
the Convention and its Protocols. The Meeting also
decided to convene an informal meeting of experts in Annual Conference of States Parties
April 2016 to discuss the questions related to emerging
The Seventeenth Annual Conference of the High
technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons
Contracting parties to Amended Protocol II (Geneva,
systems. The Meeting further decided on the dates and
11 November) [CCW/AP.II/CONF.17/6] issued an appeal
duration of Convention-related meetings in 2016.
to States that had not yet done so to accede to the
Amended Protocol. The Conference took note of the
Protocol V on explosive remnants of war report of the Group of Experts [CCW/AP.II/CONF.17/3]
and decided that the Group should continue to review
Ninth Conference of High Contracting Parties the operation and status of the Protocol, matters aris-
to Protocol V ing from reports by High Contracting Parties and
States parties met for the Ninth Conference of the development of technologies to protect civilians
the High Contracting Parties to Protocol V (Geneva, against indiscriminate effects of mines. It also decided
9–10 November) [CCW/P.V/CONF/2015/11]. The Confe­ that the Group of Experts should analyse the imple-
rence, prepared for by a Meeting of Experts (Geneva, mentation by the High Contracting Parties of their ob-
7–8 April), had before it documents on national ligation to submit national annual reports and should
reporting [CCW/P.V/CONF/2015/3]; clearance, removal study their content.
Chapter VII: Disarmament 265

The Conference took note of the report by the ragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New
Coordinator on Improvised Explosive Devices (ieds) Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of
Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
[CCW/AP.II/CONF.17/2] and decided that the High Con-
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sene-
tracting Parties should request the Implementation gal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
Support Unit to maintain, update and keep available, Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Swe-
on the website of the Convention, the compilation den, Switzerland, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of
of guidelines, best practices and other recommenda- Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni-
tions aiming at addressing the diversion or illicit use of sia, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania,
Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia.
materials that could be used for improvised explosive Against: Russian Federation, Zimbabwe.
devices. Abstaining: Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Belarus, Bra-
zil, China, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION India, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Morocco, My-
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, anmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Republic of
Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Syrian Arab Republic,
on the recommendation of the First Committee Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
[A/70/464], adopted resolution 70/71 (Convention on United States of America, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen.
Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain
Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to
Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate
Anti-personnel mines
Effects) without vote [agenda item 101]. 1997 Convention
As at 31 December, the number of States parties
Cluster munitions to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
As at 31 December, 98 States were parties to the Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-
Convention on Cluster Munitions, which was adopted personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Mine-Ban
in 2008 [YUN 2008, p. 623] and entered into force in Convention), which was adopted in 1997 [YUN 1997,
2010 [YUN 2010, p. 562]. During the year, Canada, Co- p. 503] and entered into force in 1999 [YUN 1999, p. 498],
lombia, Iceland, Mauritius, Paraguay, Rwanda, Slova- remained at 162.
kia, Somalia, South Africa and the State of Palestine
became parties. Meeting of the States Parties
There was no Meeting of States Parties in 2015. The Fourteenth Meeting of the States Parties to the
The Sixth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention Mine Ban Convention (Geneva, 30 November–4 De-
was scheduled to be held in Geneva from 5 to 7 Sep- cember) [APLC//MSP.14/2015/33 & Corr.1] was attended by
tember 2016. representatives of over 90 States parties and observer
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
States, as well as representatives of the United Nations
and of international, regional and non-governmental
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, organizations.
on the recommendation of the First Committee The Meeting called on States to accede to the
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/54 (Implementa-
Convention as soon as possible. It welcomed the up-
tion of the Convention on Cluster Munitions) by dates by States parties that had indicated being re-
recorded vote (139-2-40) [agenda item 97]. sponsible for significant numbers of landmine survi-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/54: vors, as well as the activity report of the Committee
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Bar- on Victim Assistance [APLC/MSP.14/2015/6], and took
buda, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, note of the conclusions contained therein.
Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria,
The Meeting granted five countries (Cyprus,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal) an extension
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Como- of their deadline for completing the destruction of
ros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech anti-personnel mines in accordance with Article 5 of
Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, the Convention.
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Ice- On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
land, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jor- on the recommendation of the First Committee
dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/55 (Implementa-
Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
tion of the Convention on the Prohibition of the
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mau- Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-
ritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction) by re-
Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nica- corded vote (168-0-17) [agenda item 97 (m)].
266 Part One: Political and security questions

RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/55: On 22 April, the Working Group adopted its report on
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Bar- the agenda item and decided to make the conference
buda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Baha- room paper available to the Commission at its substan-
mas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,
tive session of 2016.
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Transparency
Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo,
Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Conference on Disarmament. The Conference
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dom- on Disarmament [A/70/27] discussed the agenda item
inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Ga-
“Transparency in armaments” during the general de-
bon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, bate. Delegations reaffirmed or further elaborated their
Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hun- respective positions on the agenda item.
gary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
UN Register of Conventional Arms
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Reports of Secretary-General. In reports sub-
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montene-
mitted in July [A/70/168] and September [A/70/168/Add.1],
gro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zea- the Secretary-General, pursuant to General Assembly
land, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Palau, Pan- resolution 68/43 [YUN 2013, p. 521], reported that he had
ama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, received information from 47 States on the export and
Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saint import of conventional arms covered by the United
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Nations Register of Conventional Arms, established in
Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slo-
venia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, 1992 [YUN 1992, p. 75] to enhance transparency on arms
Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thai- transfer. That included “nil reports”, as well as additional
land, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, background information on military holdings, procure-
Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmen- ment through national production and international
istan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United transfers of small arms and light weapons for 2014.
Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. As at 31 December, 54 reports were received: from
Against: None. Western Europe and other States (22), Eastern Europe
Abstaining: Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, (17), Asia and the Pacific (8) and Latin America and the
India, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Caribbean (7).
Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Syrian
Arab Republic, United States, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam.
Transparency in military expenditures
Improvised explosive devices In response to General Assembly resolution 68/23
[YUN 2013, p. 524], the Secretary-General, in July
On 6 November, Afghanistan, also on behalf of Aus-
[A/70/139] and September [A/70/139/Add.1], presented
tralia and France, introduced a draft resolution entitled
“Countering the threat posed by improvised explosive reports from 43 States on their military expenditures
devices” [A/C.1/70/L.36]. Subsequently, 26 countries for the latest fiscal year for which data were available.
joined in sponsoring the draft resolution. By year’s end, 46 reports were received: from Western
Europe and other States (17), Eastern Europe (14), Asia
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION and the Pacific (7), Latin America and the Caribbean
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, (7) and Africa (1).
on the recommendation of the First Committee GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/46 (Countering the
threat posed by improvised explosive devices) with- On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, on
out vote [agenda item 97]. the recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/451],
adopted resolution 70/21 (Objective information on
military matters, including transparency of military
Practical disarmament expenditures) without vote [agenda item 88 (b)].
Disarmament Commission. The Disarmament
Commission [A/70/42] included in its agenda the item
“Practical confidence-building measures in the field Other disarmament issues
of conventional weapons” and decided to allocate it
to Working Group II. On 21 April, the Chair of the Prevention of an arms race in outer space
Working Group introduced a conference room paper
[A/CN.10/2015/WG.II/CRP.1] and, on the same day, the Conference on Disarmament. The Conference on
Working Group completed its reading of the paper. Disarmament discussed the prevention of an arms race
Chapter VII: Disarmament 267

in outer space in plenary meeting on 9 March [A/70/27]. Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
The Conference had before it: a letter dated 13 August Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: None.
2015 and entitled “Indonesia on behalf of member Abstaining: Israel, United States.
States of G-21. Working paper. Prevention of an arms
race in outer space” [CD/2031], and a letter dated 14 Sep- Group of Governmental Experts. In a February
tember 2015 and entitled “Letter dated 11 September note [A/AC.105/1080 & Add.1, 2], the Secretary-General
2015 from the Permanent Representative of China transmitted to the General Assembly the replies from
to the Conference on Disarmament and the Chargé four countries (Germany, Italy, Russian Federation,
d’affaires a.i. of the Russian Federation addressed to United States) to his request for their opinions on the
the Secretary-General of the Conference transmitting modalities of making practical use of the recommen-
the comments by China and the Russian Federation dations contained in the report [YUN 2013, p. 527] of
regarding the United States of America analysis of the the Group of Governmental Experts on Transparency
2014 updated Russian and Chinese texts of the draft and Confidence-Building Measures in Outer Space
treaty on prevention of the placement of weapons in Activities, with a view to identifying those recommen-
outer space and of the threat or use of force against dations that could be adapted to and instrumental for
outer space objects” [CD/2042]. Several delegations high- ensuring the safety of space operations and the long-
lighted that the agenda item had become increasingly term sustainability of outer space activities.
relevant owing to the growing interest in and utiliza- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tion of space-based assets. As a result, States noted the
challenges posed by increasing amounts of space debris On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
and called for more urgent consideration of the issue. on the recommendation of the First Committee
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/53 (Transparency
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION and confidence-building measures in outer space
activities) without vote [agenda item 97 (w)].
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First Committee
[A/70/458], adopted resolution 70/26 (Prevention of an Placement of weapons in outer space
arms race in outer space) by recorded vote (179-0-2) Conference on Disarmament. During its discus-
[agenda item 95 (a)]. sion of the item on prevention of an arms race in outer
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/26:
space, the Conference on Disarmament [A/70/27] had be-
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
fore it a 11 September letter [CD/2042] (see above) trans-
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, mitting comments by China and the Russian Federation
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, regarding the United States analysis [YUN 2014, p. 620] of
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bo- the 2014 updated Russian and Chinese text of the draft
tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, treaty [ibid.] on prevention of the placement of weapons
Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central in outer space and of the threat or use of force against
African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
outer space objects. Pending the negotiation and adop-
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic tion of a legally binding treaty, the Russian Federation
of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican had proposed, as an interim measure, unilateral pledges
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, of “no first placement”. The General Assembly adopted
Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ger- a resolution (see below), introduced by the Russian
many, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea- Federation for a second consecutive year, calling on
Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, States to make a political commitment not to be the
Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic first to place weapons in outer space and underscoring
Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechten- that 12 States had already made such commitments.
stein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mi- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
cronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozam- On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
bique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, on the recommendation of the First Committee
Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Por- [A/70/458], adopted resolution 70/27 (No first place-
tugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Roma- ment of weapons in outer space) by recorded vote
nia, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint (129-4-46) [agenda item 95 (b)].
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/27:
Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,
Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,
Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bru-
Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, nei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambo-
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab dia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic
268 Part One: Political and security questions

People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Institute for Disarmament Research (unidir) covering
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, the Institute’s activities in 2015, as well as its proposed
El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon,
Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
programme of work and financial plan for 2016 and
Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jor- 2017, as approved by the unidir Board of Trustees, the
dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, The Director reported that the year 2015 marked
Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mau- the Institute’s thirty-fifth anniversary, which offered
ritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,
an opportunity for Member States not only to reflect
Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Phil- on the Institute’s accomplishments but also to ensure a
ippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and more secure financial foundation for its work. While the
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, survival of the Institute was in doubt at the beginning of
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon the year, the situation had stabilized by year’s end, with
Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, the most urgent administrative and financial challenges
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United Arab having been resolved. A key part of the efforts to sta-
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, bilize the Institute was enhanced resource mobilization
Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. despite a challenging backdrop, with many contributors
Against: Georgia, Israel, Ukraine, United States. having experienced budgetary cutbacks of their own.
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia Another factor was full and consistent application of
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
cost recovery.
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liech- The Institute’s work continued to be divided
tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montene- into four research programmes: weapons of mass
gro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, destruction, conventional weapons, emerging security
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Ma- issues and security and society. During the year, unidir
rino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom.
conducted 22 individual projects, held 34 conferences
and seminars and issued 21 publications. Unidir staff
participated in numerous international conferences and
Observance of environmental norms events; they were invited to make presentations at events
In July [A/70/155], responding to General Assembly held in China, Kenya, Mexico, Oman, the Russian
resolution 69/55 [YUN 2014, p. 682], the Secretary- Federation, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the
General provided information from Cuba, Panama, United States, among others.
Portugal, Qatar, Spain and Ukraine on measures they Total unidir income in 2015 was $3,165,100, and
had adopted to promote the observance of environ- total expenditure was $2,785,600.
mental norms in the drafting and implementation of GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
agreements on disarmament and arms control.
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION on the recommendation of the First Committee
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, [A/70/462], adopted resolution 70/69 (Thirty-fifth
on the recommendation of the First Committee anniversary of the United Nations Institute for
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/30 (Observance Disarmament Research) without vote [agenda item 99].
of environmental norms in the drafting and im-
plementation of agreements on disarmament and Disarmament fellowships, training
arms control) without vote [agenda item 97 (j)]. and advisory services
Science and technology and disarmament Twenty-five fellows participated in the 2015
UN disarmament fellowship, training and advisory
On 7 December (decision 70/514), the General services programme, which was offered by the United
Assembly included in the provisional agenda of its Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (unoda). The
seventy-first (2016) session the item entitled “Role of programme featured a study session in Geneva, study
science and technology in the context of international visits to international organizations and arrangements re-
security and disarmament”. lated to disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation,
country visits to Member States, and a study session at
UN Headquarters. The 2015 programme comprised the-
Studies, research and training oretical discussions; negotiation simulation exercises on
the work of the ctbto and the npt Review Conference;
UN Institute for Disarmament Research field visits to a weapons destruction facility, a nuclear
reactor, disarmament research laboratories; and simula-
The Secretary-General transmitted the report tions of chemical weapons inspections and of demining
of the Director of the United Nations
[A/71/162] and counter-improvised explosive device activities.
Chapter VII: Disarmament 269

Disarmament information Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and
the Caribbean. The regional centres continued their
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs support to regional frameworks on peace, security and
continued to promote its information and outreach disarmament, such as the African Union Agenda 2063.
activities. A primary focus remained reaching out to a The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and
global audience through the unoda website. The Office Disarmament in Africa undertook various practical dis-
partnered with permanent missions to the United armament and capacity-building activities to contribute
Nations, the United Nations Department of Public to the realization of the objective “Silencing the Guns
Information and ngos in holding events, implementing by 2020”, which was set by the African Union in its
activities and issuing publications. In addition to the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (2014–2023). The
United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, unoda released Regional Centre also provided support to discussions
several publications that focused on issues including on disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation
armed unmanned aerial vehicles, confidence-building held by the 11 States members of the United Nations
measures in the context of the Biological Weapons Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions
Convention and the Secretary-General’s Mechanism in Central Africa.
for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical and
Biological Weapons. The regional centres supported Member States in
their respective regions in implementing disarma-
Unoda continued its advocacy of disarmament and ment and arms control instruments. In particular, the
non-proliferation issues with Member States and civil regional centres focused on the provision of information
society. To that end, unoda expanded its interaction and assistance related to the Arms Trade Treaty, as
with the media, think tanks, academia and civil society well as the Biological Weapons Convention. They also
organizations. promoted regional dialogue and confidence-building
through the hosting of regional conferences, such as
the fourteenth United Nations–Republic of Korea Joint
Regional disarmament Conference on Disarmament and Non-proliferation
Issues and the twenty-fifth United Nations Conference
on Disarmament Issues.
The year brought contrasting developments in the
area of regional disarmament. While there were impor- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tant advances in some nuclear-weapon-free zones, in
others there were challenges. In a positive development, On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
the Protocol to the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free on the recommendation of the First Committee
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/43 (Regional dis-
Zone in Central Asia was ratified by three nuclear-
weapon States: China, the Russian Federation and the armament) without vote [agenda item 97 (f )].
United Kingdom. In addition, the United States an-
nounced on 27 April that the Protocol had been sub- Conventional arms control at regional
mitted to the United States Senate for ratification. The and subregional levels
year was also significant for the South Pacific Nuclear
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/47
Free Zone Treaty, with 6 August marking the thirtieth on conventional arms control at the
[YUN 2014, p. 688]
anniversary of the Treaty’s adoption in Rarotonga. regional and subregional levels, the Secretary-General
Nevertheless, challenges related to the establishment in July and September reported [A/70/164 & Add.1] on
of new nuclear-weapon-free zones persisted, principally the views of nine Member States (Argentina, Cuba,
related to the establishment of such a zone in the Middle Czech Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Lebanon,
East. At the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties Russian Federation, Spain, Ukraine) as well as the eu
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear on the issue.
Weapons (npt), States parties were unable to reach
consensus on next steps to achieve a Middle East zone GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
destruction. The Secretary-General expressed regret that on the recommendation of the First Committee
States parties were unable to arrive at a new collective [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/44 (Conventional
vision on how to achieve that goal and expressed his arms control at the regional and subregional levels)
readiness to support efforts to promote the necessary by recorded vote (182-1-2) [agenda item 97 (g)].
regional dialogue.
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/44:
The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs
strengthened its cooperation with regional organizations In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
in the area of disarmament, arms control and non- Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
proliferation, in particular through the activities of its Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,
three regional centres for peace and disarmament in Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
270 Part One: Political and security questions

Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Burundi and the Central African Republic and issued
Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, appeals in that regard. To promote stability in the sub-
Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic
region, the Committee recommended concerted action
Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Domin- to tackle the security and humanitarian impact of
ican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Boko Haram’s activities; the ratification of the Central
Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gam- African Convention for the Control of Small Arms and
bia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Light Weapons, Their Ammunition and All Parts and
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
Components that Can Be Used for Their Manufacture,
Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,
Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Repair and Assembly (Kinshasa Convention); the rati-
Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, fication of the Arms Trade Treaty; and the development
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, of the regional strategy on counter-terrorism and the
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, non-proliferation of arms in Central Africa.
Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Monte-
negro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, The Committee focused on: review of the geopoliti-
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Nor- cal and security situation in Central Africa; implemen-
way, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Par- tation of the road map for counter-terrorism and non-
aguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of proliferation of arms in Central Africa; cross-border
Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and insecurity: armed groups, including Boko Haram and
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa,
San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slova-
the Lord’s Resistance Army; maritime security in the
kia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Gulf of Guinea; poaching and illicit wildlife trafficking;
Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab activities of unoda; cooperation with international
Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of and regional organizations; and strategic review of the
Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa.
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine,
United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vene-
zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
Against: India. on the recommendation of the First Committee
Abstaining: Bhutan, Russian Federation. [A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/64 (Regional
confidence-building measures: activities of the
Regional confidence-building measures United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on
In July, the Secretary-General, in response to Security Questions in Central Africa) without vote
[agenda item 98 (e)].
General Assembly resolution 69/46 [YUN 2014, p. 689] on
confidence-building measures in the regional and sub-
regional context, submitted a report [A/70/170 & Add.1] Regional centres for peace
containing the views of nine Member States (Chile, and disarmament
Cuba, Germany, Latvia, Lebanon, Peru, Portugal,
Spain, Ukraine) and the eu on the issue. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the First Committee
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, [A/70/461], adopted resolution 70/61 (United Nations
on the recommendation of the First Committee regional centres for peace and disarmament) with-
[A/70/460], adopted resolution 70/42 (Confidence- out vote [agenda item 98 (f )].
building measures in the regional and subregional
context) without vote [agenda item 97 (u)].
Africa
Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions
As requested in General Assembly in resolu-
in Central Africa
tion 69/74 [YUN 2014, p. 693], the Secretary-General
The United Nations Standing Advisory Committee reported in June [A/70/116] on the activities of the
on Security Questions in Central Africa held its forti- United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Dis-
eth (Luanda, Angola, 1–5 June) and forty-first (Libre- armament in Africa (Lomé, Togo) from July 2014 to
ville, Gabon, 23–27 November) meetings. June 2015. The Centre assisted Member States and
Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/165], intergovernmental and civil society organizations in
the Secretary-General submitted his report on the Africa to promote peace, security and disarmament. In
activities of the Committee from September 2014 to response to the continued challenge to peace, security
August 2015. At its fortieth meeting, the Committee and stability posed by the proliferation of illicit small
reviewed the political and security situation in Central arms and light weapons, in particular in Central
Africa and made recommendations for action. The Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, the Centre
Committee reviewed with concern the situation in focused its work on providing assistance to States to
Chapter VII: Disarmament 271

combat the illicit trafficking in such weapons and to the Arms Trade Treaty. In addition, the Centre con-
reform their security sectors. tinued to carry out peace and disarmament education
The Centre assisted Member States in implement- projects.
ing subregional instruments to control small arms As at 31 December 2014, the reserves and fund
and light weapons and provided training to civilian balance of the Centre’s trust fund stood at $785,964.
authorities, including national commissions on small
arms and light weapons, defence and security forces GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and UN peacekeeping mission personnel in the area On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
of combating illicit small arms and light weapons. on the recommendation of the First Committee
The Centre also partnered with ngos and civil society [A/70/461], adopted resolution 70/65 (United Nations
organizations to promote the Arms Trade Treaty. Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in
The Centre provided technical assistance to Asia and the Pacific) without vote [agenda item 98 (d)].
Member States in implementing instruments re-
lating to weapons of mass destruction, especially
the Convention on the Prohibition of the Develop- Latin America and the Caribbean
ment, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological As requested in General Assembly resolution 69/72
(Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their [YUN 2014, p. 696], the Secretary-General reported in
Destruction, and of Security Council resolution July [A/70/138] on the activities of the United Nations
1540(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 544] on preventing the pro- Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Devel-
liferation of weapons of mass destruction and their opment in Latin America and the Caribbean (Lima,
means of delivery. It also provided substantive and Peru) from July 2014 to June 2015. The Centre focused
technical support on disarmament issues to the States its assistance to Member States in the region on
members of the United Nations Standing Advisory issues related to small arms and light weapons, other
Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa. conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction.
As at 31 December 2014, the reserves and balance It engaged in more than 50 technical, legal and policy
of the Centre’s trust fund stood at $199,214. assistance activities for the implementation of disarm-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ament and non-proliferation instruments, including
the Arms Trade Treaty, the Programme of Action to
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small
on the recommendation of the First Committee Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, Security
[A/70/461], adopted resolution 70/66 (United Nations Council resolution 1540(2004) and General Assembly
Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in resolution 65/69 [YUN 2010, p. 513] on women, disarma-
Africa) without vote [agenda item 98 (b)]. ment, non-proliferation and arms control. The Centre
provided training for more than 500 security sector
Asia and the Pacific personnel on small arms and light weapons control,
including on marking, record-keeping, tracing and
As requested in General Assembly resolution 69/68 stockpile management, as well as conventional arms
[YUN 2014, p. 695], the Secretary-General reported in
control. It also held a training course exclusively for
June [A/70/114] on the activities of the United Nations female officials to promote the participation of women
Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia in disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control
and the Pacific (Kathmandu, Nepal) from July 2014 processes. The Centre trained more than 100 national
to 30 June 2015. The Regional Centre continued to authorities using its Arms Trade Treaty implementa-
promote dialogue and confidence-building in the tion course, provided capacity-building assistance to
region and beyond. The thirteenth United Nations- several Caribbean States in their implementation of
Republic of Korea Joint Conference on Disarmament resolution 1540(2004) and assisted Caribbean States
and Non-proliferation Issues (Jeju, Republic of Korea, in developing voluntary national action plans for the
4–5 December 2014) discussed global and regional implementation of that resolution.
challenges facing the 2015 npt Review Conference
and such emerging concerns as the development and As at 31 December 2014, the reserves and fund bal-
use of lethal autonomous weapon systems. The Centre ances of the Centre’s trust fund stood at $2,191,478.
held a regional legal assistance workshop (Siem Reap,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Cambodia, 18–19 November 2014) to facilitate acces-
sion to and implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly,
by States in South-East Asia and the Pacific. It also on the recommendation of the First Committee
held a capacity-building workshop (Dhaka, Bangla- [A/70/461], adopted resolution 70/63 (United Nations
desh, 17–18 June 2015) on the Programme of Action Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and De-
to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in velopment in Latin America and the Caribbean)
Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects and without vote [agenda item 98 (c)].
Chapter VIII

Other political and security questions

In 2015, the United Nations continued to address els and effects of radiation exposure due to the 2011
political and security questions related to its support Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident—as presented in
for regional peace and cooperation, the promotion of its 2013 report to the General Assembly—discussed
decolonization, the peaceful uses of outer space and the arrangements it had put in place for follow-up
the Organization’s public information activities. activities to enable it to remain updated on the latest
The Special Committee on the Situation with re- scientific literature.
gard to the Implementation of the Declaration on In a December resolution, the General Assembly
the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries called on Member States to promote considera-
and Peoples reviewed progress in implementing the tion of existing and potential threats in the field of
1960 Declaration, particularly the exercise of self- information security, as well as possible strategies to
determination by the remaining Non-Self-Governing address them, consistent with the need to preserve the
Territories. In May, the Special Committee organized free flow of information.
a Caribbean regional seminar in Nicaragua, at which The Committee on Information reviewed UN
participants focused on the Third International Dec- public information policies and the work of the
ade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2011–2021), Department of Public Information (dpi). The Com-
reflected on the seventieth anniversary of the found- mittee considered reports of the Secretary-General on
ing of the United Nations and took stock of the dpi activities promoting the work of the Organization
decolonization agenda. In December, the General through strategic communication, news services and
Assembly adopted resolution 70/231, in which it reaf- outreach initiatives.
firmed that the existence of colonialism in any form or
manifestation, including economic exploitation, was
incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations,
the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to
General aspects of international
Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Universal peace and security
Declaration of Human Rights, and called on all the
administering Powers to cooperate fully in the work Support for democracies
of the Special Committee.
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer UN system support
Space, at its fifty-eighth session in June, made recom- On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
mendations and decisions on maintaining outer space Assembly decided that the agenda item on UN system
for peaceful purposes and towards ensuring that space- support of Governments’ efforts to promote and con-
based technology continued to benefit humanity. The solidate new or restored democracies would remain
Committee took note of the reports of its two sub- for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
committees, one dealing with scientific and technical session.
issues and the other with legal questions. The United
Nations Programme on Space Applications continued
to promote the use of space technologies and data for Seventieth anniversary of
sustainable economic and social development in de- the end of the Second World War
veloping countries. In 2015, a new thematic priority In February, the General Assembly recalled that
of monitoring and protecting biodiversity and ecosys- 2015 marked the seventieth anniversary of the end of
tems was included under the Programme’s purview. the Second World War and invited all Member States,
In December, the General Assembly recognized the organizations of the UN system and civil society to
central role of the Office for Outer Space Affairs in observe 8 and 9 May in tribute to all victims of the
fostering capacity-building in the use of space science Second World War.
and technology and their applications, and endorsed
the United Nations Programme on Space Applica- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tions for 2016. On 26 February [meeting 80], the General Assembly
At its sixty-second session in July, the United adopted resolution 69/267 [draft: A/69/L.52 & Add.1]
Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of (Seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second
Atomic Radiation, following its assessment of the lev- World War) without vote [agenda item 129].

272
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 273

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bo-

Regional aspects of international livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
peace and security Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica,
Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
South Atlantic Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea,
Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/69/973 Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,
& Add.1], Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jor-
in response to General Assembly resolu-
dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
tion 67/266 [YUN 2013, p. 540], the Secretary-General People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,
shared the responses received from four Governments Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauri-
and five UN entities in regard to the zone of peace tania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique,
and cooperation of the South Atlantic, as declared in Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
a 1986 Assembly resolution [YUN 1986, p. 369]. Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Par-
aguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
On 11 September [meeting 103], the General Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Assembly adopted resolution 69/322 [draft: A/69/L.89 Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai-
& Add.1] (Zone of peace and cooperation of the land, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu-
nisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United
South Atlantic) without vote [agenda item 34]. Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vene-
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General zuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Assembly decided that the agenda item on the zone of Against: France, United Kingdom, United States.
peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic remained Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany,
session. Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liech-
tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, Mo-
naco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Indian Ocean Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,
In 2015, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslavia
Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine.
Ocean continued its efforts to reach agreement on
ways forward in implementing the 1971 Declaration
of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, as adopted
by the General Assembly in resolution 2832(XXVI) Decolonization
[YUN 1971, p. 34]. The Committee held its formal
session (New York, 22 July) [A/70/29], at which the The General Assembly’s Special Committee on
Chair noted that the security and stability of the the Situation with regard to the Implementation of
oceans was an essential prerequisite for the effective the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to
implementation of the sustainable development goals Colonial Countries and Peoples (Special Committee
(sdgs). For instance, Goal 14, to conserve and sus- on Decolonization) held its annual session in New
tainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources York in two parts: on 19 February (first part); and on
for sustainable development, envisaged the full im- 15, 22–23 and 25–26 June (second part). The Special
plementation of measures for the conservation and Committee considered various aspects of the imple-
sustainable use of oceans and their resources in terms mentation of the 1960 Declaration, adopted by the
of applicable international legal instruments, such as Assembly in resolution 1514(XV) [YUN 1960, p. 49],
the United Nations Convention on the Law of the including general decolonization issues and the sit-
Sea [YUN 1982, p. 181], as well as existing regional and uation of individual Non-Self-Governing Territories
international regimes. (nsgts). The Special Committee recommended nine
draft resolutions for adoption by the Assembly. In
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION accordance with resolution 69/107 [YUN 2014, p. 699],
On 7 December [meeting 67], the General Assembly, the Special Committee reported to the Assembly on
on the recommendation of the First (Disarmament its 2015 activities [A/70/23].
and International Security) Committee [A/70/452],
adopted resolution 70/22 (Implementation of the Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism
Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of
Peace) by recorded vote (128-3-45) [agenda item 89]. Caribbean regional seminar
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/22: The Special Committee on Decolonization organ-
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argen- ized a Caribbean regional seminar (Managua, Nica-
tina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, ragua, 19–21 May) [A/70/23] to hear the views of rep-
274 Part One: Political and security questions

resentatives of nsgts, experts, members of civil society Declaration on the Granting of Independence
and other stakeholders who could assist in identifying to Colonial Countries and Peoples
policy approaches and practical ways that could be
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
pursued in the UN decolonization process. The theme
of the seminar was the “Implementation of the Third On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
International Decade for the Eradication of Coloni- Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fourth
alism: the United Nations at 70: taking stock of the (Special Political and Decolonization) Committee
decolonization agenda”. [A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/231 (Implemen-
tation of the Declaration on the Granting of
Participants identified a number of issues related
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples)
to decolonization during the Third International Dec-
by recorded vote (140-4-4) [agenda item 63].
ade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2011–2020)
[YUN 2010, p. 587], including the impact of climate RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/231:
change, especially in nsgts; the global economic In favour: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Bar-
and financial crisis; the role of regional cooperation, buda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas,
education and public awareness; the role of civil Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan,
society and women; the empowerment of vulnerable Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei
people; and the need for capacity-building for full self- Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada,
Chad, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,
governance. They further underlined that education Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
and public awareness, including of the indigenous Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia,
people, remained crucial elements for decolonization Fiji, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala,
and noted the responsibility of the administering Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, In-
Powers to ensure that the peoples concerned would be donesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,
in a position to make an informed decision regarding Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania,
the future political status of their Territories in accor- Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mau-
dance with the relevant UN resolutions and decisions. ritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myan-
Participants also took stock of the implementation of mar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger,
the Third International Decade, including follow-up Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New
to the 2014 Pacific regional seminar [YUN 2014, p. 699], Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian
in the Caribbean, the Pacific and other regions, and
Federation, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
considered the role of the UN system in providing Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
assistance to nsgts. Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzer-
Regarding the Third International Decade for the land, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni-
Eradication of Colonialism, members of the Special sia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
Committee reaffirmed that all peoples had the right Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania,
to self-determination, and to freely determine their United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen,
political status and pursue their economic, social Zambia, Zimbabwe.
and cultural development. They also reaffirmed that Against: Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Israel, Morocco.
any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption Abstaining: Central African Republic, France, Liechtenstein, Mau-
ritania.
of the national unity and the territorial integrity of
a country was incompatible with the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations. Implementation by international organizations
The participants suggested that the Special Com- In February [A/70/64], the Secretary-General re-
mittee strengthen its interactions and collabora- ported that he had brought General Assembly reso-
tion with regional and subregional organizations; lution 69/99 [YUN 2014, p. 703] to the attention of 35
seek, in collaboration with the Department of specialized agencies and organizations and invited
Public Information, new and innovative ways to them to submit information regarding their imple-
promote a public awareness campaign aimed at mentation activities. Replies received from the Food
fostering understanding among the people of the and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Territories of the options for self-determination in (fao) and the World Food Programme (wfp) were
accordance with UN resolutions and decisions on summarized in an April report [E/2015/65] of the Pres-
decolonization; develop ways and means to make a ident of the Economic and Social Council on his con-
better assessment, on a case-by-case basis, of the on- sultations with the Special Committee. According to
going stage of decolonization and self-determination the information received, fao and wfp continued to
in each nsgt in accordance with the relevant UN provide support to the peoples of nsgts pursuant to
resolutions and decisions; and draw up a pragmatic the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General
plan of action for the Third Decade with a view to Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the
advancing the decolonization process. Special Committee.
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 275

Communication. In a 15 June letter [A/AC.109/​ lands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic,
2015/20] to the Chair of the Special Committee on Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
Decolonization, Cuba requested that the Declaration Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
of Solidarity on the Question of the Malvinas, issued Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
by the United Nations Association of Cuba and Against: None.
annexed to the letter, be circulated as a document of Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Bel-
the Special Committee. gium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel,
Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
On 20 July [meeting 50], the Economic and Social Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro,
Council adopted resolution 2015/16 [draft: E/2014/L.24] Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
(Support to Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Ma-
rino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
specialized agencies and international institutions Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
associated with the United Nations) by recorded
vote (19-0-25) [agenda item 14].
Puerto Rico
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2015/16*:
In favour: Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Colombia, Congo, In accordance with the Special Committee’s
France, Guatemala, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauri- 2014 decision concerning the self-determination and
tania, Mauritius, Pakistan, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkmeni- independence of Puerto Rico [YUN 2014, p. 705], the
stan, Uganda, Zimbabwe. Special Committee’s Rapporteur, in a March report
Against: None. [A/AC.109/2015/L.13], provided information on Puerto
Abstained: Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Croatia, Es-
tonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hondu-
Rico, including political, economic, military and
ras, Italy, Japan, Nepal, Panama, Portugal, Republic of Korea, regional developments, as well as actions taken by UN
Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, bodies. The report noted that the Heads of State and
United Kingdom, United States. Government of the Community of Latin American
and Caribbean States (celac) adopted a declaration at
*The delegation of China subsequently informed their third summit (Belén, Costa Rica, 28–29 January)
the Council that it had intended to vote in favour of highlighting the Latin American and Caribbean char-
the draft resolution; and the delegation of France that acter of Puerto Rico and, in noting the resolutions on
it had intended to abstain. Puerto Rico adopted by the Special Committee, reit-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
erated that the issue was of interest to the Community.
Member countries of celac committed themselves
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, to continue working, in the framework of interna-
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee tional law, particularly in the framework of General
[A/70/503], adopted resolution 70/96 (Implemen- Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) [YUN 1960, p. 49], to
tation of the Declaration on the Granting of make the region of Latin America and the Caribbean
Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples a territory free of colonialism and colonies. They en-
by the specialized agencies and the international trusted the Community Quartet, together with other
institutions associated with the United Nations) by member States that wished to join the mandate, to
recorded vote (126-0-53) [agenda item 61]. submit proposals for moving forward on the matter. In
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/96: the context of the midpoint of the Third International
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Ba- Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism and the
hamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhu- assessments and initiatives of the Special Committee
tan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina regarding possible avenues in that regard, the Chair
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central of the Bureau of the Special Committee convoked a
African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, meeting with the representative of the Committee for
Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Puerto Rico at the United Nations.
Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Guinea, Territories under Review
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,
Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,
Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Is- The Special Committee [A/70/23] considered
lands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) on
Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New
25 June [A/AC.109/2015/SR.6]. The Committee had be-
Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint fore it a Secretariat working paper on the Territory
Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren- [A/AC.109/2015/19] that addressed constitutional and
adines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Is- political developments, economic and social condi-
276 Part One: Political and security questions

tions, mine clearance, participation in international New Caledonia

organizations and arrangements, and the future status
of the Territory. The Committee heard statements The Special Committee [A/70/23] considered the
from two members of the Legislative Assembly of the question of New Caledonia on 26 June [A/AC.109/2015/
SR.8]. It had before it a Secretariat working paper on
Falkland Islands, the Foreign Minister of Argentina,
and two other petitioners. The Committee adopted a the Territory [A/AC.109/2015/15] describing the con-
draft resolution [A/AC.109/2015/L.7] requesting Argen- stitutional, legal and political issues, the social and
tina and the United Kingdom to consolidate the pro- economic conditions and the position of the adminis-
cess of dialogue and cooperation by resuming negoti- tering Power. Statements were made by France, Sierra
ations aimed at a peaceful solution to the sovereignty Leone and New Caledonia. Papua New Guinea,
dispute relating to the Territory. also on behalf of Fiji, introduced a draft resolution
[A/AC.109/2015/L.12] that the Committee adopted
Communications. The Secretary-General re- without vote and recommended for adoption by the
ceived a series of letters from Argentina and the United General Assembly.
Kingdom concerning the Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
[A/69/716; A/69/756; A/69/850; A/69/886]. The letters ad- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
dressed the legal position of the disputed islands by
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
both countries, and the matter of British military ex-
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
penditure in the islands. On 9 February [A/69/773],
[A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/99 (Question of
Mexico transmitted to the Secretary-General the
New Caledonia) without vote [agenda item 63].
Special communiqué on the question of the Malvinas
Islands, adopted at the twenty-fourth Ibero-American
Summit of Heads of State and Government (Verac- French Polynesia
ruz, Mexico, 8–9 December 2014). The Special Committee [A/70/23] considered the
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General question of French Polynesia on 26 June [A/AC.109/2015/
Assembly decided that the agenda item on the ques- SR.8]. The Special Committee had before it a
tion of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) would remain Secretariat working paper [A/AC.109/2015/16] that con-
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) tained information on constitutional, political and
session. legal issues, and economic and social conditions in the
Territory. The Committee adopted a draft resolution
[A/AC.109/2015/L.16] and recommended it for adoption
Gibraltar
by the General Assembly.
The Special Committee [A/70/23] considered the
question of Gibraltar on 15 June [A/AC.109/2015/SR.2]. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
It had before it a Secretariat working paper on the On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
Territory [A/AC.109/2015/13] that discussed consti- on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
tutional, legal and political issues, and social and [A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/100 (Question of
economic conditions. The paper also presented the French Polynesia) without vote [agenda item 63].
positions of the United Kingdom (the administering
Power), Gibraltar and Spain concerning Gibraltar’s
future status. Spain, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar Tokelau
and the representative of the Self-Determination for The Special Committee [A/70/23], at its 23 June
Gibraltar Group made statements at the meeting. meeting [A/AC.109/2015/SR.5], considered the question
On 9 December (decision 70/520), the General of Tokelau (the three atolls of Nukunonu, Fakaofo
Assembly urged Spain and the United Kingdom, and Atafu in the South Pacific), administered by New
while listening to the legitimate interests and aspira- Zealand. Before it was a Secretariat working paper
tions of Gibraltar, to reach, in the spirit of the 1984 [A/AC.109/2015/3] covering constitutional and political
Brussels Declaration [YUN 1984, p. 1075], a definitive developments, external relations and economic and
solution to the question of Gibraltar in the light of social conditions in the Territory, and presenting the
the relevant resolutions of the Assembly and applica- positions of New Zealand and Tokelau on the Terri-
ble principles, and in the spirit of the Charter of the tory’s future status. Statements were made by the Ulu-
United Nations. The Assembly also took note of the o-Tokelau (titular head of the Territory’s government,
desire of the United Kingdom to continue with the a position rotated annually among the three leaders
trilateral Forum for Dialogue on Gibraltar and the of each atoll), Sierra Leone and New Zealand. Papua
position of Spain that the Forum no longer existed New Guinea, also on behalf of Fiji, introduced a draft
and should be replaced with a new mechanism for resolution [A/AC.109/2015/L.15] that the Special Com-
local cooperation in which the people of the Campo mittee adopted and recommended to the General
de Gibraltar and Gibraltar were represented. Assembly for adoption.
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 277

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION and legal issues, economic and social conditions, and
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, environmental protection and disaster preparedness
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee in each of those 11 island Territories. The United
[A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/101 (Question of Kingdom and the United States—the administer-
Tokelau) without vote [agenda item 63]. ing Powers concerned—did not participate in the
Special Committee’s consideration of the Territories
under their administration. The Special Committee
Western Sahara heard a statement by the representative of the Turks
The Special Committee [A/70/23] considered the and Caicos Islands. It also adopted a draft resolution
question of Western Sahara on 23 June [A/AC.109/2015/ [A/AC.109/2015/L.8] and recommended it for adoption
SR.5]. The Committee had before it a Secretariat by the General Assembly.
working paper [A/AC.109/2015/2] that described the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Secretary-General’s good offices with the parties con-
cerned and actions taken by the General Assembly On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
and the Security Council (see pp. 149 & 150). The on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
Committee heard statements by Bolivia, Côte d’Ivoire, [A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/102 A and resolution
Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Venezuela 70/102 B (Questions of American Samoa, Anguilla,
and a representative of the Frente Popular para la Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman
Liberación de Saguía el-Hamra y de Rio de Oro Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena,
(Frente Polisario). Statements were also made by the the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United States
observers for Algeria, Morocco and South Africa. Virgin Islands) without vote [agenda item 63].
The Special Committee transmitted the relevant
documentation to the General Assembly to facili- Other issues
tate the Fourth Committee’s consideration of the
question, subject to the directives that the Assembly Economic and other activities affecting NSGTs
might give at its seventieth (2015) session. In April On 23 June [A/70/23], the Special Committee
[S/2015/246], the Secretary-General submitted to the
considered the issue of economic and other activities
Security Council his report on the situation con- affecting the interests of the peoples of nsgts and
cerning Western Sahara. In August [A/70/201], the adopted a draft resolution [A/AC.109/2015/L.11] and rec-
Secretary-General submitted to the Assembly his ommended it for adoption by the General Assembly.
report on the question of Western Sahara, which up-
dated on developments since the publication of his GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
April report, covering the period from 1 July 2014 to
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
30 June 2015.
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
By resolution 70/98 of 9 December (see p. 150), [A/70/502], adopted resolution 70/95 (Economic and
the General Assembly called upon all the parties other activities which affect the interests of the
and States of the region to cooperate fully with the peoples of the Non-Self-Governing Territories) by
Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy and with recorded vote (176-2-2) [agenda item 60].
each other; and to cooperate with the International
Committee of the Red Cross and to abide by their RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/95:
obligations under international humanitarian law. In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argen-
The Assembly requested the Special Committee to tina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bah-
rain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan,
continue to consider the situation in Western Sahara Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei
and to report to the Assembly’s seventy-first (2016) Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
session. Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic,
Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte
d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic
Island Territories People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican
On 23 June [A/AC.109/2015/SR.5], the Special Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Georgia,
Committee [A/70/23] considered working papers Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
on American Samoa [A/AC.109/2015/12], Anguilla Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,
[A/AC.109/2015/14], Bermuda [A/AC.109/2015/6], the Brit- Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jor-
ish Virgin Islands [A/AC.109/2015/7], the Cayman Is- dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
lands [A/AC.109/2015/8], Guam [A/AC.109/2015/4], Mont- People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mad-
serrat [A/AC.109/2015/9], Pitcairn [A/AC.109/2015/5], Saint agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Helena [A/AC.109/2015/1], the Turks and Caicos Islands Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco,
[A/AC.109/2015/11] and the United States Virgin Islands Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
[A/AC.109/2015/10], describing constitutional, political Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
278 Part One: Political and security questions

Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent rial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon,
and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Sen- Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,
egal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Ice-
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, land, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica,
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyz-
Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turk- stan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Le-
menistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, sotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mar-
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. shall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mon-
Against: Israel, United States. golia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal,
Abstaining: France, United Kingdom. Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Nor-
way, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
Visiting missions Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic
of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint
The Special Committee considered the ques- Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren-
tion of sending visiting missions to nsgts on 15 adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
and 23 June [A/70/23]. It adopted a draft resolution South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzer-
[A/AC.109/2015/L.5], in which the Committee stressed land, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the Former
the need to dispatch periodic visiting missions to facil- Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,
itate the full implementation of the 1960 Declaration Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,
on decolonization, and called upon the administering Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
Powers to facilitate such missions to the Territories Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
under their administration. It requested the admin- Against: Israel, United Kingdom, United States.
istering Powers to cooperate with the Committee in Abstaining: France.
exploring the possibility of undertaking visiting or
special missions in furtherance of the decolonization Information on Territories
mandate of the General Assembly. The Committee
also requested its Chair to consult with the adminis- In response to General Assembly resolution 69/97
tering Powers concerned and report on the results of [YUN 2014, p. 723], the Secretary-General, in March
those consultations. [A/70/67], submitted a report indicating the dates of
transmittal of information from the administering
Dissemination of information Powers on economic, social and educational con-
ditions in nsgts for 2014, under Article 73 e of the
On 15 June [A/70/23], the Special Committee Charter of the United Nations.
heard statements from representatives of the UN
Department of Public Information and the UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Department of Political Affairs on the dissemination On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
of information on decolonization. The Committee on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
considered a report of the Secretary-General on the [A/70/501], adopted resolution 70/94 (Information
subject, covering the period from April 2014 to March from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmitted
2015 [A/AC.109/2015/18]. It also adopted a draft resolu- under Article 73 e of the Charter of the United
tion [A/AC.109/2015/L.4] and recommended it for adop- Nations) by recorded vote (175-0-4) [agenda item 59].
tion by the General Assembly (see below).
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/94:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argen-
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, tina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bah-
rain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan,
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei
[A/70/505], adopted resolution 70/103 (Dissemina- Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
tion of information on decolonization) by recorded Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic,
vote (175-3-1) [agenda item 63]. Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/103: Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti,
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argen- Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equa-
tina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bah- torial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Ga-
rain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, bon, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,
Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jor-
Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 279

Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mad- Scientific and Technical Subcommittee
agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, The Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of
Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige-
ria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New
at its fifty-second session (Vienna, 2–13 Febru-
Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, ary) [A/AC.105/1088], considered the United Nations
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Programme on Space Applications, and space
Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren- technology for socioeconomic development in the
adines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, context of the United Nations Conference on Sustain-
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden,
able Development and the post-2015 development
Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the agenda. It also dealt with matters relating to remote
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, sensing of the Earth by satellite, including applica-
Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, tions for developing countries and monitoring of the
Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Earth’s environment; space debris; space-system-
Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet based disaster management support; developments
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: None. in global navigation satellite systems (gnss); space
Abstaining: France, Israel, United Kingdom, United States. weather; near-Earth objects; the use of nuclear power
sources in outer space; the long-term sustainability
Study and training of outer space activities; and the examination of the
physical nature and technical attributes of the geo-
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/100 stationary orbit and its utilization and applications.
[YUN 2014, p. 724], the Secretary-General, in March
[A/70/66 & Add.1], submitted a report on replies from
Member States related to scholarships and training fa- UN Programme on Space Applications
cilities made available to the inhabitants of nsgts dur- The United Nations Programme on Space Appli-
ing the period from 5 March 2014 to 5 March 2015. cations, as mandated by General Assembly resolu-
Replies were submitted by Argentina, Brunei Darus- tion 37/90 [YUN 1982, p. 163], continued to promote,
salam, Cuba, New Zealand, Spain and the United through international cooperation, the use of space
Kingdom. Over the years, 62 Member States and one technologies and data for sustainable economic and
non-member State—the Holy See—had made such social development in developing countries by rais-
scholarships available. ing the awareness of decision makers of the cost-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION effectiveness and additional benefits to be obtained;
capacity-building in developing countries to use space
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, technology; and outreach activities to disseminate
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
awareness of the benefits obtained. The Programme
[A/70/504], adopted resolution 70/97 (Offers by
focused on environmental monitoring, natural
Member States of study and training facilities for
resource management, satellite communications for
inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing Territories)
tele-education and telemedicine applications, disaster
without vote [agenda item 62].
risk reduction, the use of gnss, the Basic Space
Science Initiative, climate change, the Basic Space
Technology Initiative, the Human Space Technology
Peaceful uses of outer space Initiative, and ecosystems and biodiversity. Addi-
tional Programme directions included spin-offs of
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer space technology, promotion of youth participation
Space, at its fifty-eighth session (Vienna, 10–19 June) in space activities and promotion of private industry
[A/70/20], discussed ways and means of maintain- participation in the activities of the Programme. The
ing outer space for peaceful purposes; space and Scientific and Technical Subcommittee noted that
sustainable development; the spin-off benefits of the Director of the Office for Outer Space Affairs
space technology; space and water; space and climate and the Expert on Space Applications had informed
change; the use of space technology in the UN system; it of the status of resources, including the impact of
and the future role of the Committee. It also reviewed the reduction in the Office’s human resources on
the work of its Scientific and Technical Subcommittee the Programme. The Subcommittee noted that ad-
and its Legal Subcommittee. ditional human resources were necessary to fully
Membership. The General Assembly, by decision implement the range of activities to be conducted by
70/518 of 9 December, appointed El Salvador, Israel, the Programme and that without such an increase the
Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emir- Office would not be in a position to meet the increas-
ates as members of the Committee on the Peaceful ing demands by Member States with respect to the
Uses of Outer Space. sdgs and the post-2015 development agenda.
280 Part One: Political and security questions

In December [A/AC.105/1107], the United Nations GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Expert on Space Applications reported that the On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly,
Programme had done a preliminary assessment on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
on how to align its work with the sdgs and would [A/70/495], adopted resolution 70/230 (Matters
continue to refine it until the fiftieth anniversary relating to activities under the United Nations
of the first United Nations Conference on the Programme on Space Applications in 2016) with-
Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in out vote [agenda item 53].
2018 (unispace+50), when the Programme would fi-
nalize its alignment with the Goals. A new thematic
Space technology for socioeconomic
priority—ecosystems and biodiversity [A.AC.105/2015/
development
CRP.10] —was initiated in 2015 in relation to Goals
14 (life below water) and 15 (life on land) and In accordance with General Assembly resolution
could be regarded as an extension of the thematic 69/85 [YUN 2014, p. 729], the Scientific and Technical
priorities on environmental monitoring and natural Subcommittee [A/AC.105/1088] considered the agenda
resource management. The Programme also or- item on space technology for socioeconomic devel-
ganized activities focusing on tele-health and tele- opment in the context of the UN Conference on
epidemiology for global health. In order to enhance Sustainable Development [YUN 2012, p. 780] and the
that thematic priority, which was related to Goal 3 post-2015 development agenda (see p. 395). Among
(good health and well-being), the Programme co- the documents before the Subcommittee were a
operated with the World Health Organization to conference room paper with a proposed mechanism
organize a meeting on the applications of space of cooperation for space and sustainable development
science and technology for public health (Geneva, to bridge deliberation between the Committee on
15–16 June) [A/AC.105/1099]. the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the Scientific
The Programme on Space Applications continued and Technical Subcommittee [A/AC.105/C.1/2015/
CRP.15]; a Secretariat note on the UN Conference on
to collaborate with the UN-affiliated regional centres
for space science and technology education and Sustainable Development and the post-2015 develop-
conduct fellowship programmes to build capacity ment agenda [A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.26]; a conference
room paper on the first meeting of the expert group
in space science and technology around the world.
on space and global health (Vienna, 5 February)
The Programme would strengthen its educational
[A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.29]; and a note by the past,
activities related to Goal 4 (quality education) by
present and incoming chairs of the Committee
enhancing those activities with the regional centres
on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space regarding the
and introducing fellowship programmes on new
overarching theme of “unispace+50” to be observed
thematic priorities. The Drop Tower Experiment
in 2018 [A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.30].
Series fellowship programme was a newly developed
programme in which student teams from devel- On 12 February, the Scientific and Technical
oping countries were provided with opportunities Subcommittee endorsed the report of the Working
to conduct experiments on microgravity science and Group of the Whole, which had been reconvened
technology at the Bremen Drop Tower, in Bremen, from 6–12 February in accordance with paragraph
Germany. The Programme also aimed to strengthen 8 of General Assembly resolution 69/85. In June, the
the Basic Space Science Initiative, the Basic Space Committee on Outer Space [A/70/20] endorsed the rec-
Technology Initiative and the Human Space ommendations and decisions made by the Subcom-
Technology Initiative by focusing on their capacity- mittee and its Working Group of the Whole, includ-
building activities in relation to Goal 3 (good health ing the mandate and workplan of the expert group on
and well-being). space and global health.
For its consideration of the UN Programme on
Space Applications, the Committee on the Peaceful Scientific and technical issues
Uses of Outer Space [A/70/20] took note of the In accordance with General Assembly resolution
conference room papers on space technologies for 69/85 [YUN 2014, p. 729], the Scientific and Technical
monitoring and protecting biodiversity and eco- Subcommittee [A/AC.105/1088] considered matters
systems: a proposed new thematic priority for the relating to remote sensing of the Earth by satellite,
United Nations Programme on Space Applications including applications for developing countries and
[A/AC.105/2015/CRP.10]; the Basic Space Technology monitoring of the Earth’s environment. The Subcom-
Initiative: activities in 2014–2015 and plans for 2016 mittee noted the importance of space-technology-
and beyond [A/AC.105/2015/CRP.11]; and the United based data, in situ monitoring and reliable geo-
Nations/Japan Workshop on Space Weather: Science spatial information for sustainable development
and data products for International Space Weather policymaking, programming and project operations.
Initiative instrument [A/AC.105/2015/CRP.12]. The Subcommittee also noted the increased availa-
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 281

bility of space-based data at little or no cost. Those framework of the workplan of the International
included remote sensing data from sources such as Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems
Landsat of the United States, the Constellation of (icg) [A/AC.105/1084]; and the report on the United
Small Satellites for Mediterranean Basin Observation Nations/Abdus Salam International Centre for The-
of Italy, the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellites oretical Physics Workshop on the Use of Global
of Japan, the China-Brazil Earth resources satellites, Navigation Satellite Systems for Scientific Applica-
the Megha-Tropiques and the Satellite for Argos and tions [A/AC.105/1087]. The Subcommittee noted that
AltiKa joint satellite missions of France and India, 2015 marked the tenth anniversary of the establish-
the joint remote sensing satellite constellation of Be- ment of icg under the auspices of the UN. It was
larus and the Russian Federation, and the Sentinel highlighted that icg had been highly successful in
satellites of the European Space Agency Copernicus bringing together the providers and users of gnss to
programme. The Subcommittee took note of joint de- promote its use and integration into infrastructure,
velopment plans for two Earth observation satellites particularly in developing countries.
undertaken by Algeria and South Africa as part of the In accordance with resolution 69/85 [YUN 2014,
African Resource Management constellation, and the p. 729], the Subcommittee considered the agenda
importance of data democracy policies in empowering item on near-Earth objects (neos). The Subcommit-
users in developing countries so that they could make tee noted the importance of information-sharing in
full use of remote sensing data and applications to discovering, monitoring and physically characteriz-
address issues of societal relevance. ing potentially hazardous neos. The Subcommittee
For its consideration of the issue of space debris, recalled its earlier agreement that the work of the
the Subcommittee had before it information on International Asteroid Warning Network (iawn)
national research on space debris, the safety of space and of the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group
objects with nuclear power sources on board and (smpag) should be facilitated by the UN and noted
problems relating to the collision of such objects with that the Action Team on neos, established in 2001 by
space debris, in replies received from Member States the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space,
and international organizations [A/AC.105/C.1/109 & should assist in the establishment of iawn and smpag
Add.1, A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.7, A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.8, and should inform the Subcommittee of the progress
A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.16]. The Subcommittee had also in their establishment, and that, once established,
before it a conference room paper on the compendium iawn and smpag should report on an annual basis
of space debris mitigation standards adopted by States on their work.
and international organizations [A/AC.105/C.1/2015/ The Subcommittee continued its consideration of
CRP.9]. The Subcommittee expressed concern over the use of nuclear power sources in outer space, in
the increasing amount of space debris and encour- accordance with resolution 69/85. It encouraged States
aged States that had not yet done so to consider and international intergovernmental organizations
voluntary implementation of the Space Debris Mit- to begin to or continue implementing the Safety
igation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Framework for Nuclear Power Source Applications
Uses of Outer Space [YUN 2007, p. 640]. It agreed that in Outer Space [YUN 2009, p. 605]. The Subcommit-
States, particularly spacefaring nations, should pay tee reconvened the Working Group on the Use of
greater attention to the problem of collisions of space Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space and endorsed
objects, including those with nuclear power sources its report, which was annexed to the Subcommittee’s
on board, with space debris and to other aspects of 2015 report.
space debris, including its re-entry into the atmos- For its consideration of the agenda item on the
phere. The Subcommittee noted with satisfaction that long-term sustainability of outer space activities,
some States were implementing space debris mitiga- the Subcommittee had before it a Secretariat note
tion measures consistent with the Space Debris Miti- [A/AC.105/C.1/L.340] containing an updated set of
gation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful draft guidelines for the long-term sustainability of
Uses of Outer Space and/or the Inter-Agency Space outer space activities. The Subcommittee reconvened
Debris Coordination Committee Space Debris Mit- the Working Group on the Long-term Sustainability
igation Guidelines, and that a number of States had of Outer Space Activities and endorsed the Working
developed their own space debris mitigation standards Group’s report, which was annexed to the Subcom-
based on those guidelines. mittee’s 2015 report.
For its review of developments in global navigation In accordance with resolution 69/85, the Subcom-
satellite systems (gnss), the Subcommittee had before mittee considered the agenda item “Examination of
it a note by the Secretariat on the ninth Meeting of the physical nature and technical attributes of the ge-
the International Committee on Global Navigation ostationary orbit and its utilization and applications,
Satellite Systems [A/AC.105/1083]; the report of the including in the field of space communications, as well
Secretariat on activities carried out in 2014 in the as other questions relating to developments in space
282 Part One: Political and security questions

communications, taking particular account of the needs Space weather

and interests of developing countries, without prejudice In accordance with General Assembly resolution
to the role of the International Telecommunication 69/85 [YUN 2014, p. 729], the Scientific and Technical
Union” (itu). The Subcommittee had before it the Subcommittee considered the agenda item on space
annual report for 2014 of the itu Radiocommunica- weather. It had before it the report on the United
tion Bureau on the use of the geostationary orbit and Nations/Japan Workshop on Space Weather: Science
other orbits, as well as other documents referred to in a and Data Products from International Space Weather
conference room paper [A/AC.105/C.1/2015/CRP.6]. Some Initiative Instruments (Fukuoka, Japan, 2–6 March)
delegations expressed the view that the geostationary [A/AC.105/1096]. The Subcommittee heard scientific
orbit, as a limited natural resource clearly in danger of and technical presentations by the representatives
saturation, had to be used rationally, efficiently, eco- of China, Japan, the Russian Federation and the
nomically and equitably. Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics. The
Space-system-based disaster management support Subcommittee highlighted the progress that was made
over the previous year in advancing space weather ca-
The Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, at pabilities at the national and international levels. It
its fifty-second session (Vienna, 2–13 February), noted with satisfaction that on the margins of its fifty-
had before it a report [A/AC.105/1078] on the activities second session, the Expert Group on Space Weather,
carried out in 2014 in the framework of the United whose establishment was endorsed by the fifty-seventh
Nations Platform for Space-based Information for (2014) session of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses
Disaster Management and Emergency Response of Outer Space, had met under the leadership of Can-
(UN- spider), established by the General Assembly ada to define its programme of work, drawing on the
in resolution 61/110 [YUN 2006, p. 748]; a report best practices of the work of expert group C on space
on joint activities carried out in 2014 by regional weather of the Working Group on the Long-term Sus-
support offices of UN- spider [A/AC.105/1079]; a report tainability of Outer Space Activities. The Subcommit-
on advances on the knowledge portal of UN- spider tee also endorsed the mandate and workplan of the
[A/AC.105/1075]; a report of the United Nations/Ger- Expert Group on Space Weather.
many Expert Meeting on the Use of Space-based
Information for Flood and Drought Risk Reduction Legal Subcommittee
(Bonn, Germany, 5–6 June 2014) [A/AC.105/1074];
and a report on the UN International Conference on The Legal Subcommittee of the Committee on the
Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management: Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, at its fifty-fourth session
Multi-hazard Disaster Risk Assessment (Beijing, (Vienna, 13–24 April) [A/AC.105/1090], considered the
15–17 September 2014) [A/AC.105/1076]. The Subcom- status and application of the five UN treaties on outer
mittee heard scientific and technical presentations space (see p. 284); information on the activities of in-
by representatives of Algeria, Burkina Faso, China, ternational intergovernmental organizations and ngos
France, Iran, Italy and the Russian Federation. It ex- relating to space law; matters related to the definition
pressed its appreciation for the efforts of the Office and delimitation of outer space and the character and
for Outer Space Affairs to bring the reports on the utilization of the geostationary orbit; national legis-
activities of UN- spider in 2014 to its attention, and lation relevant to the peaceful exploration and use of
noted with satisfaction the progress made regard- outer space; capacity-building in space law; review and
ing most activities planned in the framework of the possible revision of the Principles Relevant to the Use
programme, including the continuing support pro- of Nuclear Power Sources in Outer Space; exchange
vided through the programme for emergency response of information and views on legal mechanisms relat-
efforts. The Subcommittee took note of the planned ing to space debris mitigation measures; exchange of
technical advisory missions to be undertaken by information on non-legally binding UN instruments
UN-spider in 2015 in Cambodia, Honduras, the Lao on outer space; review of international mechanisms
People’s Democratic Republic, Nepal and the United for cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use
Arab Emirates. The Subcommittee took note of the of outer space; and proposals to the Committee on
ongoing activities of Member States that were contrib- the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space for new items to be
uting to the use of space-based solutions in support considered by the Legal Subcommittee at its fifty-fifth
of disaster management. It also noted the signing on (2016) session.
5 February 2015 of an agreement between the Office For its consideration of the agenda item on
for Outer Space Affairs and the International Water the activities of international intergovernmental
Management Institute headquartered in Sri Lanka organizations and ngos relating to space law, the Sub-
for the creation of a new regional support office of committee had before it a Secretariat note containing
UN- spider, and welcomed the fact that the number information on activities relating to space law received
of regional support offices contributing to UN-spider from the European Centre for Space Law, the Inter-
activities had reached 17. national Institute for the Unification of Private Law,
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 283

the International Law Association and Intersputnik directory of educational opportunities in space law
[A/AC.105/C.2/106]; and a conference room paper from the [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.9]; and information submitted by
International Institute of Space Law [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/ Austria on actions and initiatives to build capacity in
CRP.19]. The Subcommittee agreed that it was impor- space law [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.16]. The Subcommittee
tant to continue the exchange of information on the lat- welcomed the establishment of the Regional Centre for
est developments in space law between the Subcommit- Space Science and Technology Education, affiliated to
tee and international intergovernmental organizations the UN, at Beihang University in Beijing, as it would
and ngos and that such organizations should be invited supplement space law teaching and training opportu-
to report to the Subcommittee at its fifty-fifth (2016) nities for countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
session on their activities relating to space law. The Subcommittee considered the agenda item
In addressing matters related to the definition and on the general exchange of information and views on
delimitation of outer space and the character and uti- legal mechanisms relating to space debris mitigation
lization of the geostationary orbit, the Subcommittee measures. It had before it a conference room paper on
had before it Secretariat notes on replies from Member the compendium of space debris mitigation standards
States on questions concerning the definition and de- adopted by States and international organizations
limitation of outer space [A/AC.105/889/Add.15, 16]; and [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.20]. The Subcommittee noted
questions on suborbital flights for scientific missions with satisfaction that some States were implementing
and/or for human transportation [A/AC.105/1039/Add.4, space debris mitigation measures consistent with the
5]. The Subcommittee reconvened its Working Group Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee
on the Definition and Delimitation of Outer Space, and/or the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination
which held four meetings. The Subcommittee en- Committee (iadc) Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines,
dorsed the report of the Working Group, which was and that other States had developed their own space de-
annexed to its main report [A/AC.105/1090]. bris mitigation standards based on those guidelines. It
also noted that some States were using the iadc Space
For its consideration of the item on national legis-
Debris Mitigation Guidelines, the European Code of
lation relevant to the peaceful exploration and use of
Conduct for Space Debris Mitigation and International
outer space, in accordance with the request made by
Organization for Standardization standard 24113:2011
the Subcommittee at its fifty-third session [YUN 2014,
(Space systems: space debris mitigation requirements)
p. 725], an information handout on issues related to
as references in their regulatory frameworks for national
registration, authorization, debris mitigation and space activities.
frequency management with respect to small and very
For its consideration of general exchange of
small satellites had been jointly developed by the Office
information on non-legally binding UN instru-
for Outer Space Affairs and itu. The publication was
ments on outer space, the Subcommittee had before
made available to the Subcommittee as a conference
it a questionnaire prepared by Japan on that subject
room paper [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.17].
[A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.24/Rev.1]. The Subcommittee en-
The Subcommittee noted with satisfaction the couraged States members of the Committee, as well as
increasing number of space-related international co- international intergovernmental organizations having
operation programmes and projects. It reiterated that permanent observer status with the Committee, to
it was important to take into account the increased complete the questionnaire and submit it to the del-
level of commercial and private activities in outer egation of Japan, which was invited to prepare a com-
space in the development of a national space-related pilation of responses for the Subcommittee’s fifty-fifth
regulatory framework, particularly with respect to the (2016) session. The Subcommittee was informed by
responsibilities of States regarding their national space the European Union (eu) that, in response to General
activities. The Subcommittee encouraged Member Assembly resolutions 68/50 [YUN 2013, p. 527] and 69/38
States to continue to submit to the Secretariat texts of [YUN 2014, p. 680], diplomatic negotiations on the eu-led
their national space laws and regulations and to pro- initiative on a draft international code of conduct for
vide updates and inputs for the schematic overview outer space activities would take place in New York
of national regulatory frameworks for space activities. from 27 to 31 July, and that all UN Member States
On the agenda item on capacity-building in space would be invited. Some delegations expressed concern
law, the Subcommittee had before it a report on the that the eu-led initiative on a draft international code
United Nations/China/Asia-Pacific Space Coopera- of conduct for outer space activities had not been dis-
tion Organization (apsco) Workshop on Space Law cussed in the Committee or its Subcommittees and,
on the Role of National Space Legislation in Strength- thus, negotiations had not been given the proper UN
ening the Rule of Law (Beijing, 17–20 November mandate.
2014) [A/AC.105/1089]; the proceedings of the United For its consideration of the review of international
Nations/China/apsco Workshop on Space Law on mechanisms for cooperation in the peaceful exploration
the Role of National Space Legislation in Strength- and use of outer space, the Subcommittee had before it
ening the Rule of Law [ST/SPACE/66]; an updated Secretariat notes on the review of international mecha-
284 Part One: Political and security questions

nisms for cooperation in the peaceful exploration and UN system coordination

use of outer space, containing information received
from Japan and Spain [A/AC.105/C.2/107] and Austria Report of Secretary-General. In accordance with
[A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.14]; and a conference room General Assembly resolution 69/85 [YUN 2014, p. 729], the
paper containing a note by the Secretariat on the cat- Secretary-General issued an April report [A/AC.105/1115]
egorization of international mechanisms for coopera- on the coordination of space-related activities within
tion in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space the UN system: directions and anticipated results for
[A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.15]. The Subcommittee recon- the period 2016–2017—meeting the 2030 Agenda for
vened its Working Group on the Review of Interna- Sustainable Development. The report noted that public
tional Mechanisms for Cooperation in the Peaceful health was a prime example of a sector in which the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, which held five use of satellite communications and remote sensing
meetings. The Subcommittee endorsed the report of was vital. Satellite communications were an integral
the Working Group, which was annexed to its main part of the overall health information infrastructure
report [A/AC.105/1090]. and key applications of satellite technology in that field
included telemedicine, telehealth, disease surveillance
Treaties systems and health mapping. The Food and Agriculture
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/85 Organization of the United Nations (fao) continued to
[YUN 2014, p. 729], the Legal Subcommittee considered monitor food supply and demand and food security us-
the status and application of the five UN treaties on ing the Global Information and Early Warning System
outer space. It had before it a conference room paper to ensure timely interventions in countries or regions
on the status of international agreements relating to affected by natural or human-made disasters. Space
activities in outer space as at 1 January [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/ science, technology and applications provided tools for
CRP.8]; notes by the Secretariat containing responses informed decision-making and enhanced the capaci-
to the set of questions provided by the Chair of the ties of Member States to employ complex engines of
Working Group on the Status and Application of economic growth in national policies. The Economic
the Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space, re- Commission for Africa actively contributed to the
ceived from Germany [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.11] and preparation of the African Space Policy and Strategy
Canada [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.21]; and an Overview that outlined ambitious high-level goals to mobilize
by the Chair on the responses from States members the continent to develop the necessary institutions and
and permanent observers of the Committee to the set capacities to harness space technologies for socioeco-
of questions provided by the Chair [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/ nomic benefits. The report also noted the decision of
CRP.12], including responses from the International the seventeenth World Meteorological Congress (Ge-
Law Association (ila) [A/AC.105/C.2/2015/CRP.25]. neva, 25 May–12 June) that the World Meteorological
During its session, the Subcommittee reconvened its Organization (wmo) should undertake international
Working Group on the Status and Application of the coordination of operational space weather monitoring
Five United Nations Treaties on Outer Space, which and forecasting with a view to supporting the protection
held four meetings. The report of the Working Group of life, property and critical infrastructures and the im-
was endorsed by the Subcommittee and annexed to its pacted economic activities.
main report [A/AC.105/1090]. Noting that the 2030 Agenda recognized that there
The Subcommittee noted that, as at 1 January, the could be no sustainable development without peace
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States and no peace without sustainable development, the
in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, includ- Office for Outer Space Affairs continued to support
ing the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies [YUN 1966, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
p. 41] had 103 States parties and had been signed by and its subsidiary bodies in promoting international
25 additional States; the Agreement on the Rescue of cooperation in space activities for peaceful purposes.
Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return The UN Departments of Field Support, Peacekeeping
of Objects Launched into Outer Space [YUN 1967, p. 34] Operations and Political Affairs had also taken ad-
had 94 States parties and had been signed by 24 addi- vantage of space-derived geospatial data provided
tional States; the Convention on International Liabil- by a number of Member States and the eu Satellite
ity for Damage Caused by Space Objects [YUN 1971, Centre to support crisis management in places such as
p. 52] had 92 States parties and had been signed by 21 the Central African Republic, Mali, Somalia, South
additional States; the Convention on Registration of Sudan and Syria.
Objects Launched into Outer Space [YUN 1974, p. 56] Inter-Agency Meeting. The Inter-Agency
had 62 States parties and had been signed by 4 ad- Meeting on Outer Space Activities, at its thirty-fifth
ditional States; and the Agreement Governing the session (Bonn, Germany, 27–28 May) [A/AC.105/1114],
Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial discussed coordination of UN system plans and
Bodies [YUN 1979, p. 111] had 16 States parties and had programmes in the practical applications of space
been signed by 4 additional States. technology; the use of spatial data and activities re-
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 285

lated to the United Nations Geographic Information [A/70/46], addressed the levels and effects of radiation
Working Group and the United Nations Spatial exposure due to the nuclear accident following the
Data Infrastructure; the contribution of space-based great east-Japan earthquake and tsunami (Fukushima
technology for climate change adaptation and mit- Daiichi nuclear accident) [YUN 2011, p. 587]. The Com-
igation; and the use of space-based technology for mittee had put in place arrangements for follow-up
disaster risk reduction and emergency response. The activities to enable it to remain abreast of additional
meeting also discussed its latest special report on information as it was published in the scientific litera-
initiatives and applications for space-related inter- ture. The Committee also discussed progress on evalu-
agency cooperation (see below), which addressed the ations of the biological effects from exposure to selected
theme of space for global health. internal emitters; cancer epidemiology of exposures at
Special report on space for global health. In low dose-rates due to environmental radiation; the col-
accordance with resolution 69/85 on international lection of data on radiation exposures, in particular for
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, the evaluations on medical and occupational exposures;
Office for Outer Space Affairs, in cooperation with and outreach activities.
the World Health Organization, the UN Department The Committee reviewed two draft scientific an-
of Field Support and the United Nations Framework nexes—one on updating its methodology for estimat-
Convention on Climate Change, prepared a special ing human exposures due to radioactive discharges into
report [A/AC.105/1091] on space for global health. Space the environment, and the other on the evaluation of
science and technology provided innovative research radiation exposures from electricity generation. The
platforms for advancing medical knowledge and spin- Committee noted that the update of its methodology
offs for the development of health-care equipment, oper- and the development of associated electronic work-
ational activities and procedures. Space-based data and books that implemented the methodology were now es-
technologies fostered connectivity in health emergen- sentially finished. The workbooks were to be used in the
cies, and the integration of space-derived information in coming year to complete the subsequent assessment of
health-care systems supported the mapping of popula- radiation exposures of populations from various types
tions, the treatment of diseases, the distribution of med- of electricity generation. The Committee also noted
ication, transportation systems and water supply and that progress on the draft scientific annex on radiation
sanitation, and facilitated the monitoring of air quality exposures from electricity generation had been ham-
and health-related environmental factors. The report pered by, among other things, gaps in the available data
focused on applications in tele-epidemiology, which on releases associated with electricity generated from
combined the use of information from satellite-based non-nuclear energy sources, which contrasted with the
platforms to investigate and forecast outbreaks and the thorough data collection and monitoring required of
re-emergence of infectious diseases; e-health, telehealth the nuclear energy industry. The Committee, however,
and telemedicine; forecasting health risks from climate recommended that the scientific annex be completed
change; air- and water-quality monitoring, including on the basis of reasonable and transparent assumptions
the development and support of global mercury ob- where precise data were not available, and requested
servations; tracking vector-borne diseases and early the secretariat to expedite its completion on that basis.
warning for zoonotic diseases; responding to global For its future programme of work, the Committee
epidemics; employing space technology in disaster and discussed plans for four projects: an appraisal of the
emergency situations; harnessing International Space health effects of low-dose radiation exposure; selected
Station benefits for health; and addressing the impacts evaluations of the risk to health from radiation expo-
of the space environment, such as from cosmic radia- sure; an evaluation of the risk of second cancers after
tion and space weather. radiotherapy; and an assessment of the impact on biota
of radiation exposure due to the nuclear industry.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
[A/70/495], adopted resolution 70/82 (International on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space) [A/70/494], adopted resolution 70/81 (Effects of
without vote [agenda item 53]. atomic radiation) without vote [agenda item 52].

Effects of atomic radiation Information security

Report of Scientific Committee. The United Report of Secretary-General. In response to
Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic General Assembly resolution 69/28 [YUN 2014, p. 734],
Radiation, at its sixty-second session (Vienna, 1–5 June) the Secretary-General issued a July report [A/70/172
286 Part One: Political and security questions

& Add.1] transmitting the views of 14 Member States public information policies and activities, and to
on their general appreciation of issues of information evaluate and follow up on efforts made and pro-
security; national efforts to strengthen information gress achieved by the UN system in information and
security and promote international cooperation in that communications.
field; international concepts aimed at strengthening The Committee had before it three reports of the
the security of global information and telecommunica- Secretary-General on activities of the Department of
tions systems; and possible measures the international Public Information (dpi) from August 2014 to March
community could take to strengthen information 2015, which addressed strategic communications
security at the global level. services [A/AC.198/2015/2], news services [A/AC.198/2015/3],
Group of Experts report. In July, the Group of and outreach and knowledge services [A/AC.198/2015/4].
Governmental Experts on Developments in the Field of The Committee held its general debate on 27 and
Information and Telecommunications in the Context 28 April. Paraguay participated in the session as an
of International Security, appointed in 2014 pursuant observer, as did the Holy See, the State of Palestine, the
to General Assembly resolution 68/243 [YUN 2013, eu, the International Organization of la Francophonie
p. 577], submitted a report [A/70/174] containing recom- and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
mendations developed by experts from 20 States. The Cultural Organization. The Committee adopted
Group examined existing and potential threats aris- one draft resolution that it submitted to the General
ing from the use of information and communications Assembly for consideration (see p. 288). The Com-
technologies (icts) by States and considered actions to mittee also took note of the proposed programme
address them, including norms, rules, principles and budget for the 2016–2017 biennium [A/70/6 (Sect. 28)
confidence-building measures. It also examined how in- & Corr.1, 2].
ternational law applied to the use of icts by States. The
Group recommended that States cooperate to prevent
harmful ict practices and not allow their territory to DPI activities
be used for internationally wrongful acts using icts. It In response to General Assembly resolution
called for an increased exchange of information and 69/96 B [YUN 2014, p. 739], the Secretary-General
assistance to prosecute terrorist and criminal use of submitted a July report [A/70/220] on questions relat-
icts. In doing so, the Group emphasized that States ing to information, covering activities undertaken
should guarantee full respect for human rights, includ- by dpi from March to September through its three
ing privacy and freedom of expression. An important subprogrammes: strategic communications, news,
recommendation of the Group was that a State should and outreach and knowledge services. The Secretary-
not conduct or knowingly support ict activity that in- General highlighted dpi communication campaigns,
tentionally damaged or otherwise impaired the use and traditional media-related products and services, social
operation of critical infrastructure. It also emphasized media content and efforts to provide multilingual
the importance of international law, the Charter of the content across all media platforms. The Secretary-
United Nations and the principle of sovereignty as the General also highlighted activities of the network
basis for increased security in the use of ict by States. of United Nations information centres (unics), dpi
Regarding future work, the Group proposed that the partnerships with ngos and institutions of higher
General Assembly consider convening a new Group of learning and research through the United Nations
Governmental Experts in 2016. Academic Impact, and efforts to maintain a culture
of evaluation within the Department.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, Strategic communications services

on the recommendation of the First Committee During the reporting period, the Department’s
[A/70/455], adopted resolution 70/237 (Developments strategic communications services encompassed
in the field of information and telecommunications human rights; the Special Information Programme
in the context of international security) without on the Question of Palestine; UN peace operations;
vote [agenda item 92]. disarmament; the response of the United Nations
to cholera in Haiti and to Ebola in Africa; support
in Nepal following the April earthquake; the New
Public information Partnership for Africa’s Development; the “2015:
Time for Global Action” campaign to raise awareness
Committee on Information of sustainable development issues; the third Interna-
tional Conference on Financing for Development;
The General Assembly’s Committee on Infor­ climate change; the seventieth anniversary of the
mation, at its thirty-seventh session (New York, founding of the United Nations and strategies for
27 April–8 May) [A/70/21], continued to review UN reaching wider audiences on social media.
Chapter VIII: Other political and security questions 287

The Department promoted the International crease in the cumulative total of likes, views, impres-
Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination sions and followers for social media accounts related
(21 March) and the newly launched International to news and media platforms across all six official
Decade for People of African Descent. It also sup- languages, which rose from 40 million in May 2014
ported the fourteenth session of the United Nations to more than 350 million in May 2015. The audience
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (New York, of the United Nations YouTube channel had also in-
20 April–1 May), including through a social media creased significantly, with the number of views across
advocacy campaign and photography project en- all languages exceeding 17 million and the number of
titled “We Are Indigenous”, and promotion of the subscribers growing to over 75,000. In May, a newly
International Day of the World’s Indigenous People designed website for the International Decade for Peo-
(9 August). For the twenty-first commemoration of ple of African Descent was launched, as was a website
the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide to support the International Day of Yoga.
in Rwanda (7 April), the Department organized a The Department continued to improve and ex-
memorial ceremony at UN Headquarters, in co- pand the Organization’s webcast services, including
operation with the Permanent Mission of Rwanda. streaming on mobile devices. During the reporting
The Department also served as the secretariat for the period, some 6,000 new videos were made available,
newly established United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla bringing the total to 30,000 on-demand videos on
Mandela Prize. UN Web TV. UNifeed, the flagship daily television
As part of the Special Information Programme newswire service, continued to distribute broadcast
on the Question of Palestine, the Department held stories to hundreds of television networks globally
its annual International Media Seminar on Peace in through the Associated Press Television News, Euro-
the Middle East (Astana, Kazakhstan, 21–22 May), vision and Reuters TV.
in cooperation with Kazakhstan. Some 350 people Radio and online news coverage incorporated in-
participated, including media, policymakers and ac- fographics, special reports, features, photo essays and
ademics from France, Israel, Kazakhstan, the United interviews into one experience in the six official lan-
States and the State of Palestine. guages. Between 1 March and 30 September 2015,
The Department helped raise public awareness the Meetings Coverage Section produced 2,471
about UN efforts to eradicate cholera in Haiti by sup- press releases (10,099 pages) in English and French.
porting the communications and outreach activities of Efforts also continued to digitize historic video foot-
the United Nations Senior Coordinator for the Chol- age. Through an initiative of the Government of Ja-
era Response in Haiti. For the UN Ebola response, pan, some 152 videos and film items related to the
dpi dedicated human resources to the Special Envoy participation of Japan at the UN were digitized. By
of the Secretary-General on Ebola and the United 2028, according to studies by audiovisual archive ex-
Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, co- perts, access to analogue audiovisual media would no
ordinated the system-wide alignment of messaging longer be possible, owing to factors such as natural de-
through the United Nations Communications Group cay and lack of playback equipment. The Department
and managed the “Global Ebola Response” website. therefore continued to pursue partners to fund the
The Department continued to raise global aware- digitization and preservation of over 68 years of
ness about, and support for, the New Partnership for audiovisual archives on film and in audio, video and
Africa’s Development through its magazine Africa photographic formats, which were in danger of being
Renewal/Afrique Renouveau and the “Africa Renewal” lost.
website in English and French. On the challenge posed
by climate change, the Department continued to Outreach and knowledge services
coordinate with the secretariat of the United Nations The Department conducted activities to mark the
Framework Convention on Climate Change and seventieth anniversary of the UN, celebrating Charter
other UN entities, and with civil society, on planning Day on 26 June in San Francisco, where the Charter
for the climate conference in Paris. It also worked to had been signed 70 years previously, in an event at-
ensure that climate was part of the messaging for the tended by the Secretary-General.
third International Conference on Financing for De- The Department’s Remember Slavery programme
velopment, and continued to promote climate action collaborated with Member States of the Caribbean
and the role of the UN and the Secretary-General Community and the African Union to mark the an-
through social media and the climate change website. nual observance of the International Day of Remem-
brance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic
News services Slave Trade under the theme “Women and slavery”,
The use of social media across languages and plat- including through the unveiling at UN Headquarters
forms to amplify UN messages continued to evolve of the permanent memorial The Ark of Return and a
in order to reach new audiences. Dpi saw a large in- number of special meetings and events.
288 Part One: Political and security questions

On 28 April, the Holocaust and the United of the work was facilitated by the unic in Moscow
Nations Outreach Programme, in partnership with and the Urdu edition was prepared by the unic in
Italy and B’nai B’rith International, organized an event Islamabad.
entitled “Toscanini: a conductor stands up for justice”. Services to the stakeholders and clients of the
Educational outreach on the Holocaust continued Dag Hammarskjöld Library gained momentum. The
with the publication of an article in the Programme’s online knowledge base, “ASK Dag!”, grew exponen-
Discussion Papers series on “Music and the Holocaust” tially, with the number of questions viewed exceeding
by Shirli Gilbert, a senior lecturer at the University of 20,000 a month. Some 3,332 UN documents (rep-
Southampton, and through briefings and film screen- resenting 175,091 pages) were digitized during the
ings by unics. In 2015, 133 Holocaust education and reporting period, and 1,223 of those were uploaded
remembrance activities were organized in 41 countries. to the Official Documents System, making them
The United Nations Academic Impact initiative, available to researchers and other users. General
in association with els Educational Services, held a Assembly documents continued to be added to the
global essay writing contest for college and university Digital Repository (repository.un.org), with 1,084
students on the post-2015 development agenda. More new items added and available in all six official lan-
than 3,500 students from 128 countries participated. guages. The repository user interface was in English,
The initiative also co-sponsored a contest with the French and Spanish.
United Colours of Benetton UnHate Foundation, Guided Tours had resumed full operation in the
in which young people aged 18 to 30 were invited General Assembly building. The redesigned tour route
to submit proposals for ending hate, discrimination included a disarmament exhibit that went on display
and intolerance in their communities. More than 100 in May 2015. Tours continued to be conducted in the
entries were received from 36 countries. For another six official languages, as well as in Dutch, German,
event that was co-sponsored with Amrita University Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and, start-
in India, experts from around the world came together ing in August, Hebrew. Some 115,000 visitors took
for a day-long conference at UN Headquarters to dis- tours during the reporting period. Another Visitors’
cuss how their research could help advance the UN Services activity was United Nations Works for You
development agenda. It was the first in a series of dis- (un4u), which enabled UN officials to travel to high
cussions entitled “start: skills and technology accel- schools to educate young people about the Organi-
erating rapid transformation”. zation’s work. In total, 1,500 participants received a
Dpi published 220 titles and enhanced its efforts to briefing outside Headquarters through un4u during
acquire publications in all six official languages. The the reporting period.
online multilingual “Yearbook Express”, which pro-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
vided the chapter introductions to the corresponding
editions of the Yearbook of the United Nations in all six On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
official languages, continued to be expanded. A Chi- on the recommendation of the Fourth Committee
nese edition of Basic Facts about the United Nations [A/70/500], adopted resolution 70/93 A and resolu-
was prepared in collaboration with Shanghai Inter- tion 70/93 B (Questions relating to information)
national Studies University, while the Russian edition without vote [agenda item 58].
 PART TWO

Human rights
Chapter I

Promotion of human rights

The year 2015 was marked by a series of human rights The Council adopted 89 resolutions, 43 decisions
anniversaries, including the seventieth anniversary and six President’s statements, and brought to the at-
of the Charter of the United Nations and the end of tention of the General Assembly 11 resolutions for its
the Second World War; the fiftieth anniversary of consideration and possible action. The resolutions,
the adoption, and fortieth anniversary of the entry decisions and statements adopted during the Coun-
into force, of the International Covenant on Human cil’s 2015 sessions were contained in its reports to the
Rights; and the twentieth anniversary of the Fourth Assembly [A/70/53 & Add.1].
World Conference on Women and adoption of the Human Rights Council action. By a 3 July Pres-
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. ident’s statement [A/70/53 (PRST/29/1)], the Council
The Human Rights Council examined the human decided to improve its voluntary yearly calendar for
rights record of 42 member States through the universal thematic resolutions; that the Bureau would present
periodic review mechanism, designed to assess the recommendations to the Council’s thirtieth (2015)
human rights record of all States every four years. session on the terms of mandate holders; and that can-
During the year, the Council held three regular ses- didates shortlisted by the Consultative Group could
sions (twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and thirtieth). The request to be interviewed in any UN official language.
Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, which It also requested the Office of the United Nations
provided expertise to the Council, held its fourteenth High Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr) to
and fifteenth sessions and made ten recommendations, develop and support a more distinguishable and user-
while the Council’s complaint procedure, which con- friendly webpage for the Council, its mechanisms and
sisted of the Working Group on Communications and procedures, no later than its thirty-first (2016) session.
the Working Group on Situations, addressed consist-
Pursuant to that statement, on 1 October [A/70/53/
ent patterns of gross and reliably attested human rights
Add.1 (dec. 30/115)] the Council, on a one-time and
violations around the world.
exceptional basis, extended the term of all Working
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Group mandate holders listed in the annex for two
Rights continued to provide support to the work of regular sessions of the Council.
the Council and its mechanisms, including the treaty
bodies and special procedures, while strengthening its GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
country engagement and expanding its presence at the
country and regional levels. On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Humani­
During the year, the International Decade for Peo-
tarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/484], adopted
ple of African Descent (2015–2024), began on 1 Janu-
resolution 70/136 (Report of the Human Rights
ary, and 9 December was proclaimed International
Council) by recorded vote (121-2-60) [agenda item 67].
Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims
of Genocide. RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/136:
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bar-
UN machinery bados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bru-
nei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cam-
bodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
Human Rights Council China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
Council sessions Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
rial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada,
During the year the Human Rights Council held Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hon-
its twenty-eighth (2–27 March) [A/HRC/28/2], twenty- duras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
ninth (15 June–3 July) [A/HRC/29/2] and thirtieth Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
(14 September–2 October) [A/HRC/30/2] regular ses- Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar,
sions. The Council also held its twenty-third special Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,
session (1 April) [A/HRC/S-23/2] on the atrocities Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru,
committed by the terrorist group Boko Haram and Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
its effects on human rights in the affected States (see Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia,
p. 330). All sessions were held in Geneva. Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,

291
292 Part Two: Human rights

South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, the review was based on a national report prepared
Swaziland, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and To- by the State under review; a compilation by ohchr
bago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Ven-
of information about the human rights situation in
ezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. the State concerned, as reported by treaty bodies and
Against: Belarus, Israel. special procedures; and a summary by ohchr of cred-
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bel- ible information from other stakeholders, including
gium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, non-governmental organizations.
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eritrea, Estonia,
Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ice- At its twenty-first session, the Working Group con-
land, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithu- sidered and adopted reports on Kyrgyzstan [A/HRC/29/4],
ania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Myanmar, Kiribati [A/HRC/29/5], Guinea [A/HRC/29/6], Lao People’s
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua Democratic Republic [A/HRC/29/7], Spain [A/HRC/29/8],
New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic Lesotho [A/HRC/29/9], Kenya [A/HRC/29/10], Armenia
of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,
[A/HRC/29/11], Guinea-Bissau [A/HRC/29/12], Sweden
Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajik-
istan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, [A/HRC/29/13], Grenada [A/HRC/29/14 & Corr.1], Tur-
Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States. key [A/HRC/29/15], Guyana [A/HRC/29/16] and Kuwait
[A/HRC/29/17]. The reports summarized the presenta-
The General Assembly on 23 December decided tion by the State under review; the interactive dialogue
that the agenda item on the report of the Human in the Working Group between State and Council; the
Rights Council would remain for consideration dur- response by the State; and the conclusions on, and/or
ing its resumed (2016) seventieth session (decision recommendations to, the State under review. The out-
70/554). come of the review comprised the report of the Working
Group and the views of the State under review about
Election of Council members the recommendations and/or conclusions, as well as its
voluntary commitments and its replies to questions or
On 28 October (decision 70/413), the General issues that were not sufficiently addressed during the
Assembly, pursuant to resolution 60/251 [YUN 2006, interactive dialogue.
p. 757] and 65/281 [YUN 2011, p. 607], elected Belgium,
Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Georgia, Responses were submitted by Guinea [A/HRC/29/6/
Add.1], the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Germany, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Panama, the
[A/HRC/29/7/Add.1], Spain [A/HRC/29/8/Add.1 & Corr.1],
Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia, Switzer-
land, Togo, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela Lesotho [A/HRC/29/9/Add.1], Armenia [A/HRC/29/11/
Add.1], Guinea-Bissau [A/HRC/29/12/Add.1], Sweden
as members of the Human Rights Council for a three-
[A/HRC/29/13/Add.1], Grenada [A/HRC/29/14/Add.1], Tur-
year term of office beginning 1 January 2016 to fill the
vacancies occurring on the expiration of the previous key [A/HRC/29/15/Add.1], Guyana [A/HRC/29/16/Add.1]
and Kuwait [A/HRC/29/17/Add.1].
terms of office of Argentina, Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Es-
tonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Ka- At its twenty-second session, the Working Group
zakhstan, Kenya, Montenegro, Pakistan, the Republic considered and adopted reports on Belarus [A/HRC/30/3],
of Korea, Sierra Leone, the United Arab Emirates, the Liberia [A/HRC/30/4], Malawi [A/HRC/30/5], Mon-
United States and Venezuela. The Council comprised golia [A/HRC/30/6], Panama [A/HRC/30/7], Mal-
47 members. dives [A/HRC/30/8], Andorra [A/HRC/30/9], Bulgaria
[A/HRC/30/10], Honduras [A/HRC/30/11], the United
States [A/HRC/30/12], the Marshall Islands [A/HRC/30/13],
Universal Periodic Review Croatia [A/HRC/30/14], Jamaica [A/HRC/30/15] and Libya
The Human Rights Council established the [A/HRC/30/16].
universal periodic review (upr) [YUN 2007, p. 663] as an Responses were submitted by Belarus [A/HRC/30/3/
instrument for assessing every four years the human Add.1], Malawi [A /HRC/30/5/Add.1], Mongolia
rights record of all Member States. Each review, con- [A/HRC/30/6/Add.1], Maldives [A/HRC/30/8/Add.1], An-
ducted by the Working Group on the upr, was facili- dorra [A/HRC/30/9/Add.1], Bulgaria [A/HRC/30/10/Add.1
tated by groups of three States, or “troikas”, acting as & Corr.1], the United States [A/HRC/30/12/Add.1 &
rapporteurs. Corr.1], the Marshall Islands [A/HRC/30/13/Add.1], Croa-
Working Group sessions. The Working Group tia [A/HRC/30/14/Add.1], Jamaica [A/HRC/30/15/Add.1] and
on the upr, made up of the 47 Council members, held Libya [A/HRC/30/16/Add.1].
its twenty-first (19–30 January) [A/HRC/29/2], twenty- At its twenty-third session, the Working Group con-
second (4–15 May) [A/HRC/30/2] and twenty-third sidered and adopted reports on Micronesia [A/HRC/31/4],
(2–13 November) [A/HRC/31/2] sessions in Geneva. Lebanon [A/HRC/31/5], Mauritania [A/HRC/31/6], Nauru
It reviewed 42 countries in the order of considera- [A/HRC/31/7], Rwanda [A/HRC/31/8], Nepal [A/HRC/31/9
tion determined by the Council in 2007 [YUN 2007, & Corr.1], Saint Lucia [A/HRC/31/10], Oman [A/HRC/31/11],
p. 663]. As provided for in Council resolution 5/1 [ibid], Austria [A/HRC/31/12], Myanmar [A/HRC/31/13], Aus-
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 293

tralia [A/HRC/31/14 & Corr.1], Georgia [A/HRC/31/15 & In a December report [A/HRC/31/3], the High Com-
Corr.1], Saint Kitts and Nevis [A/HRC/31/16], and Sao missioner noted that the second cycle of the upr had
Tome and Principe [A/HRC/31/17]. continued with the participation of all 42 States as
Responses were submitted by Micronesia [A/HRC/31/4/ scheduled, focusing on progress made since the pre-
Add.1], Lebanon [A/HRC/31/5/Add.1], Mauritania vious cycle. Ohchr continued to support, including
[A/HRC/31/6/Add.1], Nauru [A/HRC/31/7/Add.1], Rwanda through the Voluntary Trust Fund for Financial and
[A/HRC/31/8/Add.1], Nepal [A/HRC/31/9/Add.1], Saint Lucia Technical Assistance, the strengthening of standing
[A/HRC/31/10/Add.1], Oman [A/HRC/31/11/Add.1], Austria interministerial structures and the development of
[A/HRC/31/12/Add.1], Myanmar [A/HRC/31/13/Add.1], Aus- national implementation plans and databases for track-
tralia [A/HRC/31/14/Add.1], Georgia [A/HRC/31/15/Add.1], ing purposes.
and Saint Kitts and Nevis [A/HRC/31/16/Add.1]. Human Rights Council action. On 1 October
Human Rights Council action. At its twenty- [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/14)], the Council decided to con-
eighth session [A/HRC/28/2], the Council considered vene at its thirty-second (2016) session, on the occasion
the outcome of reviews conducted during the twen- of the tenth anniversary of the Council, a panel discus-
tieth session of the Working Group [YUN 2014, p. 751]. sion to take stock of the contribution of parliaments
The Council adopted, through standardized decisions, to the work of the Council and its upr and to identify
the outcome of the reviews on Italy [dec. 28/101], El Sal- ways to enhance further that contribution. It requested
vador [dec. 28/102], Bolivia [dec. 28/103], Fiji [dec. 28/104], ohchr to organize the panel discussion and to liaise
San Marino [dec. 28/105], Kazakhstan [dec. 28/106], with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, States Members
Angola [dec. 28/107], Iran [dec. 28/108], Iraq [dec. 28/109], and relevant UN bodies and agencies, as well as civil
Madagascar [dec.28/110], Slovenia [dec. 28/111], Egypt society, ngos and national human rights institutions,
[dec. 28/112], Bosnia and Herzegovina [dec. 28/113], and with a view to ensuring their participation, and the
Gambia [dec. 28/114]. High Commissioner to submit a summary report on
the panel discussion at its thirty-fifth (2017) session.
At its twenty-ninth session [A/HRC/29/2], the
Council considered the outcome of the reviews con- Voluntary funds
ducted during the twenty-first session of the Working
Group. The Council adopted the outcome of the re- OHCHR reports. In an April report
[A/HRC/29/22], ohchr, pursuant to Council decision
views on Kyrgyzstan [dec. 29/101], Guinea [dec. 29/102],
Lao People’s Democratic Republic [dec. 29/103], Spain 17/119 [YUN 2011, p. 613], provided an overview of con-
[dec. 29/104], Lesotho [dec. 29/105], Kenya [dec. 29/106], Ar-
tributions and expenditures as at 31 December 2014
menia [dec. 29/107], Guinea-Bissau [dec. 29/108], Sweden to the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical
[dec. 29/109], Grenada [dec. 29/110], Turkey [dec. 29/111],
Assistance in the Implementation of the upr, together
Kuwait [dec. 29/112], Kiribati [dec. 29/113] and Guyana with a description of activities funded since the pre-
[dec. 29/114].
vious update. In 2014, the Fund, established to
provide assistance to help countries implement rec-
At its thirtieth session [A/HRC/30/2], the Council ommendations emanating from the upr, received
considered the outcome of reviews conducted during voluntary contributions from three countries totalling
the twenty-second session of the Working Group. The $490,440, while expenditures amounted to $795,919.
Council adopted the outcome of the reviews on Bela- The balance of the fund as at 31 December 2014 stood
rus [dec. 30/101], the United States [dec. 30/102], Malawi at $1,852,672.
[dec. 30/103], Mongolia [dec. 30/104], Panama [dec. 30/105],
In a June report [A/HRC/29/21], ohchr provided
Maldives [dec. 30/106], Andorra [dec. 30/107], Bulgaria
an overview of contributions and expenditures as
[dec. 30/108], Honduras [dec. 30/109], Liberia [dec. 30/110],
at 31 December 2014 to the Voluntary Fund for
the Marshall Islands [dec. 30/111], Croatia [dec. 30/112],
Participation in the upr, together with a description
Jamaica [dec. 30/113] and Libya [dec. 30/114].
of activities funded since the previous update. In 2014,
Reports of High Commissioner. In his annual the Fund received a voluntary contribution from Sin-
report [A/70/36], the High Commissioner for Human gapore of $10,000, while expenditures amounted to
Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (Jordan), stated that $346,875—a shortfall of $322,752. The total Fund
the universality of the upr must be retained as the balance as at 31 December 2014 was $1,857,796.
third cycle approached, while strengthening its ef-
fectiveness. He noted that a growing number of Human Rights Council Advisory Committee
voluntary midterm reports had been provided on the
status of implementation of recommendations and the The Human Rights Council Advisory Committee,
challenges faced in following up on the recommenda- a think-tank for the Council composed of 18 experts
tions. Ohchr had stepped up its efforts to respond to serving in their personal capacity, held its fourteenth
the increase in requests emanating from all regions (23–27 February) [A/HRC/AC/14/2] and fifteenth
for advice, technical cooperation and other forms of (10–14 August) [A/HRC/AC/15/2] sessions in Geneva.
assistance in follow-up to the review. At its fourteenth session, the Committee adopted
294 Part Two: Human rights

five recommendations on: promoting human rights Working Group on Situations, which, on the recom-
through sport and the Olympic ideal [rec. 14/1]; local mendation of the Working Group on Communications,
government and human rights [rec. 14/2]; the activities reported to the Council on consistent patterns of gross
of vulture funds and the impact on human rights [rec. violations and recommended a course of action.
14/3]; review of methods of work [rec. 14/4]; and the Working Group on Communications. The five-
agenda and annual programme of work, including member Working Group on Communications held its
new priorities [rec. 14/5]. Requests under considera- sixteenth (16–20 February) [A/HRC/WG.5/16/R.2] and
tion by the Committee were regarding: technical co- seventeenth (17–21 August) [A/HRC/WG.5/17/R.2] ses-
operation for the prevention of attacks against persons sions in Geneva.
with albinism; promotion and protection of human At its sixteenth session, the Working Group consid-
rights in post-disaster and post-conflict situations; the ered 12 communications relating to 12 States, includ-
negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment of ing five new communications relating to five States
human rights; human rights and unilateral coercive (Brazil, Germany, New Zealand, the Philippines, Viet
measures; promoting human rights through sport Nam). In addition to the new communications, the
and the Olympic ideal; local government and human Working Group considered seven communications,
rights; and activities of vulture funds and the impact relating to seven countries (Chad, China, India,
on human rights. Follow-up reports of the Committee Lebanon, Oman, Ukraine, United States), which had
submitted to the Council for consideration dealt with been kept pending at its fifteenth session [YUN 2014,
the right to food and the promotion of the right of p. 753]. The Working Group received replies related
peoples to peace. to 11 communications and additional information
At its fifteenth session, the Committee adopted was received from three authors in relation to three
five recommendations on: activities of vulture funds communications.
and the impact on human rights [rec.15/1]; unaccom- During the session, the Working Group adopted
panied migrant children and adolescents [rec. 15/2]; 12 decisions; in particular, the Group decided to trans-
elimination of discrimination against persons af- mit four files relating to four States to the Working
fected by leprosy and their family members [rec. 15/3]; Group on Situations (Chad, India, United States,
review of methods of work [rec. 15/4]; and reflection Viet Nam) and to keep under review six files relat-
papers [rec. 15/5]. Requests under consideration by the ing to six States until its next session (Brazil, China,
Committee were regarding: activities of vulture fund Lebanon, Oman, the Philippines, Ukraine). Two
and the impact on human rights; local government communications were discontinued by the Working
and human rights; unaccompanied migrant children Group (Germany, New Zealand).
and adolescents and human rights; elimination of
discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and At its seventeenth session, the Working Group had
their family members; and promoting human rights before it seven communications relating to seven States,
through sport and the Olympic ideal. one new communication and six communications
kept under review at its sixteenth session. It received
In a July note [A/HRC/30/51], the secretariat stated replies related to three communications, and addi-
that the annual report of the Advisory Committee, tional information was received from one author and
consisting of the Committee’s reports on its four- from one regional human rights mechanism in rela-
teenth and fifteenth sessions, would be considered by tion to one communication.
the Council at its thirtieth (2015) session.
The Working Group adopted seven decisions; in
In August, the Advisory Committee submitted the
particular, the Group decided to transmit two files
final report on the role of local government in the
relating to two States to the Working Group on
promotion and protection of human rights, including
Situations (the Philippines, Ukraine) and to keep
human rights mainstreaming in local administration
under review four files relating to four States (Brazil,
and public services [A/HRC/30/49].
China, Lebanon, Uganda) until its next session. One
Human Rights Council action. By a President’s communication was discontinued by the Working
statement of 1 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (PRST/30/1)], Group (Oman).
the Council took note of the reports of the Advisory
Committee on its fourteenth and fifteenth sessions Working Group on Situations. The five-member
and noted that the Advisory Committee had made Working Group on Situations held its fifteenth (26–
certain research proposals. 30 January) [A/HRC/28/R.1] and sixteenth (6–9 July)
[A/HRC/30/R.1] sessions in Geneva.

Complaint procedure At its fifteenth session, the Working Group had be-
fore it three cases, relating to Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka
The complaint procedure of the Human Rights and Viet Nam. The material consisted of texts of
Council comprised of the Working Group on communications and respective government replies,
Communications, which examined communications as well as documents on the upr relating to the States
of alleged violations and assessed their merits, and the concerned. The Working Group decided not to refer
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 295

any cases to the Human Rights Council; and decided rights violations continued unabated. A growing
to keep under review until its next session the cases number of conflicts and situations of violence, often
regarding Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam. resulting from deep-rooted discrimination, long-
At its sixteenth session, the Working Group had standing patterns of exclusion and lack of freedoms,
before it seven cases, relating to Chad, India, Kazakh- continued to haunt many parts of the world. In many
stan, Sri Lanka, the United States and Viet Nam. The places across the planet, racism and hate speech were
Working Group decided not to refer any cases to the on the rise, often finding their way into politics. New
Human Rights Council; and decided to keep under mandates from intergovernmental bodies called for
review until its next session the cases regarding Chad, ohchr to monitor, investigate, report and increase
Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and both cases regarding Viet technical assistance, while intensified engagement
Nam. The Working Group postponed the considera- with UN system partners in the security, development
tion of the cases regarding India and the United States. and humanitarian fields required additional efforts.
Human Rights Council action. In September Those demands, in a context of complex human rights
[A/HRC/30/2], the Council held a closed meeting of the challenges, underscored the need to increase ohchr
complaint procedure. It examined the report on its resources so that the Office could adequately fulfil its
fifteenth and sixteenth sessions of the Working Group mandate. The significant migration movements tak-
on Situations, which had not referred any case to the ing place across the world were a powerful reminder
Council for action. that human rights mattered. They demonstrated that
human beings would—when their lives were threat-
Office of High Commissioner ened, when their dignity was undermined and when
they had no prospects—go to great lengths to look
for Human Rights for means of survival, protection and a way out. To
Reports of High Commissioner. In his annual enable people to live their lives in peace, dignity and
report to the General Assembly [A/70/36], the High safety, States and the international community had to
Commissioner, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, provided an take human rights seriously and make a more honest
overview of the work of ohchr at headquarters and in assessment of the deficits that caused those crises. It
the field between August 2014 and July 2015. In a year was long overdue for States to effectively implement
that marked the seventieth anniversary of the Charter the universal human rights norms that they had estab-
of the United Nations, the High Commissioner high- lished and committed themselves to over the decades
lighted that the activities of ohchr, as well as those of in the context of the UN and regional organizations;
the Council and its mechanisms and the treaty bodies, ohchr stood ready to assist.
all supported by ohchr, had grown exponentially in
response to the paramount needs of the international Composition of staff
community and of human rights victims worldwide.
Human rights were taking an increasingly prominent Report of Joint Inspection Unit. As requested
place in traditional and social media; the strong voice by Council resolution 22/2 [YUN 2013, p. 596], the Joint
of ohchr in defence of human rights was valued and Inspection Unit (jiu), in March, provided the review
outreach to the media had met with encouraging of the management and administration of ohchr
results. Against that background, appropriate regular [A/70/68]. The jiu recommended reviewing the gover-
and extrabudgetary resources, including for the trust nance arrangements of ohchr; establishing a risk
funds, should be made available as soon as possible to management policy; reviewing the strategic planning
enable ohchr to better fulfil its mandate. The High process; broadening the geographical diversity of the
Commissioner paid tribute to all his colleagues for professional workforce; adapting the UN Secretariat’s
their unfailing dedication and hard work to end suf- human resources management strategy and policies to
fering worldwide. The road to a world free of human the specific requirements of ohchr; and streamlin-
rights violations was still long. The High Commis- ing the work of different entities with human rights
sioner was committed and ready to make the necessary mandates.
organizational changes to make ohchr more effec- In an addendum to the report [A/70/68/Add.1],
tive in the discharge of its promotion and protection the Secretary-General transmitted to the General
mandate, with the support of all its partners. Assembly his comments on the recommendations
In his annual report to the Council [A/HRC/31/3], contained in the report of the jiu.
the High Commissioner gave an overview of the work Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
of ohchr from December 2014 to November 2015. [A/70/53 (res. 28/1)], by a recorded vote of 31 to 16, the
During the year, the UN celebrated its seventieth an- Council expressed serious concern that the imbal-
niversary with four major summits that laid down the ance in the geographic representation of the composi-
framework for international cooperation for sustain- tion of ohchr continued to be prominent, and that
able development, disaster risk reduction and keeping a single region occupied almost half of the posts in
climate change in check. At the same time, human the Office; requested the High Commissioner to es-
296 Part Two: Human rights

tablish specific targets and deadlines to enhance the

geographical diversity of the staff of the Office, imple- Human rights instruments
ment further measures to eliminate the imbalance in
the geographical composition of the staff, and work In 2015, nine UN human rights instruments
on the broadest geographical diversity of his staff by were in force with expert bodies monitoring their
strengthening the measures aimed at achieving a bet- implementation. Those instruments and their treaty
ter representation of countries and regions that were bodies were: the 1965 International Convention on
unrepresented or underrepresented, particularly from the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
the developing world. It welcomed the efforts towards [YUN 1965, p. 440, GA res. 2106 A (XX)] (Committee on
achieving a gender balance in the composition of the the Elimination of Racial Discrimination); the 1966
staff; requested the High Commissioner to continue to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
improve his interaction with Member States; took note and the Optional Protocol thereto [YUN 1966, p. 423,
of the report of the jiu and the note by the Secretary- GA res. 2200 A (XXI)] and the Second Optional Pro-
General; and requested the High Commissioner to tocol aiming at the abolition of the death penalty
submit to its thirty-third (2016) session a report on [YUN 1989, p. 484, GA res. 44/128] (Human Rights
further measures taken to correct the imbalance in the Committee); the 1966 International Covenant on
geographical composition of the staff of the Office, in- Economic, Social and Cultural Rights [YUN 1966,
cluding targets and timetables and other actions. p. 419, GA res. 2200 A (XXI)] and the Optional Protocol
thereto [YUN 2008, p. 729, GA res. 63/117] (Committee
Other aspects on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights); the
1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
Good governance of Discrimination against Women [YUN 1979,
p. 895, GA res. 34/180] and Optional Protocol thereto
Advisory Committee report. In January
[YUN 1999, p. 1100, GA res. 54/4] (Committee on the
[A/HRC/28/73], the Human Rights Council Advisory
Committee submitted its final report on the issue of Elimination of Discrimination against Women);
the negative impact of corruption on the enjoyment the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other
of human rights [YUN 2014, p. 754]. The Working Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Pun-
Group recommended to identify best practices on ishment [YUN 1984, p. 813, GA res. 39/46] and the Op-
linking anti-corruption measures with human rights tional Protocol thereto [YUN 2002, p. 631, GA res. 57/199]
protection; to conduct a study on how to establish that (Committee against Torture and Subcommittee on
linkage; and to develop standards on the independence Prevention of Torture); the 1989 Convention on the
and modalities of anti-corruption agencies. Rights of the Child [YUN 1989, p. 560, GA res. 44/25]
and the Optional Protocols on the involvement of
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July [A/70/53
children in armed conflict and on the sale of children,
(res. 29/11)], the Council took note of the final report of
child prostitution and child pornography [YUN 2000,
the Advisory Committee; underlined the necessity to
pp. 616 & 618, GA res. 54/263] (Committee on the Rights
step up cooperation and coordination among differ-
of the Child); the 1990 International Convention on
ent stakeholders to fight corruption in all its forms;
the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers
encouraged consideration of the need for cooperation
and Members of Their Families [YUN 1990, p. 594, GA
between national anti-corruption authorities and
res. 45/158] (Committee on the Protection of the Rights
national human rights institutions through the ex-
change of information and the development of joint of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Fami-
strategies and action plans; and requested the High lies); the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons
Commissioner to submit to the Council at its thirty- with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto
[YUN 2006, p. 785, GA res. 61/106] (Committee on the
second (2016) session a compilation of best practices
of efforts to counter the negative impact of corruption Rights of Persons with Disabilities); and the 2006
on the enjoyment of all human rights developed by International Convention for the Protection of All
States, national human rights institutions, national Persons from Enforced Disappearance [ibid., p. 800, GA
res. 61/177] (Committee on Enforced Disappearances).
anti-corruption authorities, civil society and academia.
The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and
Human rights and armed conflict Punishment of the Crime of Genocide [YUN 1948–49,
p. 959, GA res. 260 A (III)] did not establish a treaty body,
In a May report [E/2015/59] submitted pursuant to but the mandate of the Office of the Special Adviser
General Assembly resolution 48/141 [YUN 1993, p. 906], on the Prevention of Genocide [YUN 2004, p. 730] in-
the High Commissioner considered the protection of cluded collecting information on situations where
economic, social and cultural rights in situations of there might be a risk of genocide, war crimes, ethnic
armed conflict, with a focus on the rights to health and cleansing and crimes against humanity; alerting rel-
to education. The Economic and Social Council took evant actors where such a risk existed; and advocating
note of that report on 21 July (decision 2015/241). and mobilizing for appropriate action.
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 297

Effective implementation of international Under article 14 of the Convention, the Committee

human rights instruments considered communications from individuals or
groups claiming violations by a State party of their
Reports of Secretary-General. In reports issued rights as enumerated in the Convention. Fifty-seven
in May [A/HRC/29/53] and December [A/HRC/31/25] States parties had recognized the competence of the
pursuant to Council resolution 9/8 [YUN 2008, p. 725], Committee to do so.
the Secretary-General provided information on meas-
ures taken to implement the resolution and obstacles Pursuant to article 15 of the Convention, which
to its implementation, including recommendations empowered the Committee to consider petitions,
for further improving the effectiveness, harmoniza- reports and other information relating to the Trust
tion and reform of the treaty body system. and Non-Self-Governing Territories, the Committee
noted, as it had done in the past, that it was diffi-
In its resolution 68/268 [YUN 2014, p. 756], the cult to fulfil its functions comprehensively owing to
General Assembly had requested the Secretary-General the fact that the copies of the reports received con-
to submit, on a biennial basis, a comprehensive report tained only scant information directly relating to
on the status of the human rights treaty body system the principles and objectives of the Convention. The
and the progress achieved by the human rights treaty Committee further noted that there was significant
bodies in realizing greater efficiency and effectiveness ethnic diversity in a number of Non-Self-Governing
in their work. The Secretary-General would submit Territories, warranting a close watch on incidents or
his first report in 2016. trends that reflected racial discrimination and viola-
tions of rights guaranteed in the Convention.
Convention against racial discrimination The Committee considered a number of situations
under its early warning and urgent action procedure,
Accessions and ratifications
including situations regarding the indigenous Shor
As at 31 December, the number of parties to people in the Russian Federation, the traditional lands
the International Convention on the Elimination of the Aru indigenous peoples in Indonesia and the
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, adopted by Malayu Thai civil society organizations in Thailand.
the General Assembly in resolution 2106 A (XX) (For information on the Organization’s activities
[YUN 1965, p. 440], stood at 177. to combat racial discrimination, see also p. 309.)
The amendment to article 8 of the Convention,
regarding the financing of the Committee on the
Complementary standards
Elimination of Racial Discrimination [YUN 1992,
p. 714], had been accepted by 46 States parties, with The Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration
Portugal becoming party during the year. The amend- of Complementary Standards, established by the
ment would enter into force when accepted by a two- Council in 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 774], held its seventh
third majority of States parties, comprising approxi- session (Geneva, 13–24 July) [A/HRC/31/74]. General
mately 118 of the 177 States parties to the Convention. and topical discussions took place on the topics of:
assessment of the use of the complaint mechanism
Implementation under article 14; issues, challenges and best practices
pertaining to reporting under the Convention; pres-
Monitoring body. The Committee on the entation and discussion on the purpose of general
Elimination of Racial Discrimination, established recommendations by the Committee; comparison of
under article 8 of the Convention, held its eighty-sixth the relevant procedures of other treaties; procedural
(27 April–15 May) [A/70/18], eighty-seventh (3–28 Au- gaps with regard to the Convention; sport and rac-
gust) and eighty-eighth (23 November–11 December) ism; and a panel discussion to provide a comparative
[A/71/18] sessions in Geneva. It considered reports perspective on national, regional and subregional
submitted by 20 countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, mechanisms.
Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Egypt, France, Germany, Guatemala, Holy See, Lith-
uania, Mongolia, Netherlands, Niger, Norway, Slove- Covenant on civil and political rights
nia, Sudan, Suriname, Turkey, the former Yugoslav and optional protocol
Republic of Macedonia) and adopted concluding ob-
servations on them. Accessions and ratifications
With regard to the Convention’s implementation As at 31 December, the parties to the Interna-
by States parties whose reports were seriously overdue, tional Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
the Committee noted that 33 States were at least 10 Optional Protocol thereto, adopted by the General
years late in submitting their reports, and 22 were at Assembly in resolution 2200 A (XXI) [YUN 1966,
least five years late. p. 418], stood at 168 and 115, respectively.
298 Part Two: Human rights

The Second Optional Protocol, aimed at the aboli- Implementation

tion of the death penalty and adopted by the General
Assembly in resolution 44/128 [YUN 1989, p. 484], had Monitoring Body. The Committee on Economic,
81 States parties. Social and Cultural Rights held its fifty-fourth
(23 February–6 March), fifty-fifth (1–19 June) and
fifty-sixth (21 September–9 October) [E/2016/22] ses-
Implementation sions in Geneva. Its pre-sessional working group held
meetings from 9 to 13 March and from 12 to 16 Oc-
Monitoring body. The Human R ights tober to identify additional issues to be discussed with
Committee, established under article 12 of the Cov- reporting States. The Committee examined reports
enant, held its 113th (16 March–2 April) [A/70/40], submitted under article 16 and 17 of the Covenant
114th (29 June–24 July) and 115th (19 October–6 No- by Burundi, Chile, Gambia, Greece, Guyana, Iraq,
vember) [A/71/40] sessions in Geneva. It considered Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Para-
reports submitted under article 40 from 22 States guay, Sudan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda and Vene-
(Austria, Benin, Cambodia, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, zuela, and adopted concluding observations on them.
Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Iraq, Republic of At its fifty-fourth session, the Committee decided
Korea, Monaco, Russian Federation, San Marino, to increase the number of members on the working
Spain, Suriname, the former Yugoslav Republic of group on communications to six, with at least one
Macedonia, United Kingdom, United Kingdom member from each regional group. It also adopted a
Crown Dependencies, United Kingdom Overseas statement on social protection floors: an essential ele-
Territory, Uzbekistan, Venezuela) and adopted con- ment of the right to social security and of the sustain-
cluding observations on them. able development goals. At its fifty-fifth session the
The Committee adopted views on communications Committee held its general discussion on the draft
from individuals alleging violations of their rights general comment on article 7 of the Covenant on the
under the Covenant, and decided that other such right to just and favourable conditions of work.
communications were inadmissible. Those views and The Economic and Social Council on 21 July
decisions were available in the treaty body database of (decision 2015/241), took note of the report of the
the ohchr website. Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on
Pursuant to article 4 of the Covenant, certain its fifty-second and fifty-third sessions [YUN 2014, p. 761].
States parties notified other States parties, through (On the Organization’s efforts to protect economic,
the intermediary of the Secretary-General, of the der- social and cultural rights, see also p. 332.)
ogations of certain obligations under the Covenant
due to public emergency. During the period covered GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
by the reports, the following States made derogations On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
under the Covenant: France, Peru and Ukraine. All on the recommendation of the Third Committee
such notifications were available on the website of the [A/70/489/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/144 (Interna-
Office of Legal Affairs. tional Covenants on Human Rights) without vote
(On the Organization’s efforts to protect civil and [agenda item 72 (a)].
political rights, see also p. 309.)
Convention on elimination
Covenant on economic, social and cultural of discrimination against women
rights and optional protocol and optional protocol
(On the status of the Convention and Optional
Accessions and ratifications Protocol, see p. 559. On the Special Rapporteur on
As at 31 December, there were 164 parties to the violence against women, its causes and consequences,
International Covenant on Economic, Social and see p. 349.)
Cultural Rights, adopted by the General Assembly in
resolution 2200 A (XXI) [YUN 1966, p. 418]. Belize and Convention against torture
South Africa became parties during the year.
Accessions and ratifications
The Optional Protocol to the Covenant, adopted
by the Assembly in resolution 63/117 [YUN 2008, p. 729], As at 31 December, 158 States were parties to the
established a procedure of individual communications 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
for cases of alleged violations of economic, social Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
and cultural rights. France, Italy, Luxembourg and adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 39/46
San Marino became States parties during the year, [YUN 1984, p. 813]. South Sudan and Viet Nam became
bringing the total to 21. parties during the year.
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 299

States parties to the Optional Protocol to the seventh (16–20 November) sessions in Geneva [CAT/
Convention establishing an international inspection OP/C/57/4]. The mandate of the Subcommittee was to
system for places of detention, adopted by the visit places where persons were or might be deprived of
Assembly in resolution 57/199 [YUN 2002, p. 631] and liberty and make recommendations to States parties
entering into force in 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 776], stood at on their protection; assist States parties in establishing
80, with Belize, Mongolia, Rwanda and South Sudan national preventative mechanisms; provide support to
becoming parties during the year. such mechanisms; and cooperate with UN and other
As at 31 December, 58 parties had made the re- bodies in preventing ill-treatment.
quired declarations under articles 21 and 22, which The ninth annual report of the Subcommittee
recognized the competence of the Committee against [CAT/OP/C/57/4], covering its activities in 2015, pro-
Torture to receive and consider communications by vided an update on developments relating to the Op-
which a State party claimed that another party was tional Protocol to the Convention, including visits, the
not fulfilling its obligations under the Convention, increase in States parties and in designated national
and from or on behalf of individuals who claimed preventative mechanisms, and the operation of the
to be victims of a violation of the Convention’s Special Fund (see below). The report highlighted areas
provisions by a State party. Sixty-two parties had of cooperation between the Subcommittee and other
made the declaration under article 21, concerning international and regional bodies and civil society;
inter-State communications, and 66 had made the provided information concerning the Subcommittee’s
declaration under article 22, concerning individual working practices; set out the Subcommittee’s views
communications. on prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or
Amendments to article 17 and 18, adopted in 1992 degrading treatment or punishment of lesbian, gay, bi-
[YUN 1992, p. 736], had been accepted by 30 States sexual, transgender and intersex persons; and reflected
parties at year’s end. on the Subcommittee’s 2016 programme of work and
the practical challenges facing the Subcommittee.
Implementation The Subcommittee in 2015 visited Azerbaijan
(16–24 April), Nauru (4–8 May), Guatemala (11–
Monitoring body. During the year, the Com­ 20 May), the Philippines (25 May–3 June), the Neth-
mit­tee against Torture held its fifty-fourth (20 April–​ erlands (28–31 July), Italy (16–22 September), Turkey
15 May) [A/70/44], fifty-fifth (27 July–14 August) and (6–9 October) and Brazil (19–30 October). The vis-
fifty-sixth (9 November–9 December) [A/71/44] ses- its were followed by the submission of a confidential
sions in Geneva. Under article 19 of the Convention, report to the respective Governments that included
it considered reports submitted by 17 countries (Aus- recommendations. Recipients were requested to pro-
tria, Azerbaijan, China, Colombia, the Congo, Den- vide a reply to a visit report within six months, detail-
mark, Iraq, Jordan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, New ing actions taken to implement the recommendations.
Zealand, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzer- During the reporting period the Subcommittee re-
land, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), as ceived a reply from Gabon.
well as Hong Kong, China, and Macau, China, and Special Fund. In an August note [A/70/273], the
adopted concluding observations on them. Secretary-General, pursuant to resolution 68/156
The Committee continued, in accordance with ar- [YUN 2013, p. 673], drew the attention of the General
ticle 20, to study reliable information that appeared to Assembly to a previous note on the Special Fund
it to contain well-founded indications that torture was [YUN 2014, p. 763].
systematically practiced in a State party. Under article On 17 December (decision 70/533), the Assembly
22, the Committee considered communications sub- took note of the note by the Secretary-General.
mitted by individuals claiming that their rights under
In a December note [A/HRC/31/22], the Secretary-
the Convention had been violated by a State party.
General provided information on the status of the
The Assembly, on 17 December (decision 70/533), Special Fund established by the Optional Protocol to
took note of the report of the Committee against the Convention to help finance the implementation of
Torture on its fifty-third [YUN 2014, p. 762] and fifty- the recommendations made by the Subcommittee on
fourth sessions. Prevention following visits to States parties, as well as
Subcommittee on prevention. The Subcom- education programmes of national preventive mecha-
mittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, nisms. Seven grants were awarded in 2015 to projects
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in five eligible States—Argentina, Brazil, Honduras,
(Subcommittee on Prevention), established in 2006 Mexico and Senegal—for a total of $228,670. The
[YUN 2006, p. 776] to carry out the functions laid down Fund’s financial situation was critical: it did not
in the Optional Protocol to the Convention adopted receive any financial contributions during the year
by resolution 57/199, held it twenty-fifth (16–20 Feb- and therefore would only be able to fund seven or
ruary), twenty-sixth (15–19 June) and twenty- eight projects in 2016 and 2017.
300 Part Two: Human rights

Convention on the rights of the child GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Accessions and ratifications On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,

on the recommendation of the Third Committee
As at 31 December, the number of States parties [A/70/485], adopted resolution 70/137 (Rights of the
to the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, child) by recorded vote (141-1-42) agenda item [68 (a)].
adopted by the General Assembly in resolution 44/25 RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/137:
[YUN 1989, p. 560], stood at 196, with Somalia and
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,
South Sudan becoming parties during the year. Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
States parties to the Optional Protocol to the Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhu-
Convention on the involvement of children in armed tan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darus-
conflict, adopted by the General Assembly in resolu- salam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia,
Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Co-
tion 54/263 [YUN 2000, p. 615], rose to 162, with the lombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Bahamas, Kiribati and Micronesia becoming parties Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Sal-
during the year. vador, Eritrea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia,
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-
sale of children, child prostitution and child pornog- Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India,
Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,
raphy, also adopted by resolution 54/263, had 171 Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
States parties, with the Bahamas and Kiribati becom- Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein,
ing parties during the year. Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal-
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on a dives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco,
communications procedure, adopted by resolution Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Neth-
erlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Palau,
66/138 [YUN 2011, p. 623], which allowed individual Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Po-
children to submit complaints regarding violations of land, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Ro-
their rights under the Convention and its first two mania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
protocols, had 22 parties by year’s end, with Argen- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Ser-
tina, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Sal- bia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa,
vador, Finland, Mongolia and Uruguay becoming Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-
parties during the year. Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United
The Secretary-General reported on the status of Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uru-
the Convention and its Optional Protocols as at 1 July guay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam.
[A/70/315], also focusing on the right to education. Against: Botswana.
Abstaining: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Cameroon, Comoros,
Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
Implementation Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equato-
rial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Iraq, Kenya, Kuwait,
Monitoring body. During the year, the Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,
Committee on the Rights of the Child held its sixty- Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia,
eighth (12–30 January), sixty-ninth (18 May–5 June) South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo,
and seventieth (14 September–2 October) sessions Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia,
[A/71/41] in Geneva. Zimbabwe.
Under article 44 of the Convention, the
Committee considered initial and periodic reports Convention on migrant workers
submitted by 29 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Cam-
bodia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Accessions and ratifications
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Iraq, As at 31 December, the number of States parties
Israel, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Lao People’s Democratic to the International Convention on the Protection of
Republic, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Nether- the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of
lands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, their Families, adopted by the General Assembly in
Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, United resolution 45/158 [YUN 1990, p. 594] and which entered
Arab Emirates, Uruguay) and adopted concluding into force in 2003 [YUN 2003, p. 676], stood at 48, with
observations on them. Madagascar becoming party during the year.
At its sixty-ninth session the Committee held its
seventh informal meeting with States and decided Implementation
to hold an informal meeting with States regularly
every year during its January session. At its seventieth Monitoring body. The Committee on the
session, the Committee adopted working methods to Protection of the Rights of Migrant Workers and
deal with communications received under the Op- Members of their Families held its twenty-second
tional Protocol on a communications procedure, as (13–24 April) [A/70/48] and twenty-third (31 Au-
well as the model form for filing a complaint. gust–9 September) [A/71/48] sessions in Geneva.
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 301

Under article 74 of the Convention, the Committee General Assembly took note of that report on 17 De-
considered reports of Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, the cember (decision 70/533).
Seychelles, Timor-Leste and Uganda, as well as the (On the Organization’s efforts to protect the rights
situation of Cabo Verde, in absence of a report, and of persons with disabilities see also p. 357.)
adopted concluding observations on them.
The Committee and the Committee on the Rights GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
of the Child developed a concept note on a joint general On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
comment on the human rights of children in the con- on the recommendation of the Third Commit­tee
text of international migration, including background [A/70/489/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/145 (Conven­
information, objectives, scope and proposed themes. tion on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and
On 17 December (decision 70/533), the Assembly the Optional Protocol thereto) without vote [agenda
took note of the reports of the Committee on its twenty- item 72 (a)].
first [YUN 2014, p. 771] and twenty-second sessions. Also on 17 December [meeting 80], the General
(On the Organization’s efforts to protect the rights Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
of migrants, see also p. 313.) Committee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution
70/170 (Towards the full realization of an inclu-
Convention on rights of persons sive and accessible United Nations for persons with
with disabilities disabilities) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
Accessions and ratifications
Convention for protection from
As at 31 December, the Convention on the Rights enforced disappearance
of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the General
Assembly in resolution 61/106 [YUN 2006, p. 785], had Accessions and ratifications
160 States parties, with the Bahamas, the Democratic As at 31 December, the International Convention
Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Kazakhstan, Mada- for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Dis-
gascar, the Marshall Islands, Sao Tome and Principe, appearance, adopted by the General Assembly in reso-
Trinidad and Tobago, and Viet Nam becoming lution 61/177 [YUN 2006, p. 800], had 51 States parties,
parties during the year. with Belize, Greece, Italy, Malta, Mongolia, Niger
The Optional Protocol to the Convention, also and Ukraine becoming parties during the year.
adopted by resolution 61/106, which established an Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/169 [YUN 2014,​
individual complaints mechanism, had 88 States p. 772], the Secretary-General, in August [A/70/261],
parties by year’s end, with the Democratic Republic reported on the status of the Convention, communi­
of the Congo, Gambia and Turkey becoming parties. cations from Governments and activities carried out
to implement the resolution.
Implementation
Monitoring body. The Committee on the Implementation
Rights of Persons with Disabilities held its thirteenth
(25 March–17 April) [CRPD/C/13/2] and fourteenth Monitoring body. The Committee on Enforced
(17 August–4 September) [CRPD/C/14/2] sessions Disappearance held its eighth (2–13 February)
[A/70/56] and ninth (7–18 September) [A/71/56] ses-
[A/72/55] in Geneva. The Committee considered initial
reports, under article 35 of the Convention, submitted sions in Geneva. The Committee considered reports,
by 13 countries (Brazil, Cook Islands, Croatia, Czech under article 29 of the Convention, of Armenia, Iraq,
Republic, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Germany, Mexico, Montenegro and Serbia, and adopted con-
Kenya, Mauritius, Mongolia, Qatar, Turkmenistan, cluding observations on them.
Ukraine) as well as the European Union, and adopted At its eighth session, the Committee adopted a
concluding observations on them. Qatar provided com- statement on enforced disappearances and military
ments on the Committee’s concluding observations. jurisdiction.
At its thirteenth session, the Committee held a On 17 December, the General Assembly took note
half day of general discussion on the right to inclusive of the report of the Committee on its seventh [YUN 2014,
education. At its fourteenth session, the Committee p. 772] and eighth sessions (decision 70/533).
adopted guidelines on the right to liberty and security (On the Organization’s efforts to combat enforced
of persons with disabilities. or involuntary disappearances, see also p. 325.)
The Economic and Social Council on 21 July
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
(decision 2015/241) took note of the Committee’s
report [A/70/55] on its ninth, tenth [YUN 2013, p. 612], On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
eleventh and twelfth [YUN 2014, p. 771] sessions. The on the recommendation of the Third Committee
302 Part Two: Human rights

[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/160 (In- The meeting had before it notes prepared by
ternational Convention for the Protection of All ohchr on: implementation by treaty bodies of the
Persons from Enforced Disappearance) without conclusions and recommendations of the treaty
vote [agenda item72 (b)]. body Chairpersons at their twenty-sixth meeting
[HRI/MC/2015/2]; reprisals in the context of United
Convention on genocide Nations human rights mechanisms [HRI/MC/2015/3];
the consultation process for the elaboration of treaty
Accessions and ratifications body general comments [HRI/MC/2015/4]; and timely,
late and non-reporting by States parties to the human
As at 31 December, 147 States were parties to the rights treaty bodies [HRI/MC/2015/5].
1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the General The Chairs considered the implementation of
Assembly in resolution 260 A (III) [YUN 1948–1949, Assembly resolution 68/268 [YUN 2014, p. 756] on
p. 959], with Tajikistan becoming party during the year. strengthening and enhancing the effective func-
tioning of the human rights treaty body system, as
well as follow-up to the recommendations made at
Genocide prevention their twenty-sixth meeting; endorsed the Guidelines
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March against Intimidation or Reprisals (“San José
[A/70/53 (res. 28/34)],
the Council called on States to Guidelines”) [HRI/MC/2015/6]; endorsed elements for
cooperate in strengthening collaboration among the elaboration of and consultations on general com-
existing mechanisms that contributed to the early ments]; and reaffirmed the decision to include late and
detection and prevention of massive, serious and sys- non-reporting by States parties as a standing item on
tematic violations of human rights that could lead to the agenda of their annual meeting.
genocide; requested Governments to cooperate fully On 17 December, the General Assembly took note
with the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Geno- of the report (decision 70/533).
cide; recommended that the General Assembly desig- Meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Independent
nate 9 December as the International Day of Com- Experts and chairpersons. The twenty-second
memoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide meeting of special rapporteurs/representatives,
to raise awareness of the Convention and its role in independent experts and chairpersons of working
combating and preventing the crime of genocide; and groups of special procedures of the Council (Geneva,
requested the Secretary-General to draw up a roster of 8–12 June) [A/HRC/31/39] focused on working meth-
focal points and networks on the prevention of geno- ods aiming at enhancing coordination and developing
cide with updated information from States. common approaches. Issues discussed included the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION communications procedure, follow-up to recommen-
dations, participation in and organization of con-
On 11 September [meeting 103], the General sultations, seminars and working visits, responding
Assembly adopted resolution 69/323 [draft: A/69/L.88 to public and ad hominem attacks against mandate
& Add.1] (International Day of Commemoration holders, strategies for the use of media, mandate hold-
and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Geno- ers’ participation in legal proceedings and support to
cide and of the Prevention of This Crime) without special procedures. During 2015, the Council estab-
vote [agenda item 68]. lished two new mandates: on the enjoyment of human
rights by persons with albinism and on the right to
General aspects privacy.
Human rights treaty body system
Membership of human rights treaty bodies
Meeting of Chairs. In August [A/70/302], the
Secretary-General, pursuant to Assembly resolu- Report of Secretary-General. In an August
tion 57/202 [YUN 2002, p. 623], presented the report report [A/70/257], the Secretary-General, pursuant to
of the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies on Assembly resolution 68/161 [YUN 2013, p. 614], provided
their twenty-seventh meeting (San José, Costa Rica, information on the system for the election of treaty
22–26 June). The meeting was convened in San José body members and an analysis of the current member-
to bring the treaty body system closer to the level at ship of each treaty body, by geographical region.
which international human rights treaties and treaty
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
body recommendations were implemented, to en-
hance the cooperation between the international and On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
regional human rights protection systems and to en- on the recommendation of the Third Committee
gage with States, national human rights institutions [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/152 (Promo-
and civil society in the Americas. tion of equitable geographical distribution in the
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 303

membership of the human rights treaty bodies) by the report of the Advisory Committee on the ways
recorded vote (134-54-0) [agenda item 72 (b)]. and means to enhance such cooperation [YUN 2014,
p. 774]; and requested the High Commissioner to
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/152: submit to the Council at its thirtieth (2015) session a
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, report on the ways and means, as well as obstacles and
Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bar-
bados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,
challenges and proposals to overcome them, for en-
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo hancing international cooperation in the UN human
Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, rights machinery, including the Council.
Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, On 2 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/25)], the Council
Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, encouraged States to establish and strengthen national
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato- human rights follow-up systems and processes and to
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, seek technical assistance and capacity-building, and to
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, share experiences and good practices to that end; in-
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka- vited States to gradually increase their voluntary con-
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s tributions to the Voluntary Fund for Technical Co-
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad-
agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mau-
operation in the Field of Human Rights, the Voluntary
ritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance for the
Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qa- and other trust funds; and requested the High Com-
tar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, missioner to continue to provide technical assistance
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sene- and capacity-building on the establishment and the
gal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, strengthening of national follow-up systems and
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, processes and to organize an intersessional half-day
Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, panel discussion during the twenty-sixth session on
Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of the Working Group on the upr, to share experiences
Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet and good practices, and submit a summary report
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium,
thereon at the Council’s thirty-fourth (2017) session.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ja- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
pan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, on the recommendation of the Third Committee
Marshall Islands, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/153 (En-
Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slova- hancement of international cooperation in the
kia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav field of human rights) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom,
United States. International cooperation and non-selectivity,
Abstaining: None.
impartiality and objectivity
Report of Secretary-General. In an August
report [A/70/258], the Secretary-General, pursuant to
Other activities Assembly resolution 68/176 [YUN 2013, p. 617], com-
piled the responses to the note from ohchr, sent to
Strengthening action States and intergovernmental and non-governmental
to promote human rights organizations, inviting them to present practical
proposals and ideas that would contribute to the
International cooperation strengthening of UN action in the field of human
in the field of human rights rights through the promotion of international co-
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March operation based on the principles of non-selectivity,
[A/70/53 (res. 28/2)],
the Council urged all actors on impartiality and objectivity.
the international scene to build an international On 17 December, the General Assembly took note
order based on inclusion, justice, equality and eq- of the report (decision 70/533).
uity, human dignity, mutual understanding and the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
promotion of and respect for cultural diversity and
universal human rights; requested Member States and On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
the UN system to foster complementarities among Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
North-South, South-South and triangular coopera- Committee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution
tion aiming at the enhancement of international co- 70/150 (Strengthening United Nations action in
operation in the field of human rights; took note on the field of human rights through the promotion
304 Part Two: Human rights

of international cooperation and the importance need for enhanced voluntary contributions to the rel-
of non-selectivity, impartiality and objectivity) evant UN funds to support technical assistance and
without vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. capacity-building; decided that the theme for the an-
nual thematic panel discussion under agenda item 10
National policies and human rights to be held during its thirty-first (2016) session would
be “Technical cooperation and capacity-building to
Report of High Commissioner. In a July report promote and protect the rights of all migrants, in-
[A/HRC/30/28], the High Commissioner, pursuant cluding women, children, older persons and persons
to Council resolution 27/26 [YUN 2014, p. 776], pro- with disabilities”; and requested ohchr to submit a
vided a summary of the panel discussion on the issue report at the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session on
of national policies and human rights held by the the activities undertaken by the Office, other UN
Council at its twenty-eighth session. agencies and regional organizations to support efforts
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October by States to promote and protect the rights of migrants
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/24)], the Council welcomed the in their national legislation, policies and programmes,
panel discussion on the issue of national policies and to serve as a basis for the thematic panel discussion.
human rights and took note of the report of the dis-
cussion; recommended that States integrate into their Regional arrangements
national policies a human rights perspective; and
requested the High Commissioner to organize, prior Human Rights Council action. On 1 October
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/3)], the Council welcomed the pro-
to its thirty-second (2016) session, an expert work-
shop to discuss effective, inclusive and participatory gress made by Governments in establishing regional
mechanisms and methodologies to mainstream and subregional arrangements for the promotion and
human rights in the formulation and implementation protection of human rights, and their achievements in
of public policies, and to submit to its thirty-third all regions of the world; the report of the High Com-
(2016) session a summary report on the workshop, in- missioner on the workshop on regional arrangements
cluding any recommendations stemming therefrom. for the promotion and protection of human rights
[YUN 2014, p. 776]; and the holding of the meetings of
focal points for cooperation between UN and regional
Advisory services and technical cooperation human rights mechanisms. The Council requested
the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner
Voluntary fund
to provide necessary resources to enable ohchr to
The Board of Trustees of the United Nations support those activities; the High Commissioner to
Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the hold, in 2016, a workshop on regional arrangements
Field of Human Rights held its forty-first session in for the promotion and protection of human rights to
Phnom Penh (9–11 February) and Bangkok (12– take stock of developments since the workshop held
13 February) [A/HRC/29/48]. The Board visited the in 2014, including a thematic discussion on interac-
ohchr country office in Cambodia to observe in situ tions with civil society and human rights defenders,
how the various components of the work of the Office, in order to share information on best practices, lessons
including technical cooperation programmes, worked learned and new possible forms of cooperation; and
together to better serve and support national efforts the High Commissioner to present to the Council, at
to ensure the enjoyment of human rights for all. The its thirty-fourth (2017) session, a report containing
visit to the ohchr regional office for South East Asia the summary of the discussions held at the workshop
in Bangkok was an opportunity for Board members to and on the progress towards the implementation of
better understand the type of support being provided the resolution.
from a regional setting.
In 2014, expenditures of the Voluntary Fund Central Africa
amounted to $20.2 million, while the Fund received Report of Secretary-General. In Octo-
$17.7 million in voluntary contributions. The result- ber [A/70/405], the Secretary-General, pursuant to
ing deficit of $2.5 million was covered from other Assembly resolution 68/174 [YUN 2013, p. 619], reported
reserves. During the year, the Fund continued to on the activities of the United Nations Subregional
provide resources for technical cooperation to build Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central
strong human rights frameworks at the national level Africa, located in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from 1 Janu-
in 30 regions, States and territories. That included ary 2014 to 31 July 2015. The report highlighted the
support for 16 human rights advisers, eight human context of deteriorating security and humanitarian
rights components of peace missions and six country/ conditions in the subregion, in particular challenges
standalone offices. created by increasing and indiscriminate attacks by
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October Boko Haram on the civilian population in Cam-
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/21)], the Council reaffirmed the eroon and Chad, the consequences on human rights
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 305

of the crisis in the Central African Republic, and the Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,
forced expulsion from the Congo of citizens of the Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,
Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mau-
Democratic Republic of the Congo. The report also ritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,
outlined opportunities for further engagement, as well Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,
as challenges. Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Nor-
way, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic
of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
on the recommendation of the Third Committee Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Ser-
[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/167 (Subre- bia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Is-
gional Centre for Human Rights and Democracy lands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka,
in Central Africa) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan,
Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-
Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
South-West Asia and the Arab Region Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States,
Report of Secretary-General. In an October
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
report [A/70/414], pursuant to Assembly resolution Zambia, Zimbabwe.
69/171 [YUN 2014, p. 776], the Secretary-General pro- Against: Syrian Arab Republic.
vided an overview of the activities and achievements Abstaining: Angola.
of the United Nations Human Rights Training and
Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the
Arab Region from August 2014 to July 2015. The National human rights institutions
report also provided an outline of measures taken Report of Secretary-General. In an August
towards the implementation of the resolution in report [A/70/347] submitted pursuant to resolution
the context of increasing demand for support and 68/171 [YUN 2013, p. 621] and covering the period
expertise for the promotion of human rights in the from September 2014 to August 2015, the Secretary-
Middle East and North Africa. The Centre, located General provided information on the activities under-
in Doha, Qatar, continued to provide needed support taken by ohchr to establish and strengthen national
to Governments, national human rights institutions, human rights institutions; measures taken by Gov-
regional organizations and civil society actors, as well ernments and national human rights institutions
as United Nations entities, with a view to improving in that regard; support provided to international
the promotion and protection of human rights at the and regional activities of national human rights
regional and national levels. In addition to strength- institutions; technical assistance provided jointly
ening those activities, the Centre planned to increase with other UN agencies and programmes; and co-
its focus on its documentation mandate. operation between national human rights institutions
and international mechanisms to promote and pro-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tect human rights, including participation in the
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, mechanisms of the Assembly. The Secretary-General
on the recommendation of the Third Committee concluded that national human rights institutions
[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/171 (United should seek constructive cooperation with relevant
Nations Human Rights Training and Documen- State bodies to promote the inclusion of human
tation Centre for South-West Asia and the Arab rights issues in legislation, policies and programmes;
Region) by recorded vote (184-1-1) [agenda item 72 (b)]. develop cooperation with civil society organizations
and strengthen their capacity to participate mean-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/171:
ingfully in the promotion and protection of human
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
rights; develop and advocate the development of pro-
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, tective measures and mechanisms for human rights
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, defenders and disseminate information thereon;
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina engage with the international human rights system
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, and regional human rights mechanisms and promote
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,
the implementation of their recommendations; and
Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, advocate their independent participation in relevant
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato- United Nations mechanisms and processes, including
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, the post-2015 agenda.
Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Gre-
nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiri- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
bati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, on the recommendation of the Third Committee
306 Part Two: Human rights

[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/163 (National to define that agenda and worked to defend women’s
institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights and promote gender equality; carried
human rights) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. out a comprehensive strategy to strengthen national
capacity to combat impunity in Guatemala; and ad-
dressed sexual and gender-based violence, trafficking
Human rights education and related exploitation, including through education
Education for democracy and related capacity-building programmes around the
globe. The Regional Office for South America trained
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
groups in situations of vulnerability on the use of in-
On 5 March [meeting 81], the General Assembly ternational human rights mechanisms to denounce
adopted resolution 69/268 [draft: A/69/L.54 & Add.1] human rights violations, as an integral part of its over-
(Education for democracy) without vote [agenda item 13]. all commitment to curtail impunity.

World Programme for Human Rights Education International Decade for People
of African Descent
OHCHR report. In a July report [A/HRC/30/24 &
Corr.1],ohchr, pursuant to Human Rights Council Report of Secretary-General. In August
resolution 27/12 [YUN 2014, p. 779], provided an [A/70/339], the Secretary-General, pursuant to
evaluation of the implementation of the second phase Assembly resolution 69/16 [YUN 2014, p. 780], reported
(2010–2014) of the World Programme for Human on the programme of activities for the implementation
Rights Education, proclaimed by Assembly resolution of the International Decade for People of African De-
59/113 [YUN 2004, p. 678]. Ohchr provided an overview scent (2015–2024), proclaimed by the Assembly in
of action undertaken at the national level, as reported resolution 68/237 [YUN 2013, p. 625]. The Secretary-
by States, with regard to human rights education in General focused on key initiatives undertaken by all
higher education and human rights training for civil major stakeholders in support of the programme of
servants, law enforcement officials and the military. activities for the implementation of the International
It drew conclusions from the information reviewed Decade and provided recommendations intended to
and provided recommendations for furthering human sustain and capitalize on the momentum generated by
rights education and training, building on the pro- the launch of the Decade. As a first step, the United
gress made during the second phase of the World Nations, especially ohchr, the Department of Public
Programme for Human Rights Education. Information and unesco, and several States had
launched campaigns to inform the public of the his-
tory, contributions, challenges, contemporary experi-
Follow-up to International Year ences and situation of the human rights of people of
of Human Rights Learning African descent. At the operational level, pilot initia-
Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/166], tives for dialogue and the promotion of issues pertain-
pursuant to Assembly resolution 68/173 [YUN 2013, ing to people of African descent had been established
p. 624], the Secretary-General reported on the at the national, regional and international levels.
follow-up to the International Year of Human Rights Human Rights Council action. On 2 Oc-
Learning, proclaimed by Assembly resolution 62/171 tober [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/16)], by a recorded vote
[YUN 2007, p. 697]. The Secretary-General outlined of 32 to 12, with 3 abstentions, the Council wel-
human rights education, training and learning de- comed the adoption of the programme of activities
velopments and activities in the follow-up to the In- for the implementation of the International Decade
ternational Year that were facilitated by ohchr from [YUN 2014, p. 780]; invited the High Commissioner, in
July 2013 to June 2015, in particular in the context of his capacity as coordinator of the Decade, to submit
the World Programme for Human Rights Education an update on his activities in the follow-up to the
(2005–ongoing). United Nations initiatives such as implementation of the programme of activities within
the International Year, the World Programme and the framework of the Decade to the Council at its
the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights thirty-first (2016) session; and called on States to end
Education and Training represented the consensus the posturing and denialism about the existence of
of the international community on the key contribu- racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
tions of effective human rights education, training intolerance.
and learning to the realization of human rights.
During the year ohchr: commemorated the 20- Follow-up to the 1993 World Conference
year review of the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action by launching Report of Third Committee. On 1 December,
the “#Reflect2Protect” campaign to give visibility to the Third Committee of the General Assembly re-
the work of all human rights defenders who helped ported [A/70/489/Add.4] on the implementation of and
Chapter I: Promotion of human rights 307

follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme manity, and stressed that the historic event established
of Action. the conditions for the creation of the United Nations,
On 17 December, the General Assembly took note designed to save succeeding generations from the
of the report (decision 70/534). scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in fundamen-
tal human rights and dignity and the worth of the
human person, in the equal rights of men and women
Anniversaries and of nations large and small. The Council called
Fiftieth anniversary of the adoption and on member States to unite their efforts in dealing
fortieth anniversary of the entry into force of with the challenges and threats to international peace
and security and underlined the progress made since
the International Covenants on Human Rights
the end of the Second World War in overcoming its
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July legacy and in promoting reconciliation, international
[A/70/53 (res. 29/1)],the Council reaffirmed the im- and regional cooperation, and democratic values,
portance of the International Covenants on Human human rights and fundamental freedoms, in partic-
Rights as major components of international efforts ular through the United Nations, and the establish-
to promote universal respect for and observance of ment of regional and subregional and other appropri-
human rights and fundamental freedoms; called on ate frameworks.
States that had not yet done so to consider becoming
parties to the Covenants; encouraged States parties Twentieth anniversary of the
to consider limiting the extent of any reservations Fourth World Conference on Women
that they had lodged to the Covenants; called for the and of the adoption of the Beijing
strictest compliance by States parties with their ob- Declaration and Platform for Action
ligations under the Covenants; invited relevant UN
organs and agencies, in coordination with the High Human Rights Council action. By a Presi-
Commissioner, to celebrate the anniversary of the dent’s statement of 25 March, [A/70/53 (PRST/28/1)],
Covenants by intensifying their own contributions the Council noted the twentieth anniversary of the
to UN system-wide efforts to promote and protect Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing
all human rights and fundamental freedoms; decided in 1995, and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration
to convene, at its thirty-first (2016) session a panel and Platform for Action [YUN 1995, p. 1172], which
discussion on the topic, “The fiftieth anniversary of had contributed greatly to the achievement of gender
the International Covenants on Human Rights: uni- equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
versality, indivisibility, interdependence and interre- The Council welcomed the inclusion of gender
latedness of all human rights”; and recommended that equality and the empowerment of women and girls
the General Assembly mark the fiftieth anniversary of as a stand-alone goal in the proposed sustainable
the Covenants during its seventy-first (2016) session. development goals; called on States to take concrete
steps towards promoting and protecting all human
Seventieth anniversary of the end rights of women and girls, eliminating all forms of
of the Second World War discrimination and violence against them, and re-
moving impediments to the development of their full
Human Rights Council action. By a Presi- potential as equal partners with men and boys; and
dent’s statement of 26 March, [A/70/53 (PRST/28/2)], endorsed the pledge made by States in the political
the Council recalled that 2015 marked the seventi- declaration on the occasion of the twentieth anni-
eth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, versary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
paid tribute to all victims, including the victims of adopted at the fifty-ninth session of the Commission
the Holocaust, of war crimes and crimes against hu- on the Status of Women on 9 March (see p. 561).
Chapter II

Protection of human rights

In 2015, the United Nations remained engaged in Economic, social and cultural rights continued to
protecting human rights through its main organs— be a major focus of activity. The General Assembly
the General Assembly, the Security Council and the highlighted the right to development, and Special
Economic and Social Council—and the Human Rapporteurs advocated for the rights to food, safe
Rights Council, which carried out its task as the water and sanitation, adequate housing, health,
central UN intergovernmental body responsible for education, culture and a life free from poverty.
promoting and protecting human rights and funda- In other developments, on the occasion of the In-
mental freedoms worldwide. The Council addressed ternational Day of Remembrance of the Victims of
violations, worked to prevent abuses, provided over- Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (25 March),
all policy guidance, monitored the observance of the permanent memorial The Ark of Return, by ar-
human rights around the world and assisted States chitect Rodney Leon, was unveiled by the Secretary-
in fulfilling their human rights obligations. General and the President of the resumed sixty-ninth
The special procedures mandate-holders—special (2015) session of the General Assembly at a ceremony
rapporteurs, independent experts, working groups at UN Headquarters in New York.
and representatives of the Secretary-General—moni-
tored, examined, advised and publicly reported on
human rights situations in specific countries or on Special procedures
major human rights violations worldwide. At the end
of 2015, there were 55 special procedures (41 the-
Report of High Commissioner. In his annual
matic mandates and 14 country- or territory-related
report to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/31/3],
mandates) with 79 mandate-holders.
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
In 2015, special procedures submitted 134 Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, noted that special pro-
reports to the Human Rights Council, includ- cedures participated in the work of the Council, con-
ing 53 on country visits, and 38 reports to the tributed to shaping the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
General Assembly. They sent 532 communications Development, including the sustainable development
to 123 States; 83 per cent of those communications goals (sdgs) (see p. 396), and conducted advocacy in
were sent jointly by more than one mandate. relation to climate change, to the situation of refugees
Communications covered at least 846 individuals, and migrants and to the increasing need to regulate
18 per cent of whom were women. Governments and ensure accountability of non-State actors. From
replied to 42 per cent of communications, and 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2014, special pro-
26 per cent of communications were followed up cedures mandate holders conducted 83 country visits
by mandate-holders. Mandate holders issued, indi- to 60 States and issued 524 communications to 122
vidually or jointly, some 323 news releases, 53 media States, covering some 810 individuals, including 157
statements and 75 media advisories on situations of women. Some 115 States issued standing invitations
concern. for special procedures visits, including one observer
Special procedures conducted 76 country visits State. The Council established two new thematic
to 53 States. The number of countries that had ex- mandates: on the enjoyment of human rights by
tended a standing invitation to special procedures persons with albinism and on the right to privacy. In
rose to 115 as at 31 December. all, there were 55 special procedures (41 thematic and
The Council in 2015 established two thematic 14 country-specific situations).
mandates: the Independent Expert on the enjoyment Report of Secretary-General. In response to a
of human rights by persons with albinism and the Human Rights Council decision [YUN 2006, p. 760], the
Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy. On en- Secretary-General submitted a report [A/HRC/31/24]
hancing efficiency, the Council extended for two reg- indicating that the special procedures’ conclusions
ular sessions of the Council the term of six working and recommendations contained in their 2015 reports
groups on: people of African descent; arbitrary de- to the Council’s twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and
tention; enforced or involuntary disappearances; thirtieth sessions were available on the website of the
the use of mercenaries; transnational corporations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
and other business enterprises; and discrimination Human Rights (ohchr).
against women in law and in practice.

308
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 309

Reports of special procedures. In accordance equality bodies and a non-governmental organization

with the decisions made by special procedures (ngo) and provided an update on activities under-
mandate holders at their sixteenth [YUN 2009, p. 645] taken by ohchr. It concluded that despite some
and seventeenth [YUN 2010, p. 656] annual meetings, progress made in combating racism and related phe-
mandate holders issued joint communications reports nomena, stronger political will and urgent measures
on 19 February [A/HRC/28/85], 2 June [A/HRC/29/50] were needed to reverse the trends that had developed
and 4 September [A/HRC/30/27] containing summa- in recent years of increasingly hostile racist and xeno-
ries of communications and statistical information. phobic attitudes and violence. States were encouraged
The reports covered all urgent appeals, letters of al- to invite the Working Group of Experts on People
legations and other letters sent by mandate holders of African Descent and the Special Rapporteur on
from 1 June 2014 to 31 May 2015 and replies received contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination,
between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015, includ- xenophobia and related intolerance to carry out
ing replies relating to communications sent prior to country visits and to develop and implement national
1 March 2015. action plans to combat racial discrimination and re-
lated intolerance.
The General Assembly took note of the report on
Civil and political rights 17 December (decision 70/532).
Working Group on people of African descent.
Racism and racial discrimination At its sixteenth session (Geneva, 31 March–4 April)
[A/HRC/30/56], the Working Group of Experts on
Follow-up to 2001 World Conference People of African Descent focused on the theme of
During the year, efforts continued to implement “Development and people of African descent”. The
the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action Working Group acknowledged the linkages between
(ddpa) adopted by the 2001 World Conference underdevelopment and racism, racial discrimination,
against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia xenophobia and related intolerance. It urged States to
and Related Intolerance [YUN 2001, p. 615]. adopt measures consistent with the Declaration on
Intergovernmental Working Group. The the Right to Development, aimed at guaranteeing ac-
Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective tive, free and meaningful participation of people of
Implementation of the ddpa, established in 2002 African descent in all political, economic, social and
[YUN 2002, p. 661], at its thirteenth session (Geneva,
cultural aspects of society. It also reiterated its recom-
5–15 October) [A/HRC/31/75], held discussions on mendation for the preparation of specific programmes
implementation of the programme of activities for the of action for implementing the International Decade
International Decade for People of African Descent for People of African Descent (see p. 306).
(see p. 306), preparations for the commemoration of In accordance with Assembly resolution 69/162,
the fifteenth (2016) anniversary of the adoption of the the Chair of the Working Group in August reported
Declaration and Programme and racism and poverty. [A/70/309] on the Working Group’s activities from
Report of independent experts. The group 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
of independent eminent experts appointed by the Mission reports. Following its mission to Italy
Secretary-General in 2002 [YUN 2002, p. 662] to follow (1–5 June) [A/HRC/33/61/Add.1], the Working Group
up on implementation of ddpa provisions held its concluded that despite the positive measures taken by
fourth meeting (Geneva, 28 April) [A/HRC/29/54], with the Government to address racism, Afrophobia and
the participation of two experts, Hanna Suchocka and racial discrimination, the discrepancy between the
Edna Maria Santos Roland, who discussed the pos- official discourse and the legal framework to counter
sibility of and need for a number of arrangements re- racism pointed to the lack of effectiveness of the meas-
garding the definition of the group’s mandate, the ap- ures taken. It was also concerned by the rise of xeno-
pointment of new members and additional resources. phobia across Europe caused by the political manipu-
The two experts decided to convey their views to the lation of people’s fears about the increase in migrants.
Secretary-General. The Working Group made recommendations to assist
Report of Secretary-General. In response to Italy in its efforts to combat all forms of racism.
General Assembly resolution 69/162 [YUN 2014, In September [A/HRC/30/56/Add.3], the Netherlands
p. 790], the Secretary-General in September [A/70/367] submitted its comments on the Working Group’s visit
reported on global efforts for the total elimination of to the country [YUN 2014, p. 789].
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related Human Rights Council action. On 1 Octo-
intolerance and the comprehensive implementation of ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (dec. 30/115)], pursuant to statement
and follow-up to the ddpa. The report summarized PRST/29/1 (see p. 291), the Council extended the
contributions on the topic received from 17 countries, term of the Working Group for two regular sessions
three national human rights institutions or national of the Council.
310 Part Two: Human rights

On 2 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/16)], by a re- rights-based approach into the practice of sport and
corded vote of 32 to 12, with 3 abstentions, the the implementation of the Olympic ideal could be
Council invited the High Commissioner to submit an most beneficial in strengthening universal respect
update on activities in the context of the International for human rights. It also identified best practices,
Decade for People of African Descent to the Coun- national experiences and models to follow as well as
cil’s thirty-first (2016) session (see p. 306); requested challenges in using sport to promote human rights
the Working Group on the Effective Implementation and preventing human rights abuses related to sport.
of the ddpa to report on preparations for the com- The Advisory Committee concluded the report with
memoration of the fifteenth anniversary of the adop- recommendations to States, national authorities,
tion of the ddpa at its thirty-first (2016) session; and national and international organizations and sporting
requested the General Assembly, in view of the anni- organizations, in the areas of national legislation and
versary, to dedicate a theme on the full and effective executive practice; programme support; combating
implementation of the ddpa at the high-level segment discriminatory and other harmful or unfair practices
of the Assembly’s seventy-first (2016) session. in sport; the media; and education.
On the same date [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/17)], by a GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
recorded vote of 32 to 12, with 3 abstentions, the
Council requested the Secretary-General, through the On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
Assembly, to review and rescind the mandate of the Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
independent eminent experts for the implementation (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Committee
of the ddpa and to allocate its resources to the estab- [A/70/487], adopted resolution 70/140 (A global
lishment of a forum on people of African descent that call for concrete action for the total elimination
would serve as a consultative mechanism for people of of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
African descent in the diaspora, as well as an advisory and related intolerance and the comprehensive
body to the Council. It also decided that the mandate, implementation of and follow-up to the Durban
modalities and structure of the forum would be final- Declaration and Programme of Action) by recorded
ized following regional consultations in areas where vote (133-11-44) [agenda item 70 (b)].
people of African descent lived and were citizens and RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/140:
bearing in mind their views and priorities. In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bar-
Racism and democracy bados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
[A/70/53 (res. 29/20)], the Council decided to convene Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
a panel discussion on the incompatibility between Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
democracy and racism at its thirty-first (2016) session; Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
and requested the High Commissioner to organize Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
the discussion in consultation with States, UN en- Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,
tities and other stakeholders; and to submit a sum- Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka-
mary report on the discussion to the Council’s thirty- zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
second (2016) session. Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad-
agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mau-
Sports and combating discrimination ritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
Advisory Committee report. As requested by Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qa-
the Human Rights Council [YUN 2014, p. 790], the tar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Human Rights Council Advisory Committee in Au- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
gust submitted the final report [A/HRC/30/50] on the Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,
possibilities of using sport and the Olympic ideal to Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste,
promote human rights. The purpose of the study was Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,
to help stakeholders assess the general factors relating Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
to human rights policy in sport and provide insights Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
for its development and improvement. As at August Against: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany,
2015, responses to a March 2014 questionnaire on the Israel, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, United Kingdom,
topic had been received from 25 States, 6 national United States.
human rights institutions, 8 ngos and civil society Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
representatives, 3 international organizations and and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Es-
1 special procedure mandate holder. tonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
The report provided an assessment of the main Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand,
areas where the continuing integration of a human Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 311

Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, caust denial and the distortion of history. The Special
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Rapporteur reiterated the recommendations made in
Macedonia, Tonga, Ukraine.
his previous reports to the Council and the Assembly
[YUN 2014, pp. 792 & 793] as they remained applicable
Contemporary forms of racism and valid. He also proposed, considering that there
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In response to had been no major developments on the issue since his
Human Rights Council resolution 25/32 [YUN 2014, last reports, that the obligations of his mandate would
p. 793], the Special Rapporteur on contemporary be best served by submitting a single report annually
forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia to the Assembly. Other streams of his work could be
and related intolerance, Mutuma Ruteere (Kenya), used to address the issue in a more concrete way and
in April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/46] covering would allow for more in-depth dialogue with Govern-
his activities, examining the contexts that had led to ments, ngos and relevant actors, enabling them to
the use of racial and ethnic profiling and providing work in a concerted fashion towards implementing
an overview of the different manifestations by law existing and future recommendations.
enforcement agencies of the phenomenon. He noted In August, pursuant to the same resolution, the
that racial and ethnic profiling, defined as a reliance Secretary-General transmitted to the Assembly an-
by law enforcement, security and border control per- other report [A/70/321] of the Special Rapporteur on
sonnel on race, colour, descent or national or ethnic implementation of resolution 69/160 on combating
origin as the basis for subjecting persons to detailed glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other prac-
searches, identity checks and investigations, or for tices that contributed to fuelling contemporary forms
determining whether an individual was engaged in of racism and related phenomena. The report sum-
criminal activities, had been a persistent issue in law marized contributions from nine States and five ngos
enforcement and its use had often arisen in connection and other organizations. The Rapporteur remained
with policies on national security and immigration. concerned about the continued scapegoating of vul-
The Rapporteur concluded that racial and ethnic pro- nerable groups, such as migrants, asylum seekers and
filing harmed already tenuous relationships between ethnic minorities. He recalled recommendations
law enforcement agencies and minority communities. made in previous reports and reiterated that they
He stressed that the ddpa and other international remained valid, including those on legislative and
human rights instruments provided a framework to political measures; education and capacity-building;
combat the use of such profiling. He recommended the Internet and social media; sports; Holocaust de-
that States enact legislation outlawing the practice nial; civil society; the media; and the need for statistics
and gather law enforcement data, including statistics and disaggregated data. He suggested that it was time
disaggregated by ethnicity and race, to prove the ex- to turn to alternative ways to address the phenom-
istence and extent of racial and ethnic profiling; and enon, as well as find other ways to engage with States
that law enforcement agencies adopt a practical and and other stakeholders.
holistic approach to training and provide their offic- Pursuant to Assembly resolution 68/151 [YUN 2013,
ers with clear instructions on permissible versus im- p. 629], the Secretary-General in August transmitted a
permissible uses of ethnicity, race and national origin report [A/70/335] of the Special Rapporteur focusing
in conducting their work. He also called on political on the collection of disaggregated data to effectively
leaders and heads of law enforcement agencies to speak combat racial discrimination and related intolerance.
out publicly against discrimination and avoid mak- He noted that States had obligations under interna-
ing statements linking race or ethnicity to criminal tional human rights law to collect ethnically disag-
behaviour, irregular migration or terrorism. gregated data to fight discrimination and expressed
In response to Assembly resolution 69/160 concern about the continued absence of such data.
[YUN 2014, p. 793], the Special Rapporteur in April The lack of data on racist, xenophobic and hate crimes
submitted a report [A/HRC/29/47] on combating glo- meant that they remained underrecorded, contribut-
rification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices ing to widespread impunity and limited access to rem-
that contributed to fuelling contemporary forms of edies for victims. Ethnically disaggregated data was a
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related necessary tool in gathering evidence of occurrences
intolerance. The report presented human rights and of racial discrimination; evaluating the situation of
democratic challenges that extremist political parties, discriminated groups; and assessing the effectiveness
movements and groups posed in the context of the of measures taken and progress achieved. In his con-
economic crisis; examined the main areas of concern clusions, the Special Rapporteur welcomed interna-
requiring further efforts and constant vigilance; and tional, regional and national efforts to develop norma-
identified good practices developed by States and tive frameworks for collecting and protecting personal
various stakeholders. Topics covered included cyber- data and progress made in including questions on
racism and hate propaganda disseminated in social ethnicity in censuses worldwide. Yet systematic col-
media, extremism in sports, and countering Holo- lection of ethnically disaggregated data remained the
312 Part Two: Human rights

exception rather than the norm. He urged States to: Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
establish legal and institutional frameworks for the Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Against: Canada, Palau, Ukraine, United States.
periodic collection of disaggregated data, as well as a Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
specific mandate for collecting personal data to assess and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
levels of discrimination; ensure the independence of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,
official statistics; and seek capacity-building assistance Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liech-
from ohchr. tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montene-
gro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland,
Mission report. Following his visit to Greece Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania,
(4–8 May) [A/HRC/32/50/Add.1], the Special Rapporteur Samoa, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Swit-
addressed the legal and institutional framework for zerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tonga,
combating racism, and analysed the main challenges Turkey, United Kingdom.
the country had faced in the fight against racism and
discrimination and related intolerance, including Human rights defenders
issues related to the situation of migrants, refugees
and asylum-seekers, as well as acts and expressions Reports of Special Rapporteur. In his first
of racism and xenophobia from political parties and report to the Human Rights Council [A/HRC/28/63],
police forces. He noted significant positive develop- submitted in accordance with Council resolution
ments, including the creation of the public prosecutor 25/18 [YUN 2014, p. 797] and Assembly resolution
for racist crimes and special police units, along with 66/164 [YUN 2011, p. 664], the Special Rapporteur
the adoption of the 2014–2016 human rights action on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel
plan. The Special Rapporteur made recommendations Forst (France), presented an overview of the activities
on legal and institutional frameworks, hate speech, undertaken during the reporting period, submitted
discrimination, violence and hate-motivated offences, his strategic work plan for implementing his mandate
racism and extremism in the political arena, refugees and concluded with recommendations for Member
and asylum-seekers, migrant workers, and Roma. States, the United Nations and national human rights
institutions.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION A March addendum [A/HRC/28/63/Add.1] con-
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General tained observations by the Rapporteur on 231
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third communications to 84 States sent between 1 De-
Committee [A/70/487], adopted resolution 70/139 cember 2013 and 30 November 2014 and responses
(Combating glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism received from States until 31 January 2015.
and other practices that contribute to fuelling con- By a 30 July note [A/70/217], the Secretary-General
temporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, submitted to the General Assembly, in accordance
xenophobia and related intolerance) by recorded with resolutions 66/164 and 68/181 [YUN 2013, p. 636],
vote (133-4-49) [agenda item 70 (a)]. the second report of the Special Rapporteur, which
provided an overview of his activities, focused on
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/139:
the seven regional consultations he organized with
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar- human rights defenders between October 2014 and
gentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, June 2015 and presented the principal observations
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo and recommendations arising from those discus-
Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, sions. The Special Rapporteur concluded that human
Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, rights defenders faced countless risks that left them
Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, distraught and often on their own. He expressed
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
concern about trends alluded to in his report, espe-
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, cially regarding the most exposed groups of defend-
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, ers. He noted that in many countries, defending and
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka- promoting human rights remained an extraordinarily
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s dangerous activity and emphasized the importance of
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, a human rights education for ensuring that society
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, My- recognized the contribution of actions undertaken
anmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, by teachers, lawyers, journalists, ngo employees and
Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip- ordinary citizens. Positive developments included the
pines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint enactment of domestic laws to protect defenders, proj-
Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, ects such as the “shelter cities” and the preparation of
Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,
defenders’ kits. The Rapporteur made recommenda-
Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, tions to States, defenders and civil society, the United
Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Nations and national human rights institutions,
Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, among others.
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 313

The General Assembly took note of the report on to cooperate with representatives of UN human rights
17 December (decision 70/533). bodies gathered from 1 June 2014 to 31 May 2015,
pertaining to cases in Bahrain, Burundi, China,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Cyprus, Eritrea, Gambia, Honduras, Iran, Israel,
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman,
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic,
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/161 Tajikistan, Venezuela and Viet Nam. It also provided
(Human rights defenders in the context of the follow-up information on cases included in previous
Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of reports on China, Malaysia, Russian Federation, Sri
Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Pro- Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The
mote and Protect Universally Recognized Human report noted that in accordance with the principle of
Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) by recorded do no harm, risk assessments were conducted on a
vote (127-14-41) [agenda item 72 (b)]. case-by-case basis, resulting in the exclusion of those
cases where the risk to the safety and well-being of
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/161: the individuals concerned was deemed too high. Re-
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, prisals included threats and harassment, media smear
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bang-
ladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia
campaigns, police surveillance, physical attacks, travel
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, bans, the forced closure of organizations, arbitrary ar-
Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, rest, detention, prosecution, lengthy prison sentences,
Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, torture, sexual violence, denial of access to medical
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Es- attention and death. The Secretary-General welcomed
tonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Ger-
efforts by States to protect individuals and groups en-
many, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau,
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indo- gaging with the United Nations in the field of human
nesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, rights; urged all concerned to work together to over-
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, come the deadlock facing Council resolution 24/24
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, [YUN 2013, p. 640], including on designating a UN fo-
Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micro- cal point on reprisals; and urged States to follow up
nesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua
and provide information to the Council on measures
New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, taken, including on cases mentioned in the report.
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts
and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slo- Protection of migrants
venia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Reports of Special Rapporteur. In response to
Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trini- a request by the Human Rights Council [YUN 2011,
dad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, p. 667], the Special Rapporteur on the human rights
United States, Uruguay, Zambia. of migrants, François Crépeau (Canada), in May sub-
Against: Burundi, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s mitted a report [A/HRC/29/36] covering his activities,
Republic of Korea, Iran, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, including a November 2014 international consulta-
Pakistan, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic,
Zimbabwe.
tion he organized on recruitment practices and mi-
Abstaining: Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bo- grant workers at which a dialogue was held about
livia, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Côte key issues, barriers and policy options. The report’s
d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, thematic section, on European Union (eu) border
Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, management, addressed persistent human rights con-
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Mali, Mozam- cerns and examined the long-term feasibility of the
bique, Namibia, Niger, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sierra
Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Uganda, United Arab eu’s migration policy and the application of its found-
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan, Ven- ing values and regional human rights standards in re-
ezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen. lation to integration and diversity. The Special Rap-
porteur concluded that the status quo in relation to the
Reprisals for cooperation with eu approach to border control, asylum and migration
human rights bodies was not sustainable; sealing international borders was
impossible; and migration was inevitable. He made
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to a recommendations to the eu and its member States to
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2009, p. 668], the incentivize migrants to default to eu services and use
Secretary-General in August [A/HRC/30/29] submitted entry and exit control mechanisms rather than resort-
a report highlighting efforts made by the UN system to ing to smuggling rings; invest in the development of
address the issue of reprisals. It contained information a migration policy and a 25-year strategic road map
on alleged acts of intimidation and reprisals against for its evolution; invest in filling data gaps to develop
individuals or groups who had cooperated or sought evidence-based policies; recognize the push and pull
314 Part Two: Human rights

factors of irregular migration and eu responsibility in ation of migrants in transit, including unaccompanied
managing and mitigating them; and use the region’s children and adolescents, as well as women and girls;
global influence to push for solutions to humanitarian and requested the Special Rapporteur to continue to
crises in Syria, Ukraine and other countries. report on practical solutions, including with respect
In accordance with General Assembly resolution to the situation of migrants in transit, by identify-
67/172 [YUN 2012, p. 642], the Secretary-General in ing best practices and concrete areas for international
August transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s an- cooperation.
nual report [A/70/310] to the Assembly, covering his On the same day [A/70/53 (res. 29/12)], the Council
activities between 1 August 2014 and 31 July 2015 called on countries of origin, transit and destination
and including a thematic section on the impact of to facilitate family reunification to promote the wel-
recruitment practices on migrants’ human rights, fare and best interests of migrant children, including
particularly low-wage workers. The Rapporteur ex- adolescents; and requested the Advisory Committee
pressed concern about the severe exploitation and to submit at the Council’s thirty-third (2016) session
abuse suffered by migrants at the hands of unethi- a study on the global issue of unaccompanied migrant
cal recruiters, intermediaries and subagents in both children and adolescents and human rights.
countries of origin and destination. He concluded
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
that a complex network of actors was involved in the
system of recruitment for low-wage economic mi- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
grants, and the way in which unethical recruitment on the recommendation of the Third Committee
took place made it difficult to fully understand the [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/147 (Protection
system and develop clear accountability for the rights of migrants) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
of migrants. It was not, however, beyond the moral
agency of Governments to facilitate change to an eth- Discrimination against minorities
ical system of recruitment, as Governments set the
regulatory and legal environment in which private en- Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
tities could undertake their activities. In recommen- Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 805],
dations to Governments, private sector organizations the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Rita Izsák
and international organizations, the Special Rappor- (Hungary), in her annual report to the Council [A/
teur presented a comprehensive, human rights-based HRC/28/64], summarized her activities since her pre-
framework to achieve wholesale transition towards an vious report [YUN 2014, p. 804], provided an update
ethical system of recruitment. on the work of the Forum on Minority Issues fol-
lowing its seventh session [ibid., p. 805] and presented
The General Assembly took note of that report on
a discussion on hate speech and incitement of hatred
17 December (decision 70/533).
against minorities in the media. The Special Rap-
Mission reports. On 9 [A/HRC/29/36/Add.4 & 5] porteur concluded that action to address hate speech
and 10 June [A/HRC/29/36/Add.6], Sri Lanka, Malta and and hate crime must engage majority communities,
Italy, respectively, submitted their comments on the including politicians, intellectuals, celebrities and
Special Rapporteur’s 2014 mission to their country ordinary people concerned about discrimination and
[YUN 2014, pp. 797 & 798]. hatred, to join marginalized and disadvantaged mi-
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to norities in demanding human rights, equality and
Assembly resolution 69/167 [YUN 2014, p. 798], the human dignity for all. Such coordinated action must
Secretary-General in August submitted a report include legislative steps and swift and efficient social
[A/70/259] on the implementation of that resolution, responses. She urged States to adopt domestic legisla-
which summarized submissions received from States, tion; emphasized non-legal ways to tackle hate speech,
intergovernmental organizations and ngos. The report such as public condemnation; and recommended the
analysed ways and means to promote and protect the establishment of institutions dedicated to minority
human rights of migrants, with a focus on the chal- issues and of national, independent regulatory bod-
lenges faced by migrant domestic workers. It also dis- ies with powers to monitor hate speech in the media.
cussed key elements of a human-rights based approach Pursuant to a Human Rights Council request
to migration and domestic work and presented recom- [YUN 2014, p. 805], the Special Rapporteur in May
mendations on promoting and protecting the rights of submitted a study [A/HRC/29/24] of the human rights
migrant domestic workers. situation of Roma worldwide, with a particular focus
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July on the phenomenon of anti-Gypsyism. Drawing on
[A/70/53 (res. 29/2)], the Council called on States to responses to her questionnaire, she also provided an
ensure that their immigration policies were consist- overview of trends in State practice, highlighting posi-
ent with their obligations under international human tive developments to fight anti-Roma discrimination
rights law; requested ohchr to submit to the Council and address Roma marginalization and disadvantage,
before its thirty-first (2016) session a study on the situ- as well as challenges. The Special Rapporteur con-
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 315

cluded that while good practices had been identified, to dominate society. With regard to Afro-Brazilians,
her global study had revealed the deep-rooted prob- however, there had been a failure to address the en-
lems of racism and extreme marginalization experi- trenched discrimination, exclusion and poverty faced
enced by Roma and had highlighted the invisibility of by those communities, particularly those living in
many of those communities’ struggles. The report had favelas, periferias, and Quilombos. She made recom-
also exposed the underlying structural discrimination mendations on a wide range of issues.
that Roma faced, including the interrelation between Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
anti-Gypsyism and the socioeconomic marginali- Assembly resolution 68/172 [YUN 2013, p. 646], the
zation and political exclusion that Roma experienced. Secretary-General in August submitted a report
The Special Rapporteur urged States to implement the [A/70/255] on the activities undertaken by States,
recommendations of other human rights mechanisms ohchr, the Independent Expert on minority issues,
targeting Roma and added further recommendations. UN entities, and other stakeholders, to enhance the
In accordance with Assembly resolution 68/172 implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of
[YUN 2011, p. 646], the Secretary-General in July trans- Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious
mitted to the Assembly the Special Rapporteur’s and Linguistic Minorities [YUN 1992, p. 722] and to
report [A/70/212], which focused on minorities in the ensure the realization of those rights. The report out-
criminal justice system, considered obstacles to access lined activities conducted to increase the visibility of
to justice confronted by minority victims of crime and the Declaration and initiatives that had worked in a
highlighted examples of good practices for protecting range of ways to improve the protection of minority
and promoting minority rights in the various stages of rights. The Secretary-General identified areas where
the criminal justice process. It considered a number of more effort was needed, such as decisive follow-up to
areas in relation to that process, including the interna- human rights recommendations; inclusion of minor-
tional legal framework; minorities and the exercise of ity representatives in decision-making; more laws,
police powers; representation of minorities in pretrial policies and institutions addressing discrimination
detention; rights in relation to judicial procedures and and other human rights problems encountered by
hearings; sentencing; conditions in pretrial detention minorities; and more political will and cooperation
and in prison; minority victims and witnesses; and to achieve sustainable improvements.
supporting diversity and non-discrimination. The Forum on Minority Issues. The eighth session of
Special Rapporteur noted that measures to eliminate the Forum on Minority Issues (Geneva, 24–25 No-
discrimination and ensure equality before the law were vember) [A/HRC/31/72] focused on minorities in the
more likely to be effective if undertaken with a minor- criminal justice system. The over 500 participants
ity rights-based approach, which included ensuring included representatives of Governments, minor-
participation of minorities in all aspects of the criminal ity communities, ngos, UN specialized agencies,
justice process. She concluded the report with recom- regional and intergovernmental bodies and national
mendations to States on how to improve the situation human rights institutions. The Forum recommended
of minorities in the criminal justice system. that states take measures to promote equal treatment
Mission report. Following her mission to Brazil of minorities in the criminal justice system; dismantle
(14–24 September) [A/HRC/31/56/Add.1], the Special discriminating mechanisms; implement international
Rapporteur noted that Brazil had developed a pleth- standards of minority rights protection, equality
ora of strong institutions, programmes and policy and non-discrimination; and ensure that counter-
initiatives to address the human rights of minorities, terrorism measures do not disproportionately target
including mechanisms to combat racism, affirmative members of minority communities and groups. It
action programmes and other anti-discrimination ini- also made recommendations on data collection and
tiatives. Minorities in Brazil, however, most notably studies, access to justice for minorities, minorities in
Afro-Brazilians, who self-identified as a political mi- detention facilities, and essential measures to prevent
nority despite being a demographic majority, contin- discrimination against minorities in the administra-
ued to face multiple impediments. They were subject tion of justice.
to high levels of violence; faced impunity for crimes Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to
committed against them; experienced lower levels Human Rights Council resolutions 13/12 [YUN 2010,
of socioeconomic development; were subjected to p. 680] and 22/4 [YUN 2013, p. 646], the High Commis-
extremely high rates of incarceration; and remained sioner in December submitted a report [A/HRC/31/27]
largely excluded from positions of power and influ- on the rights of persons belonging to national or
ence. The situation of particular minorities, including ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, which
Quilombo and other traditional communities, was presented activities undertaken by ohchr; the UN
also considered, together with that of Brazilian Roma network on racial discrimination and protection of
(Ciganos). The Special Rapporteur concluded that sig- minorities; human rights treaty bodies; special proce-
nificant progress had been made in policy and legisla- dures; and the universal periodic review to contribute
tion to combat the structural racism which continued to the promotion of, and respect for the Declaration
316 Part Two: Human rights

on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or tions by all stakeholders, including States, religious
Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. The communities, interreligious dialogue initiatives, civil
High Commissioner noted that the rights of minori- society organizations and media representatives.
ties continued to be undermined in some countries so In accordance with General Assembly resolution
severely that thousands were forced to flee their homes 69/175 [YUN 2014, p. 806], the Secretary-General in
in search of safety and dignity. There was a need to August [A/70/286] transmitted to the Assembly the
redouble efforts nationally to protect the rights of Special Rapporteur’s interim report, which reviewed
minorities. He recommended that national, regional activities since the previous report [YUN 2014, p. 806]
and local authorities, together with minority repre- and focused on the rights of the child and his or her
sentatives and other partners, develop more effective parents in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
laws and policies that protected minorities’ rights, and He noted that parents had the rights and duties to
that politicians muster the courage and commitment provide direction to the child in the exercise of his or
to speak out against discrimination, hate speech and her freedom of religion or belief in a manner consist-
other efforts that undermined human rights. ent with the evolving capacities of the child. In terms
of practical application, the Rapporteur discussed
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION issues related to religious socialization; religious in-
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General struction within the family; participation in religious
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- community life; religious education in schools; the
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/166 voluntary display of religious symbols in schools;
(Effective promotion of the Declaration on the respect for the evolving capacities of the maturing
Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Eth- child; and non-discrimination on the basis of religion
nic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities) without or belief. He called on States to pay more attention
vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. to violations of the rights of the child and his or her
parents in the area of freedom of religion or belief.
That might particularly concern persons belonging
Leprosy victims
to minorities, converts, dissidents, critics, atheists or
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July agnostics, members of non-recognized groups and
[A/70/53 (res. 29/5)], the Council stressed the importance others. The Special Rapporteur concluded the report
of implementing the principles and guidelines for the with recommendations to States and other stakehold-
elimination of discrimination against persons affected ers, including religious communities and families.
by leprosy and their family members [YUN 2010, p. 636] Mission reports. Following his visit to Lebanon
and requested the Advisory Committee to submit to (23 March–2 April) [A/HRC/31/18/Add.1], the Special
the Council’s thirty-fifth (2017) session a study on Rapporteur noted that people were free to confess and
their implementation. practice their religions and beliefs in the way they saw
fit. Churches and mosques often stood in close vicinity,
Freedom of religion or belief with the ringing of bells at times intermingling with
the Muslim call to prayer. Some Lebanese openly de-
Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a clared themselves as agnostics or atheists and expressed
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 806], critical views on religion. The culture of interreligious
the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or be- coexistence helped build resilience against extremist
lief, Heiner Bielefeldt (Germany), submitted a report interpretations of religious traditions. At the same
[A/HRC/28/66] that provided a typological description time, there was a growing awareness that the current
of various forms of violence carried out in the name of system, in which religious membership and societal
religion, explored root causes and relevant factors that or political opportunities were interwoven in complex
underlied such violence and concluded that violence ways, led to situations that might undermine the cred-
in the name of religion should not be interpreted ibility of religious messages and norms. The Special
as the inevitable result of sectarian hostilities that Rapporteur noted that in order to preserve the legacy
originated centuries or millennia ago, but as violence of religious diversity, religious communities and civil
caused by contemporary factors and actors, includ- society organizations would have to cooperate more
ing political circumstances, which provided fertile closely and build trust that was based on a common
ground for seeds of hatred. He noted that what was commitment to human rights, including the right to
needed was a holistic understanding of the various freedom of religion or belief. He concluded the report
factors involved, such as lack of trust in the rule of law with recommendations to the Government, stakehold-
and fair functioning of public institutions, narrow- ers and the international community.
minded and polarizing interpretations of religious Following his mission to Bangladesh (31 Au-
traditions, policies of deliberate exclusion, and denial gust–9 September) [A/HRC/31/18/Add.2], the Special
and impunity for serious human rights violations. Rapporteur noted that interreligious coexistence and
The Special Rapporteur recommended concerted ac- societal open-mindedness in Bangladesh was traceable
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 317

far back in history. The principle of secularism, as laid citement to hatred was for the most part criminalized
down in its 1972 Constitution, provided a framework and often prohibited on several grounds, including
for accommodating religious and belief-related plural- religion or belief.
ism for all without discrimination. The adoption of Report of Secretary-General. In accordance
certain restrictive legislative and administrative meas- with Assembly resolution 69/174 [YUN 2014, p. 810],
ures, however, had led to a shrinking space for religious the Secretary-General in October submitted a report
or political dissent and frank public discourse—even [A/70/415] summarizing information received from 17
when those measures were enacted with the intention States on steps taken to combat intolerance, negative
to defend secular democracy—and could inadvert- stereotyping, stigmatization, discrimination, incite-
ently erode the very principles that they were sup- ment to violence and violence against persons, based
posed to protect. The Special Rapporteur noted the on religion or belief.
positive commitment among different stakeholders to Human Rights Council action On 27 March
maintain the harmonious interreligious coexistence, [A/70/53 (res. 28/29)], the Council called on States to
open-mindedness and secular democracy, particularly foster a domestic environment of religious tolerance,
in the face of rising religious polarization. He made peace and respect; ensure that public functionaries
recommendations to the Government, religious com- did not discriminate against an individual on the basis
munities and civil society. of religion or belief; foster religious freedom and plu-
In January, Viet Nam [A/HRC/28/66/Add.4] and Ka- ralism; encourage the representation and participation
zakhstan [A/HRC/28/66/Add.3] submitted comments of individuals, irrespective of their religion, in all
on the Special Rapporteur’s 2014 mission to those sectors of society; and counter religious profiling. It
countries [YUN 2014, p. 806]. requested the High Commissioner to submit to the
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March Council’s thirty-fourth (2017) session a follow-up
[A/70/53 (res. 28/18)], the Council urged States to step report on States’ efforts and measures to implement
up their efforts to promote and protect freedom of the resolution.
thought, conscience and religion or belief; and to
make use of the potential of education for eradicating GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

prejudices against and stereotypes of individuals on On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
the basis of their religion or belief. It also requested the Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
Special Rapporteur to report annually to the Council mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/157
and the Assembly. (Combating intolerance, negative stereotyping,
stigmatization, discrimination, incitement to
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
violence and violence against persons, based on
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, religion or belief) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
on the recommendation of the Third Committee
[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/158 (Freedom Right to self-determination
of religion or belief) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
Report of Secretary-General. In response to
Combating intolerance, negative General Assembly resolution 69/164 [YUN 2014, p. 812],
stereotyping and incitement to violence the Secretary-General in August submitted a report
[A/70/314] on the universal realization of the right of
Report of High Commissioner. In accordance peoples to self-determination. The report summarized
with Human Rights Council resolution 25/34 the main developments relating to the consideration
[YUN 2014, p. 809], the High Commissioner in Janu- of that subject by the Human Rights Council, includ-
ary submitted a report [A/HRC/28/47] on combating ing by its special procedures, and incorporated the
intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatization of, relevant jurisprudence of the Human Rights Com-
discrimination, incitement to violence and violence mittee and the Committee on Economic, Social and
against persons, based on religion or belief, which Cultural Rights, which was based on their considera-
summarized information received from 15 States tion of the periodic reports submitted by States parties
on efforts and measures taken to foster a domestic to the International Covenants. It also summarized
environment of religious tolerance, peace and pros- the main observations relating to the right to self-
perity; promote the ability of members of all reli- determination made by the Secretary-General in his
gious communities to manifest their religion; and report to the Security Council on the situation con-
counter religious profiling. The High Commissioner cerning Western Sahara (see p. 149).
concluded that the steps taken by States were largely
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
policy-oriented or legal in nature, with many of them
enshrining protection against discrimination on the On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
basis of religion or belief in national constitutions, on the recommendation of the Third Committee
criminal codes and other civil laws. Advocacy of in- [A/70/488], adopted resolution 70/143 (Universal real-
318 Part Two: Human rights

ization of the right of peoples to self-determination) Against: Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Pa-
without vote [agenda item 71]. lau, United States.
Abstaining: Cameroon, Honduras, South Sudan, Tonga.

Right of Palestinians to self-determination Mercenaries

During the year, the General Assembly reaf- Reports of Working Group. In a July report
firmed the right of the Palestinian people to self- [A/HRC/30/34], the Working Group on the use of mer-
determination, including the right to their independent cenaries as a means of violating human rights and
State of Palestine, as well as the right of all States in the impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-
region to live in peace within secure and internation- determination described the activities undertaken
ally recognized borders. States and UN system bodies since its last report [YUN 2014, p. 813] and presented the
were urged to assist Palestinians in the early realization results of its ongoing global study of national laws and
of the right.
regulations relating to private military and security
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March companies (pmscs), which focused on 20 selected
[A/70/53 (res. 28/25)], by a recorded vote of 45 to 1, with countries in Central America and the Caribbean,
1 abstention, the Council urged Member States and South America and Europe. The Working Group
UN system bodies to support and assist the Palestinian noted that, while there were common elements in the
people in the early realization of their right to self- laws of those countries, their regulatory approach to
determination. pmscs varied. It reiterated the need to regulate the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION pmsc activities and invited States to facilitate its study,
which aimed to guide them in exercising oversight of
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, pmsc activities.
on the recommendation of the Third Committee
[A/70/488], adopted resolution 70/141 (The right of
In response to a Human Rights Council request
[YUN 2014, p. 814] and Assembly resolution 69/163
the Palestinian people to self-determination) by
[ibid.], the Secretary-General in August transmitted
recorded vote (177-7-4) [agenda item 71].
the Working Group’s report [A/70/330], which focused
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/141: on evolving phenomena that might be considered as
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, contemporary forms of mercenaryism or mercenary-
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Aus-
tria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,
related activities, in particular, the phenomenon of
Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia foreign fighters. The report addressed motivation and
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, recruitment practices, the linkages between foreign
Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, fighters and mercenaries, the human rights implica-
Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, tions of the presence of foreign fighters and related laws
Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic
and policies. It also explored the need for less vague
of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, definitions when speaking of the difference between
Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, foreign fighters and mercenaries and made recommen-
El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, dations for addressing the human rights impact of the
Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Gre- foreign fighter phenomenon.
nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,
Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Mission reports. Following its visit to Tunisia
Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Ku- (1–8 July) [A/HRC/33/43/Add.1], the Working Group
wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, observed that while the 2011 Tunisian revolu-
Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, tion ended decades of authoritarian rule, the post-
Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, revolution period had many challenges, including
Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia,
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
divisions between secularists and Islamists, violent
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige- demonstrations and protests, reported assassinations
ria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, of political leaders and terrorist attacks that had desta-
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic bilized the country. Widespread radicalization had
of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, resulted in a growing number of Tunisians travelling
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
abroad to join in combat forces, such as in the Syrian
Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon conflict (see p. 223). At the beginning of the year, the
Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, total number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria was
Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajik- estimated to be over 20,000, with Tunisian citizens
istan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, representing the majority of them. Most fighters had
Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, reportedly joined takfiri or other extremist groups,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emir-
ates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uru- such as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil). The
guay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Working Group concluded that the negative impact
Zambia, Zimbabwe. and complexities of the foreign fighter phenomenon in
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 319

Tunisia called for efforts that must be global, holistic, Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
multi-dimensional and strategic. It recommended a [A/70/53 (res. 28/7)], by a recorded vote of 32 to 13, with
national strategic plan to respond to the diverse profiles 2 abstentions, the Council extended the Working
and recruitment methods documented, to secure im- Group’s mandate for two and a half years.
mediate, medium- and long-term impact, to balance On 1 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/6)], by a re-
punitive measures against social ones and to ensure the corded vote of 32 to 14, with 1 abstention, the
comprehensive adoption of human rights standards. Council requested States to exercise the utmost vigi-
It also emphasized the importance of a coordinated lance against any kind of recruitment, training, hiring
effort for de-radicalization. or financing of mercenaries, and in banning the use
Following its visit to Belgium (12–16 October) of private companies offering international military
[A/HRC/33/43/Add.2], the Working Group focused on consultancy and security services when intervening in
the definition and scope of foreign fighters, includ- armed conflicts or actions to destabilize constitutional
ing motivational factors, recruitment and the situa- regimes. It also requested the Working Group to con-
tion of returnees, and covered measures taken by the tinue work on strengthening the international legal
Government to address the foreign fighter phenom- framework for the prevention and sanction of the re-
enon. Due to the many actors involved, the prolif- cruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries;
eration of initiatives on foreign fighters, the complex and to report to the General Assembly’s seventy-first
political context, the socioeconomic disparities, as well (2016) session and the Council’s thirty-third (2016)
as the threat posed by the prolongation of the phe- session.
nomenon, the Working Group deemed it critical to On the same date [A/70/53/Add.1 (dec. 30/115)], pursu-
ensure collaboration among the various entities ad- ant to statement PRST/29/1 (see p. 291), the Council
dressing the issue. It recommended strengthening the extended the term of the Working Group for two
national plan and integrating it through the broad- regular sessions of the Council.
est possible participation; placing emphasis on the
social dimension, including integration, equality and International Convention
non-discrimination; addressing issues that led to Is-
lamophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment in the As at 31 December, the number of States parties
country; and adopting a clear definition of a foreign to the International Convention against the Recruit-
terrorist fighter and related guidelines, to help ensure ment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries
that those who were reintegrated or had not yet left remained at 33. The Convention was adopted by
for Syria would not be treated by the authorities in the General Assembly in 1989 [YUN 1989, p. 825] and
the same way as convicted terrorists. The Working entered into force in 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 632].
Group also stressed the importance of education,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
awareness-raising and dialogue; the importance of
de-radicalization in prisons; the balance of punitive On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
measures with preventive ones; and rehabilitative op- Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
portunities for returning fighters. mittee [A/70/488], adopted resolution 70/142 (Use of
Intergovernmental Working Group. The open- mercenaries as a means of violating human rights
ended intergovernmental working group to consider and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples
the possibility of elaborating an international regula- to self-determination) by recorded vote (130-53-6)
tory framework on the regulation, monitoring and [agenda item 71].
oversight of the activities of pmscs held its fourth session RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/142:
(Geneva, 27 April–1 May) [A/HRC/30/47]. It noted the In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Bar-
multifaceted and diverse issues raised throughout its buda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain,
third [YUN 2014, p. 814] and fourth sessions, including Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bo-
the distinction between the activities of private military livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
companies and private security companies; measures Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
for registering, licensing and contracting pmscs; ensur- Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
ing assistance and remedies for victims; possibility of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
an international regulatory framework; specificities of Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
regulating sea-based private security activities; and UN rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
use of private security companies. The Working Group Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana,
noted the initiatives undertaken by various stakehold- Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jor-
ers relating to those issues, while highlighting the chal- dan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar,
lenges that remained. In his concluding remarks, the Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Chair mentioned the increased use of pmscs in various Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
sectors and contexts, both on land and at sea, and listed Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
the specific challenges discussed. Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qa-
320 Part Two: Human rights

tar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, on non-discrimination and the protection of persons
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, with increased vulnerability in the administration of
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swa-
justice, in particular in situations of deprivation of
ziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor- liberty and with regard to the causes and effects of
Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, overincarceration and overcrowding.
Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania,
Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
Zambia, Zimbabwe. Rule of law
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger- [A/70/53 (res. 28/14)], by a recorded vote of 35 to 0, with
many, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, 12 abstentions, the Council established a forum on
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mar- human rights, democracy and the rule of law to pro-
shall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, vide a platform for promoting dialogue and coopera-
New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of tion on issues pertaining to the relationship between
Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Ser-
bia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav those areas, and to identify and analyse best practices,
Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, challenges and opportunities for States in their efforts
United States. to secure respect for them. It also decided that the
Abstaining: Colombia, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Switzerland, Tonga. Forum would meet biennially for two days allocated
to thematic discussions; and that the theme of the first
Rule of law, democracy and human rights session in 2016 would be “Widening the democratic
space: the role of youth in public decision-making”.
Administration of justice
Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to Truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence
Human Rights Council resolution 24/12 [YUN 2013,
p. 660], the High Commissioner in August submitted Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
a report on the human rights implications of overin- Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 821], the
carceration and overcrowding [A/HRC/30/19], drawing Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice,
on the experience of UN and regional human rights reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Pablo de
mechanisms and in the light of the views provided by Greiff (Colombia), in September submitted a report
States, including on their practice regarding alterna- [A/HRC/30/42] that presented his activities between
tives to detention, and by other stakeholders. Recom- July 2014 and June 2015 and addressed the topic of
mendations to address the issue included adopting a establishing a policy on guarantees of non-recurrence
proactive and holistic approach; respecting detainees’ in the aftermath of mass violations. The Rappor-
right to challenge detention; providing legal counsel teur called for more focused attention to challenges
and access to legal aid; using places of detention only arising in areas of weak governance for the effective
for the purpose for which they were fit; using pretrial satisfaction of rights and for protecting the rights of
detention only as a last resort; developing alterna- marginalized groups and individuals, including civil-
tives to custodial measures during pretrial and post- ians trapped in the cross-fire of a conflict. He made
conviction; reviewing penal policies and legislation to recommendations to be enacted at the institutional
ensure proportionate sentencing; providing rehabilita- level; in the sphere of civil society; and in the cultural
tion services to reduce reoffending rates; and ensuring and the individual spheres. The Special Rapporteur
the existence and proper functioning of independent mentioned the importance of legal empowerment and
oversight and complaint mechanisms. the creation of an enabling environment in order for
Human Rights Council action. On 1 Octo- civil society to discharge its crucial role. He also em-
ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/7)], the Council called on phasized the preventive potential of education reform,
States to establish, maintain or enhance independent arts and culture, and trauma counselling.
mechanisms to monitor places of detention; review In accordance with a Human Rights Council
penal policies that could contribute to overincar- request [YUN 2011, p. 686], the Secretary-General in
ceration and overcrowding, in particular regard- October transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report
ing “zero-tolerance” policies; investigate promptly, [A/70/438] addressing guarantees of non-recurrence
effectively and impartially all alleged human rights and focusing on the preventive potential of measures
violations and abuses suffered by persons deprived of associated with reform of the security sector, includ-
their liberty; take measures to address overcrowding ing the vetting of security institutions. He acknow-
in detention facilities; and ensure that neither capital ledged the potential of vetting programmes; the
punishment nor life imprisonment were imposed importance of situating vetting within the broader
for offences committed by persons under 18 years of framework of security sector reform; and the need to
age. The Council requested the High Commissioner think about prevention in terms that went beyond vet-
to submit to its thirty-sixth (2017) session a report ting. The Special Rapporteur called attention to other
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 321

institutional reform measures, including defining the complished during her six years as a mandate holder.
different roles of the police, the military and the in- The review was organized in seven thematic clusters:
telligence services; rationalizing security institutions; education, training and capacity-building of judges,
narrowing the jurisdiction of military courts; strength- lawyers and prosecutors; access to justice and legal
ening civilian control and oversight over the security aid; challenges to the independence and impartial-
sector; and eliminating military “prerogatives”. ity of judges; protecting the independence of lawyers;
The General Assembly took note of that report on safeguarding the independence and impartiality of
17 December (decision 70/533). prosecutors and the autonomy of prosecution services;
Mission report. Following his visit to the United equality before the courts and fair trial guarantees;
Kingdom (9–18 November) [A/HRC/34/62/Add.1], the and impunity for human rights violations. The Rap-
Special Rapporteur highlighted the achievements porteur emphasized the need for renewed attention to
made in the areas of guarantees of non-recurrence, the promotion of international standards, principles
especially on police reform. Since the adoption of and guidelines on judicial independence and impar-
the Belfast Agreement in 1998, the country had also tiality and the independence of the legal profession.
taken important measures to address the legacies of the The General Assembly took note of that report on
human rights violations and abuses committed during 17 December (decision 70/533).
the “Troubles” (1968–1998), 30 years of mainly politi- Mission reports. Following her mission to Por-
cally motivated violence. At the social level, there was tugal (27 January–3 February) [A/HRC/29/26/Add.4],
awareness of the fact that legacy issues imposed huge the Special Rapporteur observed that the overall
burdens on relations between citizens and institutions, positive perception of the independence of the judi-
and on institutions themselves. Agreement about the ciary in the country indicated that commitments to
need to address the past had not, however, led to independence were mostly reflected in practice. She
consensus about how to go about it. The Special Rap- noted that her visit took place when the Government
porteur made recommendations on the way forward, was implementing major reforms in the administra-
including in implementing the Stormont House tion and distribution of courts and confronting a
Agreement, which contained broad outlines of the four-year economic crisis that had affected justice ac-
new institutional set-up to address the legacy of the tors and institutions. She concluded that it was too
Troubles. early to assess the impact of the reforms and made
recommendations on enhancing the managerial and
Independence of judges and lawyers administrative independence of justice institutions;
ensuring the capacity of judiciary oversight bodies;
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In accordance increasing investment in promoting access to justice;
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, paying attention to victims of violence; and investing
p. 822], the Special Rapporteur on the independence in the training of judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
of judges and lawyers, Gabriela Knaul (Brazil), in
April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/26 & Corr.1], which Portugal in June submitted its comments on that
examined the protection of children’s rights in the report [A/HRC/29/26/Add.7].
justice system and analysed the role that must be Appointment. In July, the Human Rights
played by judges, prosecutors and lawyers in uphold- Council appointed Mónica Pinto (Argentina) as
ing children’s rights and applying international human Special Rapporteur.
rights norms, standards and principles at the domestic Following her mission to Guinea-Bissau (10–
level. It discussed the legal framework required for 16 October) [A/HRC/32/34/Add.1], the new Special Rap-
a child-sensitive administration of justice; access to porteur indicated that in most meetings, the justice
justice and legal aid for children; safeguards to protect system was described in negative terms. The lack of
children’s rights at different stages of judicial proceed- tribunals, information, trust and education pushed
ings; alternatives to judicial proceedings for children; most people to resort to traditional leaders to settle
and specialized education and training for judges, their disputes. Concerns included judicial delays; inad-
prosecutors and lawyers. The Rapporteur concluded equately trained judges, prosecutors, lawyers and court
that the administration of justice for children must staff; inadequate facilities; judges’ salaries; protection
be guided by non-discrimination, the best interests mechanisms; incompetent military tribunals; political
of the child, the right to life and development, and instability; transnational organized crime; and cor-
the right to be heard. Recommendations for States ruption. The Special Rapporteur concluded that im-
included establishing a legal framework conducive to provements were possible and made recommendations
the development of a child-sensitive justice system. which could be implemented only with the technical
In accordance with a Human Rights Council and financial support of international donors and the
request [YUN 2014, p. 822], the Secretary-General in United Nations.
August transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report In April and May, respectively, Qatar [A/HRC/29/26/
[A/70/263], which provided an overview of the work ac- Add.5] and the United Arab Emirates [A/HRC/29/26/
322 Part Two: Human rights

Add.6] submitted their comments on the Special Rap- challenges with regard to the credibility of elections,
porteur’s report on her visit to those countries in 2014 such as electoral malfeasance committed for political
[YUN 2014 p. 822]. ends and candidates refusing to accept outcomes that
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July were generally considered to be legitimate; the need to
[A/70/53 (res. 29/6)], the Council called on States to both mitigate winner-takes-all and high-stakes politics
guarantee the independence of judges and lawyers and in an election and strengthen the procedural elements
the objectivity and impartiality of prosecutors, and of the election itself; the ideal timing of elections in a
their ability to perform their functions accordingly; post-conflict context; and the fact that international
establish frameworks conducive to the development financial support for electoral assistance had not kept
and reinforcement of a child-sensitive justice system; pace with the number of assistance projects, with some
and provide adequate training, including human facing significant budget gaps.
rights training, for judges, prosecutors and lawyers.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Equal political participation On 17 December [meeting 80], the General

Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
OHCHR report. Pursuant to a Human Rights mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/168
Council request [YUN 2014, p. 823], ohchr in July sub- (Strengthening the role of the United Nations in
mitted a study [A/HRC/30/26] on the implementation enhancing periodic and genuine elections and the
of the right to participate in public affairs, which iden- promotion of democratization) by recorded vote
tified challenges to the right to political and public (168-0-15) [agenda item 72 (b)].
participation and ways to overcome them; provided
examples of best practices and experiences with re- RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/168:
spect to the implementation of the right; and made In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
recommendations drawn from the contributions re- Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
ceived, as well as from other sources. The study was Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina,
to be read in conjunction with the report on factors Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina
that impeded equal political participation and steps to Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Canada, Central
overcome them [YUN 2014, p. 822]. African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo,
Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Human Rights Council action. On 1 October Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dom-
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/9)], the Council noted the ohchr inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Esto-
study (see above); expressed concern that despite pro- nia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia,
gress made towards the implementation of the right to Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
participate in public affairs worldwide, many people Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jor-
continued to face obstacles, including discrimination; dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
and urged States to ensure the full, effective and equal Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
participation of all citizens in political and public Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
affairs. It requested ohchr to organize an expert Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mi-
workshop to discuss the existing guidance on the cronesia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozam-
implementation of the right to participate in public bique, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger,
Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New
affairs, as well as new developments, trends and in- Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,
novations and to submit a summary report on the Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts
workshop to the Council’s thirty-third (2016) session. and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sa-
moa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
Electoral processes South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swa-
ziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and
General Assembly resolution 68/164 [YUN 2013, p. 663], Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emir-
the Secretary-General in August submitted a report ates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
[A/70/306] describing trends and issues in electoral Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia.
assistance provided to Member States by the UN system Against: None.
over the previous two years. Assistance was provided to Abstaining: Angola, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, Eritrea, Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
66 States, 11 of them on the basis of a Security Council Namibia, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syrian Arab
mandate. The report discussed gender equality in elec- Republic, Togo, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.
tions and the activities of the UN system in promoting
the political participation of women. While it noted an Freedom of expression
upward trend in the number of women in parliament
worldwide, that improvement was insufficient and pro- Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
gress was uneven. The report also discussed common Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 823], the
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 323

Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection ness of the importance of promoting and protecting
of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to privacy; integrate a gender perspective
David Kaye (United States), in May submitted his throughout the work of the mandate; report on alleged
first report [A/HRC/29/32] to the Council, which ad- violations of the right to privacy; and submit an annual
dressed the use of encryption and anonymity in digital report to the Council and to the General Assembly.
communications and examined two linked questions: In July, the Council appointed Joseph Cannataci
did the rights to privacy and freedom of opinion and (Malta) as Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy.
expression protect secure online communication, spe-
cifically by encryption or anonymity; and if so, to what
extent could Governments, in accordance with human Safety of journalists
rights law, impose restrictions on encryption and ano- Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
nymity. The report identified important technical or General Assembly resolution 69/185 [YUN 2014, p. 826]
legal questions raised by digital technologies, reviewed the Secretary-General in August submitted a report
examples of State practice and proposed recommen- [A/70/290] on the safety of journalists and the issue of
dations. Drawing from research on international and impunity, which described developments with regard
national norms and jurisprudence, and the input of to the safety of journalists and media workers, as well
States and civil society, the report concluded that en- as initiatives undertaken to ensure their protection.
cryption and anonymity enabled individuals to exercise He noted that all the recommendations in his first
their rights to freedom of opinion and expression in report [YUN 2014, p. 826] remained relevant and must
the digital age and, as such, deserved strong protection. be implemented. The wide variety of countries and
In accordance with a Human Rights Council re- contexts in which concerns regarding the safety of
quest [YUN 2014, p. 823], the Secretary-General in Sep- journalists arose revealed that the problem was global,
tember transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report widespread and deeply entrenched. He expressed con-
[A/70/361], which focused on the protection of sources of cern about the failure to reduce the frequency and
information and whistle-blowers. He noted that in many scale of targeted violence that journalists faced and
situations, sources of information and whistle-blowers the near-absolute impunity for such crimes. He con-
made access to information possible, for which they de- cluded that independent journalism and the media
served the strongest protection in law and in practice. were the building blocks of a healthy democracy and
He observed that a common thread tied together the the rule of law, and ensuring the safety of journalists
right of access to information, the protection of sources and media workers was critical. The Secretary-General
of information and the protection of whistle-blowers: urged States to promote, respect and protect the rights
the public’s right to know. Drawing on international of journalists and media workers in the digital world;
and national law and practice, the Special Rapporteur study and address challenges faced by journalists to
highlighted the key elements of a framework for the identify ways to ensure better protection; combat
protection of sources and whistle-blowers. He urged impunity by implementing existing norms more
States and international organizations to adopt or re- effectively; examine the Internet platform for the
vise laws consistent with the well-recognized central- protection of journalists operated by the Council of
ity of the right to freedom of expression and access to Europe and take similar initiatives; and implement the
information in democratic governance. 2012 United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of
The General Assembly took note of that report on Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
17 December (decision 70/533). Secretariat note. On 17 August [A/HRC/30/68],
the Secretariat referred the Council to the Secretary-
Right to privacy in digital age General’s report (see above).

Human Rights Council action. On 26 March GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

[A/70/53 (res. 28/16)], the Council appointed, for a three- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
year period, a special rapporteur on the right to privacy Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
to: gather information, study trends, developments Committee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution
and challenges in relation to the right to privacy, and 70/162 (The safety of journalists and the issue of
make recommendations to ensure its promotion and impunity) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
protection; seek, receive and respond to information
from States, UN system entities, regional human rights Freedom of peaceful assembly and association
mechanisms, national human rights institutions, civil
society organizations, the private sector and other Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to
parties; identify obstacles to the protection of the right a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013, p. 670],
to privacy and promote best practices at the national, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of
regional and international levels and submit recom- peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai
mendations to the Council in that regard; raise aware- (Kenya), in April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/25] ad-
324 Part Two: Human rights

dressing legislation and practices concerning natural Commission, civil society organizations, the United
resource exploitation that presented challenges to the Nations and other intergovernmental organizations,
exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and other stakeholders.
and of association. He concluded that a major prob- In April 2015, Oman submitted its comments on the
lem with States’ legal frameworks was a lack of proper report of the Special Rapporteur [A/HRC/29/25/Add.4].
enforcement mechanisms at both the domestic and Following his visit to Kazakhstan (19–27 January)
international levels; that the lack of binding norms [A/HRC/29/25/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur noted that
for corporations, which were key factors in natural authorities made reference to the rule of law to justify
resource exploitation, created a gap in ensuring that restrictions to the enjoyment of freedom of peaceful
assembly and association rights were guaranteed in the assembly and of association, yet in practice the Gov-
context of natural resource extraction; and that the sig- ernment’s policies seemed more driven by an adher-
nificance of civil society as a stakeholder in natural ence to “rule by law”, which was likely to erode the
resource exploitation was underestimated and often essence of those rights. He expressed concern that the
denied by States and businesses. The Special Rappor- State’s approach had had an adverse effect on public
teur made recommendations to States, corporations, discourse. Focus had been put on economic reforms
civil society and other actors. to empower people, but the younger generation had
An addendum [A/HRC/29/25/Add.3] listed 186 greater aspirations and wanted to take ownership of
communications sent by the Special Rapporteur to 68 their society by participating in public affairs. The
States between 1 March 2014 and 28 February 2015, Special Rapporteur invited the authorities to dissemi-
as well as responses received until 30 April 2015. The nate his report widely to serve as a springboard for
average response rate was 53 per cent. a public dialogue on expanding civic space. Noting
In accordance with a Human Rights Council that Kazakhstan had made remarkable progress in the
request [YUN 2013, p. 670], the Secretary-General in economic realm since independence, he believed that
August transmitted a report [A/70/266] of the Special the country was capable of replicating that progress in
Rapporteur, which contained a comparative study the field of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly
of enabling environments for associations and busi- and of association. He concluded the report with
nesses. He observed stark differences in the treatment recommendations for consideration by the relevant
of businesses and of associations. States often went to authorities and offered to provide technical assistance
great lengths to create the best possible environment in the drafting of new laws or amendments.
for commercial activities, yet rarely went so far for Kazakhstan in June submitted its comments on
associations. Those differences were motivated more that report [A/HRC/29/25/Add.5].
by politics than practicality. Economic and commer-
cial interests were prized over what were perceived as Civilians and firearms
non-economic activities. Consequently, the influence
and opinions of industry took precedence in State Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
policy over social justice and fundamental rights. The [A/70/53 (res. 29/10)],
the Council, by a recorded vote of
Special Rapporteur concluded that in most cases, 41 to 0, with 6 abstentions, reiterated the fact that hun-
States and other actors would better promote and pro- dreds of thousands of human beings of all ages around
tect the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of the world, including women and children, had lost
association if they elevated their treatment of associa- their lives or suffered injuries and psychological harm
tions to the same level as their treatment of businesses. by the misuse of firearms by civilians, and thus had
The General Assembly took note of that report on had their human rights negatively affected. It called
17 December (decision 70/533). on States to take measures to ensure that the civilian
acquisition, possession and use of firearms were effec-
Mission reports. Following his visit to Oman (8–
tively regulated to protect the right to life and security
13 September 2014) [A/HRC/29/25/Add.1], the Special of person of all; and requested the High Commissioner
Rapporteur concluded that the legal environment for to report to the Council’s thirty-second session (2016)
the exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly on ways in which firearms had been effectively regu-
and of association in the country was problematic and lated to assess the contribution of regulation to the
needed to be strengthened with reference to interna- protection of human rights and identify best practices
tional human rights standards. Oman’s impressive to guide States to develop national regulation.
achievements in building the economy, maintaining
stability and modernizing society were threatened in
the long term by a climate in which the populace was Other issues
not free to associate and organize itself to address its Capital punishment
concerns or pursue its own interests. The Special Rap-
porteur made recommendations to the Government, Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to a
relevant authorities, the National Human Rights Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 829], the
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 325

Secretary-General in July submitted a report on the penalty, with respect to the prohibition of torture and
question of the death penalty [A/HRC/30/18], which other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or pun-
examined the consequences of the imposition and ishment. Ohchr was requested to organize the panel
application of the death penalty on the enjoyment of discussion and submit a summary report to the Coun-
human rights, including human dignity, the right to cil’s thirty-sixth (2017) session.
life, the right to not be subjected to torture or other
cruel treatment or punishment, the right to a fair trial, Disappearance of persons
and the right to equality and non-discrimination. It
also focused on the impact of the enjoyment of human Working Group activities. The five-member
rights by children of parents who were sentenced to Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Dis-
death or executed, and other individuals associated appearances held three sessions in 2015: its 105th
with sentenced persons, and the consequences of the (2–6 March) in Buenos Aires, and its 106th (6–
lack of transparency in the imposition and application 15 May) and 107th (14–18 September) [A/HRC/30/38
of the death penalty. The Secretary-General noted & A/HRC/33/51] in Geneva. In addition to its core
that the trend towards the universal abolition of the mandate to assist families in determining the fate or
death penalty was continuing. Approximately 160 of whereabouts of family members who had reportedly
the 193 United Nations Member States had abolished disappeared and to act as a communication channel
the death penalty or introduced moratoriums. He rec- between families and the Government concerned, the
ommended that States go beyond ceasing executions Group monitored compliance by States with the 1992
and aim for a suspension of capital punishment for all Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from En-
who might be or had been sentenced to death. States forced Disappearance [YUN 1992, p. 744].
that continued to apply the death penalty should com- As at 15 May 2015, the total number of cases
ply with international human rights requirements; transmitted by the Group to Governments since its
adhere to fair trial guarantees in capital cases; and inception was 54,557 to 105 States. Cases under ac-
develop measures to minimize the harm suffered by tive consideration that had not been clarified, closed
other persons affected by the death penalty, including or discontinued totalled 43,563 concerning 88 States.
family members of convicts, defence lawyers, prison During the reporting period, the Group had clarified
staff and medical staff. 65 cases.
Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights During the year [A/HRC/WGEID/105/1, A/HRC/
Council resolution 26/2 [YUN 2014, p. 829], the WGEID/​106/1, A/HRC/WGEID/107/1], the Working Group
High Commissioner submitted a summary report adopted or reviewed general allegations concerning
[A/HRC/30/21] on the first biennial high-level panel specific countries and clarified cases in a number of
discussion on the question of the death penalty (Ge- countries. It also transmitted to States cases under its
neva, 4 March), held to exchange views and to address urgent action procedure; transmitted communications
regional efforts to abolish the death penalty and chal- under its prompt intervention procedure; transmitted
lenges faced in that regard. The panellists concluded newly reported cases of enforced disappearance; and
that it was the international community’s responsi- transmitted urgent appeals concerning persons who
bility to move toward universal abolition of the death had been arrested, detained, abducted or otherwise
penalty; States had to protect human dignity as part deprived of their liberty or who had been forcibly dis-
of the overall protection of human rights; and regional appeared or were at risk of disappearance.
mechanisms must play a role in encouraging States In July [A/HRC/30/38/Add.5], the Working Group
that maintained the death penalty to respect human submitted a study on enforced or involuntary disap-
rights. They also recommended further research into pearances and economic, social and cultural rights,
the socioeconomic profile of those who were subjected which concluded that measures to prevent and eradi-
to the death penalty. cate enforced disappearances, and to provide repara-
Human Rights Council action. On 1 October tion to the victims, required an approach that en-
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/5)], the Council, by a recorded compassed proper promotion and protection of those
vote of 26 to 13, with 8 abstentions, requested the rights.
Secretary-General to dedicate the 2017 supplement Mission reports. Following its visit to Peru
to his quinquennial report on capital punishment to (1–10 June) [A/HRC/33/51/Add.3], the Working Group
the consequences of the imposition and application of noted that the country had been transformed in the
the death penalty on the enjoyment of human rights, 30 years since its first visit [YUN 1985, p. 870], although
paying attention to the right to equality and non- deep inequalities persisted. Since 2000, steps had been
discrimination, including on foreign nationals, and taken in relation to enforced disappearance, such as
present it to the Council’s thirty-sixth (2017) session. the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation
It decided that the biennial panel discussion at the Commission, the exhumation, identification and
Council’s thirty-fourth (2017) session would address return of hundreds of remains, and the provision of
human rights violations related to the use of the death reparations. That progress had been achieved due to
326 Part Two: Human rights

initiatives by the relatives of the victims, civil society that the process not be taken too far, particularly in
and certain sectors of the State. The Working Group information-scarce environments, where the tempta-
emphasized that the State, in accordance with its tion to privilege digital material should be resisted.
international obligations, must assume that respon- New ict-enabled data streams should be viewed as
sibility and ensure that those initiatives were part of a complement to strategies already used by human
a comprehensive, consistent and continuous State rights actors. Icts should be embraced with acknow-
policy carried out in cooperation with the victims and ledgement of their risks, such as the digital divide and
their relatives. It concluded the report with recom- ownership and control of digital ict mechanism. The
mendations to the State on the legal and institutional Rapporteur presented recommendations addressed to
framework; the rights to truth, justice, reparation and regional human rights mechanisms, States, ngos and
memory; and assistance and cooperation. academic institutions, donors, technology and soft-
Following its visit to Sri Lanka (9–18 November) ware corporations, and the United Nations, including
[A/HRC/33/51/Add.2], the Working Group noted that appointing a specialist in digital evidence to assist in
the Government’s proposal of a comprehensive public making the best use of icts.
policy to deal with prevention, investigations, sanc- A 3 June addendum [A/HRC/29/37/Add.5] con-
tions and reparation for the victims of enforced dis- tained observations by the Special Rapporteur on 114
appearances was encouraging. Overall, the victims of communications to 52 States and other actors sent
enforced disappearances had little faith in the justice between 1 March 2014 and 28 February 2015 and
system, the prosecution services, the police or the responses received between 1 May 2014 and 30 April
armed services, and the chronic pattern of impunity 2015. Those included 70 urgent appeals and 44 alle-
persisted regarding cases of enforced disappearances. gation letters concerning attacks or killings (28), the
More effort needed to be made to determine the fate death penalty (36), excessive use of force (14), death
of persons who had disappeared, punish those respon- threats (22), deaths in custody (8), impunity (13), ex-
sible, and guarantee the right to truth and reparation. pulsion (2) and armed conflict (8). The Rapporteur
The Working Group made recommendations to the received responses to 36 communications.
Government on stopping surveillance, threats and In August, pursuant to Assembly resolution 67/168
other abuses against relatives of disappeared persons [YUN 2012, p. 671], the Secretary-General transmitted
and those acting on their behalf; guaranteeing the the Special Rapporteur’s report [A/70/304] focusing on
safety of those who met with the Working Group; two topics relating to the protection of the right to
ratifying the relevant international conventions and life: the role of forensic investigations; and the appli-
adopt comprehensive legislation on enforced disap-
cation of the death penalty to foreign nationals. The
pearances; making enforced disappearance a separate
Rapporteur concluded that the right to life could not
offence; and ensuring that every complaint made
be considered fully protected unless full investigations
about a missing person was properly registered and
were conducted into any situation in which that right
investigated by the police. It also made recommen-
may have been violated; welcomed international
dations to the Office of Missing Persons and on the
forums where advances in forensic investigative tech-
establishment of a truth commission.
niques could be shared and best practices could be
In September [A/HRC/30/38/Add.4], the Working exchanged; and reported that a process had been un-
Group submitted a follow-up report to the recommen- dertaken to update the United Nations Manual on the
dations it had made following its missions to Mexico Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-Legal,
[YUN 2011, p. 692] and Timor Leste [YUN 2011, p. 691].
Arbitrary and Summary Executions [YUN 1996, p. 638].
Human Rights Council action. On 1 October The Rapporteur noted that the issue of foreign nation-
[A/70/53 (dec. 30/115)], pursuant to statement PRST/29/1 als had two independent implications for the applica-
(see p. 291), the Council extended the term of Working tion of the death penalty, firstly in those places where
Group for two regular sessions of the Council. it had not been abolished, and secondly, in States that
had abolished the practice but continued to interact
Extralegal executions with the process elsewhere, such as by transferring a
Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a person to a State where they faced a genuine risk of
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 834], the death penalty. He made recommendations on the
the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or update and distribution of the Manual and on actions
arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns (South Africa), to be taken by States and by ohchr.
in April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/37] covering The General Assembly took note of the report on
his activities and focusing on the implications of 17 December (decision 70/533).
information and communication technologies (icts) Mission reports. Following his visit to Ukraine
for the protection of the right to life. It concluded (8–18 September) [A/HRC/32/39/Add.1], the Special
that icts had had a profound effect on the impact and Rapporteur commented on the legal framework re-
character of human rights work, but it was important lating to the protection of the right to life and the
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 327

absence of accountability for violations in the context torture and ill-treatment than adults. The detention of
of demonstrations in 2014 and the conduct of the children, including pretrial and post-trial incarcera-
armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. He recommended tion, as well as institutionalisation and administrative
that efforts by all parties to end the conflict in the immigration detention, was linked with the ill
eastern part of the country should be renewed; the treatment of children. Their particular vulnerability
ceasefire should be observed and monitored; breaches imposed a heightened obligation on States to take
of international humanitarian law must be impar- measures to ensure their human rights. The Rappor-
tially investigated; the conflict should be moved out teur recommended that children should be charged,
of urban and populated areas; and the August 2014 tried and sentenced within a State’s juvenile system
events at Ilovaisk must be investigated and any per- and never within the adult criminal justice system. An
petrators brought to justice. He made further recom- important safeguard against torture and ill-treatment
mendations to the Government, international entities for children in detention was support given to main-
and civil society. tain contact with parents and family through tel-
In a 6 May report [A/HRC/29/37/Add.3] on follow-up ephone, correspondence and regular visits). He noted
to country recommendations for India in 2012 that in the context of administrative immigration
[YUN 2012, p. 670], the Special Rapporteur noted that enforcement, the deprivation of liberty of children
the Government had taken some steps to address based on their parents’ migration status was never in
human rights violations committed against women the best interest of the child. The Rapporteur made
and in support of victims of terrorist-related activities. recommendations for States regarding legislation; the
Vulnerable groups, however, remained at risk of vio- vulnerability of children deprived of their liberty and
lent and often lethal attacks and impunity remained policy reform; and conditions during detention.
a challenge. He urged the Government to implement In a 5 March addendum [A/HRC/28/68/Add.1],
the recommendations in the visit report [ibid.] insofar the Special Rapporteur provided observations on
as that had not been done. communications sent to 68 Governments between
In a 6 May report [A/HRC/29/37/Add.4] on follow-up 1 December 2013 and 30 November 2014, as well as
to country recommendations for Turkey in 2012 on responses received until 31 January 2015.
[YUN 2012, p. 670], the Special Rapporteur noted that In accordance with General Assembly resolution
killings due to excessive force by security officers and 68/156 [YUN 2013, p. 673], the Secretary-General in
killings of members of vulnerable groups persisted and August transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s interim
some measures taken by the State, including a draft report [A/70/303] focusing on the extraterritorial ap-
law to increase the powers of the police to use force, plication of the prohibition of torture and other
appeared regressive. The Government had introduced ill-treatment and attendant obligations under
measures to reduce domestic violence, but efforts international law. He addressed topics such as
needed to be intensified and properly implemented. extraterritorial complicity in torture, extraordinary
He recommended addressing the issue of impunity, rendition, and a range of obligations to combat and
the effectiveness of investigations and the length of prevent torture and other ill treatment. The Rap-
proceedings. porteur called on States to recognize their obliga-
Turkey submitted its comments on the report on tions to prevent torture and other ill-treatment in
29 May [A/HRC/29/37/Add.7]. any territory under their jurisdiction; implement
On 27 May [A/HRC/29/37/Add.6], the Gambia sub- safeguards to protect persons within their jurisdic-
mitted its comments on the Special Rapporteur’s tion extraterritorially); exercise jurisdiction over acts
mission to the country in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 834]. of torture and ill-treatment regardless of the locus
where wrongfulness took place; and implement in-
ternational humanitarian law obligations that were
Torture and cruel treatment more protective than those under the Convention
Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a against Torture [YUN 1984, p. 813].
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 837], the Mission reports. Following his visit to Georgia
Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhu- (12–19 March) [A/HRC/31/57/Add.3], the Special
man or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Rapporteur noted a large degree of success in the
Méndez (Argentina), in March submitted a report implementation of reforms made following the parlia-
[A/HRC/28/68] covering his activities and focusing on mentary elections in October 2012. Significant efforts
children deprived of their liberty from the perspective had been made to prosecute crimes of torture and
of the prohibition of torture and other treatment or ill-treatment and convict perpetrators, to build new
punishment. He concluded that due to their unique and improved prison infrastructure and to ensure the
physiological and psychological needs, which ren- implementation of extensive policy changes. Physical
dered them sensitive to deprivations that might not violence, verbal mistreatment and forced confessions
constitute torture, children were more vulnerable to had been almost totally abolished in Georgian prisons,
328 Part Two: Human rights

cell conditions were generally satisfactory and prison direction, substantial changes were needed to ensure
overcrowding had been eliminated. Nevertheless, that many of the legal measures and policies adopted
the Rapporteur identified areas for improvement in worked effectively to prevent and eliminate torture and
overall detention conditions and in inmates’ rights, mistreatment. He noted that many of the recommen-
such as access to open areas, telephone calls and visits; dations issued in 2012 continued to apply. Expressing
lack of meaningful activities; and the use of isolation concern about allegations of reprisals against detain-
for disciplinary or other measures. The Special Rap- ees who had complained of torture and mistreatment,
porteur made recommendations to the Government he stressed that the Government must insist on the
on legislation, on safeguards and prevention and on investigation, prosecution and punishment of such al-
conditions of detention. legations and to increase efforts to develop an effective
Following his mission to Brazil (3–14 August) and independent prevention apparatus.
[A/HRC/31/57/Add.4 & Corr.1], the Special Rapporteur On Tunisia, the Special Rapporteur welcomed
concluded that significant progress had been made on institutional and legal reforms undertaken since
paper with regard to legislation, safeguards, prevention the 2011 Revolution, including the adoption of a
and institutional reform, yet implementation was new Constitution, legislation on transitional justice
lagging far behind. Torture and ill-treatment during and the establishment of a Truth and Dignity
interrogation were frequent occurrences and killings Commission. He noted that many of his 2012 rec-
by police and prison staff continued, most notably af- ommendations remained valid and urged the new
fecting persons belonging to racial, sexual, gender and Government to seize the momentum generated by the
other minority groups. Detention conditions often State’s successful transition to democracy to achieve
amounted to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment accountability, ensure access to justice and reparations
and impunity remained the rule rather than the ex- for victims, institutionalize safeguards against torture
ception, partly due to highly deficient monitoring and and other ill-treatment, and improve detention con-
documentation procedures and practices. The Rap- ditions. He also recommended that the Government
porteur urged the Government to ensure nationwide ensure investigations into allegations of torture and
and effective implementation of measures taken or ill-treatment, as well as prosecutions and convictions
envisioned to combat torture, ill-treatment and un- in accordance with the severity of the crime.
necessary deaths. He made further recommendations
regarding legislation, safeguards and prevention, de- Voluntary fund for torture victims
tention conditions and institutional reform. Reports of Secretary-General. In his annual
In a report on his follow-up visit to Ghana (3–7 Oc- report [A/70/223] to the Assembly on the status of
tober) [A/HRC/31/57/Add.2] to assess progress since 2013 the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of
[YUN 2013, p. 672], the Special Rapporteur welcomed Torture, the Secretary-General presented the out-
the commitment displayed by the Government to re- come of the Fund’s Board of Trustees at its forty-
form the criminal justice system and improve prison first session (Geneva, 13–17 April), which reviewed
conditions, urged the vigorous implementation of the implementation of the change management
initiatives such as the “Justice for All” programme, exercise it had formulated focusing on three areas:
Project Efiase and the Ghana Sentencing Guidelines, enhanced methods of work, increased outreach and
and stressed that the Government must make a con- knowledge-sharing. Contributions received from
certed effort to follow through on its commitments 11 countries and one private/public donor in 2014
with regard to the legal and institutional framework amounted to $9,254,746. The Board estimated that
to combat and prevent torture and other ill-treatment. the Fund would need to receive $12 million a year
He remained concerned about allegations of the use to respond adequately to the ever-increasing demands
of torture and other ill-treatment during arrests and for assistance.
interrogations or while in police custody, and called The General Assembly took note of that report on
on the Government to ensure that complaint proce- 17 December (decision 70/533).
dures and mechanisms were adequate and would lead The Secretary-General reported [A/HRC/31/23] on
to accountability. the Board’s forty-second session (Geneva, 28 Sep-
In a 27 February follow-up report [A/HRC/28/68/ tember–2 October), at which the Board recom-
Add.2] on missions to Tajikistan (10–12 February 2014) mended 178 grants in the amount of $7,169,300 to be
and Tunisia (4–6 June 2014), the Special Rapporteur implemented in 81 countries, including grants for 150
evaluated progress since visits to those countries, ongoing projects, 24 new projects and four grants for
respectively in 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 674] and 2011 new training and seminar projects. Between 1 Janu-
[YUN 2011, p. 694]. In Tajikistan, the Special Rappor- ary and 8 December, the Fund received $1,926,504
teur noted that considerable efforts had been made to in contributions from 19 countries, the Holy See and
implement the recommendations in a systematic and one private/public donor, and $7,062,765 in pledges
comprehensive way. While those steps were in the right from three countries.
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 329

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION had the right to access to a lawyer immediately after
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, their arrest and during the first 48 hours of their de-
on the recommendation of the Third Committee tention; the age of criminal responsibility had been
[A/70/489/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/146 (Torture raised from 9 to 14; a restorative justice act that had
and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment entered into force in 2012 established a new parole
or punishment) without vote [agenda item 72 (a)]. system; and the Government had adopted measures
to improve the treatment of prisoners and detainees.
Despite those gains, the Working Group concluded
Arbitrary detention that the judicial system should address challenges
Working Group activities. The five-member related to lengthy delays in the administration of
Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, entrusted justice and limited access by individuals to due pro-
with the investigation of instances of alleged arbi- cess. It also expressed concern that juveniles between
trary detention of liberty, held its seventy-second (20– 16 and 18 years of age continued to be sent to courts
29 April), seventy-third (31 August–4 September) and for adults, judicial authorities interpreted a detainee’s
seventy-fourth (30 November–4 December) sessions use of his or her right to a lawyer as losing the right
in Geneva [A/HRC/33/50]. The Working Group adopted to remain silent, and asylum seekers, immigrants and
56 opinions concerning the detention of 91 persons in refugees who arrived in Malta in an irregular man-
37 countries. It also transmitted 83 urgent appeals ner continued to be systematically and routinely de-
to 42 States concerning 241 individuals, as well as tained. The Working Group made recommendations
12 letters of allegations to 11 States. States informed in relation to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees,
the Working Group that they had taken measures criminal justice, and juvenile justice.
to remedy the situation of detainees: in some cases, In September [A/HRC/30/36/Add.4], Germany sub-
detainees had been released. The Working Group en- mitted its comments on the Working Group’s mission
gaged in continuous dialogue with countries that it to the country in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 838].
visited, particularly concerning its recommendations. Human Rights Council action. On 1 Octo-
In the report, the Working Group assessed its ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (dec. 30/115)], pursuant to statement
procedure and made changes in its method of work, PRST/29/1 (see p. 291), the Council extended the
including making better use of its digital tools to term of Working Group for two regular sessions of
allow better access to the materials for the session; the Council.
streamlined the process for the receipt of and response
to communications; embarked on the design of a Terrorism
business plan to alert States about its workload and Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
commitments while identifying resources needed; Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 839],
noted its productivity and increased number of opin- and in accordance with a May secretariat note
ions issued each session; and recommended that the [A/HRC/28/67] advising that his annual report would
Human Rights Council request the General Assembly be submitted to the Council’s twenty-ninth (2015)
to declare 5 March as the international day against session, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion
arbitrary detention. and protection of human rights and fundamental
Pursuant to a Human Rights Council request freedoms while countering terrorism, Ben Emm-
[YUN 2012, p. 679], the Working Group in July sub- erson (United Kingdom), submitted a June report
mitted a report [A/HRC/30/37] that presented draft [A/HRC/29/51], which covered his activities, exam-
basic principles and guidelines on remedies and pro- ined the human rights challenges posed by the fight
cedures on the right of anyone deprived of his or her against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (isil)
liberty by arrest or detention to challenge the lawful- and made recommendations to States. The Special
ness of his or her detention before a court. The United Rapporteur recommended, in the light of the grave
Nations Basic Principles and Guidelines on Remedies international crimes and systematic human rights
and Procedures on the Right of Anyone Deprived of violations committed by isil forces in Iraq and Syria,
Their Liberty to Bring Proceedings Before a Court that the Security Council refer the situation in Iraq
annexed to the report were based on international law, and Syria to the International Criminal Court (icc)
standards and recognized good practice, and were in- or that an ad hoc tribunal be established to try those
tended to provide States with guidance on fulfilling, responsible. He also called on Iraq and Syria to be-
in compliance with international law, their obligation come parties to the Rome Statute of icc and accept
to avoid the arbitrary deprivation of liberty. the jurisdiction of icc over the current situation.
Mission reports. After its follow-up visit to In accordance with General Assembly resolution
Malta (23–25 June) [A/HRC/33/50/Add.1] to assess 68/178 [YUN 2013, p. 678], the Secretary-General in
progress since 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 696], the Working September transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s an-
Group noted that persons deprived of their liberty nual report [A/70/371] covering his activities and ex-
330 Part Two: Human rights

amining the negative impact of counter-terrorism discussion on the use of remotely piloted aircraft or
legislation and other measures on civil society. The armed drones (Geneva, 22 September 2014). Panel-
Rapporteur concluded that civil society groups played lists emphasized that existing practices in the use of
an important role in addressing the conditions condu- drones raised serious questions regarding compliance
cive to the spread of terrorism, countering the appeal with international law and that the right to life must
of violent extremism, protecting human rights and be respected in its two components: the right not to
the rule of law, and delivering humanitarian relief. be subject to arbitrary deprivation of life and account-
He urged States to publicly recognize the essential ability for violations of the right to life. States were
role played by civil society in any effective counter- under an obligation to carry out investigations and
terrorism strategy; ensure that their counter-terrorism make the results publicly available. Panellists empha-
legislation was sufficiently precise to comply with the sized the importance of the Council remaining en-
principle of legality; and ensure that humanitarian gaged on issues related to the human rights aspects of
action was not compromised by counter-terrorism the use of armed drones.
legislation. Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution
The General Assembly took note of the report on 28/17 (see below), ohchr submitted a summary report
17 December (decision 70/533). [A/HRC/30/64] on a panel discussion on the effects of
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to terrorism on the enjoyment by all persons of human
General Assembly resolution 68/178, the Secretary- rights and fundamental freedoms (Geneva, 30 June).
General in August transmitted a report [A/70/271] Panellists highlighted the value of the United Nations
on developments within the UN system in relation Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the need for co-
to human rights and counter-terrorism, including operation to find human rights-compliant solutions
measures taken in support of the implementation to issues such as threats posed by foreign fighters; the
of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism importance of fulfilling the rights of victims of ter-
Strategy; and the activities of the Counter-Terrorism rorism; and the need to address the issue of condi-
Implementation Task Force, the Human Rights tions conducive to terrorism and place emphasis on
Council and its various special procedures, the preventing and countering violent extremism.
universal periodic review, UN human rights treaty Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
bodies and ohchr. He encouraged States to ad- [A/70/53 (res. 28/3)], the Council, by a recorded vote
dress the linkages between measures to address the of 29 to 6, with 12 abstentions, welcomed the panel
conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and discussion on the use of remotely piloted aircraft or
measures to ensure respect for human rights for all armed drones in compliance with international law
and the rule of law as the basis of the fight against (see above) and invited the High Commissioner and
terrorism. other human rights entities to pay attention to viola-
Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to a tions of international law due to their use.
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 839], the On 26 March [A/70/53 (res. 28/17)], the Council, by
High Commissioner submitted a report [A/HRC/28/28] a recorded vote of 25 to 16, with 6 abstentions, called
on the protection of human rights and fundamental on States to strengthen their national laws and mecha-
freedoms while countering terrorism, which exam- nisms on countering terrorism; decided to convene,
ined the challenges to human rights in the context at its twenty-ninth (2015) session, a panel discussion
of counter-terrorism, including legislative measures on the effects of terrorism on the enjoyment by all
adopted by States, and human rights issues related persons of human rights and fundamental freedoms
to the phenomenon of foreign fighters. He concluded (see above); and requested the High Commissioner
that while States had a duty to protect populations to submit a summary report on the discussion to the
from violence and insecurity and to deliver justice, Council’s thirtieth (2015) session.
those measures must be anchored in respect for in- On 2 July [A/70/53 (res. 29/9)], the Council called on
ternational human rights law. He urged States to en- States to ensure that measures taken to counter ter-
sure that counter-terrorism laws and implementing rorism complied with international law, in particular
measures were consistent with international human international human rights, refugee and humanita-
rights standards and stated that a regular review of rian law and urged States, while countering terror-
compliance with such standards was critical to ensure ism, to respect and protect all human rights, including
that measures were specific, necessary, effective and economic, social and cultural rights.
proportionate. The High Commissioner made recom-
mendations to States in their efforts to stem the flow Boko Haram terrorist group
of foreign fighters. Human Rights Council special session. In a
Panel discussions. Pursuant to Human Rights 26 March letter [A/HRC/S-23/1], Algeria, on behalf of
Council resolution 25/22 [YUN 2014, p. 839], ohchr the Group of African States in Geneva, requested the
submitted a summary report [A/HRC/28/38] on a panel convening of a special session of the Human Rights
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 331

Council on the human rights abuses and violations Violent extremism

committed by the terrorist group Boko Haram (see Human Rights Council action. On 2 October
p. 50), which was supported by 19 Council members [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/15)], the Council, by a recorded
and 4 observer States. The Council held its twenty- vote of 37 to 3, with 7 abstentions, looked forward to
third special session on 1 April [A/HRC/S-23/2]. the upcoming plan of action of the Secretary-General
Human Rights Council action. On 1 April on preventing violent extremism; reaffirmed that the
[A/70/53 (res. S-23/1)], the Council welcomed the lead- Council had a complementary role to play in support-
ing role played by the African Union and by subre- ing the implementation of the United Nations Global
gional organizations to address the threats posed by Counter-Terrorism Strategy; urged States to ensure
Boko Haram and supported their aim to fight the that any measures taken to prevent and counter vio-
terrorist organization; expressed concern about the lent extremism complied with their obligations under
large number of displaced persons and refugees in international law; decided to convene a panel at its
Benin, Cameroon, Chad, the Niger and Nigeria; and thirty-first (2016) session to discuss the human rights
condemned the gross abuses of international human dimensions of preventing and countering violent ex-
rights law and violations of international humanita- tremism; and requested ohchr to prepare a summary
rian law perpetrated by Boko Haram. It requested report on the panel discussion and to submit to the
ohchr to report on human rights violations and Council’s thirty-third (2016) session a compilation
abuses committed by Boko Haram in the States af- report on best practices and lessons learned on how
fected by such acts; provide an oral update, as part of protecting and promoting human rights contributed
an interactive dialogue, to be held at the twenty-ninth to preventing and countering violent extremism.
(2015) session of the Council; and submit a report to
its thirtieth (2015) session.
Right to peace
OHCHR report. Pursuant to Human Rights
Council resolution S-23/1 (see above), ohchr in De- Working Group activities. The Human Rights
cember submitted a report on violations and abuses Council in 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 680] established the
committed by Boko Haram [A/HRC/30/67], which Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on
documented those violations and abuses, including the Draft United Nations Declaration on the Right
the intentional killing and abduction of civilians and to Peace, with the mandate of negotiating a draft on
the targeting of protected civilian objects, the use of the basis of the one submitted by the Human Rights
children in hostilities, rape and other forms of sexual Council Advisory Committee [ibid.]. The first and
violence, and torture and ill-treatment. It concluded second sessions of the Working Group were held in
that the apparent systematic targeting of civilians and 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 682] and 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 839].
the widespread nature of the violations committed By a 4 February note [A/HRC/WG.13/3/1], the
in territories where Boko Haram was active might Secretariat informed the Human Rights Council
amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes that a revised draft text based on the discussions held
if committed in connection with the armed conflict. during the first and second sessions of the Working
Although ohchr was unable to confirm independ- Group and intersessional consultations would be pre-
ently all allegations, the gravity of the violations pared by the Group’s Chairperson-Rapporteur prior
documented underlined the importance of further to the third session. The revised text was circulated to
investigations, which should be prompt, thorough States by a note of 31 March.
and independent. Ohchr recommended that States At its third session (Geneva, 20–24 April 2015)
affected by Boko Haram strengthen measures to pro- [A/HRC/29/45], the Working Group proceeded with the
tect civilians; increase access to justice and ensure first and second readings of the new draft text pre-
accountability for all abuses and violations of inter- pared by the Chairperson-Rapporteur. The structure
national human rights and international humanita- of the text included a preamble, containing references
rian law; publish the outcome of investigations un- to international instruments relevant to the context of
dertaken; provide redress for victims; and adopt or the right to peace; a number of paragraphs relating to
review counter-terrorism laws and policies to ensure each of the three pillars of the United Nations—peace
compliance with international standards. and security, human rights, and development; a section
on peace education and the culture of peace; and the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
purposes of the declaration. During the reading, pro-
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General posals were made by delegations and other stakehold-
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- ers to modify the text. The proposals were recorded in
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/148 successive compilations subsequently made available
(Protection of human rights and fundamental in the room. On 24 April, the Working Group re-
freedoms while countering terrorism) without vote convened in a formal setting to conclude its work
[agenda item 72 (b)]. and consider the revised text of the draft declaration,
332 Part Two: Human rights

which was based on the third session’s discussions. conflicts resulted in resource constraints, States were
One delegation felt that the right to development was required to prioritize the availability, accessibility and
insufficiently reflected. Others noted that proposals acceptability of good-quality health and education
which they had put forward had not been discussed facilities, and goods and services to groups rendered
or integrated into the text. In his conclusions, the vulnerable by conflict. He recommended that States
Chairperson-Rapporteur acknowledged the spirit of ensure the availability of health care, including by
dialogue and cooperation of the session while mov- protecting medical personnel from violence; refrain
ing towards a consensual outcome, and pointed out from acts that disrupted the process of education;
that, unfortunately, such an agreement could not be and fulfil the minimum core content of the right to
reached. He recommended that the Human Rights education, which was non-derogable.
Council conduct an assessment of whether the in- The Economic and Social Council took note of
ternational community was in a position to develop that report on 21 July (decision 2015/241).
further the right to peace in a consensual manner. The
text of the United Nations declaration on the right to
Human rights in post-disaster and
peace presented by the Chairperson-Rapporteur on
post-conflict situations
24 April was annexed to the report.
Human Rights Council action. On 1 October Advisory Committee report. As requested by
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/12)], the Council, by a recorded Human Rights Council resolution 22/16 [YUN 2013,
vote of 33 to 12, with 2 abstentions, decided that the p. 683] and decision 26/116 [YUN 2014, p. 842], the
Working Group should hold its fourth session with Human Rights Council Advisory Committee sub-
the objective to finalize the declaration; and submit a mitted the final report [A/HRC/28/76] on best practices
report for consideration by the Council at its thirty- and main challenges in the promotion and protection
third (2016) session. of human rights in post-disaster and post-conflict
situations. Good practices were presented in relation
to national legal frameworks and mechanisms; the
participation of the community and the persons af-
Economic, social and cultural rights fected; focus on gender; respect for cultural values;
and the need for a multilevel approach to facilitate the
Realizing economic, social decentralization of an emergency response. Challenges
and cultural rights were summarized along with measures to address
them. The report concluded that rescue, relief and re-
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March habilitation action should be compliant with human
[A/70/53 (res. 28/12)],the Council welcomed the two rights, although that was not always the case. It identi-
latest ratifications of the International Covenant on fied key aspects of a human-rights based approach and
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the six lat- stressed that humanitarian intervention should take
est ratifications of the Optional Protocol (see p. 298); into account legal, social, political, ethical and cultural
encouraged States to establish social protection floors relations. It also recommended a holistic approach
as part of comprehensive social protection systems among the different branches of international law for
that would contribute to the enjoyment and realiza- increasing the effectiveness of human rights protection
tion of human rights; and requested the Secretary- in post-disaster and post conflict situations.
General to continue to report annually to the Council
on the question of the realization of economic, social
and cultural rights in all countries, with a focus on Right to development
a compilation of best practices adopted by States to Working Group activities. The Working Group
measure progress in the realization of those rights, on the Right to Development, at its sixteenth session
including national indicators to advance it. (Geneva, 27 April and 1–4 September) [A/HRC/30/71],
Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to commenced the second reading of the draft right
Assembly resolution 48/141 [YUN 1993, p. 906], the High to development criteria and operational subcrite-
Commissioner in May submitted a report [E/2015/59] ria proposed by the High-Level Task Force on the
on the protection of economic, social and cultural implementation of the right to development [YUN 2010,
rights in situations of armed conflict, with a focus on p. 719]. The Working Group also had before it the
the rights to health and education. The High Com- draft framework to improve the Working Group’s
missioner concluded that international humanitarian effectiveness and efficiency [A/HRC/WG.2/16/2]. The
law imposed obligations on States engaged in a con- Working Group recommended completing the
flict to refrain from harming the civilian population second reading at its seventeenth (2016) session;
and ensure adequate conditions of life with regard to that the Chair-Rapporteur prepare a set of standards
matters of health, food, relief assistance, work, em- for the implementation of the right to development
ployment and education. He noted that even when for consideration at that session; that the post-2015
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 333

development agenda be discussed in the context of the Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia,
right to development; and that the General Assembly Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba,
and Human Rights Council, respectively, hold a Cyprus, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic
high-level segment and high-level panel discussion to Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
commemorate the thirtieth (2016) anniversary of the Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Declaration on the Right to Development. Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Gre-
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October nada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan,
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/28)], by a recorded vote of 33 to 10, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
with 4 abstentions, the Council welcomed the adop- Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liech-
tion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development tenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal-
(see p. 396); requested ohchr to report annually to dives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia,
the Council and to provide regular updates on tan- Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia,
Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
gible projects dedicated to the right to development; Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
requested the Chair-Rapporteur to submit a draft set Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
of standards to implement the right to development to Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino,
the Working Group’s seventeenth (2016) session; and Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solo-
decided that the Working Group would continue to mon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka,
accomplish its mandate at that session and convene a Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan,
Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,
two-day formal meeting after that session to consider Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
the draft set of standards. As part of the activities to Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
commemorate the thirtieth (2016) anniversary of the Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Declaration, the Council requested the High Com- Against: Canada, Israel, Japan, Palau, United Kingdom, United
missioner to seek the views of Member States in pre- States.
paring a paper on the realization and implementation Abstaining: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croa-
tia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
of the right to development; and the Assembly to Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithu-
consider holding a high-level segment on the right to ania, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland,
development during the general debate at its seventy- Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Slovakia,
first (2016) session. Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine.
Report of Secretary-General and High Com-
missioner. Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/181
[YUN 2014, p. 842], the Secretary-General and the High Human rights and international solidarity
Commissioner in July submitted a consolidated report Reports of Independent expert. Pursuant to a
[A/HRC/30/22] which reviewed the activities of ohchr Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 847], the
and UN human rights mechanisms relating to the Independent Expert on human rights and interna-
promotion and protection of the realization of the tional solidarity, Virginia Dandan (Philippines), in
right to development from May 2014 to April 2015. April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/35] summarizing
The activities included support for Council mecha- her activities to raise awareness of the proposed draft
nisms, as well as events and initiatives in the areas declaration on the right of peoples and individuals to
of inter-agency coordination and mainstreaming international solidarity [YUN 2010, p. 724] in particular,
of the right to development into the policies and and to promote international solidarity in general.
programmes of international organizations and into The main feature of the report was the conceptualiza-
the post-2015 development agenda. tion in human rights terms of international solidarity
In June, a secretariat note [A/70/111] informed the in the context of the proposed draft declaration. This
Assembly of the report. The Assembly took note of was the first time that international solidarity was be-
that note on 17 December (decision 70/533). ing examined in the light of the text of the proposed
draft declaration. The Independent Expert concluded
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION that international solidarity was a powerful tool for
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General addressing global challenges to human rights. In the
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- context of the sustainable development goals and the
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/155 climate agreement to be forged in 2015, international
(The right to development) by recorded vote (148- solidarity would ensure a fair and just relationship
6-33) [agenda item 72 (b)]. between State and non-State actors engaged in the
pursuit of common goals or in overcoming a common
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/155:
challenge, in full cognizance of the human rights of
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and the peoples, individuals and groups concerned.
Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bah-
rain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, In accordance with Human Rights Council resolu-
Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei tion 26/6 [YUN 2014, p. 847], the Secretary-General in
334 Part Two: Human rights

August transmitted the Independent Expert’s report [A/70/285 & Corr.1], which focused on the impact of
[A/70/316] examining preventive solidarity and inter- investor-State dispute settlement on a democratic and
national cooperation, the constituent components equitable international order and built on his report to
of international solidarity, within the context of the the Council on international investment agreements
proposed draft declaration on the right of peoples (see above). He called on the Assembly to request from
and individuals to international solidarity. The text the International Court of Justice an advisory opinion
of the draft declaration was the focus of a series of on the priority of the Charter and UN human rights
regional consultations being conducted in 2015 and conventions over other treaties.
early 2016. The Expert concluded that there was no Human Rights Council action. On 2 October
single country in the world that was spared from the [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/29)], by a recorded vote of 31
global threats of the twenty-first century. Although to 14, with 2 abstentions, the Council underlined
it was true that States were responsible for national that the international community must ensure that
implementation of their human rights obligations, our globalization becomes a positive force for all the
globalized world had become more and more interde- world’s people; reaffirmed that everyone was entitled
pendent, and no country, whether wealthy or poor, to a democratic and equitable international order;
could surmount its human rights challenges alone and and requested the Independent Expert to report to
without assistance in one form or another from the the Council’s thirty-third (2016) session.
international community.
The General Assembly took note of that report on GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
17 December (decision 70/533). On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July on the recommendation of the Third Committee
[A/70/53 (res. 29/3)], by a recorded vote of 33 to 14, with [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/149 (Promo-
no abstentions, the Council reiterated its request to tion of a democratic and equitable international
the Independent Expert to consolidate the outputs order) by recorded vote (130-53-5) [agenda item 72 (b)].
from all the regional consultations on the draft
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/149:
declaration on the right of peoples and individuals to
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
international solidarity; to report on the consultations Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangla-
at the Council’s thirty-second (2016) session; and to desh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bo-
submit a revised draft declaration to the Council and tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
the Assembly before the end of her second term. Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire,
Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic
Democratic and equitable international order Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
Reports of Independent Expert. Pursuant to a Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada,
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 847], the Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hondu-
Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic ras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
and equitable international order, Alfred-Maurice Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic
de Zayas (United States), in July submitted a report Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar,
[A/HRC/30/44] addressing the adverse impacts of free Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius,
Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Ne-
trade and investment agreements, whether bilateral or pal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,
multilateral, on the international order. He noted that Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russian
while globalization might contribute to human rights Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent
and development, experience suggested that human and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sin-
rights had frequently been subordinated to dogmas of gapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan,
Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic,
market fundamentalism with a focus on profit rather Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and
than sustainable development. He concluded that in- Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab
ternational investment agreements and investor–State Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
dispute settlement agreements must be tested for con- Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
formity with the United Nations Charter and never Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
undermine the State function to ensure the welfare and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger-
of all persons under its jurisdiction, nor lead to ret- many, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
rogression in human rights. The Independent Expert Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mar-
called for ex ante and ex post human rights, health shall Islands, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zea-
and environmental impact assessments, and proposed land, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
a plan of action for systemic change. Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slova-
kia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav
In August, in accordance with General Assembly Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom,
resolution 69/178 [YUN 2014, p. 847], the Secretary- United States.
General transmitted the Independent Expert’s report Abstaining: Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Samoa.
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 335

Globalization Foreign debt

Report of Secretary-General. In response to Reports of Independent Expert. In response to
General Assembly resolution 69/173 [YUN 2014, p. 850], a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 853],
the Secretary-General in July submitted a report the Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt
[A/70/154] that summarized the views on globalization and other related international financial obligations
and its impact on the full enjoyment of all human of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights,
rights received from 5 Governments (Bosnia and particularly economic, social and cultural rights, Juan
Herzegovina, Cuba, Peru, Serbia, Tunisia), as well as Pablo Bohoslavsky (Argentina) submitted a report
the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and [A/HRC/28/59] focusing on the question of financial
the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) and complicity in lending to States engaged in gross human
the World Meteorological Organization (wmo). The rights violations. It was intended to contribute to a
report identified common concerns and topics of in- better understanding of when financial support might
terest and concluded with recommendations on how contribute to, or sustain the commission of, large-scale
to address the issue. gross human rights violations. The Independent Ex-
pert reviewed the empirical evidence of the relation-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION ship between sovereign financing, human rights prac-
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General tices and the consolidation of Governments engaged
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- in gross violations of human rights. He presented some
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/159 interim conclusions and invited stakeholders to discuss
(Globalization and its impact on the full enjoy- them; the legal and policy implications of financial
ment of all human rights) by recorded vote (135-53-1) complicity would be discussed in a future study.
[agenda item 72 (b)]. Pursuant to a Human Rights Council request
[YUN 2014, p. 853], the Secretary-General in August
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/159: transmitted a report [A/70/275] of the Independent
In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar- Expert, which provided an overview of his activities,
gentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,
including his participation in the third International
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Conference on Financing for Development (see
Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, p. 458), his contribution to the forthcoming 2016
Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Human Rights Council Advisory Committee report
Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, on vulture funds and human rights, and his contribu-
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, tion to the ad hoc committee established by resolution
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
69/247 [YUN 2014, p. 1112] to elaborate a multilateral
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring
Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka- processes (see p. 457). The Independent Expert con-
zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s cluded the report with reflections on the principle of
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, pacta sunt servanda (often translated as “agreements (or
Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, promises) must be kept”) in connection with human
Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, My-
rights and the principles of legitimacy and sustain-
anmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, ability in the context of sovereign debt restructuring.
Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and The General Assembly took note of that report on
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, 17 December (decision 70/533).
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Is-
lands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
Mission reports. Following his mission to
Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai- China (29 June–6 July) [A/HRC/31/60/Add.1], the
land, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu- Independent Expert analysed the State’s contribution
nisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United to the protection and realization of human rights in
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Ven- its external lending through national and interna-
ezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. tional financial institutions. Although development
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
projects supported by Chinese financial institutions
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger- had brought benefits, some had had an adverse envi-
many, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, ronmental, social and human rights impact on certain
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Is- individuals and communities. The Government had
lands, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New responded to that challenge by developing regulations
Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, aimed at preventing and mitigating negative environ-
Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slova-
kia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav
mental and social impact. The Independent Expert
Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, concluded that a comprehensive framework for en-
United States. suring protection for human rights in international
Abstaining: Greece. lending and outbound investment was still lacking.
336 Part Two: Human rights

Efforts were needed to strengthen the implementation the incorporation of human rights considerations
of existing guidelines in operational practices, to im- in the management of returned stolen assets. The
prove consultation with affected individuals and Independent Expert concluded with recommenda-
communities, and to improve the responsiveness of tions on how the goal of curbing illicit financial flows
financial institutions to their concerns. He presented could be operationalized within the United Nations
recommendations to the Government, national and post-2015 development agenda.
multilateral financial institutions, partner countries Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
and other stakeholders. [A/70/53 (res. 28/5)], by a recorded vote of 33 to 2, with
Following his mission to Greece (30 No- 12 abstentions, the Council called on States to accede
vember–8 December) [A/HRC/31/60/Add.2], the to the United Nations Convention against Corrup-
Independent Expert assessed new developments with tion; enact legislation to address offences by business
respect to human rights concerns arising out of the enterprises, which deprived Governments of domestic
debt crisis and the economic structural adjustment sources of revenue for implementing their development
programmes implemented in the country since a agendas; and establish an intergovernmental working
2013 visit [YUN 2013, p. 694]. He acknowledged the group on the negative impact of illicit financial flows on
efforts undertaken by the Government and interna- the enjoyment of human rights. The Council requested
tional lenders in attempting to redress the country’s the Independent Expert to convene a meeting of ex-
economic standing and bring it out of insolvency. perts on the issue of the negative impact of the non-
He noted with concern that the obligations towards repatriation of funds of illicit origin to the countries
rights holders in the country continued to be side- of origin on the enjoyment of human rights; present
lined, in both the design and the implementation of the meeting’s outcome to the Council’s thirty-first
the structural reform programmes; no comprehensive (2016) session; and participate in the third Interna-
ex ante human rights impact assessments of the three tional Conference on Financing for Development (see
economic reform programmes had been carried out, p. 458) to highlight the links between illicit financial
and social and economic rights had been denied in a flows, development financing and human rights.
widespread manner. The Independent Expert drew at-
tention to the recommendations made by the previous
mandate holder [ibid.], which had largely not been Transnational corporations
implemented, and made further recommendations to Working Group activities. Pursuant to a
the Government and to Greece’s international lenders. Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 854],
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March the Working Group on the issue of human rights and
[A/70/53 (res. 28/8)], by a recorded vote of 31 to 14, with transnational corporations and other business enter-
1 abstention, the Council reiterated its request to the prises in April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/28] that
High Commissioner to pay more attention to the focused on how the Guiding Principles on Business
problem of the debt burden of developing countries, and Human Rights [YUN 2011, p. 716] needed to be
and especially the social impact of the measures arising further embedded throughout UN programmes and
from foreign debt. It also requested the Independent processes in order to improve policy coherence for
Expert to continue to explore the interlinkages with inclusive and sustainable development. It concluded
trade and other issues, including hiv/aids, and to that since 2011, there had been progress in conver-
report to the General Assembly and to the Council’s gence around the Guiding Principles in policy and
thirty-first (2016) session. tool development among major stakeholder groups.
Gaps remained, however, both in terms of translating
Non-repatriation of funds of illicit origin policy commitments into better protection of human
In response to a Human Rights Council request rights on the ground, and policy coherence in global
[YUN 2014, p. 853], the Independent Expert on the governance frameworks. It encouraged States and UN
effects of foreign debt and other related international entities to act on the opportunities highlighted in the
financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment report. The Working Group urged States to submit
of all human rights, particularly economic, social information on their national action plans and other
and cultural rights, Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, in Feb- initiatives on business and human rights to inform
ruary submitted an interim study [A/HRC/28/60 & discussions and lesson-sharing, including at the 2015
Corr.1] on illicit financial flows, human rights and the Forum on Business and Human Rights (see p. 337).
post-2015 development agenda, which outlined how An April addendum [A/HRC/29/28/Add.2] provided
illicit financial flows undermined the enjoyment of a summary of the discussions of the African Regional
economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights. Forum on Business and Human Rights (Addis Ababa,
He emphasized the need for due diligence and due 16–18 September 2014), and the conclusions and rec-
process in the fight against illicit financial flows; bet- ommendations by the Working Group based on its
ter protection of witnesses and whistle-blowers; and reflections on the proceedings.
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 337

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution sized the importance of the Government and busi-
26/22 [YUN 2014, p 854], the Working Group in April nesses listening to the voice of the most marginalized
submitted a report [A/HRC/29/28/Add.3] that consid- and concluded the report with recommendations to
ered the kinds of actions that business enterprises had the Government, business enterprises and civil society
taken to meet their corporate responsibility to respect organizations.
human rights, based on the discussions held during the Human Rights Council action. On 1 Octo-
third annual Forum on Business and Human Rights ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (dec. 30/115)], pursuant to statement
[YUN 2014, p. 854]. It focused on presentations and key PRST/29/1 (see p. 291), the Council extended the term
lessons from the thematic session entitled “Respect in of the Working Group on the issue of human rights
practice: progress and challenges in implementing the and transnational corporations for two regular sessions
corporate responsibility to respect”, which was con- of the Council.
vened by the Working Group and organized jointly Forum on Business and Human Rights. The
with the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights fourth annual United Nations Forum on Business and
and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Human Rights (Geneva, 16–18 November) [A/HRC/
The report, based on the session report prepared by FBHR/2015/2] attracted more than 2,400 participants
those organizations in their capacity as joint organ- from 130 States, with equal representation of women
izers, concluded with the Working Group’s observa- and men. The Forum’s theme was “Tracking pro-
tions and recommendations for the consideration of gress and ensuring coherence on business and human
stakeholders. rights”. Thematic areas examined included efforts to
Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions track performance and progress in the implementation
17/4 [YUN 2011, p. 717] and 26/22, the Secretary- of the Guiding Principles; policy coherence in global
General in July transmitted the Working Group’s governance frameworks; policy and practice coher-
report [A/70/216], which discussed the issue of meas- ence at the national level; corporate respect for human
uring the implementation of the Guiding Principles on rights in practice; groups at risk; and access to effective
Business and Human Rights. Businesses might have remedy.
an adverse impact on human rights in any country in Open-ended Working Group. The open-ended
the world, yet there was no comprehensive data on the intergovernmental working group on transnational
nature, scale or extent of that impact, or data on the corporations and other business enterprises with respect
efforts made by States and companies to prevent and to human rights, with the mandate of elaborating an
remedy business-related harm. The Working Group international legally binding instrument, established
assessed existing measurement initiatives, highlighted by Human Rights Council resolution 26/9 [YUN 2014,
gaps in coverage, and identified key entry points that p. 855], held its first session (Geneva, 6–10 July)
could strengthen the incentives and impetus for the [A/HRC/31/50], which was dedicated to deliberations on
implementation of the Guiding Principles. The report the content, scope, nature and form of the future inter-
concluded with recommendations to States, business national instrument. The report included a summary
enterprises, international organizations, civil society of the inputs provided by States and other stakehold-
and academics, national human rights institutions and ers, and the progress of the working group. The Chair-
the UN human rights system. Rapporteur recommended that a second session of the
The General Assembly took note of that report on working group should be held in 2016.
17 December (decision 70/533).
During the year, the Working Group held its Unilateral coercive measures
tenth (16–20 February) [A/HRC/WG.12/10/1], eleventh
(4–8 May) [A/HRC/WG.12/11/1], and twelfth (28 Sep- Appointment. In March, the Human Rights
tember–2 October) [A/HRC/WG.12/12/1] sessions in Council appointed Idriss Jazairy (Algeria) as the first
Geneva. Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilat-
Mission report. Following its visit to Brazil eral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human
(7–16 December) [A/HRC/32/45/Add.1], the Working rights.
Group welcomed the Government’s commitment to Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
the Guiding Principles and its interest in developing Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 855], the
a national action plan on business and human rights. new Special Rapporteur in August submitted his first
A key finding of the visit was the need to strengthen annual report [A/HRC/30/45] to the Council, which de-
the support provided to rights holders to enable them scribed activities undertaken since he took office on
to be in a balanced position vis-à-vis companies and 1 May and his views on the foundation of the mandate.
public officials. The affected communities with whom He provided clarifying definitions concerning unilat-
the Working Group met conveyed a sense of vulner- eral coercive measures and elements on guidance from
ability, isolation and rejection by the decision-makers international, human rights, and humanitarian law. In
and those with power. The Working Group empha- his conclusion, the Special Rapporteur presented some
338 Part Two: Human rights

preliminary observations, the implementation strategy of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of
for the mandate and some projected activities. human rights and to promote accountability. The
In response to the same resolution, the Secretary- report included case studies on the Gaza Strip, Cuba,
General in August transmitted the Special Rappor- Iran, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, which highlighted
teur’s report [A/70/345] which provided a preliminary some of the main adverse effects of unilateral coercive
review of the human rights adversely affected by uni- measures on the enjoyment of human rights in tar-
lateral coercive measures and formulated tentative rec- geted and non-targeted States.
ommendations on how to minimize their impact. It Human Rights Council action. On 1 October
presented the rights that were the most vulnerable to [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/2)], by a recorded vote of 33 to
unilateral coercive measures, and referred to past or 14, with no abstentions, the Council called on States
existing cases in which economic sanctions imposed to stop adopting, maintaining or implementing uni-
by the Security Council or unilaterally by regional lateral coercive measures not in accordance with in-
organizations or States had had an adverse impact on ternational law, international humanitarian law, the
human rights. Those rights included the right to: life; United Nations Charter and the norms and principles
self-determination; development; adequate standard of governing peaceful relations among States, in partic-
living; health; and education, as well as other rights ular those of a coercive nature with extraterritorial
potentially affected by such measures. The Rappor- effects; condemned the continued unilateral applica-
teur concluded that there was a need to exert addi- tion and enforcement by certain powers of such meas-
tional effort in defining ex ante strategic options to ures as tools of political or economic pressure against
be pursued by unilateral coercive measures and exit any country; reaffirmed that essential goods, such as
strategies, as well as to seek ways to reduce the adverse food and medicines, should not be used as tools for
impact of those measures. He noted that the comple- political coercion and that under no circumstances
ment or alternative to unilateral coercive measures should people be deprived of their own means of sub-
was engagement. That was the principal message of sistence and development; and stressed the need for
the successful non-proliferation negotiations between an independent mechanism of the UN human rights
the five permanent members of the Security Council machinery for the victims of unilateral coercive meas-
and Iran. ures to address the issues of remedies and redress with
The General Assembly took note of that report on a view to promoting accountability and reparations.
17 December (decision 70/553 A). GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
Council resolution 27/21 [YUN 2014, p. 855], ohchr
on the recommendation of the Third Committee
submitted a report [A/HRC/31/82] on the first biennial
[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/151 (Human
panel discussion on the issue of unilateral coercive
rights and unilateral coercive measures) by recorded
measures and human rights (Geneva, 17 September).
vote (135-54-0) [agenda item 72 (b)].
Panellists sought to ensure a platform for the continu-
ing exchange of views and experiences among all stake- RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/151:
holders; provide an update on recommendations from In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
previous workshops and on the Advisory-Committee’s Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangla-
report (see below); and build consensus on developing desh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bo-
tswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
basic principles and guidelines, as well as identify- Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
ing mechanisms to assess and mitigate the adverse Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
impact of unilateral coercive measures. Participants Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
concluded that unilateral coercive measures were ille- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica,
gitimate, illegal and immoral; the practice of imposing Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equato-
rial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana,
food and medicine sanctions on developing countries Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,
should be replaced by a more humane approach that Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Ka-
would delegitimize unilateral coercive measures; more zakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
discussion was needed on the different aspects of the Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad-
issue, including accountability and remedy for victims agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mau-
ritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
that had endured such measures; and a panel of experts Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
should be appointed to address those issues. Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qa-
Advisory Committee report. In accordance with tar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Human Rights Council resolution 24/14 [YUN 2013, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Sen-
p. 696], the Human Rights Council Advisory Com- egal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,
mittee, in February, submitted a research-based pro- Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste,
gress report [A/HRC/28/74] containing recommenda- Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan,
tions on mechanisms to assess the negative impact Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 339

Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human
Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. rights, Philip Alston (Australia), in May submitted his
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
first report [A/HRC/29/31] to the Council, focusing on
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger- the relationship between extreme poverty and extreme
many, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, inequality, which provided an overview of the widen-
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mar- ing economic and social inequalities around the world;
shall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, illustrated how such inequalities stifled equal opportu-
New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of nity, led to laws, regulations and institutions that fa-
Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former
voured the powerful, and perpetuated discrimination
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United against certain groups, such as women; and discussed
Kingdom, United States. the negative effects of economic inequalities on a range
Abstaining: None. of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
He also analysed the response of the international
Social Forum community, including the United Nations, the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to the
Social Forum session. The Social Forum (Ge- challenge of extreme inequality, finding that human
neva, 18–20 February) [A/HRC/29/44], which was rights were absent in the inequality debate and little
attended by States, UN bodies, intergovernmental had been done to follow up on any of the studies or
organizations, ngos, academic and national human recommendations emerging from the UN human
rights institutions and independent experts, focused rights system. The Special Rapporteur proposed an
on access to medicines in the context of the right of agenda for tackling inequality, including: committing
everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable to reduce extreme inequality; giving economic, social
standard of physical and mental health, including and cultural rights the same prominence and priority
best practices in that regard. Participants agreed that as civil and political rights; recognizing the right to
access to medicines was a matter of life and death, en- social protection; implementing fiscal policies specif-
hanced the quality of life and required international ically aimed at reducing inequality; revitalizing and
cooperation. Measures needed to be established to giving substance to the right to equality; and putting
improve supply chains, address the underlying social questions of resource redistribution at the centre of
determinants of health and promote policy coherence human rights debates.
premised on the primacy of human rights over inter- In accordance with Human Rights Council resolu-
national trade, investment and intellectual property tion 26/3 [YUN 2014, p. 859], the Secretary-General in
regimes. They recommended action to strengthen August transmitted the report [A/70/274] of the Special
health systems, establish universal health coverage Rapporteur analysing the approaches to human rights
and ensure access to medicines; a new and legally taken by the World Bank in its legal policy, public
binding treaty on research and development of medi- relations, policy analysis, operations and safeguards.
cines that would promote innovation and equitable He concluded that the Bank’s approach—based on
access; improved governance mechanisms, particu- outdated legal analysis and shaped by deep mispercep-
larly for the regulatory oversight and accountability of tions of what a human rights policy would require—
multinational corporations; and a universal periodic was incoherent, counterproductive and unsustainable.
review of the right to health and access to medicines The main obstacle to moving towards an appropriate
that was evidence-based and promoted transparency approach was the anachronistic and inconsistent in-
and accountability. They also called on the Human terpretation of the “political prohibition” contained in
Rights Council to commission a compilation of good its Articles of Agreement. As a result, the Bank was
practices in promoting access to medicines. unable to engage meaningfully with the international
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July human rights framework; assist its member countries
[A/70/53 (res. 29/19)], the Council decided that the in complying with their human rights obligations; take
Social Forum in 2016 would focus on the enjoyment adequate account of the social and political economy
of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all aspects of its work within countries; or put into practice
persons with disabilities in the context of the tenth much of its own policy research and analysis, which
anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the pointed to the indispensability of the human rights di-
Rights of Persons with Disabilities [YUN 2006, p. 785]; mensions of many core development issues. The Special
and invited the Social Forum to report to the Coun- Rapporteur stressed the need for a transparent dialogue
cil’s thirty-fourth (2017) session. designed to generate an informed and nuanced policy
that would be principled, compelling and transparent.
He made recommendations indicating what a World
Extreme poverty Bank human rights policy might look like in practice.
Reports of Special Rapporteur. As requested The General Assembly took note of that report on
by the Human Rights Council [YUN 2014, p. 859], the 17 December (decision 70/533).
340 Part Two: Human rights

Mission reports. Following his visit to Chile (16– remedies in accordance with the Optional Protocol
24 March) [A/HRC/32/31/Add.1], the Special Rapporteur to the International Covenant on Economic, Social
reported that while the country had taken giant steps and Cultural Rights. She also addressed issues re-
forward in social and economic development, it re- lated to extraterritorial obligations in relation to the
mained a highly segregated and unequal society with right to food. She recommended that States provide
unacceptable rates of poverty and extreme poverty. mechanisms that offered remedies in cases of viola-
The main factors hindering efforts to address those tions of the right to food; guarantee women’s basic
issues included: the fragmentation of anti-poverty right to access adequate food and implement gender
programmes, the lack of sufficient “institutionality” mainstreaming in relation to domestic policies on
to implement human rights, the attenuated role of agricultural, property and inheritance rights; ensure
labour market institutions to protect labour rights, that rights holders had access to information pertain-
and persistent discrimination against and the absence ing to the right to food; develop the legal structure to
of constitutional, legal and institutional protection protect resources directly related to the right to access
of marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples, adequate and nutritious food, such as water sources,
children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and in- access to land and seed production; and consider re-
tersex persons and migrants. The Special Rappor- questing an advisory opinion from the International
teur recommended the adoption of a comprehensive Court of Justice to determine the legal obligations
anti-poverty programme and the establishment of an relating to the extraterritorial implementation of the
Office of the Under-Secretary for Human Rights in- right to food.
tegrating economic, social and cultural rights as a key In accordance with General Assembly resolution
part of its mandate. 69/177 [YUN 2014, p. 861], the Secretary-General in
Following his mission to Romania (2–11 No- August transmitted the interim report [A/70/287] of
vember) [A/HRC/32/31/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur the Special Rapporteur, which outlined the adverse
found that the country had made great progress in impact of climate change on the right to food, stress-
eradicating poverty since the Communist era, but that ing the geographic and socioeconomic vulnerabilities
it lagged behind most European Union countries in of those most affected and highlighting the negative
most measures of poverty and social exclusion. The impact that agricultural practices and food systems
lack of political will was a concern and many officials were having on climate change. She concluded that
were in denial about the extent of poverty and deep- food security and adaptation to climate change were
rooted discrimination against the extremely poor, mutually supportive; in many situations, strategies
particularly the Roma, as illustrated by cases of forced to reduce vulnerability to climate change would also
evictions and police abuse. The report examined the increase food security. There was a need to shift from
poverty and social exclusion faced by Roma, children industrial agriculture to transformative activities
in rural areas, and children and adults with disabili- such as conservation agriculture (agroecology) that
ties. Other problems included low levels of social supported the local food movement, protected small-
spending, a lack of technical expertise in key minis- holder farmers, empowered women, respected food
tries, and the decentralization of responsibilities not democracy, maintained environmental sustainability
matched by the provision of adequate resources. The and facilitated a healthy diet. In order to eradicate
Special Rapporteur recommended official acknow- hunger and ensure the full realization of the right to
ledgement of the extent of continuing discrimination food, the Special Rapporteur stressed that more must
against Roma, the collection of disaggregated data be done to develop relevant, effective mitigation and
on ethnicity in order to devise effective measures adaptation policies and a human rights approach must
of redress, effective domestic implementation of the be adopted as a means of achieving climate justice.
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabili- Mission reports. Following her visit to the Phil-
ties, increased social spending and social services, and ippines (20–27 February) [A/HRC/31/51/Add.1], the
the implementation of necessary institutional reforms. Special Rapporteur highlighted the particular diffi-
culties encountered by the most vulnerable groups,
Right to food along with the challenges preventing them from their
full enjoyment of the right to adequate food. De-
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In accordance spite the country’s impressive growth rate in recent
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013, years, she noted that economic prosperity had not
p. 700], the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, been inclusive. She recognized the steps taken by the
Hilal Elver (Turkey), in January submitted her first Government to realize the right to food and presented
report [A/HRC/28/65] to the Council, which explored recommendations for consideration by all stakehold-
obstacles to seeking remedy for violations related ers, including developing a national framework law
to the right to food by analysing the international on the right to food; expediting the Right to Ade-
legal framework, and identifying good practices as quate Food Bill; ensuring women’s participation in
a means of encouraging States to develop judicial the development of a food security plan; enforcing
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 341

environmental laws to protect watersheds, forests and Goals (see p. 394); and requested the High Commis-
rivers, which were the primary sources of food; and sioner to prepare a report in consultation with States,
establishing a programme to mitigate hunger and in- UN entities, particularly the International Labour
crease household income. Organization (ilo), and other stakeholders on the
Following her visit to Morocco (5–12 October) realization of the right to work, including challenges
[A/HRC/31/51/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur noted that and best practices, and to submit the report prior to
the country had made impressive strides in reducing the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session.
poverty through the introduction of crucial economic Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to
and social reforms. She commended the adoption of Human Rights Council resolution 28/15 (see above),
a wide range of policies and programmes to ensure the High Commissioner in December submitted a
the enjoyment of the right to food, as part of the right report [A/HRC/31/32] on the realization of the right to
to an adequate standard of living. Considerable chal- work, which presented an overview of the scope of
lenges however, remained, particularly in regard to and applicable standards relative to the right to work;
tackling inequality and vulnerability; increasing dis- an overview of the recognition of that right in inter-
parities in income between regions, as well as between national human rights and international labour law;
urban and rural areas; the disproportionate impact of interpretation of the right by UN treaty bodies and
unemployment on young people and women; and the the ilo; and examples drawn from national experi-
lack of implementation of legislation promoting right ences. The High Commissioner concluded that the
to food policies. The Government’s Morocco Green gap between the realities of work in the world and the
Plan had enormous potential for transforming the normative standards of the right to work demonstrated
agricultural sector into a stable source of growth, com- the need to further strengthen its protection. Work
petitiveness and broad-based economic development; was critical to equality, dignity, justice and human
however, more work was necessary to accomplish development. He emphasized that States had an ob-
the plan and ensure that it benefited everyone. The ligation to establish comprehensive policies and to
Special Rapporteur concluded the report with recom- take legislative and administrative measures necessary
mendations to the Government. to ensure the full realization of that right. Measures
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March included the coordination of international policies rel-
[A70/53 (res. 28/10)], the Council considered it intoler- evant to work, such as trade and migration, and the re-
able that more than one third of the children who inforcement of international cooperation mechanisms.
died every year before the age of 5 died from hunger-
related illness and that 805 million people worldwide Rights of peasants
suffered from chronic hunger, while the planet could and other rural area workers
produce enough food to feed everyone; recognized that
70 per cent of hungry people lived in rural areas and Working Group activities. The open-ended
50 per cent were small-scale farm-holders; and called intergovernmental working group on a United
on States and international organizations to combat Nations declaration on the rights of peasants and
the different forms of malnutrition and to support other people working in rural areas, established by
national plans and programmes to improve nutrition the Human Rights Council in 2012 [YUN 2012,
p. 707], held its second session (Geneva, 2–6 Febru-
in poor households, in particular those aimed at
combating undernutrition in mothers and children. ary) [A/HRC/30/55], which featured panel discussions
on the civil, political, economic, social and cultural
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION rights of peasants and other people working in rural
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General areas and gaps and on the rights of peasants and other
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- people working in rural areas in other international
mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/154 instruments and gaps; and considered the first read-
(The right to food) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. ing of the draft declaration. Following the session, the
Chairperson-Rapporteur recommended: that a third
session of the working group be held to continue ne-
Right to work gotiating on the basis of the draft declaration; and that
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March the Chairperson-Rapporteur hold informal consulta-
[A/70/53 (res. 28/15)],
the Council encouraged States to tions in the intersessional period with Governments,
consider the right to work, productive employment regional groups, intergovernmental organizations,
and decent work for all in the ongoing negotiations UN mechanisms, civil society, and representatives of
on the elaboration of the post-2015 development peasants and other people working in rural areas.
agenda; welcomed the inclusion of the promotion of Human Rights Council action. On 1 October
sustainable economic growth and decent work for all [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/13)], by a recorded vote of 31 to
as a proposed stand-alone goal in the report of the 1, with 15 abstentions, the Council decided that the
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development working group would hold its next two annual ses-
342 Part Two: Human rights

sions before the Council’s thirty-sixth (2017) session; groups in vulnerable situations, such as women and
that informal consultations would be held during the persons with disabilities; underlined the growth of
intersessional periods; and that the working group informal, unplanned settlements without adequate
would submit an annual report to the Council on services; and noted the high cost of electricity and
progress achieved. water and the need to implement safeguards for low-
income households that might be forced to jeopard-
Right to adequate housing ize other essential services to afford housing-related
expenses. The Special Rapporteur made recommenda-
Reports of Special Rapporteur. As requested tions to assist in prioritizing the betterment of housing
by the Human Rights Council [YUN 2014, p. 866], conditions and ensuring that the right to housing was
the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a secured for a greater portion of the population.
component of the right to an adequate standard of Following her visits to Serbia (18–25 May) and
living, and on the right to non-discrimination in that Kosovo (26–27 May) [A/HRC/31/54/Add.2], the Special
context, Leilani Farha (Canada), submitted a report Rapporteur noted that the right to adequate housing
[A/HRC/28/62] focusing on the roles of local and other
had been affected by a combination of changes in
subnational levels of government in the realization the political and economic system and the conse-
of the right to adequate housing. She concluded that quences of conflict, displacement and ethnic ten-
effective implementation of the right to adequate sions, all within a short period of time. Legislation,
housing could not be achieved without the proactive programmes and strategies in the housing sectors did
involvement of local and subnational governments; not appear to be human rights-based; the multiplic-
emphasized the importance of international human ity of short-term projects suggested a fragmented
rights mechanisms engaging with local governments; approach without a long-term vision that addressed
and found that communications procedures and the needs of all residents; and de facto discrimination
country missions provided positive opportunities in against minorities continued unabated. She also noted
that regard. Innovative initiatives offered opportu- the lack of mechanisms to challenge right to housing
nities to connect international human rights norms violations and to access remedies. The Special Rap-
with local housing struggles and were resulting in the porteur made recommendations to the authorities in
development of new and constructive relationships both Kosovo and Serbia.
between local levels of governments, community
groups and rights holders. The Special Rapporteur
made recommendations for consideration by States Right to health
and other stakeholders. Reports of Special Rapporteur. As requested
As requested by Human Rights Council resolu- by the Human Rights Council [YUN 2013, p. 705], the
tions 15/8 [YUN 2010, p. 741] and 25/17 [YUN 2014, new Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to
p. 866], the Secretary-General in August transmit- the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of
ted to the Assembly the report [A/70/270] of the physical and mental health, Dainius Pūras (Lithu-
Special Rapporteur, which outlined how the right ania), in April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/33] that
to adequate housing must guide the development provided an account of his activities since August
and implementation of a “new urban agenda” to be 2014; focused on the right to health framework and
adopted at Habitat III in October 2016. She dis- the development of the content of the right to health;
cussed five critical cross-cutting areas: social exclu- and reflected on the way forward based on the context,
sion: stigmatization and housing status; migration; challenges and opportunities for the realization of the
vulnerable groups; land and inequality; and infor- right to health. He observed that over the past few
mal settlements. The Special Rapporteur concluded decades, measurable improvements had been made
with recommendations for the urban rights agenda, in health indicators and realization of the right to
including eliminating homelessness and forced evic- health worldwide, which had enabled important pro-
tions; ensuring security of tenure for all households; gress in development goals, and the introduction in
and ensuring the incorporation of the right to housing many countries of health-related public policies with
in urban law, policy and programmes. a human rights and modern public health approach.
The General Assembly took note of that report on While States had the primary responsibility to en-
17 December (decision 70/533). sure a conducive environment for the realization of
Mission reports. Following her mission to Cabo the right to health, the role of other stakeholders was
Verde (19–26 January) [A/HRC/31/54/Add.1], the Special crucial. The Special Rapporteur concluded the report
Rapporteur commended the country for the priority with his observations.
accorded to housing, including declaring 2009 the In accordance with a Human Rights Council
“Year of Housing” and establishing a legal framework request [YUN 2007, p. 783], the Secretary-General in
and other right to housing mechanisms. At the same July transmitted to the Assembly the Special Rap-
time, she identified barriers to adequate housing for porteur’s report [A/70/213], which focused on the
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 343

right of children to thrive, develop in a holistic way view of the obstacles they faced; presented the type
to their full potential and enjoy good physical and and severity of the human rights violations involved;
mental health. He stressed that early childhood, a summarized actions taken at the international level
crucial time for investments in individual and soci- and by ohchr in response to the issue; and recom-
etal health, must receive more attention and a more mended initiatives for addressing some of the prob-
adequate response from all actors, including in the lems identified in the study.
post-2015 agenda. States should be more intentional Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
and explicit about the application of a human rights- [A/70/53 (res. 28/6)], the Council appointed, for a period
based approach in their laws, policies, programmes, of three years, an Independent Expert on the enjoy-
budgets and other measures, and good practices in ment of human rights by persons with albinism. It
applying human rights principles to addressing child requested the Independent Expert to integrate a gender
survival and development should be the rule rather perspective throughout the work of the mandate and
than the exception. The Special Rapporteur presented to report to the Council, starting from its thirty-first
recommendations to Governments. (2016) session, and to the General Assembly.
The General Assembly took note of that report on Appopintment of Expert. In June, the Council
17 December (decision 70/533). appointed Ikponwosa Ero (Nigeria) as the first
Mission report. Following his visit to Paraguay Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human
(23 September–6 October) [A/HRC/32/32/Add.1], the rights by persons with albinism.
Special Rapporteur noted the progress made in the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
country, in particular the advances in health-related
indicators and the expansion of primary care, and On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
commended efforts made to harmonize the norma- Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
tive framework with international human rights Committee [A/70/481], adopted resolution 70/229
standards. At the same time, he observed challenges (Persons with albinism) without vote [agenda item 28].
to the realization of the right to health connected
to the implementation of the normative and policy Human rights and HIV/AIDS
framework, and to the prevalence of inequalities,
discrimination and violence against key popula- Human Rights Council action. On 1 Octo-
tions, particularly women and girls, children and ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/8)], the Council decided to
adolescents, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender convene a panel discussion at its thirty-first (2016)
persons, persons with disabilities and people living session on the progress in and challenges of addressing
with hiv/aids. The Special Rapporteur stressed that human rights issues in the context of efforts to end the
the right to health should be realized not only through hiv/aids epidemic by 2030, on the occasion of the
access to health-care services, supplies and facilities, twentieth anniversary of the International Guidelines
but also through the implementation of cross-sectoral on hiv/aids and Human Rights [YUN 1996, p. 617];
programmes that addressed socioeconomic, cultural requested the High Commissioner to submit a sum-
and environmental factors and were guided by a mary report on the panel discussion to the Council’s
human rights-based approach. He concluded the thirty-second (2016) session; and decided to bring the
report with recommendations to the State. report to the attention of the General Assembly ahead
Human Rights Council action. On 2 Octo- of its high-level meeting on hiv/aids in 2016.
ber [A/70/53/Add.1 (PRST/30/2)], the Council noted
the heavy disease burden borne by those living in Water and sanitation
poverty, especially in developing countries; empha-
sized the importance of international cooperation in Reports of Special Rapporteur. In accordance
the area of health and in the prevention and control with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013,
of infectious diseases, with a view to strengthening p. 706], the Special Rapporteur on the human right to
capacity-building in public health; and called for safe drinking water and sanitation, Léo Heller (Bra-
the development of resilient and sustainable health zil), in August submitted a report [A/HRC/30/39] that
systems to promote health-care services for all and to focused on the issue of affordability from a human
prevent large-scale pandemics. rights perspective and discussed the importance of
setting standards to determine affordability, including
Human rights and albinism for populations that did not receive formal services;
affordability in the context of ensuring environmental
Advisory Committee study. Pursuant to Council and economic sustainability; and the impact of dis-
resolution 24/33 [YUN 2013, p. 705], the Human Rights connections as a result of inability to pay. The Special
Council Advisory Committee in February submitted Rapporteur concluded that ensuring the provision of
a study [A/HRC/28/75] on the human rights situation affordable water and sanitation services for all people
of persons living with albinism that provided an over- required a paradigm shift to a human rights approach.
344 Part Two: Human rights

Economic sustainability and affordability for all peo- advantage of the opportunities in the ongoing water
ple could be reconciled, but human rights required sector reform, revise the Water Code, prioritize rural
rethinking lines of argumentation and redesigning water and sanitation, and invest in rehabilitation and
instruments. The main challenge was to ensure that reconstruction of old infrastructure, as well as in the
targeted measures reached the people who relied on maintenance of new and existing services.
them most and that public finance and subsidies Following his mission to Botswana (9–17 No-
reached the most marginalized and disadvantaged vember) [A/HRC/33/49/Add.3], the Special Rapporteur
individuals and communities, who were often not noted that impressive progress had been made in
connected to a formal network, lived in informal development, mainly in urban areas, but there were
settlements or in remote rural areas where self-supply striking inequalities in access to water and sanitation in
was common, and were overlooked or deliberately rural and remote areas, resettlements and poor urban
ignored in policymaking and planning. The Special settlements. People in transition from a nomadic to
Rapporteur offered recommendations for States and a settled life and women and girls suffered the lack
encouraged States and international organizations to of access to water and sanitation disproportionately.
explore options for global monitoring of affordable In addition to geographic challenges, Botswana fre-
access to services. quently experienced droughts. In order to address an
In a July addendum [A/HRC/30/39/Add.1], the Special extreme shortage of available water, the Special Rap-
Rapporteur outlined the priorities of the mandate for porteur recalled that the State obligation to use the
the period 2014–2017 and invited stakeholders world- maximum available resources included international
wide to contribute ideas and suggestions. cooperation. He recommended that the Government
In accordance with a Human Rights Council identify its needs and request assistance, and de-
request [YUN 2013, p. 706], the Secretary-General velop a strategy for providing uninterrupted access
in July transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report to safe drinking water and sanitation in the foreseen
[A/70/203] providing an overview of the human rights increasing water stress. He also recommended that
framework for water, sanitation and hygiene. It de- development partners continuously offer their support,
scribed the human rights standards and principles financially and otherwise, to the people of Botswana.
that served to assess different levels and types of
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
service; assessed different types of service through
the lens of the human rights framework, including On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
connections to a piped network, communal or shared Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
facilities and individual on-site solutions; and situated mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/169
the human rights analysis of types of service in the (The human rights to safe drinking water and
context of States’ obligations to progressively realize sanitation) without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
human rights. He emphasized that the types of service
and management model for a given location’s water, World drug problem and human rights
sanitation and hygiene services must be assessed in
the light of human rights standards and principles, as Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
well as the principles of core obligations, progressive [A/70/53 (res. 28/28)],
the Council requested the High
realization and use of maximum available resources. Commissioner to submit to its thirtieth (2015) session
He concluded the report with recommendations for a study on the impact of the world drug problem on
consideration by States. the enjoyment of human rights with recommenda-
Mission reports. Following his mission to Tajik- tions on the protection and promotion of human
istan (4–12 August) [A/HRC/33/49/Add.2], the Special rights in the context of the world drug problem, with
Rapporteur noted that the country had achieved particular consideration for the needs of persons af-
a high coverage of access to improved water and fected and persons in vulnerable situations. The
sanitation under the framework of the Millennium Council decided to convene a panel discussion at its
Development Goals [YUN 2000, p. 51]. The level of thirtieth (2015) session on the issue, informed by the
services, however, might not meet the new crite- study’s findings; requested ohchr to prepare a sum-
ria under the sustainable development goals (see mary report on the panel discussion; and invited the
p. 396), and most of the country’s infrastructure, High Commissioner to submit to the Commission
built during the Soviet period, was on the verge of on Narcotic Drugs, through the Executive Director
collapse. Other concerns included the lack of water of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime,
and sanitation in public institutions, which had a the Council’s contribution to the special session of
negative impact on the rights to health, education, the General Assembly on the world drug problem to
work and life; and in rural areas, where more than be held in 2016.
one-third of the population used unimproved water Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
sources. The Special Rapporteur made recommen- Council resolution 28/28 (see above), ohchr in De-
dations for the Government, among others, to take cember submitted a summary report [A/HRC/31/45] on
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 345

the panel discussion on the impact of the world drug available. Yet they also gave patent-holders the power
problem on the enjoyment of human rights (Geneva, to deny access to others, thereby limiting or denying
28 September), informed by the findings of the High the public’s right of participation to science and cul-
Commissioner’s study [A/HRC/30/65]. A number of ture. The Special Rapporteur concluded the report
States noted that the world drug problem constituted with recommendations on ensuring transparency and
a challenge to safety, national security, socioeconomic public participation in law-making; ensuring the com-
and political stability, the health and well-being of patibility of patent laws, policies and practices with
populations and sustainable development, which were human rights; exclusions, exceptions and flexibilities;
compounded because of the illicit activities of criminal adopting policies fostering the right to science and cul-
organizations connected to drug trafficking. Specific ture; and indigenous peoples and local communities.
areas highlighted included the right to health, criminal The General Assembly took note of that report on
justice issues and non-discrimination and specifically 17 December (decision 70/533).
affected groups. Panellists stressed the need for differ- Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
ent approaches to drug policy; a global drug policy [A/70/53 (res. 28/9)], the Council extended the Special
based on human rights, public health and development Rapporteur’s mandate for three years; and requested
principles; avoiding militarization of drug policy and the Rapporteur to report annually to the Council and
counter-trafficking; drug prevention; alternatives to the Assembly.
incarceration; and free legal aid to drug users.
Appointment. In October, the Council ap-
pointed Karima Bennoune (United States) as new
Cultural rights Special Rapporteur.
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In response to
a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2012, p. 712], Cultural diversity
the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights,
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
Farida Shaheed (Pakistan), submitted a report [A/
General Assembly resolution 68/159 [YUN 2013,
HRC/28/57] that examined copyright law and policy
p. 708], the Secretary-General in July submitted a
from the perspective of the right to science and culture,
report [A/70/167] which summarized submissions
emphasizing both the need for protection of author-
from 13 States and the United Nations Educational,
ship and for expanding opportunities for participation
Scientific and Cultural Organization (unesco), on
in cultural life. Recalling that protection of author-
measures taken to promote cultural diversity and to
ship differed from copyright protection, she proposed
protect the cultural rights of national minorities.
tools to advance the human rights interests of authors.
Such human rights perspective focused attention on GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
themes that might be lost when copyright was treated
primarily in terms of trade: the social function and On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
human dimension of intellectual property; the public Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
interests at stake; the need to design copyright rules mittee [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/156
to genuinely benefit authors; special consideration for (Human rights and cultural diversity) by a recorded
the impact of copyright law upon marginalized or vul- vote (133-54-0) [agenda item 72 (b)].
nerable groups; and the importance of transparency RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/156:
and public participation in policymaking, of broad In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar-
diffusion and cultural freedom, and of not-for-profit gentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
cultural production and innovation. The Special Rap- Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,
porteur concluded the report with recommendations Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo
Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic,
addressing those and other areas. Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
In response to Council resolution 28/9 (see be- Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
low), the Secretary-General in August transmitted the Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt,
Special Rapporteur’s report [A/70/279 & Corr.1], which El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ga-
addressed the implications of patent policy for the bon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-
Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,
human right to science and culture. She reaffirmed Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait,
the distinction between intellectual property rights Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon,
and human rights, emphasizing that the right to the Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
protection of the moral and material interests of au- Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozam-
thors did not necessarily coincide with the prevail- bique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nige-
ria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,
ing approach to intellectual property law. There was Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and
no human right to patent protection. Patents, when Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa,
properly structured, could expand the options and Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Is-
well-being of all people by making new possibilities lands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan,
346 Part Two: Human rights

Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai- Mission reports. Following his visit to Algeria
land, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuni- (27 January–3 February) [A/HRC/29/30/Add.2], the
sia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates,
United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Special Rapporteur welcomed the Government’s
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. efforts to realize the right to education, in terms
Against: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia both of school and university infrastructure and in
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech the level of resources allocated to the sector, includ-
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ger- ing scholarships for pupils and students, free text-
many, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mar-
books and transport services. The rate of enrolment
shall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, at the primary level exceeded 97 per cent and parity
New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal, Republic of in education access for boys and girls had largely been
Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, achieved at all levels. Girls were in the majority and
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former obtained better results than boys at the university
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United level. However, Algeria faced several challenges in
Kingdom, United States.
Abstaining: None. implementing the right to education, chief among
them quality. Problems in the education system in-
cluded school dropout, a high rate of grade repetition
Right to education
and classroom overcrowding. The Special Rapporteur
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In response to made recommendations on improving the quality
a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 869], and performance of the education system; long-
the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, term investment in education; vocational training;
Kishore Singh (India), in June submitted a report school dropout; a national strategy on early child-
[A/HRC/29/30] focusing on the rapid increase in the hood development; and the teaching of Tamazight, a
number of private education providers, the resulting national language.
commercialization of education, and the negative Algeria in June submitted its comments on the
effects on the norms and principles underlying the report [A/HRC/29/30/Add.3].
legal framework of the right to education as estab-
Following his visit to Fiji (8–15 December)
lished by international human rights treaties. He con-
[A/HRC/32/37/Add.1], the Special Rapporteur noted that
cluded that education as a public function of States
was being eroded by market-driven approaches and the right to education had been established by the new
rapid growth of private providers, with scant control Constitution, adopted in 2013; the Government had
by public authorities. He emphasized that regulating undertaken important reforms; an unprecedented
private providers was essential to mitigate the negative increase in financial resources had been devoted to
effects on students, education systems and societies. education; and universal access to basic education
The Special Rapporteur offered recommendations had been achieved. However, despite the reforms and
on developing regulatory frameworks for control- national efforts, student education attainment re-
ling private providers of education and safeguarding mained below expectations, disparities between rural
education as a public good. and urban students and between iTaukei and other
In response to a Human Rights Council request students remained, and measures were needed to im-
[YUN 2014, p. 869], the Secretary-General in August
prove the quality of the education system. The Special
transmitted to the General Assembly a report [A/70/342] Rapporteur made recommendations on overcom-
of the Special Rapporteur examining public-private ing disparities in education; modernizing education
partnerships in education and highlighting their law; upgrading standards and quality of education;
implications for the right to education and for the strengthening the teaching profession and vocational
principles of social justice and equity. He noted that training; funding education; and the role of parents
public-private partnerships in education were becom- and the community.
ing endemic at all levels. Lured by false propaganda, Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
Governments turned to the private sector for financial [A/70/53 (res. 29/7)], the Council called on relevant
support, better education management and even run- stakeholders to ensure that the post-2015 development
ning the education system. He stressed that a dif- agenda fostered the universal realization of the right
ferentiated approach to public-private partnerships to education; and called on States to eliminate gender-
was necessary to distinguish partners with for-profit based discrimination and all forms of violence in
business interests in education from those who were schools and other educational settings; take measures
committed to a social interest in education, especially to ensure inclusive, equitable and non-discriminatory
those with a genuine philanthropic spirit. The Special quality education; and promote learning opportuni-
Rapporteur concluded the report with a series of ties for all.
recommendations. Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
The General Assembly took note of that report on Council resolution 27/6 [YUN 2014, p 869], the High
17 December (decision 70/533). Commissioner in July submitted a summary report
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 347

[A/HRC/30/23] on the panel discussion on the equal the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable
enjoyment of the right to education by every girl (Ge- environment for a three-year period; and requested
neva, 16 June). Panellists highlighted the importance the Special Rapporteur to convene an expert seminar
of adopting legislation and other polices on education on the implementation of those human rights obliga-
in accordance with human rights standards; agreed tions and submit a summary report on the seminar to
that basic services such as separate sanitation facili- the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session.
ties and hygiene kits had enormous benefits in the Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to
enrolment and retention of girls in schools; high- Human Rights Council resolution 28/11 (see above),
lighted that comprehensive sexuality education in the Secretariat in December transmitted the report
school curricula was a key action to help girls avoid of the Special Rapporteur on the expert seminar (Ge-
early pregnancy and address harmful practices such neva, 26–27 October) [A/HRC/31/53]. Drawing on the
as female genital mutilation and child, early and expert seminar, organized by ohchr and the United
forced marriage; and noted that education outcomes Nations Environment Programme (unep), a public
for girls were closely linked to the division of labour consultation held by the Special Rapporteur on
between the sexes, gender stereotypes and gender- 28 October, and more than 40 written submissions,
based discrimination, violence and abuse. Panellists the Rapporteur described possible methods of im-
recommended that quality primary education should plementing human rights obligations relating to the
be compulsory and free, and stressed the importance enjoyment of a healthy environment. The methods
of the transition to secondary education. provided a wide range of approaches that would dis-
seminate information about the human rights norms
Environmental and scientific concerns relating to the environment; build capacity; protect
the rights of the most vulnerable; and strengthen co-
Human rights and the environment operation between different actors. The Special Rap-
Report of Independent Expert. In accordance porteur concluded that he would draw on the propo-
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2012, sals as a guide to his own work on implementation.
p. 713], the Independent Expert on the issue of In March [A/HRC/28/61/Add.2], France submitted
human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment its comments on the Special Rapporteur’s visit to the
of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, country in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 869].
John H. Knox (United States) submitted his third
report [A/HRC/28/61], which focused on identifying Climate change
and promoting best practices in the use of human Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
rights obligations and commitments to strengthen Council resolution 26/27 [YUN 2014, p. 869], a full-day
environmental policymaking, especially in the area panel discussion on human rights and climate change
of environmental protection, and preparing a com- (Geneva, 6 March) was held during the Council’s
pendium of best practices. The report examined prac- twenty-eighth (2015) session [A/HRC/28/2]. The first
tices of national and subnational Governments, in- part of the panel focused on challenges and ways
ternational organizations, civil society organizations, forward in realizing human rights for all, including
corporations and others that met environmental the right to development, in particular for those in
human rights obligations in ways that went beyond vulnerable situations. Panellists discussed measures
the minimum standards. The Independent Expert that could be adopted by States in addressing the neg-
concluded that the practices described in the report ative effects of climate change on human rights. The
demonstrated concrete, innovative ways in which the second part focused on the adverse impacts of climate
fulfilment of human rights obligations could help change on States’ efforts to realize the right to food,
make environmental policies more fair, effective and as well as policies, lessons learned and good practices.
respectful of the concerns of those most affected by Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
environmental harm. He encouraged all those inter- [A/70/53 (res. 29/15)], the Council decided to convene
ested in human rights and the environment to review a panel discussion at its thirty-first (2016) session on
the compendium of practices and drew attention to the adverse impact of climate change on States’ efforts
two areas that required further attention: clarifying to realize the right of everyone to enjoy the highest
and implementing human rights obligations on trans- attainable standard of physical and mental health and
boundary environmental harm, in particular global related policies, lessons learned and good practices. It
harm caused by climate change; and protecting the requested ohchr to prepare a summary report of the
rights of environmental human rights defenders. discussion; and to conduct an analytical study on the
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March relationship between climate change and the right to
[A/70/53 (res. 28/11)], the Council extended the mandate physical and mental health, to be submitted to the
of the current mandate holder as a special rapporteur Council prior to its thirty-first (2016) session with a
on the issue of human rights obligations relating to view to informing the panel discussion.
348 Part Two: Human rights

Secretariat note. By a note of 4 December, the forms of slavery in supply chains. She applauded the
Secretariat [A/HRC/31/36] informed the Human Rights passing of national laws, which reflected an increas-
Council that ohchr would submit the analytical ing global concern with transparency, reporting and
study requested in Council resolution 29/15 (see human rights due diligence obligations, and noted
p. 347) at the Council’s thirty-second (2016) session. that the framework emerging from the UN system
had provided greater clarity on how to operationalize
Toxic waste the responsibility of business to respect human rights
Report of Special Rapporteur. In accordance and the obligations of States to address business-
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, related human rights abuses. The Special Rapporteur
p. 870], the Special Rapporteur on the implications
concluded the report with recommendations to States
for human rights of the environmentally sound on ratifying international instruments on prohibiting
management and disposal of hazardous substances slavery; enacting a national action plan on business
and waste, Başkut Tuncak (Turkey), in July submitted and human rights; strengthening institutional
a report [A/HRC/30/40] clarifying the scope and con- frameworks and enforcement mechanisms; prohib-
tent of the right to information throughout the life iting fraudulent and abusive recruitment practices;
cycle of hazardous substances and wastes and iden- and researching, collecting and analysing data on the
tifying challenges that had emerged in realizing that scope and prevalence of contemporary forms of slav-
right, as well as potential solutions to those problems. ery in supply chains.
He concluded that over the past several decades, tens Mission report. Following her visit to Belgium
of thousands of different hazardous substances had (19–26 February) [A/HRC/30/35/Add.2], the Special
been used by businesses with inadequate information Rapporteur analysed the normative framework and
on their properties and uses, as well as their fate as the multidisciplinary and multi-level institutional
waste, to assess their impacts on human rights. He mechanism to combat contemporary forms of slav-
made recommendations to States on ensuring that ery. She examined economic exploitation and forced
such information was available, accessible and func- labour, domestic servitude, forced child begging
tional; and on ensuring non-discrimination in the and forced marriage; acknowledged the comprehen-
generation, collection or production of information. siveness of the Belgian legislative and institutional
framework to address those issues; and drew atten-
Mission reports. Following his visit to Kazakh-
tion to the continued challenges of prevention, vic-
stan (26 March–8 April) [A/HRC/30/40/Add.1 & Corr.1],
tim detection and identification, and the right to an
the Special Rapporteur commended the Government’s
effective remedy. The report concluded with recom-
progress in addressing both legacy and emerging toxic
mendations on assisting the Government in address-
substance issues, as well as its stated commitment to
ing the remaining gaps related to contemporary forms
protect and promote human rights. He made recom-
of slavery.
mendations to the Government on minimizing the
negative impact of hazardous substances and wastes
on human rights, including assessing and periodically Trust fund on slavery
re-assessing policies and programmes relevant to the Report of Secretary-General. The Secretary-
production, use, release and disposal of hazardous General reported [A/71/272] on the United Nations
substances and wastes against human rights laws and Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of
standards. He also advised the Government to inte- Slavery. The Fund’s Board of Trustees, at its twen-
grate human rights into the management of chemicals tieth session (Geneva, 23–27 November) recom-
and wastes through national, public-health, labour, mended 42 project grants amounting to $580,100 to
social, economic and environmental programmes, assist ngo projects in 34 countries in 2016. The High
Kazakhstan in August submitted its comments on Commissioner approved those recommendations on
the report [A/HRC/30/40/Add.2]. behalf of the Secretary-General. During 2015, the
Fund received contributions and pledges amounting
Slavery and related issues to $514,688 from seven Member States and the Holy
See. The Board reiterated that the Fund would need
Report of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a a minimum of $2 million in annual contributions to
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013, p. 712], the fulfil its mandate.
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery,
including its causes and consequences, Urmila Bhoola Slavery and transatlantic slave trade
(South Africa) in July submitted a report [A/HRC/30/35]
covering activities since her previous report [YUN 2014, Commemorative meeting. On 25 March [A/69/
p. 870] and providing a thematic study on enforcing PV.83],the General Assembly held its commemora-
the accountability of States and businesses for pre- tive meeting on the occasion of the International Day
venting, mitigating and redressing contemporary of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 349

Transatlantic Slave Trade, which included a statement in voluntary contributions from Member States,
by Sylviane Diouf, Curator of Digital Collections at $230,471 in public and private donations and $61,923
the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in interest income. The Fund had an unspent balance
of the New York Public Library. The meeting was also of $16,908.
addressed by the Assembly President, the Secretary-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
General, Member States on behalf of regional groups
and the representative of the host country. On 4 November [meeting 46], the General Assembly
Report of Secretary-General. In accordance adopted resolution 70/7 [draft: A/70/L.5 & Add.1] (Per-
with Assembly resolution 69/19 [YUN 2014, p. 871], the manent memorial to and remembrance of the vic-
Secretary-General in July submitted a report [A/70/221] tims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade)
on the programme of educational outreach on the without vote [agenda item 118].
transatlantic slave trade and slavery. The theme of the
2015 commemoration, “Women and slavery”, paid
tribute to enslaved women who succeeded in trans- Vulnerable groups
mitting their African culture to their descendants and
to those who made efforts to combat slavery. The UN
Department of Public Information, in the context of Women
its “Remember slavery” programme, organized a series Violence against women
of activities throughout 2015, including observance
of the International Day (25 March) with the unveil- Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to
ing of the permanent memorial, The Ark of Return, a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013, p. 715],
educational briefings in cooperation with unesco and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women,
others, film screenings, discussions, cultural events its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo (South
and an exhibition. The Department also mobilized Africa), in June submitted a report [A/HRC/29/27]
its network of UN information centres, used social that covered her activities since her previous report
media platforms and engaged in partnerships with [YUN 2014, p. 872] and provided an overview of the le-
Member States and civil society actors to raise aware- gally binding provisions, implementing mechanisms
ness of the programme, the International Day and the and relevant jurisprudence regarding violence against
permanent memorial. women in three regional human rights systems: the
African, European and Inter-American systems. She
On 23 December, the Assembly decided that the
noted that the three systems had developed legally
agenda item on the follow-up to the commemoration binding instruments and had set up mechanisms
of the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of to address women’s human rights broadly, based on
the transatlantic slave trade would remain for consid- regional needs and understandings and on lessons
eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session learned from the international system. The lack of,
(decision 70/554). or minimal, development within other regions of the
world on legally binding normative frameworks on
Permanent memorial women’s human rights and violence against women
Report of Secretary-General. As requested by was a source of concern. The Special Rapporteur
Assembly resolution 69/19, the Secretary-General in highlighted that in order for the regional systems to
July reported [A/70/136] on the status of the United reinforce universal human rights standards, a legally
Nations Trust Fund for Partnerships–Permanent Me- binding framework on violence against women and
morial, established to erect a permanent memorial in girls was essential within the UN system. Such an in-
honour of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic strument should ensure that States were held account-
slave trade. The permanent memorial, The Ark of Re- able to legally binding standards, provide a clear nor-
turn, by architect Rodney Leon, was unveiled by the mative framework for the protection of women and
Secretary-General and the President of the resumed girls globally, and have a monitoring body to provide
sixty-ninth (2015) session of the General Assembly in-depth analysis of both general and country-level
at a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York on developments.
25 March, the International Day of Remembrance In accordance with General Assembly resolution
of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave 69/147 [YUN 2014, p. 1278], the Secretary-General
Trade, in the presence of, among others, the Prime in July transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report
Minister of Jamaica, the unesco Director General, [A/70/209], which focused on violence against women
the Chair of the Permanent Memorial Committee, the in three regional human rights systems: the African,
Permanent Representative of India and the Permanent European and inter-American systems. She concluded
Observer of the African Union to the United Nations. that discussions on the normative gap in international
As at 25 June 2015, $2,043,968 had been recorded law in respect of violence against women and the sub-
as income under the Fund, including $1,751,574 missions received from organizations and individ-
350 Part Two: Human rights

uals indicated the need for deeper discussions at the ohchr to present a summary report on the discussion
United Nations. As there was sufficient and applica- to the Council’s thirtieth (2015) session.
ble international law in existence, focus should be on
developing strategies and action plans for implement- Female genital mutilation
ing laws at the national level. The Special Rappor- OHCHR report. Pursuant to a Human Rights
teur also emphasized that it was time to consider the Council request [YUN 2014, p. 873], ohchr in March
development and adoption of a binding international submitted a report [A/HRC/29/20 & Corr.1] on good
instrument on violence against women and girls. practices and challenges in preventing and eliminat-
The General Assembly took note of that report on ing female genital mutilation (fgm), which provided
17 December (decision 70/531). an overview of issues related to the practice and the
Appointment. In August, the Council appointed applicable legal framework; a summary of initiatives
Dubravka Šimonovic (Croatia) as the new Special undertaken by States, UN entities, ngos and other
Rapporteur. organizations to eliminate it; and an analysis of the
Mission reports. Following her visit to the Sudan continuing challenges. Ohchr concluded that States
had the obligation to protect and fulfil the right of
(13–24 May) [A/HRC/32/42/Add.1 & Corr.1], the Special
women and girls to live free from fgm, and stressed
Rapporteur recognized the historical, political and
that good practices in a number of countries should
environmental context characterizing the country.
be supported, increased in scale and replicated. The
That context, defined by the insecurity of the pro-
report called on States to adopt and implement leg-
tracted conflict, extreme poverty and underdevel-
islation that prohibited fgm; develop policies to ad-
opment, food insecurity, drought and the massive
dress fgm; promote the education of girls; undertake
internal displacement of people, required measures to
education and awareness-raising initiatives; challenge
address individual, institutional and structural barri-
the social norms supporting fgm; delink the practice
ers in order to achieve national reconciliation, political
from religion, social norms, harmful stereotypes
and social reforms, and the guarantee of security, and cultural beliefs that perpetuated discrimination
as well as to address past and current violations of against women; harness political leadership to end the
human rights. She concluded that the proposed di- practice; and harmonize data collection.
alogue on a national rebuilding process provided a
unique opportunity to promote respect for human
rights for all, including addressing violence against Trafficking in women and girls
women and girls. The Special Rapporteur made rec- Reports of Special Rapporteur. In response to a
ommendations to the Government, UN agencies, the Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 874], the
donor community, and civil society, the media and Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, espe-
the Sudanese diaspora. cially women and children, Maria Grazia Giammarin-
Following her mission to South Africa (4–11 De- aro (Italy), in March submitted a report [A/HRC/29/38]
cember) [A/HRC/32/42/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur reviewing her activities since her June 2014 appoint-
noted that the country had a progressive Constitu- ment [YUN 2014, p. 874], looking into the trends and
tion, solid legislation, such as the Domestic Violence challenges of trafficking in persons, and focusing on
Act and the Sexual Offences Act, and policies to deal the link between trafficking in persons and economic
with gender-based violence. It had also adhered to in- trends; trafficking and mixed migration flows;
ternational and regional instruments that protected trafficking and conflicts; the protection of children
women’s rights. Despite that progress, there had been on th move; a gendered perspective of trafficking; and
gaps in incorporation and a failure to give full effect trafficking and social inclusion. She defined the legal
to the principle of substantive gender equality, the and policy frameworks of her mandate and set out the
prohibition of discrimination against women, and agenda of her intended action, including a focus on
the lack of a holistic and comprehensive approach prevention of trafficking as a social issue. The Special
to prevent and combat violence against women. The Rapporteur stressed the importance of the role and
Special Rapporteur made recommendations to the views of ngos, including in providing information to
Government on law and policy reform; investigation, her and in engaging with her as she conducted her
prosecution, support services and protective measures; work on combating trafficking in persons.
national mechanisms; and data collection. In an April addendum [A/HRC/29/38/Add.2], the
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July Special Rapporteur presented a report of the second
[A/70/53 (res. 29/14)], the Council called on States to consultative meeting (Bangkok, 21–22 May 2014) on
take action to prevent domestic violence; welcomed strengthening partnerships with national rapporteurs
the panel discussion on domestic violence against on trafficking in persons and equivalent mechanism
women and girls held at the Council’s twenty-ninth convened by the former Special Rapporteur, Joy Ngozi
(2015) session during the annual full-day discussion Ezeilo (Nigeria). The report contained the outcomes
on women’s human rights (see p. 352); and requested of the discussions of the experts from 26 countries
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 351

who shared their experiences in prevention efforts discrimination against women and girls in cultural
and in the protection of and assistance to victims of and family life. It found that the cultural construction
trafficking. The report concluded with recommen- of gender made women’s subjection to gender-based
dations to strengthen the institutional framework of discrimination and violence appear to be immutable.
national rapporteurs and equivalent mechanisms in The patriarchal family was the product of that con-
addressing trafficking in persons; enhance collabora- struction and the most important social mechanism
tion between regional and subregional frameworks and for its perpetuation. The Working Group stressed the
national rapporteurs and equivalent mechanisms; and need to apply the principle of women’s right to equality
foster cooperation between State and non-State actors in all forms of family law, in secular family law
and national rapporteurs and equivalent mechanisms. systems, State-enforced religious family law systems
In response to a Human Rights Council request and plural systems. Concluding that States must act as
[YUN 2014, p. 874], the Secretary-General in August an agent of change by fostering and creating a culture
transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report [A/70/260] free of all forms of discrimination against women, the
covering her activities and focusing on due diligence Working Group made recommendations, drawing on
and trafficking in persons. The due diligence principle good practices, for the establishment of true equality
was a well-established component of a State’s obliga- between the sexes in cultural and family life.
tions to address acts by private actors by protecting Mission reports. Following its visit to Senegal
victims against such abuses, punishing the perpetra- (7–17 April) [A/HRC/32/44/Add.1], the Working Group
tors, and ensuring remedies for victims. As it was non- found that despite progress made in terms of its leg-
State actors who most often perpetrated trafficking, islation and policies for the promotion of women’s
the application of States’ due diligence obligations rights and gender equality, the country must redouble
concerning non-State actors was critical for ensuring its efforts by strengthening the rule of law; combating
the rights of trafficked persons. The report addressed cultural resistance to women’s full enjoyment of
legal and operational questions about what due dili- their rights; no longer invoking freedom of religion
gence on trafficking in persons required of States with to justify discrimination against women; providing
respect to non-State actors and concluded with a series women with access to quality education and income-
of recommendations. generating activities; and suppressing corruption and
The General Assembly took note of that report on impunity to ensure their access to effective justice.
17 December (decision 70/533). The Working Group concluded the report with rec-
Mission report. Following her mission to Malay- ommendations on ways to eliminate discrimination
sia (23–28 February) [A/HRC/29/38/Add.1], the Special and promote equality.
Rapporteur, while recognizing the country’s efforts Following its visit to the United States (30 No-
to fight trafficking in persons, noted that it was dif- vember–11 December) [A/HRC/32/44/Add.2], the
ficult to determine the trends and scope of trafficking Working Group concluded that women were left
in the absence of a comprehensive assessment. The behind in terms of international standards regarding
State’s focus was on combating the sexual exploita- their public and political representation, economic
tion of women and girls, with little attention paid to and social rights, and health and safety protections
trafficking for labour exploitation. Other concerns in- The extreme polarization of politics had affected the
cluded the gap in the immigration policy’s capacity to Government’s ability to ratify the Convention on the
quickly and accurately identify victims of trafficking; Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
the corruption of some enforcement officials; the Women and introduce measures to guarantee wom-
low rate of prosecution of trafficking cases; and the en’s human rights; and women in certain groups were
stay of victims of trafficking in shelters, which might in a situation of heightened vulnerability, including
amount to detention. The Special Rapporteur made women who were poor; Native American, African-
recommendations to the Government on the national American, Hispanic and Asian women; ethnic minor-
framework; identification, training and capacity- ity women; migrant women; lesbian, bisexual, trans-
building; support services for victims of trafficking; gender or intersex persons; women with disabilities;
prosecution, and prevention. and older women. The Working Group presented its
recommendations for further progress in eliminating
discrimination and promoting equality.
Discrimination against women in law
and in practice Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
[A/70/53 (res. 29/4)], the Council called on States to en-
Working group activities. In accordance with a sure women’s equal enjoyment of all human rights;
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2010, p. 751], the take measures to eliminate discrimination against
Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in matters relating to marriage and family
women in law and in practice in April submitted a relations; and accelerate efforts to ensure account-
report [A/HRC/29/40] which summarized its activities ability and due diligence for acts that violated wom-
since its last report [YUN 2014, p. 874] and examined en’s rights. It also urged States to recognize the role
352 Part Two: Human rights

that the media could play in eliminating gender ster- [YUN 2006, p. 916]. Those initiatives had helped to
eotypes and in promoting gender equality. shape the post-2015 development agenda; promoted
On 1 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (dec. 30/115)], pursuant standards to address violence against children in the
to statement PRST/29/1 (see p. 291), the Council ex- criminal justice system; consolidated cross-regional
tended the term of the Working Group for two regu- commitments to children’s protection from violence;
lar sessions of the Council. and strengthened national policy and legal action
aimed at preventing and eliminating violence. The
report also highlighted the potential and risks as-
Mainstreaming women’s human rights sociated with children’s use of new information and
Panel discussions. Pursuant to Human Rights communication technologies.
Council resolutions 6/30 [YUN 2007, p. 787] and 29/14 In response to Assembly resolution 69/157
(see p. 350), ohchr submitted a summary report [YUN 2014, p. 764], the Special Representative in Au-
[A/HRC/30/70] on the annual full-day discussion on gust submitted to the Assembly a report [A/70/289]
women’s human rights held during the Council’s that highlighted the progress achieved, but noted
twenty-ninth (2015) session (Geneva, 19 June). The that further efforts were needed to translate the vi-
meeting comprised two panel discussions: one on sion of the UN study on protecting children against
eliminating and preventing domestic violence against violence into reality for all children. The year 2016
women and girls and another on women’s human would mark the study’s tenth anniversary and the
rights and participation in power and decision- start of implementation of the new sustainable
making. Panellists highlighted the linkages between development agenda, with its strategic target of end-
economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive ing all forms of violence against children. The Special
health and rights, and domestic violence, and the Representative stressed the need to seize the historic
importance of shifting the focus from awareness opportunity of the new agenda and the study’s an-
towards behavioural change. They recommended niversary to place children’s protection from violence
that States adopt a transformative agenda to address at the centre of policy action of every nation; and to
the root causes of domestic violence such as poverty, increase investment and re-energize action to build a
lack of education, gender stereotypes, negative social world where every child was free from fear and from
attitudes and norms that tolerated violence. Panellists violence.
agreed that gender stereotypes, prejudices and patri-
archal structures continued to have a negative impact Sale of children, child prostitution
on gender equality, and that the situation was exacer- and child pornography
bated by negative portrayals of women in the media.
There was a need for greater recognition of women Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a
as agents of change; for laws, policies and plans to be Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 876],
gender sensitive and fully implemented; for education the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children,
and teaching girls and boys, at as early an age as possi- child prostitution and child pornography, Maud de
ble, about gender equality; and for empowering young Boer-Buquicchio (Netherlands) submitted a report
women with the tools to become leaders. [A/HRC/28/56] covering her activities since she took
office in June 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 876], outlining the
By resolution 70/138 of 17 December (see p. 559),
strategic direction of her tenure, and presenting
the General Assembly requested all human rights
a thematic study on the issue of information and
treaty bodies and Human Rights Council mecha-
communication technologies (icts) and the sale and
nisms, including the special procedures, to adopt a
sexual exploitation of children. She observed that
gender perspective in implementing their mandates
children were among those who were most familiar
and to report on the qualitative analysis of violations
with icts, and while technologies offered oppor-
of women and girls’ human rights.
tunities for children, they also presented new risks
and threats. Criminal behaviour facilitated by new
Children technologies included online child abuse material
and online sexual exploitation of children. Icts also
Violence against children facilitated new forms of criminal behaviour, such
Reports of Special Representative. Pursuant to as live streaming of child abuse and online solicita-
General Assembly resolution 68/147 [YUN 2013, p. 603], tion of children. The Special Rapporteur advocated
the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on a holistic approach towards combating the sale and
violence against children, Marta Santos Pais (Portu- sexual exploitation of children facilitated through new
gal) submitted her annual report [A/HRC/28/55], which technologies and recommended actions to that end.
provided an overview of initiatives she had developed In accordance with Assembly resolution 69/157,
to make progress in implementing the recommenda- the Secretary-General in July transmitted the
tions of the UN study on violence against children Special Rapporteur’s report [A/70/222], which covered
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 353

activities since her previous report [YUN 2014, p. 876] on the Regulation and Punishment of Acts Relating
and contained a study on the effects of sexual exploi- to Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, and the
tation on child victims; measures of implementation Protection of Children. She concluded the report with
of the right to care, recovery and reintegration of further recommendations.
child victims; and recommendations for establishing
comprehensive, rights-based and child-centred care, Technology and child sexual exploitation
recovery and reintegration programmes. The Special Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
Rapporteur concluded that sexual exploitation and [A/70/53 (res. 28/19)], the Council decided to focus its
related sale and trafficking caused physical, sexual, next (2016) full-day meeting on the rights of the child
cognitive, psychological and social harm to child vic- on the theme “Information and communications
tims. The short-, medium- and long-term effects on technology and child sexual exploitation”; requested
their health, education, development and well-being ohchr to submit a report on that issue to the Coun-
were significant and must be addressed. She made cil’s thirty-first (2016) session; and requested the High
recommendations to States and the international Commissioner to circulate a summary report on the
community. next (2016) full-day meeting.
Mission reports. Following her visit to Armenia OHCHR report. Pursuant to Human Rights
(12–18 May) [A/HRC/31/58/Add.2], the Special Rappor- Council resolution 28/19 (see above), ohchr in
teur highlighted legislative initiatives, institutional December submitted a report [A/HRC/31/34 & corr.1]
framework and child protection policies implemented that analysed the legal framework applicable to
to combat and prevent the sale and sexual exploita- child sexual exploitation online; identified the dif-
tion of children, as well as measures to provide care, ferent forms of sexual exploitation online, including
recovery and reintegration for child victims. Progress sexual abuse material, grooming, “sextorsion” and live
included combating trafficking in persons, reducing streaming of child sexual abuse; focused on ways of
the placement of children in residential care, and preventing the phenomenon through legislation and
limiting intercountry adoptions to a measure of last empowerment strategies for children and caregivers;
resort in terms of childcare. At the same time, she and presented examples of good practices. Ohchr
had learned about numerous cases of abuse, violence concluded that efforts had been made at different
and exploitation of children, which went undetected levels to ensure effective laws and policies to protect
and unreported, and observed multidimensional fac- children and presented recommendations to States.
tors, such as poverty and gender inequality, which in-
creased the vulnerability of children to sexual exploi-
tation and sale. The Special Rapporteur called on the Child, early and forced marriage
Government to launch awareness-raising campaigns Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
and education programmes on the rights of the child, [A/70/53 (res. 29/8)],
the Council recognized that child,
combat violence against children in all settings and early and forced marriage constituted a violation of
assume its primary responsibility in ensuring the right human rights and a harmful practice that prevented
to care, recovery and reintegration of children victims. individuals from living their lives free from violence;
She concluded the report with recommendations to called on States to implement strategies and policies to
the Government. prevent and eliminate the practice and support already
Following her visit to Japan (19–26 October) married girls; and requested the High Commissioner
[A/HRC/31/58/Add.1], the Special Rapporteur noted that to organize an expert workshop before the Council’s
the country had adopted legislative amendments and thirty-fourth (2017) session to review the impact of
policy measures aimed at tackling the sexual exploita- existing strategies and initiatives to address child,
tion of children and, in particular, had accrued exper- early and forced marriage and submit a report on the
tise in combating the sexual exploitation of children workshop’s deliberations to the Council’s thirty-fifth
online. One-stop crisis centres that offered integrated (2017) session.
immediate assistance and support for women and girls
victims of sexual crimes, including sexual abuse and Birth registration and right to recognition
exploitation, were also good practices that should be
extended throughout the country. Sexual exploitation Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
of children online and offline was, however, a major [A/70/53 (res. 28/13)],
the Council expressed concern
concern, and the sexual commodification of children that despite efforts to increase the global rate of birth
and gender stereotyping had triggered activities registration, approximately 230 million children
and trends that facilitated the sexual exploitation under the age of 5 worldwide were still not registered;
of children. Moreover, such activities were socially called on States to establish or strengthen institutions
tolerated and usually went unpunished. The Special responsible for birth registration and the preserva-
Rapporteur recommended that Japan build on the tion and security of such records; invited States to
momentum created by the reform in 2014 of the Act work towards ensuring universal birth registration
354 Part Two: Human rights

through the exchange of good practices and technical children, killed or maimed children, committed rape
assistance; and requested the High Commissioner and other forms of sexual violence against children,
to identify and pursue opportunities to strengthen or engaged in attacks on schools and/or hospitals in
policies and programmes aimed at universal birth situations of armed conflict. The report highlighted
registration and vital statistics development, ensure the increasing trend of mass abductions; responses to
that they were based on international standards and extreme violence; engagement with non-State armed
implemented in accordance with international human groups; and the launch, in collaboration with the
rights obligations, and submit a report on efforts made United Nations Children’s Fund, of the “Children,
to the Council’s thirty-third (2016) session. Not Soldiers” campaign [YUN 2014, p. 879], which
aimed to end and prevent the recruitment and use
Investment in child rights of children by government security forces by the end
of 2016. It provided information on grave violations
Reports of High Commissioner. In response to committed against children during armed conflict
Human Rights Council resolution 25/6 [YUN 2014, and progress made by parties on dialogue, action
p. 879], the High Commissioner submitted a report plans and other measures to halt and prevent viola-
[A/HRC/28/33] on better investment in the rights of tions. The report concluded with recommendations
the child, which set out the obligations of States to to States, parties listed in the annexes, the Security
invest adequately in the rights of children, in accor- Council and regional and subregional organizations).
dance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child Security Council consideration. On 18 June
[YUN 1989, p. 560]. It considered the different stages of [S/PV.7466], the Council held an open debate on
the national budget process; provided a framework children and armed conflict. It had before it a 18 June
for a human rights-based approach to budgeting; and concept note [S/2015/402] on the topic submitted by
included examples of good practices as well as recom- Malaysia. Addressing the meeting, the Secretary-
mendations to ensure that adequate resources were de- General observed that the “Children, Not soldiers”
voted to the realization of the rights of children in all campaign had witnessed progress during the year; en-
countries, regardless of the income level of the State. couraged Governments to redouble their efforts to im-
Pursuant to a Human Rights Council request plement its goals; noted that grave violations against
[YUN 2014, p. 879], the High Commissioner submitted a children were of concern both in countries of origin
summary report [A/HRC/30/62] of the discussions held and in countries to which children fled; and called on
at the Council’s annual full-day meeting (Geneva, States to protect children affected by armed conflict,
12 March) on the theme “Towards better investment including by ending impunity for the violations out-
in the rights of the child”, which focused on norms lined in his annual report (see above).
and standards in that area, as well as challenges in
planning, mobilizing, allocating and spending public SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
resources to realize children’s rights. It also focused On 18 June [meeting 7466], the Security Council
on applying a rights-based approach to investment unanimously adopted resolution 2225(2015). The
in children and strengthening accountability, and on draft [S/2015/445] was submitted by 56 Member States.
concrete examples of strategies and good practices.
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March Reports of Special Representative. Pursuant to
[A/70/53 (res. 28/19)], the Council called on States to General Assembly resolution 67/152 [YUN 2012, p. 609],
pursue actions for mobilizing resources to realize the the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
rights of the child; make budgeting processes open, Children and Armed Conflict, Leila Zerrougui (Alge-
transparent, accessible and participatory; strengthen ria), submitted an annual report [A/HRC/28/54], which
public financial management systems; and provide covered the period from December 2013 to December
remedies to redress violations of the rights of the 2014 and outlined the progress achieved in developing
child. It invited the High Commissioner to submit and implementing action plans, as well as the chal-
a follow-up report to the Council’s thirty-first (2016) lenges of the children and armed conflict agenda. She
session on investment in the rights of the child, based noted the developments on accountability for grave
on good practices and lessons learned. violations against children and highlighted trends
involving attacks on schools and hospitals, sexual
Children and armed conflict violence and detention. The Special Representative
called on States to consider alternatives to prosecu-
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to tion and detention of children for their association
Security Council resolution 2068(2012) [YUN 2012, with armed groups or as part of counter-terrorism
p. 724], the Secretary-General in June submitted an measures; enact legislation to prohibit and criminal-
annual report [A/69/926-S/2015/409] on children and ize the recruitment of children into armed forces or
armed conflict, covering developments in 2014. Two groups; and establish 18 years as the minimum age for
annexes listed those parties that recruited or used voluntary recruitment into the armed forces.
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 355

Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/157 [YUN 2014, Older persons

p. 764], the Special Representative in July submitted
a report [A/70/162] on activities undertaken and pro- Report of Independent Expert. In accordance
gress achieved from August 2014 to July 2015. She with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013,
p. 722], the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all
described trends, issues of concern and progress made,
including the mainstreaming of child protection issues human rights by older persons, Rosa Kornfeld-Matte
within the UN system. The Special Representative (Chile), submitted her annual report [A/HRC/30/43],
made recommendations for States to protect children which focused on the right to autonomy and care;
caught up in conflict in line with international law, provided an overview of international and regional
particularly in the context of counteracting terrorism human rights standards; and analysed in depth those
and extremist groups; uphold their commitments to two key areas, as well as their scope. She concluded
that a paradigm shift that focused on the inclusion of
the “Children, Not Soldiers” campaign; include child
older persons in all levels of society was needed to en-
protection concerns in ceasefire and peace negotia-
able them to lead autonomous lives; effective care for
tions with non-State armed groups; treat children as-
older persons needed to integrate economic, physical,
sociated with armed groups primarily as victims; take
mental, social, spiritual and environmental factors;
measures to reintegrate children, giving special atten-
and the disease-focused approach in care needed to be
tion to girls; and ensure that the rights to education
replaced by more effective and rights-based models in
and health were a cornerstone of efforts to protect order to address the specific needs of the most heteroge-
children from conflict. neous of all age groups. The Independent Expert made
Working Group activities. In December recommendations to assist States in developing and im-
[S/2015/1024], the Chair of the Security Council plementing measures to ensure the autonomy of older
Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict re- persons, including in social and health-care settings.
ported on the Working Group’s activities since its last Mission reports. Following her visit to Austria
report [YUN 2014, p. 882]. It held four meetings in 2015 (22–30 January) [A/HRC/30/43/Add.2], the Independent
(6 February, 8 May, 6 July and 21 December), during Expert identified both best practices and gaps in im-
which it adopted conclusions on children and armed plementing laws; assessed the implementation of in-
conflict in South Sudan [S/AC.51/2015/1]; discussed ternational instruments, as well as law and policies;
the report of the Secretary-General on children and and analysed the challenges faced in realizing rights
armed conflict in Afghanistan [S/2015/336]; and heard for older persons, paying particular attention to ostra-
a presentation on a report of the workshop, “Children cized persons and groups. She commended the coun-
and Armed Conflict: Implementing Security Council try’s adoption of the Federal Plan for Senior Citizens
resolution 1998(2011)” (Berlin, 22–23 January) and the number of studies regularly commissioned
[S/2015/681]. by the authorities to assess the situation of older peo-
On the basis of the Working Group’s conclusions, ple and inform policymaking; and encouraged the
the Security Council President sent letters to the Government to ensure that social protection systems,
Secretary-General on South Sudan [S/2015/451]. health care, housing policies and anti-discrimination
legislation took the needs of older persons into consid-
The family eration. She concluded the report with recommenda-
tions on discrimination, violence and abuse, adequate
Human Rights Council action. On 3 July standard of living, social protection, and education,
[A/70/53 (res. 29/22)],
by a recorded vote of 29 to 14, training and lifelong learning, independence and au-
with 4 abstentions, the Council urged States to tonomy and care.
create an environment to strengthen and support Following her mission to Mauritius (28 April–
all families; provide the family, as the natural and 8 May) [A/HRC/30/43/Add.3], the Independent Expert
fundamental group unit of society, with protection commended the efforts undertaken to ensure that
and assistance; and mainstream the promotion of older persons enjoyed their human rights; the alloca-
family-oriented policies as a cross-cutting issue in tion of 50 per cent of the country’s budget to social
national development plans and programmes. It services, including free health services and education
requested the High Commissioner to submit a report that benefited older persons; and the country’s non-
to the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session on States’ contributory universal pension for persons 60 years and
implementation of their obligations under interna- older that had been operating since 1976. Despite that
tional human rights law to protect the family; on the progress, she noted that the Government faced chal-
contribution of families in realizing the right to an lenges in implementing its obligations that would have
adequate standard of living for their members; and on a sustained impact on older persons’ lives, such as weak
the status of the family related to the ongoing work on inter-institutional coordination, a lack of policy coher-
the sustainable development goals and the post-2015 ence, ineffective multisectoral approaches, as well as the
development agenda (see p. 396). community approach that underpinned policymaking
356 Part Two: Human rights

rather than a differentiated approach placing the in- that many of the proposed goals and targets in the
dividual at the centre of attention. She encouraged post-2015 development agenda could positively affect
Mauritius to ratify all human rights treaties to which the situation of idps. There was a need to transform
it was not a party and concluded the report with rec- protracted displacement situations from neglect and
ommendations to the Government, the international reliance on humanitarian assistance to durable solu-
community and business. tions and sustainable development. The Special Rap-
Mauritius in September [A/HRC/30/43/Add.4] sub- porteur recommended that States affected by displace-
mitted its comments on the report. ment develop national legal frameworks and policies
on internal displacement; make budgetary provisions
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION to implement them; include idps as target populations
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, and partners in policies, programmes and national
on the recommendation of the Third Committee action plans to implement the sdgs; improve disag-
[A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/164 (Meas-
gregated data collection on, and needs assessments of,
ures to enhance the promotion and protection of idps; ensure national tailoring of targets to address idps
the human rights and dignity of older persons) and displacement situations and evaluate the impact of
without vote [agenda item 72 (b)]. development programmes; and implement livelihood
programmes and vocational training to bridge the gap
between the skills of idps and those required for entry
LGBTI people into the labour market.
Sexual orientation and gender identity In accordance with Assembly resolution 68/180
[YUN 2013, p. 724], the Secretary-General in August
OHCHR report. Pursuant to a Human Rights transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report [A/70/334],
Council request [YUN 2014, p. 841], ohchr in May which outlined his activities since his previous report
submitted a report [A/HRC/29/23] on discrimination [YUN 2014, p. 883] and considered positive practices in
and violence against individuals based on their sexual establishing governance structures for preventing and
orientation and gender identity, which provided an up- responding to the different stages of internal displace-
date to the 2011 High Commissioner report [YUN 2011, ment that could be adapted to the given national and
p. 703] on the issue and drew on recent findings of UN local contexts. The Special Rapporteur concluded that
human rights bodies, regional organizations and ngos, national authorities bore the primary responsibility to
and information submitted by Governments. Ohchr respond to internal displacement and that adequate
noted that while some progress had been made since institutional arrangements needed to be established for
2011, the overall picture remained one of continuing, the response to be well coordinated and implemented.
pervasive, violent abuse, harassment and discrimination Without adequate governance structures and the nec-
affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter- essary financial resources and expertise, responses to
sex (lgbti) persons in all regions. Those constituted se- internal displacement were likely to be ad hoc and
rious human rights violations, often perpetrated with uncoordinated. It was essential for States to establish
impunity, indicating that current arrangements to pro- effective governance structures at the national, regional
tect lgbti human rights were inadequate. There was and local levels to respond to all phases of internal dis-
no dedicated international human rights mechanism placement. The Special Rapporteur made recommen-
that had a systematic and comprehensive approach to dations for States affected by internal displacement,
the human rights situation of lgbti persons. The High national human rights institutions, civil society and
Commissioner recommended measures for States and volunteers, donor States, the international community
national human rights institution to protect individ- and regional human rights mechanisms.
uals from human rights violations, drawn from good Mission reports. Following his mission to Iraq
practices observed in compiling the report and from (9–15 May) [A/HRC/32/35/Add.1], the Special Rappor-
recommendations of UN human rights mechanisms. teur noted that the humanitarian situation of idps was
of great concern. Violence perpetrated by the Islamic
Internally displaced persons State in Iraq and the Levant appeared to be part of a
systematic strategy to remove some ethnic and religious
Reports of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to a communities permanently from areas where they had
Human Rights Council request [YUN 2013, p. 724], the lived for centuries. Some idp women and girls had ex-
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally perienced sexual violence, forced marriage and sexual
displaced persons (idps), Chaloka Beyani (Zambia), in slavery and required greater protection and support.
April submitted a report [A/HRC/29/34] which summar- Meanwhile, new waves of displacement had increased
ized his activities since his previous report [YUN 2014, pressure on the Government and had overstretched
p. 883] and analysed the human rights of idps in the humanitarian partners. The Special Rapporteur con-
context of the post-2015 development agenda and the cluded that intensified efforts by the Government were
sustainable development goals (sdgs). He concluded required to meet the humanitarian needs and protect
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 357

the human rights of millions of idps, including devoting and social control over communities, the resulting
additional resources in a systematic and comprehensive deaths and displacement had parallels with some con-
way and establishing contingency measures for new dis- flict situations. A lack of resources and attention meant
placements. He made recommendations on legislation that most idps were left to fend for themselves. He
and policy; documentation, data and needs assessment; commended the Government for recognizing internal
protection and non-discrimination; achieving durable displacement as a human rights concern requiring
solutions; and the role of the international community. action, yet noted that few concrete measures were in
Following his visit to the Syrian Arab Republic (16– place to protect idps, and Honduras remained in the
19 May) [A/HRC/32/35/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur planning phase of its responses. Concern over violence
noted that the conflict there had caused the displace- and gang activity in the region had not been translated
ment of over 11 million people, either internally or to into an explicit acknowledgment of internal displace-
neighbouring countries. More than half of the Syrian ment as a human rights violation. Consequently, idps
population had fled their homes and over 6.5 million were not provided with protection and support, and
people were displaced within the country. Without ur- immigration and asylum policies and practices failed
gent action to end the conflict, hundreds of thousands to live up to international standards required for those
more were likely to be displaced. He concluded that fleeing violence or persecution. The Special Rappor-
those who remained displaced or besieged inside Syria teur made recommendations to the Government and
were at the greatest risk of violence and human rights other national, regional and international actors on
violations. Resolving the displacement crisis required establishing a national protection framework, polic-
a cessation of the conflict and the re-establishment ing and security, protection of women and girls and
of security and the rule of law by all parties in the the role of countries in the region and the international
territories which they controlled. Preparedness meas- community.
ures to address the possibility of new displacement in-
cluded access to safety; identification of safe locations GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and shelter options; increased protection responses On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
and services; and stockpiling and pre-deployment of on the recommendation of the Third Committee
foodstuffs, medical supplies and non-food items. The [A/70/489/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/165 (Protection
Special Rapporteur made recommendations to the of and assistance to internally displaced persons)
Government and the international community. without vote [agenda item 72 (b)].
Following his mission to the Philippines (21–
31 July) [A/HRC/32/35/Add.3] the Special Rapporteur Persons with disabilities
noted that no country could be prepared for the dev-
astating impact of an event such as Typhoon Haiyan OHCHR report. Pursuant to Human Rights
[YUN 2013, p. 879], which demonstrated that the country Council resolution 25/20 [YUN 2014, p. 884], ohchr
was on the front line of climate change-related extreme submitted a thematic study [A/HRC/28/37] on the right
weather events. He commended the Government and of persons with disabilities to live independently and
the people for their resilience and efforts to rebuild dev- be included in the community, which focused on that
astated infrastructure and communities. Institutional right, as well as on the enjoyment, protection and
and policy frameworks had proved effective in the im- promotion of that right as a means for realizing other
mediate crisis response and as the recovery process be- rights; as a condition for avoiding institutionalization
gan. Hard lessons had been learned and would benefit and segregation in health and social settings; and as
international partners and States affected by similar cri- a prerequisite for providing for the development of
ses. Two years on, however, resources to achieve durable the capabilities of persons with disabilities and their
solutions for idps displaced by Haiyan were waning. participation in society. Contributions on legislation
He noted that for a country prone to disasters and en- and policies enabling persons with disabilities to live
during long-standing conflicts, it was vital to translate independently and be included in the community were
international standards into domestic law that gave at- received from 27 States, 12 national human rights
tention to all forms of displacement. Detailed profiling institutions and 16 civil society organizations and other
of idps in all regions should be ongoing, and include stakeholders.
an assessment of numbers, needs and intentions. He Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
made recommendations to the Government on, among Council resolution 25/20, an interactive debate, in the
others, the response to Typhoon Haiyan, conflict- form of a panel discussion, on the rights of persons with
induced displacement and the impact of displacement disabilities (Geneva, 10 March) was held during the
on indigenous peoples. Council’s twenty-eighth (2015) session [A/HRC/28/2].
Following his visit to Honduras (23–27 November) The focus of the discussion was on article 19 of the
[A/HRC/32/35/Add.4], the Special Rapporteur noted that Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
idps remained invisible victims of the generalized and [YUN 2006, p. 785] on living independently and being
gang-related violence. As gangs battled for territorial included in the community.
358 Part Two: Human rights

Reports of Special Rapporteur. In accordance p. 884] and presented a study on the situation of indig-
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 884], enous women globally, including a thematic analysis
the new Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons of violations against indigenous women and girls. She
with disabilities, Catalina Devandas-Aguilar (Costa concluded that indigenous women and girls experi-
Rica), who assumed her mandate on 1 December 2014 enced complex, multidimensional and mutually rein-
[ibid.], submitted her first report [A/HRC/28/58] to the forcing human rights violations. Abuses of indigenous
Council in February 2015. She described her vision of women’s collective, economic, social and cultural,
the mandate, her working methods and a work plan for and civil and political rights were varied, severe and
the first three years of the mandate. constituted a form of structural violence. They also
In accordance with a Human Rights Council re- suffered from other forms of violence, such as tradi-
quest [YUN 2014, p. 884], the Secretary-General in Au- tional practices, sexual violence, trafficking, domestic
gust transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s first report violence and gender-based killings. To protect the
[A/70/297] to the General Assembly, which focused on rights of indigenous women, both a paradigm shift
the right of persons with disabilities to social protection. and the development of a multidimensional approach
She sought to provide guidance to States and other ac- were needed. She stressed that States must find a way
tors on the requirements to establish disability-inclusive to strike a balance between protection of indigenous
social protection systems that promoted active citizen- women and respect for self-determination and auton-
ship, social inclusion and community participation omy of indigenous peoples. Engagement and consulta-
of persons with disabilities, while acknowledging the tion with indigenous women and girls were central to
difficulties in implementation. The Special Rapporteur finding that balance. She called on the UN system to
stressed that States must move away from traditional support States in striking that balance, to increase at-
disability-welfare approaches, turn towards rights-based tention to the needs of indigenous women and to recon-
ones and develop social protection systems that guaran- ceptualize rights issues. The Special Rapporteur made
teed benefits and access to services for persons with dis- recommendations to States and to UN organizations
abilities across the life cycle. She concluded the report and mechanisms.
with recommendations to States on developing and In accordance with a Human Rights Council re-
implementing such systems and recommending that quest [YUN 2014, p. 885], the Secretary-General in
the UN system continue to promote disability-inclusive August transmitted the Special Rapporteur’s report
social protection systems and provide technical guid- [A/70/301], which provided a summary of activities since
ance to States in implementing them. her last report [YUN 2014, p. 885] and an analysis of inter-
Human Rights Council action. On 26 March national investment agreements and investment clauses
[A/70/53 (res. 28/4)], the Council welcomed the ohchr of free trade regimes and their impact on the rights
study on the right of persons with disabilities to live of indigenous peoples. She noted that such agreements
independently and be included in the community (see had significant potential to contribute to violations of
p. 357), called on stakeholders to consider its findings the rights of indigenous peoples, who bore a dispro-
and recommendations and called on States to ensure portionate burden of a system that contained systemic
that international cooperation was inclusive of persons imbalances between the enforcement of corporate
with disabilities and did not create new barriers for investors’ rights and human rights. She concluded that
them. It decided that its next annual interactive debate a more thorough review of the implications of interna-
on the rights of persons with disabilities would be held tional investment and free trade agreements and deeper
at its thirty-first (2016) session and would focus on ar- policy and systemic reforms were needed to ensure the
ticle 11 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons protection and fulfilment of indigenous peoples’ rights.
with Disabilities, on situations of risk and humanita- The Special Rapporteur believed that there were im-
rian emergencies. It requested ohchr to submit a study mediate steps States could take to protect the rights
on the topic prior to the session and decided to make of indigenous peoples and concluded the report with
the resolution on the rights of persons with disabili- recommendations on the reform of investment and
ties biennial as of the thirty-first (2016) session, with free trade practices; on deeper systemic reform; and on
its subsequent consideration at the Council’s thirty- action to be undertaken by the United Nations and
seventh (2018) session. related organizations.
Mission reports. Following her mission to
Indigenous peoples the Sápmi region of Finland, Norway and Sweden
[A/HRC/33/42/Add.3], the Special Rapporteur examined
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In accordance the human rights situation of the Sami people on the
with a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2010, basis of her visit, on information from the conference
p. 761], the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indig- organized by the Sami Parliamentary Council (Bierke/
enous peoples, Victoria Tauli Corpuz (Philippines) Hemavan, Sweden, 25–27 August), and on independent
in August submitted a report [A/HRC/30/41], which research. The visit was a follow-up to a 2010 mission
covered activities since her previous report [YUN 2014, [YUN 2010, p. 760]. She noted that, for the Sami people,
Chapter II: Protection of human rights 359

rights over their lands and resources were essential for tinue the questionnaire survey on best practices and
their long-term well-being and for them to continue to implementation strategies to attain the Declaration’s
exist as a distinct people. Those rights, however, were goals, and present a final summary of responses to the
not sufficiently established, implemented or judicially Council’s thirty-third (2016) session. The Council
protected in Finland, Norway and Sweden, resulting also decided to hold at that session a half-day panel
in the perpetual insecurity and instability of the Sami discussion on the causes and consequences of violence
people. The deficient regulatory frameworks in Nor- against indigenous women and girls, including those
way and Sweden had created barriers for companies to with disabilities.
operate in a manner consistent with international ex- On 1 October [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/11)], the Council
pectations on the rights of indigenous peoples; and the requested ohchr to convene a two-day expert work-
mining act in Finland had fallen short of its objective to shop to review the Expert Mechanism’s mandate; pro-
ensure that mining activities were adapted to secure the pose recommendations on how it could more effec-
rights of the Sami people. While the Special Rappor- tively promote respect for the Declaration; and submit
teur appreciated that natural resource investments were a report on the workshop prior to the Council’s thirty-
critical for the economies of the three countries, it was second (2016) session. The Council also decided to
her view that their ambition to promote mining in a so- continue its consideration of the matter at that session.
cially and ecologically sustainable manner could not be
achieved as long as Sami rights were not reflected and Expert Mechanism
safeguarded in the legislation that regulated natural
resource extraction. She concluded the report with rec- The five-member Expert Mechanism on the Rights
ommendations for Finland, Norway and Sweden. of Indigenous Peoples, at its eighth session (Geneva,
Following her visit to Honduras (2–10 November) 20–24 July) [A/HRC/30/52], held a panel discussion
[A/HRC/33/42/Add.2], the Special Rapporteur noted that on indigenous peoples’ human rights in relation
the situation of indigenous peoples in the country was to business enterprises, and discussed follow-up to
critical. Since their rights over their lands, territories the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples
and natural resources were not protected, they faced [YUN 2014, p. 888], including the review of the mandate
acts of violence when claiming their rights, in a general of the Expert Mechanism; the post-2015 development
context of violence and impunity, and they lacked agenda; and the follow-up to thematic studies and ad-
access to justice. They also suffered from inequal- vice. It adopted the proposals to be submitted to the
ity, poverty and a lack of basic social services, such as Human Rights Council at its thirtieth (2015) session;
education and health. The Rapporteur concluded that the Expert Mechanism’s study on the promotion and
the legal, political and institutional framework needed protection of the rights of indigenous peoples with re-
to be overhauled and strengthened to address the situ- spect to their cultural heritage [A/HRC/EMRIP/2015/2];
ation. That required more public resources and greater and the updated report summarizing responses to the
political will, as well as committed participation by the questionnaire seeking States’ and indigenous peoples’
international community and the international human views on best practices regarding possible appropriate
rights bodies to ensure international oversight of such measures and implementation strategies to attain the
efforts and to provide the necessary technical and goals of the Declaration [A/HRC/EMRIP/2015/CRP.1] (see
financial assistance. The Special Rapporteur made rec- below). Discussions on the Declaration were held, as
ommendations on a wide range of concerns and further well as a consultation on the UN system-wide action
recommended that the Government, donor countries plan to achieve the ends of the Declaration.
and business partners promote and implement initia- As requested by the Human Rights Council
tives supporting the rights of indigenous peoples. [YUN 2014, p. 885], the Expert Mechanism in August
Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant to submitted a report [A/HRC/30/54] which contained a
a Human Rights Council request [YUN 2014, p. 885], draft summary of responses to the questionnaire seek-
the High Commissioner in July submitted a report ing the views of States and indigenous peoples on best
[A/HRC/30/25], covering the period between May 2014 practices regarding possible appropriate measures and
and May 2015, on the activities of ohchr and human implementation strategies to attain the goals of the
rights bodies and mechanisms for the promotion and Declaration. Responses to the questionnaire were re-
application of the United Nations Declaration of the ceived from 12 States and 9 indigenous peoples and
Rights of Indigenous Peoples [YUN 2007, p. 691] and indigenous people’s organizations.
follow-up on the Declaration’s effectiveness. In August, the Expert Mechanism submitted the
Human Rights Council action. On 1 October study [A/HRC/30/53] on promotion and protection
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/4)], the Council requested the Ex- of the rights of indigenous peoples with respect
pert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to their cultural heritage, including through their
to submit a study on the right to health and indig- participation in political and public life, which offered
enous peoples with a focus on children and youth, to a comprehensive analytical overview of the interna-
the Council’s thirty-third (2016) session; and con- tional legal framework and jurisprudence regarding
360 Part Two: Human rights

the rights of indigenous peoples with respect to their approved the provisional agenda for its fifteenth session
cultural heritage; addressed some of the specific issues (decision 2015/250); and decided that the fifteenth
for indigenous peoples when it came to cultural her- session of the Permanent Forum would be held in New
itage; and concluded with Expert Mechanism advice York from 9 to 20 May 2016 (decision 2015/249).
No. 8: Promotion and protection of the rights of indig-
enous peoples with respect to their cultural heritage. Expert meetings and conferences
An international expert group meeting on the
Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples theme “Dialogue on an optional protocol to the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
The Board of Trustees of the United Nations Peoples” (New York, 28–29 January) [E/C.19/2015/8]
Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples, at its twenty- expressed concern at the implementation gap of the
eighth session (Geneva, 26–30 January) [A/71/228], Declaration and concluded that action and compliance
recommended 32 grants to enable indigenous repre- with the Declaration’s standards by authorities whose
sentatives to attend the fourteenth session of the Per- responsibilities affected the lives of indigenous peoples
manent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 32 grants to at- were required to compel better implementation. Needed
tend the eighth session of the Expert Mechanism and reforms in administrative practices, policies and legisla-
14 grants to attend sessions of other bodies. During tion could come about only through domestic executive
2015, 10 States contributed $556,956 to the Fund. and legislative action.
The annual meeting of the Inter-Agency Support
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues (Geneva, 26–
27 October) finalized the system-wide action plan to
The 16-member Permanent Forum on Indig- ensure a coherent approach to achieving the ends of
enous Issues, at its fourteenth session (New York, the Declaration [E/C.19/2016/5]. The Secretary-General
20 April–1 May) [E/2015/43] considered “Follow-up on shared the finalized plan with heads of UN system
the recommendations of the Permanent Forum”, in- agencies in November and encouraged them to imple-
cluding sub-items: the outcome of the General Assembly ment the plan.
high-level plenary meeting, the World Conference on
Indigenous Peoples [YUN 2014, p. 888]; the post-2015 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
development agenda; and youth, self-harm and suicide. On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
It had before it reports [E/C.19/2015/1–9] submitted by its Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
Secretariat and subsidiary mechanisms, Governments, mittee [A/70/486], adopted resolution 70/232 (Rights
UN system bodies, intergovernmental organizations, of indigenous peoples) without vote [agenda item 69 (a)].
regional organizations and ngos. The Forum recom-
mended three draft decisions for adoption by the Follow-up to World Conference (2014)
Economic and Social Council on: an international
expert group meeting on the theme “Indigenous lan- Report of Secretary-General. In response to
guages: preservation and revitalization: articles 13, General Assembly resolution 69/2 [YUN 2014, p. 888],
14 and 16 of the United Nations Declaration on the the Secretary-General in May [A/70/84-E/2015/76]
Rights of Indigenous Peoples”; report of the Forum provided an overview of the implementation of the
on its fourteenth session and provisional agenda for its outcome document of the 2014 high-level plenary
fifteenth session; and venue and dates for the fifteenth meeting of the General Assembly known as the World
session. The Forum identified proposals, objectives, Conference on Indigenous Peoples [YUN 2014, p. 888];
recommendations and areas of possible action and, an update on the development of a system-wide action
through the Council, recommended that States, UN plan to ensure a coherent approach to achieving the
system entities, intergovernmental organizations, in- ends of the Declaration; recommendations on how to
digenous peoples, the private sector and ngos assist in use, modify and improve UN mechanisms to achieve
their realization. The Forum issued recommendations the ends of the Declaration; and proposals to enable
and held half-day discussions on the Pacific region and the participation of indigenous peoples’ representa-
on the expert group meeting on dialogue on an op- tives and institutions at the United Nations. He en-
tional protocol to the Declaration (see below). couraged States to enable the participation of repre-
Economic and Social Council action. On sentatives of indigenous peoples in meetings of UN
22 July, the Economic and Social Council authorized bodies on issues affecting them.
a three-day international expert group meeting on Panel discussion. Pursuant to Human Rights
the theme “Indigenous languages: preservation and Council resolution 27/13 [YUN 2014, p. 885], a half-day
revitalization (articles 13, 14 and 16 of the United panel discussion on the follow-up to the outcome of
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (Ge-
Peoples)” (decision 2015/248); took note of the report neva, 22 September) was held during the Council’s
of the Permanent Forum on its fourteenth session and thirtieth (2015) session [A/HRC/30/2].
Chapter III

Human rights country situations

In 2015, the General Assembly, the Human Rights humanitarian situation in the country. In Myanmar,
Council, the Secretary-General, Special Rapporteurs the country had undergone far-reaching changes
and independent experts continued to address the since 2011; however, there were growing concerns
human rights situation in Member States. that the Government was beginning to renege on its
In regard to Africa, the Human Rights Council human rights commitments, especially in regard to
held its twenty-fourth special session on the human the deteriorating situation of the Rohingya Muslims
rights situation in Burundi. Violations continued in Rakhine State. In Sri Lanka, the High Commis-
in the Central African Republic and the mandate sioner remained concerned that accountability would
of the Independent Expert on the situation in that likely not be achieved unless the country strength-
country was renewed for a year. The security and ened its domestic mechanism by drawing on the good
humanitarian situation in Côte d’Ivoire improved. In practices of other States that had succeeded with
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the human hybrid special courts.
rights situation remained of concern, but there was In Europe, the human rights situation improved in
significant legislative and institutional progress. In one State, but deteriorated in another two. Although
Guinea, Government authorities were called on to Cyprus remained divided, with a buffer zone main-
pursue efforts to guarantee fundamental freedoms tained by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in
during the elections. In Libya, the humanitarian situ- Cyprus, there were several positive developments, in-
ation was worsened by continued terrorist acts; and cluding momentum surrounding the resumption of
in Mali, the situation was fragile following inter- and the talks and leaders’ commitment to reach a settle-
intra-communal conflicts and terrorism. The human ment as soon as possible. In Belarus, no substantial
rights situations in Eritrea, Somalia and the Sudan reform was discernible during the year and violations
remained of concern. continued. The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine
In the Americas, progress was made in Colombia. continued to affect people living in the conflict
Guatemala remained an insecure environment for zone and their human rights, with 9,098 killed and
journalists and human rights defenders. In Haiti, a 20,732 injured; 52 per cent of civilian casualties were
new Provisional Electoral Council was inaugurated, caused by explosive remnants of war and improvised
and an electoral process was launched in March. explosive devices.
In the Middle East, the conflict in the Syrian Arab
In Asia, civilians in Afghanistan continued to bear
Republic entered its sixth year. Due to the deterio-
the brunt of the violence, with the country registering
rating humanitarian situation, the gross and system-
the highest number of civilian casualties since 2009
atic abuse of women and girls, and an increase in the
and a continued absence of accountability for per-
number of massacres, the international commission
petrators of human rights violations. In Cambodia,
of inquiry was extended by a year. In the Occupied
following the easing of political tensions, the human
Palestinian Territory, protection for civilians, includ-
rights context normalized in the first half of the year;
ing children, remained minimal. The cumulative
the mandate of the Special Rapporteur was, how-
effects of Israeli occupation policies and practices,
ever, extended by two years. The Council convened
most prominently settlement expansion and related
a panel discussion on the human rights situation in
impacts, the blockade, movement restrictions and the
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea where
military justice system, continued to have a debilitat-
systematic, widespread and gross human rights vio-
ing effect on Palestinian society. Without account-
lations and crimes against humanity were ongoing.
ability, the violations of international human rights
The Special Rapporteur on the human rights situa-
and humanitarian law were likely to continue.
tion in the Islamic Republic of Iran focused on sys-
temic issues that were impeding the ability of Iran to
comply with international human rights obligations
and commitments, including recommendations the General aspects
Government accepted during its universal periodic
review in March. In Iraq, terrorist groups continued In the annual report on activities undertaken by
to target different ethnic and religious communities. the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
In Yemen, the escalation of violence continued and of Human Rights (ohchr) [A/HRC/31/3], the High
contributed to the deterioration of the security and Commissioner, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (Jordan),

361
362 Part Two: Human rights

reviewed the work of the Office at the country and alleged violations and abuses of human rights per-
regional levels, including its efforts to respond to de- petrated by all parties in Burundi, particularly the
teriorating human rights situations. At the country restrictions of freedom of expression, the media,
level, its work was conducted through human rights peaceful assembly and association; the excessive use
field presences, support for human rights mechanisms of force by the security forces against demonstrators;
and dialogue between the High Commissioner and the use of live ammunition against protesters result-
Member States—including bilateral meetings, open ing in deaths; extrajudicial killings; the arbitrary de-
or confidential communications, country visits by tention of protesters; acts of torture and ill-treatment
the High Commissioner and technical cooperation of detainees; the harassment and intimidation of
programmes. The report highlighted new mandates human rights defenders and journalists, including by
from intergovernmental bodies, which called for armed youth groups affiliated with political parties;
ohchr to monitor, investigate, report and increase and retributive acts of violence, including targeted
technical assistance, while intensifying engagement assassinations. The Council called on all parties to re-
with UN system partners in the security, development frain from any actions that would exacerbate tensions
and humanitarian fields, in particular those arising in the country; called on the authorities to conduct
from the Human Rights Up Front initiative by the thorough and independent investigations of all viola-
UN Secretary-General. tions and abuses of human rights; noted the coopera-
As at November, ohchr was supporting 64 field tion of the Government with the High Commis-
presences, including new offices in Burundi and the sioner for Human Rights during his visit to Burundi
Republic of Korea, and had signed an agreement with (12–15 April); expressed concern about the difficult
the Government of Honduras to establish an office situation of a great number of Burundian refugees
in that country by the end of the year. The Kosovo who had fled to neighbouring countries; and called
and Togo offices were closed in the first half of the on the authorities to ensure the protection of citi-
year. The UN human rights regional offices cov- zens against intimidation and all acts of violence. The
ered East Africa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), Southern Council welcomed the deployment by the African
Africa (Pretoria, South Africa), West Africa (Dakar, Union (au) of human rights observers and military
Senegal), Central America (Panama City, Panama), experts to assist the Government in the disarmament
South America (Santiago, Chile), Europe (Brussels, of all illegally armed individuals. It requested the
Belgium), Central Asia (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan), South High Commissioner to continue to provide and
East Asia (Bangkok, Thailand), the Pacific (Suva, strengthen his activities in technical assistance and
Fiji) and the Middle East and North Africa (Beirut, capacity-building through his office in Burundi; en-
Lebanon). Ohchr also maintained the Subregional gage with the Government to assess and report on
Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Central the human rights situation to the country; and pre-
Africa (Yaoundé, Cameroon) and a Training and sent to the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session, in
Documentation Centre for South-West Asia and the an interactive dialogue, an oral update and a writ-
Arab Region (Doha, Qatar). ten report on implementation of the resolution at its
thirty-second (2016) session.
The High Commissioner concluded that,
true to the vision laid down in the Charter of the Human Rights Council special session. In an
United Nations in 1945, and to ensure that human 11 December letter [A/HRC/S-24/1], the United States
rights were one of the Organization’s three pillars, requested the convening of a special session of the
ohchr had continued to advocate for human rights Human Rights Council on preventing further dete-
rioration of the human rights situation in Burundi,
mainstreaming and capacity-building with the UN.
which was supported by 17 Council members and
He highlighted that the significant migrations tak-
26 observer States. The Council held its twenty-fourth
ing place across the world were a powerful reminder
special session on 17 December [A/HRC/S-24/2].
that human rights mattered; that States and the in-
ternational community had to take human rights Human Rights Council action. On 17 De-
seriously; and that States needed to implement the cember [A/71/53 (res. S-24/1)], the Council expressed
universal human rights norms they had established concern at the deterioration of the human rights
and committed themselves to over the decades. and humanitarian situation in Burundi and the dif-
ficult situation of the more than 220,000 Burundian
refugees who had fled to neighbouring countries,
and the countless internally displaced persons. It
Africa condemned the alleged serious violations and abuses
of human rights by all actors; deplored the resurgence
Burundi in, and escalation of, violence and a drastic increase
in human rights violations and abuses; called on the
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October Government to refrain from any statements or ac-
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/27)],
the Council condemned tions that could exacerbate the tensions, and on the
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 363

Burundian authorities to undertake to protect the Human Rights Council action. On 2 October
people of Burundi against unlawful acts of intimida- [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/19)],
the Council condemned the
tion and violence. It requested the High Commis- violations and abuses of human rights that continued
sioner to urgently organize and dispatch a mission by to be committed by all stakeholders and stressed that
independent existing experts to: undertake an inves- those responsible needed to be held to account and
tigation into violations and abuses of human rights brought to justice. It urged all parties to protect all
in Burundi; make recommendations on the improve- civilians, in particular women and children, against
ment of the human rights situation and on technical sexual and gender-based violence; requested the tran-
assistance to support reconciliation; engage with the sitional authorities and the national election authority
Burundian authorities and other stakeholders to help to take the necessary steps to speed up the preparatory
the State fulfil its human rights obligations and en- electoral process for the holding of free, open, transpar-
sure accountability for human rights violations and ent and inclusive elections by the end of the year; and
abuses; ensure the complementarity and coordination urged the international community to continue to pro-
of efforts of the UN, au and other regional and in- vide all necessary assistance for the holding of elections.
ternational entities; and have a representative of the The Council decided to renew the mandate of
independent experts issue an oral update and par- the Independent Expert for one year and requested
ticipate in an enhanced interactive dialogue on the the Independent Expert to provide, at the Coun-
human rights situation in the country at the thirty- cil’s thirty-first (2016) session, an oral update on her
first (2016) session of the Council and to issue a final technical assistance and capacity-building report in
report at its thirty-third (2016) session. the field of human rights in the car, and to submit a
written report at its thirty-third (2016) session.
Central African Republic
Côte d’Ivoire
Report of Independent Expert. In a July report
[A/HRC/30/59], the Independent Expert on the human In a February note [A/HRC/28/84], the secretariat
rights situation in the Central African Republic advised that owing to the delay in the appointment
(car), Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum (Côte d’Ivoire) of the mandate holder, the report of the Independent
presented an overview of major related develop- Expert on capacity-building and technical coopera-
ments. Action by the Transitional Government had tion with Côte d’Ivoire in the field of human rights,
led to the signing of an agreement on disarmament, would be submitted at the Council’s twenty-ninth
demobilization and reintegration. In addition, the (2015) session.
Transitional President took an unprecedented step Report of Independent Expert. The Independent
in the fight against impunity by promulgating a law Expert, Mohammed Ayat (Morocco) submitted an
establishing a Special Criminal Court (see p. 14) to April report [A/HRC/29/49], which covered his first
investigate the serious violations of human rights and visit to Côte d’Ivoire (12–21 January), welcomed the
international humanitarian law committed in the progress made by the Government in the protection
country since 1 January 2003, and to hear and rule of human rights, the establishment of various human
on such cases. rights bodies and the reopening of the assize courts
The Independent Expert highlighted the chal- after many years. A case before the courts against
lenges faced by the car, including re-establishing 83 persons was a good start towards combating
State authority, security and administration through- impunity, however proceedings still only covered a
out the country, and restoring the rule of law and restricted period, that of the electoral crisis in 2010,
justice. Most of the human rights violations, includ- despite the fact that serious violations of human rights
ing violations of the right to life, torture, arbitrary and international humanitarian law had been com-
arrests, rape, and violations of the right to education, mitted for more than a decade prior to the crisis. Also,
health and food, were committed by armed groups the charges focused on just one party to the fighting, al-
operating freely in certain areas or resulted from though reports issued by the international commission
shortcomings on the part of the State, which remained and a national commission indicated that both parties
incapable of imposing its authority throughout the had committed acts of violence that could constitute
territory. Respect for the rights of the Muslim mi- international crimes. The Independent Expert made
nority and the establishment of a culture of peaceful a number of recommendations for improving deten-
coexistence needed to be reinforced and fostered tion conditions in prisons and strengthening measures
through respect for human rights and for the princi- taken to combat impunity and enhance the human
ples and rules of democracy. The Independent Expert rights legal framework in the country. He also called
reiterated her recommendations to the Government on the international community to provide support for
contained in her previous report [YUN 2014, p. 894] and the country on its path towards reconstruction.
called on the Government to take action with the Human Rights Council action. On 3 July [A/70/53
support of the international community. (res. 29/24)], the Council condemned the continuing
364 Part Two: Human rights

sporadic attacks by unidentified armed individuals in following the publication of the joint report on human
Côte d’Ivoire, which had the potential to jeopardise rights violations committed between 15 November
the joint efforts of the Ivorian people and the interna- 2013 and 15 February 2014 by agents of the Congo-
tional community to bring about security and peace lese national police during Operation Likofi in Kin-
to the country. It welcomed the general stability in the shasa. He recommended that the Government needed
security situation in the country and the Government’s to establish judicial and non-judicial measures to fight
commitment and progress in promoting and protecting against impunity for past and ongoing human rights
human rights. It noted the continued improvement in violations; ensure those convicted of crimes could ap-
the humanitarian situation on the ground; the impor- peal their convictions and sentences to a higher court;
tance placed by the Ivorian authorities on combating ensure fundamental freedoms of all people in the
sexual violence against women and children; the con- country were respected in the run-up to the elections;
tinuation of the trial of some members of the Forces ensure the National Human Rights Commission was
républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire; and the acceleration fully operational and defence and security forces fully
of the process of investigation and prosecution of the respected international human rights and humanita-
alleged perpetrators of the violence committed dur- rian law; work towards the full implementation of
ing the 2010–2011 post-election period. The Council the fardc action plan to stop and prevent underage
requested the international community to continue to recruitment, sexual violence against children and
support the reconstruction and reconciliation process other grave child rights violations; create a national
in the country and ohchr to continue to provide the mechanism for the prevention of torture independent
technical assistance requested by the Government. The of the Government; establish national legislations and
Council decided to extend the mandate on capacity- mechanisms for implementation of recommendations
building and technical cooperation with Côte d’Ivoire of the UN human rights mechanisms; and reinforce
in the field of human rights for a period of one year, its collaboration with unjhro, the United Nations
from the twenty-ninth (2015) to the thirty-second Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic
(2016) sessions of the Council. It requested the Republic of the Congo and other partners to ensure
Independent Expert to submit a report to the Council better protection of human rights in the country.
at its thirty-first (2016) session and his final recom- In an August study on the impact of technical
mendations at its thirty-second (2016) session. assistance and capacity-building on the human rights
situation in the drc (2008–2014) [A/HRC/30/33],
Democratic Republic of the Congo submitted pursuant to Council resolution 27/27
[YUN 2014, p. 896], the High Commissioner reported
Reports of High Commissioner. In a July report that the technical assistance provided by the inter-
[A/HRC/30/32] on the human rights situation in the national community made it enabled the drc to
Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc) and the achieve significant legislative and institutional pro-
activities of the UN Joint Human Rights Office of the gress and improved conduct on the part of duty bear-
United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission ers and rights holders, and that the country’s legal
in the drc (unjhro), the High Commissioner com- framework had evolved. The assistance had helped
mended the efforts made by the Government to ad- combat impunity for crimes under international law
dress the recommendations made by ohchr, which and sexual and gender-based violence committed
had resulted in important developments, includ- by senior officers of the defence and security forces
ing the establishment of a National Human Rights and by armed groups. A growing number of those
Commission and the implementation of an action forces and groups had been found guilty of massa-
plan of the Armed Forces of the country (fardc) cres, sexual violence and looting, and had been given
on fighting sexual violence. Despite such efforts, the prison sentences including life imprisonment. Despite
human rights situation in the country remain of great those gains, many human rights problems remained.
concern. Unjhro reported the highest number of vio- Impunity was still a major concern; important leg-
lations and abuses, committed by elements of over 30 islation aimed at protecting human rights—specifi-
armed groups, as well as by fardc soldiers, and seri- cally concerning human rights defenders and gender
ous incidents in the east of the country, which affected equality, had not yet been adopted; and there was still
the protection of civilians. In the western provinces, no national mechanism for the prevention of torture,
particularly in Kinshasa, the shrinking of democratic despite the country being a party to the Optional Pro-
space resulted in serious violations of fundamental tocol to the Convention against Torture and Other
freedoms by security forces, mainly targeting political Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Pun-
opponents, human rights defenders and protesters. ishment [YUN 1984, p. 813]. The study also found that
The High Commissioner called on the Government most interventions by the international community
to reinforce its collaboration with unjhro and re- had concentrated on the eastern region of the drc and
gretted the decision of the Government to expel the had generally been short-term, which had not helped
unjhro Director in October 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 203], to produce sustainable outcomes.
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 365

Human Rights Council action. On 2 October treaties to which Eritrea was a party; acknowledge
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/26)],
the Council condemned the the existence of human rights violations and ensure
wave of violence in the east of the drc and the armed accountability for past violations; and establish an
groups perpetrating it, and urged the Government to independent and impartial mechanism to investigate
put an end to impunity to all human rights violations. and bring perpetrators to justice. The commission
The Council encouraged the Government to continue made further recommendations for the Government
its efforts to provide for an expansion of political space on the issues of governance and administration of
in the context of elections; punish confirmed cases of justice, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrest
extrajudicial execution and arbitrary detention; protect and detention, conditions of detention, torture and ill-
all political actors, members of civil society, journal- treatment, public freedoms, property, national service,
ists and human rights defenders during elections; and forced labour and gender equality.
maintain the momentum of the efforts made to reform Report of Special Rapporteur. In a June report
the army, the police and the security services. It com- [A/HRC/29/41], submitted pursuant to Council reso-
mended the Government on the arrest and conviction lution 26/24 [YUN 2014, p. 896], the Special Rappor-
for war crimes and crimes against humanity of senior teur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, Sheila
officers of the defence and security forces and the ar- Keetharuth (Mauritius), provided an account of
rest of leaders of armed groups; and commended the activities undertaken since her previous report [ibid.]
Government on the establishment and functioning and achievements made since she had assumed her
of the steering committee of the human rights liaison functions as the mandate holder. She also provided an
entity and the appointment of new members of the update on the human rights situation, focusing on the
Committee of Experts and the technical secretariat. issue of forced evictions and demolition of houses in
The Council invited the High Commissioner to report different parts of the country. She was encouraged by
at its thirty-third (2016) session on the human rights the signs, although still few, that Eritrea was increas-
situation in the country, ensuring the involvement of ing its engagement with the international community
the National Human Rights Commission in the prep- and welcomed them as a measure by the State to abide
aration of the report, and called for an international by its human rights obligations. She reminded Eritrea
dialogue to be held on the basis of the report, including and the international community that trading human
a discussion on strengthening the role of women in the rights for short-term political or economic gains would
electoral process. undermine the long-term enjoyment of human rights
by all in Eritrea. The Special Rapporteur reiterated
Eritrea the recommendations in her two previous reports
since the country had only implemented two, namely
Commission of inquiry report. In a June report ratifying the Convention against Torture and seeking
[A/HRC/29/42], the commission of inquiry on human technical assistance from ohchr. She made further
rights in Eritrea summarised its investigations, in recommendations for the Government to end forced
accordance with Human Rights Council resolution evictions and demolition of houses by agreeing to a
26/24 [YUN 2014, p. 896]. Unable to visit Eritrea, the moratorium; ensure existing legislation and policies
commission obtained first-hand testimony by con- were aligned with international law to prohibit forced
ducting 550 confidential interviews with witnesses evictions; prioritize the provision of social housing
residing in third countries and received 160 written by expanding the low-cost housing supply to match
submissions. The commission found that systematic, the huge unmet demand; ensure public order officials
widespread and gross human rights violations had receive appropriate professional training for carrying
been and were being committed in Eritrea under the out their public security duties, especially in relation to
authority of the Government. The initial promises of the use of force and firearms; investigate and prosecute
democracy and rule of law, incarnated in the never- public order officials responsible for killings, violence,
implemented Constitution of 1997, were progressively unlawful arrests and arbitrary destruction of personal
suppressed and then extinguished by the Government. property during evictions; and uphold the rights to
Information collected on people’s activities, their sup- the freedoms of expression, assembly and association
posed intentions and conjectured thoughts were used of all those affected by any proposed eviction. She
to rule through fear in the country and individuals also presented recommendations for the international
were often arbitrarily arrested and detained, tortured, community.
disappeared or extrajudicially executed. Eritreans were Human Rights Council action. On 2 July [A/70/53
also subject to systems of national service and forced (res. 29/18)], the Council condemned the systematic,
labour that effectively abused, exploited and enslaved widespread and gross human rights violations that had
them for indefinite periods of time. been, and were being, committed by the Government
The commission of inquiry recommended that in a climate of generalized impunity, in particular the
the Government implement its Constitution of 1997; extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances,
respect obligations under international human rights torture, arbitrary and incommunicado detentions,
366 Part Two: Human rights

and human rights violations in the context of indefi- High Commissioner to report to its thirty-first (2016)
nite national service involving forced labour, forced session on the human rights situation and the work of
military conscription of children and sexual violence; ohchr in Guinea.
and expressed concern at the severe restrictions on the
rights to freedom of opinion, expression, information Libya
and thought, liberty of movement, conscience and
religion, the freedom of peaceful assembly and Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
association, and at the detention of journalists, human [A/70/53 (res. 28/30)],
the Council condemned abuses of
rights defenders, political actors, religious leaders and human rights and violations of international humanita-
practitioners. The Council called on the Government rian law in Libya, including unlawful killings,
to take immediate steps to implement the recommen- indiscriminate shelling and attacks on civilians, ab-
dations made by the commission of inquiry and reiter- ductions and assassinations, including of government
ated its numerous calls on the Government to end its officials, judges, human rights activists, journalists
use of arbitrary detention of its citizens; account for and members of civil society organizations, shelling
and release all political prisoners; end the system of of hospitals, looting of property, and restrictions on
indefinite national service and forcing citizens to par- freedom of expression. It also condemned terrorist
ticipate in the militia; collaborate with human rights acts, hostage-taking and violence committed against
and humanitarian organizations and allow them to civilians by the so-call Islamic State in Iraq and the
operate in the country; and respect everyone’s rights to Levant (Da’esh) and other terrorist organizations. The
freedom of expression, thought, conscience, religion or Council expressed concern at the rise in the number
belief, peaceful assembly and association. The Council of conflict-related detainees, including children, and at
extended the Special Rapporteur’s mandate for one reports of torture and sexual and gender-based violence
year and requested her to present an oral update at in detention centres. It urged all parties to cease viola-
the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session and to engage tions and abuses and engage in the UN-led dialogue
in an interactive dialogue with the General Assembly for peace aimed at the establishment of a Government
at its seventieth (2015) session. It also extended the of national unity, and urged the Government to in-
mandate of the commission of inquiry for one year; vestigate human rights violations and abuses, hold
requested the commission to present an oral update those responsible to account and increase efforts to
to the General Assembly’s seventy-first (2016) session end impunity.
and a written report to the Council’s thirty-second The Council also urged the Government to take
(2016) session; and decided to transmit all reports further steps to protect freedom of expression; intensify
and oral updates of the commission of inquiry to all efforts to prevent acts of torture; empower women and
relevant UN bodies and the Secretary-General for ap- girls; and ensure the protection of cultural rights and
propriate action. The Council also requested ohchr to freedom of religion and belief. The Council took note
report on progress in its cooperation with Eritrea at its of the final report of the international commission of
thirty-first (2016) session. inquiry [YUN 2012, p. 738] and the ohchr report on
the human rights situation in Libya [YUN 2014, p. 898];
Guinea and requested the High Commissioner to dispatch a
mission to investigate violations and abuses of interna-
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March tional and human rights law committed in the country
[A/70/53 (res. 28/33)],
the Council recognized the efforts since the beginning of 2014, and submit, at its thirty-
made by the Government of Guinea to strengthen the first (2016) session, a report on its findings and, at its
rule of law and improve the human rights situation thirtieth (2015) session, an oral update on the issue.
in the country, welcoming the existence of the new
Ministry of Human Rights and Civil Liberties and its
Mali
constructive work, and the mainstreaming of human
rights in the reform of the security sector. The Council Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
condemned all incitement to ethnic and racial hatred; [A/70/53 (res. 28/31)],
the Council condemned armed at-
called on the authorities to pursue their efforts to guar- tacks and violence that had been perpetrated in Mali,
antee freedom of peaceful assembly and association, particularly in the northern regions, as well as abuses
including freedom of the media and the protection of and violations of human rights and international
journalists; and called on the Government to ensure humanitarian law that had been committed against
that the elections, scheduled to be held during the year, civilians. It called on the Government to continue its
were conducted within the specified time frame, in efforts to protect human rights and promote national
conditions of peace, transparency and security, and reconciliation, in particular by strengthening the ju-
with full respect for human rights and democratic diciary, developing transitional justice mechanisms
principles. The Council made a series of recommen- and redeploying government services throughout
dations to all political stakeholders and invited the the country, and to expedite the establishment of the
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 367

Commission for Truth, Justice and Reconciliation tion remained dire. Violations of freedom of expres-
and to allow it to take up its work as soon as possible. sion, widespread reports of sexual violence and the
The Council welcomed the signing of the Peace and continued use of the death penalty remained major
National Reconciliation Agreement of 1 March 2015 concerns. Activities of the militant group Al-Shabaab
and the organization of free and democratic presiden- disproportionally affected the civilian populations
tial and legislative elections in the country. It urged and posed a threat to sustainable peace in the country.
the international community to continue to deliver There were also reports of civilian casualties and
humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced displacements in the context of military operations
persons, with a view to facilitating the population’s conducted against Al-Shabaab. The humanitarian
access to basic social services and to establishing the situation was alarming and yet funding to meet the
conditions for the country’s gradual recovery. needs in the country appeared to be declining. The
The Council extended the mandate of the Independent Expert concluded that years of conflict
Independent Expert on the human rights situation in in Somalia had affected every aspect of human rights
Mali for one year; requested the Expert to report to the and destroyed governance structures. A major con-
Council’s thirty-first (2016) session; and requested the straint and challenge facing the Government was the
High Commissioner to provide technical assistance to endemic lack of financial resources, technical capacity
the Government, in particular to the Commission for and expertise and infrastructure, which contributed
Truth, Justice and Reconciliation. to its inability to fulfil its human rights obligations.
Report of Independent Expert. Pursuant to He made a series of recommendations to the Federal
Council resolution 28/31 (see p. 366), the Independent Government of Somalia as well as to the institutions
Expert on the human rights situation in Mali, Suliman in Puntland and Somaliland.
Baldo (Sudan), submitted a report [A/HRC/31/76] cover- Human Rights Council action. On 2 October
ing the period from 1 May to 29 December and pro- [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/20)], the Council expressed con-
viding an account of his fifth visit to Mali (10–19 Oc- cern at reports of violations and abuses of human
tober). Although he noted positive developments, rights in Somalia and reports that internally displaced
important challenges remained. The security situation persons (idps) continued to bear the brunt of ongoing
was fragile, with continued attacks against humanita- violence. It condemned the violations and abuses per-
rian actors, including the UN, and the Malian security petrated by Al-Shabab and its affiliates against the
and defence forces. Armed and extremist groups in the civilian population; underscored the importance of
north of the country continued to be involved in vio- coordinated international assistance to human rights
lations of human rights, such as the violations of the in the country; and encouraged international donors
right to life; abductions; cruel, inhuman or degrad- to provide timely and tangible assistance and to en-
ing treatment; unlawful detention; the recruitment hance cooperation with the Government at the federal,
and use of children by armed groups; asymmetrical regional, state and subnational levels. The Council
attacks; and looting. The situation was worsened by called on the Government to promote reconciliation
intercommunal and intracommunal conflicts. and dialogue at both the local and national levels; pre-
The Independent Expert recommended that the pare for and hold credible, transparent and inclusive
Malian authorities ensure that any measures taken to elections in 2016; establish judicial institutions and
combat terrorism complied with the obligations of the seek assistance from regional bodies to reform the
authorities under international law; combat impunity, Somali judicial system and enhance the capacity of
in particular with regard to members of the security Somali judges; continue measures to implement the
forces; denounce publicly all forms of violence action plans to end the recruitment and use of children
against women, including spousal abuse, marital rape in the Armed Forces; implement a zero-tolerance
and sexual harassment; ensure the allocation of the policy on gender-based violence; initiate effective and
resource needs of the judiciary and the court system; impartial investigations into the killings of journalists;
and pay special attention to the security of judges and treat disengaged combatants in accordance with ap-
support transitional justice mechanisms. He also rec- plicable obligations under domestic and international
ommended that armed groups respect the ceasefire law, in particular human rights law and international
and facilitate the release and reintegration of children humanitarian law; and ensure the protection and well-
who were still within their ranks. being of all internally displaced persons. The Council
renewed the mandate of the Independent Expert for
Somalia one year and requested him to report to the Council’s
thirty-third (2016) session.
Report of Independent Expert. In an October
report [A/HRC/30/57], the Independent Expert on the Sudan
human rights situation in Somalia, Bahame Tom
Nyanduga (Tanzania) stated, following two field Report of Independent Expert. In an August
visits to the country, that the human rights situa- report [A/HRC/30/60], the Independent Expert on the
368 Part Two: Human rights

human rights situation in the Sudan, Aristide Non- Independent Expert for one year requested him to
onsi (Benin), pursuant to Council resolution 27/29 report at its thirty-third (2016) session.
[YUN 2014, p. 900], provided an overview of the situa-
tion in the country, outlined recent development and South Sudan
some of the human rights challenges following his
first visit, and described the technical assistance and Panel discussion. In January, pursuant to
capacity-building needs of the Government, national Council resolution 26/31 [YUN 2014, p. 900], the
human rights instruments and civil society organisa- High Commissioner submitted a summary report
tions. The Independent Expert recommended that the [A/HRC/28/53] of the panel discussion on the human
Government acknowledge the persistence of human rights situation in South Sudan held during the
rights violations and abuses in the country; deepen its Council’s twenty-seventh session (Geneva, 24 Sep-
efforts to combat impunity; prevent interference by tember 2014). The discussion focused on identify-
security forces in the activities of civil society and pro- ing measures to improve the human rights situation
vide the National Commission for Human Rights with in the country and to strengthen United Nations
the resources necessary to fulfil its mandate; conduct a support for the work of the African Union (au)
national dialogue with a view to advancing peace and Commission of Inquiry on South Sudan and for
reconciliation in the country; call a moratorium on the the Intergovernmental Authority on Development
use of the death penalty; ensure that all discrimination (igad)-led peace process. The High Commissioner
against and assaults on the human rights of the Dar- concluded the report with recommendations to the
furi on the basis of ethnic and tribal affiliation cease; Government of South Sudan, the Sudan People’s
challenge the culture of silence and denial surround- Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition and other
ing sexual and gender-based violence; and ensure that armed actors, igad, the au Commission of Inquiry
humanitarian access and assistance for internally on South Sudan, the United Nations Mission in
displaced persons and that their economic, social and South Sudan and the Human Rights Council.
cultural rights were respected. The Independent Ex- Human Rights Council action. On 2 July
pert called on the armed movements in the Sudan to [A/70/53 (res. 29/13)], the Council expressed concern at
take concrete action towards implementing the recom- the ongoing human rights violations and abuses and
mendations made by previous mandate holders, but violations of international humanitarian law in South
delayed his own recommendations until a time when Sudan, including alleged targeted killings, ethnically
he was able to meet the representatives of opposition targeted violence, rape and other forms of sexual and
armed movements himself. gender-based violence, the recruitment and use of
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October children, arbitrary arrests, denial of humanitarian
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/22)], the Council encouraged access and detention, alleged torture, violence aimed
the initiative of holding a comprehensive, inclusive at spreading terror among the civilian population,
national dialogue to achieve sustainable peace; com- and attacks on schools, places of worship, hospitals
mended the commitment of the Government to re- and UN and associated peacekeeping personnel, by
inforce human rights education and to continue to all parties. The Council demanded that all actors halt
incorporate human rights principles in the education human rights violations and abuses and called on the
system; and noted its efforts in combating human Government to ensure the protection and promotion
trafficking and the hosting of tens of thousands of of human rights and fundamental freedoms, espe-
refugees from neighbouring and regional countries. cially for women and children, stressing the impor-
The Council expressed concern on the closure of tance of accountability, reconciliation and healing as
some ngos and restriction on the media, pre- and prominent elements of a transitional justice mecha-
post-publication censorship, seizure of newspapers, nism. It also called on the Government to investigate
the banning of some journalists, and violations of and report atrocities and to hold those responsible
the rights to freedoms of expression, association and to account.
peaceful assembly. Concerned also by the human The Council requested the High Commissioner to
rights situation and security in conflict-related areas, urgently undertake a mission to monitor and report
particularly Darfur, Southern Kordofan and Blue on the human rights situation in South Sudan;
Nile, and the negative impact of that on civilians, the make recommendations for technical assistance and
Council encouraged the Independent Expert to visit capacity-building; assess the effectiveness of steps
conflict zones. It urged the Government to further its taken by the Government to ensure accountability
efforts to ensure freedom from arbitrary arrest and de- for human rights violations and abuses, which could
tention, respect the rights of all individuals, including include work to establish appropriate criminal justice
human rights defenders and members of civil society mechanisms; and present a preliminary oral report to
organization, and investigate allegations of human the Council’s thirtieth (2015) session, and a full report
rights violations in the camps for internally displaced in an interactive dialogue, including on the issue of
persons. The Council extended the mandate of the sexual violence, at its thirty-first (2016) session.
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 369

to implement the Maya Programme to strengthen in-

Americas digenous peoples’ rights and implemented a project for
protecting human rights defenders in the electoral con-
Colombia text. The High Commissioner called on the authorities
to allocate adequate funding to the institutions of the
Report of High Commissioner. In his annual judiciary so that it functioned effectively; encouraged
report on the human rights situation in Colombia the Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office
[A/HRC/31/3/Add.2], the High Commissioner high- to continue efforts to adopt policies aimed at improving
lighted the advances in the negotiations to end the indigenous people’s access to justice; and reiterated his
internal armed conflict between the Government of call to the judiciary to allocate sufficient resources to
Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the specialized tribunals on femicide and other forms of
Colombia-People’s Army (farc-ep) and the the positive violence against women, and to expand their geographic
effects the negotiations had had during the year, as well coverage. The High Commissioner also urged the State
as identified risks and opportunities for peacebuilding. to implement prison system reform with a human rights
He examined structural human rights challenges, approach; the judicial authorities to ensure that all at-
which were considered priorities for ensuring a suc- tacks against journalists and human rights defenders
cessful peace process and transformation towards the were properly investigated and that perpetrators were
enjoyment of human rights by all men, women, girls prosecuted and punished; and authorities to establish a
and boys in the country. mechanism to protect journalists and develop a policy
In his recommendations, the High Commissioner to protect human rights defenders.
called on the Government to unify, strengthen and
make public its system on follow-up to recommen- Haiti
dations of international and regional human rights
systems; urged the parties in Havana to dialogue with Human Rights Council action. In a 27 March
indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombians to ensure statement [A/70/53 (PRST/28/3)] on the human rights situ-
that the peace agreements and their implementation ation in Haiti, the Council President took note of the
maximized the enjoyment of their collective and in- latest legal and political developments in the country,
dividual rights; and urged the Government to adopt including progress achieved in civil and political rights,
measures to maximize the potential of the peace and in economic, social and cultural rights; and wel-
agreements, intensify planning exercises for the future comed the renewed commitment of Haiti to implement
integrated system for truth, justice, reparation and non- international human rights treaties; the commitment of
recurrence with respect for international standards, and Haitian authorities to improve the living conditions of
create an institutional architecture capable of respond- Haitian women and men by devoting greater attention
ing to the challenges of the peace process, including to respect for human rights; the 23 January inaugura-
overcoming the lack of coherence and coordination, in tion of a new Provisional Electoral Council; the pub-
order to achieve observable and measurable impacts on lication of the electoral decree and election timetable;
human rights enjoyment by all persons. He also made and the 13 March launching of the electoral process.
recommendations for action to be taken by the State, The President encouraged the Government to con-
farc-ep, the National Liberation Army and the United tinue strengthening the rule of law and to adopt political
Nations country team. and legal measures to safeguard the rights of members
of vulnerable groups; increase women’s participation in
political affairs; and continue to combat gender-based
Guatemala violence and discrimination. He approved the one-year
Report of High Commissioner. In his an- extension of the mandate of the Independent Expert
nual report on the activities of the ohchr office in on the human rights situation in Haiti; and invited the
Guatemala [A/HRC/31/3/Add.1], the High Commissioner Independent Expert to assist the Government in im-
described progress in the fight against impunity and plementing his recommendations and those made by
the strengthening of the justice sector, including tran- other special procedures, undertake a mission to Haiti,
sitional justice, in the context of corruption scandals in- and submit a report on the situation and on the mission
volving senior public servants and political parties; the at the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session.
insecure environment in which journalists and human
rights defenders, among whom more killings were
registered than in 2014, worked; the challenges faced Asia
in protecting women and indigenous peoples’ rights;
and ohchr–Guatemala activities. The report also ad- Afghanistan
dressed access to land, labour rights, the right to health,
the right to food, and business and human rights. Report of High Commissioner. In a report on
During the year, the ohchr–Guatemala continued the human rights situation in Afghanistan and on
370 Part Two: Human rights

the achievements of technical assistance in the field of human rights situation in Cambodia, Rhona Smith
human rights covering the period from 1 January to (the United Kingdom), stated that she was encouraged
30 November [A/HRC/31/46], the High Commissioner by the Government’s prompt issuance of an invitation
focused on the protection of civilians in armed con- for a visit in May, although the visit was postponed
flict, in particular the impact on women and children; for logistical reasons. She intended to seek agreement
torture and ill-treatment in places of detention; the to undertake the visit as soon as an appropriate date
prevalence of violence against women; and the absence could be identified. Progress would be discussed with
of accountability for perpetrators of human rights vio- the Government and other stakeholders to determine
lations and abuses. The report provided an overview of the focus and format of future missions if the Human
the monitoring, documentation, advocacy and related Rights Council decided to continue the mandate. The
activities carried out by the Human Rights Unit of the report reflected on progress made over the previous
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan year during the tenure of the previous mandate holder.
(unama) in cooperation with ohchr to address those Communication. In a 12 August note [A/HRC/​
issues. The report also highlighted key activities under- 30/G/1], Cambodia provided its comments on the
taken by the Government to uphold its commitments report of the Special Rapporteur.
under international human rights law, including the
Human Rights Council action. On 2 Octo-
adoption of national plans of action in the areas of
ber [A/HRC/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/23)], the Council noted
women’s rights, peace and security, and the prevention
of torture. However, civilians continued to bear the the progress made by the Government in promoting
brunt of the violence with unama/ohchr recording legal reform and the enactment of three fundamental
3,234 civilians killed and 6,935 injured during the laws on the judiciary; and stressed the need of the
reporting period—the highest number of civilian cas- Government to continue to enhance its efforts to
ualties since 2009. investigate and prosecute all those who had perpe-
trated serious crimes, including violations of human
The High Commissioner recommended that the rights. It welcomed the efforts made in combating
Government implement measures aimed at protecting crimes, such as trafficking in persons, the exploita-
civilians, in particular vulnerable populations, from the tion of labour and the sexual exploitation of women
harms of the armed conflict; ensure accountability for
and children; and encouraged the Government to im-
violations of international humanitarian and human
plement its five-year strategy for gender equality and
rights law and human rights abuses by the Afghan
take action to promote the rights and dignity of all
National Security Forces and pro-Government militias
Cambodians by protecting civil and political rights.
and allied forced and prosecute and punish those found
responsible; disband and disarm pro-Government mili- The Council extended the mandate of the Special
tias; enhance the enforcement of laws and directives to Rapporteur for two years; requested her to report
prevent and ensure accountability for underage recruit- to the Council’s thirty-third (2016) and thirty-sixth
ment and use of children and other grave violations (2017) sessions on implementation of the mandate;
of children’s rights; ensure the implementation of the and requested the Secretary-General to report to the
legal framework to protect women’s rights, including Council’s thirty-third (2016) and thirty-sixth (2017)
freedom from violence, and implementation of the sessions on the role and achievements of ohchr in
national plan on the elimination of torture. assisting the Government and Cambodians in the
promotion and protection of human rights.
He recommended that anti-Government elements
cease targeting civilian locations and civilians, includ- Report of Secretary-General. In a September
ing human rights defenders, ngo staff, journalists report [A/HRC/30/30] on the role and achievements
and Government officials; cease the use of explosive of ohchr in assisting the Government and people
weapons in areas populated by civilians and imple- of Cambodia in the promotion and protection of
ment directives prohibiting the use of pressure-plate human rights, submitted pursuant to Human Rights
improvised explosive devices; enforce statements by Council resolution 24/29 [YUN 2013, p. 744], the
the Taliban leadership regarding the human rights of Secretary-General stated that the human rights con-
women and girls in areas under Taliban influence; and text had normalised in the first half of 2015 following
implement directives issued by the Taliban leadership the easing of political tensions. Small-scale protests
ordering the protection of civilians and prohibiting at- were tolerated, although they were not entirely free
tacks in civilian populated areas, and hold accountable of shows of force. Housing and land disputes contin-
those who target and harm civilians. He also issued a set ued to be the root cause of most protests and human
of recommendations for the international community. rights violations in the country, such as infringements
on the rights to freedom of expression, association,
peaceful assembly and movement, and violations
Cambodia
of economic, social and cultural rights, including
Report of Special Rapporteur. In an August of indigenous peoples. The lack of independence in
report [A/HRC/30/58], the Special Rapporteur on the the judiciary remained an obstacle to the protection
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 371

of human rights. The Government, with assistance to food and related aspects of the right to life and
from OHCHR, worked to reform the country’s court acts of exterminations; murder, enslavement, torture,
administration by providing members of the legal imprisonment, rape and other grave forms of sexual
profession with tools designed to assist judges in tak- violence and persecution on political, religious and
ing decisions on pre-trial detention, improving case gender grounds in political prison camps and ordi-
management by courts, and assisting judges in their nary prisons; the widespread practice of collective
adjudication of criminal cases. Ohchr continued to punishment; and systematic abduction, denial of
build the capacity of national counterparts, including repatriation and subsequent enforced disappearance
reaching out to local authorities about the use of force, of persons, including those from other countries, on a
prison officials on the rights-based approach to prison large scale and as a matter of State policy.
management, and the Government and private sector The Council urged the Government to acknow-
actors on business and human rights. Ohchr also ex- ledge the human rights violations and made recom-
tended its outreach to the general public by means of a mendations on steps to take to end those violations;
strengthened communications strategy, based on new reiterated its concern at the situation of refugees and
tools such as a dynamic website and social media, as asylum seekers returned to the dprk; stressed that
well as traditional publications, posters, print media the dprk had failed to prosecute those responsible for
and a radio programme. crimes against humanity and other human rights vio-
lations; and encouraged the international community
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to cooperate with accountability efforts. The Council
decided to convene a panel discussion on the human
Report of Special Rapporteur. In a March rights situation in the country, including the issue of
report [A/HRC/28/71] submitted pursuant to Human international abductions, enforced disappearances
Rights Council resolution 25/25 [YUN 2014, p. 906], the and related matters, at its thirtieth (2015) session;
Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (dprk), one year; requested ohchr to report on its follow-up
Marzuki Darusman (Indonesia), stated that while efforts in the regular annual report of the Secretary-
the dprk authorities had initially made a number of General submitted to the General Assembly; and
welcome gestures towards increased cooperation with requested the Special Rapporteur to submit regular
the United Nations human rights system and bilat- reports to it and to the General Assembly on the
eral partners, those openings had not been sustained, implementation of his mandate.
nor borne fruit. The report focused mainly on the Report of Special Rapporteur. In a Septem-
development of a multitrack strategy aimed at address- ber report [A/70/362], submitted pursuant to General
ing the issue of international abductions, enforced Assembly resolution 69/188 [YUN 2014, p. 907] the
disappearances and related matters, as recommended Special Rapporteur provided an assessment of the lat-
by the commission of inquiry on the human rights est developments on a number of thematic areas that
situation in the dprk [YUN 2014, p. 905]. Through that were pointed out by the commission of inquiry on
strategy, the Special Rapporteur sought to maintain human rights in the dprk as requiring particular at-
momentum on, and the visibility of, the issue in the tention owing to the serious nature of the violations
international arena, and thereby sustain continuous committed in those areas, namely summary execu-
and targeted pressure on dprk authorities to resolve tions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention,
the issue to the satisfaction of victims, their families discrimination and trafficking. While a few positive
and the international community. The support of all developments were noted in the report, grave viola-
relevant stakeholders in the implementation of that tions continued to be committed on a large scale and
strategy would be paramount. particularly affected prisoners, migrant workers and
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March persons with disabilities. The Special Rapporteur
[A/70/53 (res. 28/22)], by a recorded vote of 27 to 6, called on the international community to step up
with 14 abstentions, the Council condemned the its efforts to protect the population of the dprk and
long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread hold the Government accountable for those gross vio-
and gross human rights violations and abuses com- lations. The Government was urged to take immedi-
mitted in the dprk and expressed concern at the find- ate and long-term actions to redress the situation and
ings made by the commission of inquiry in its report abide by its international human rights obligations.
[YUN 2014, p. 905], including: the denial of the rights to Report of Secretary-General. In a September
freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, ex- report [A/70/393], submitted pursuant to General
pression and association; discrimination based on the Assembly resolution 69/188 [YUN 2014, p. 907], cov-
songbun system, which classified people on the basis ering the period from September 2014 to August
of State-assigned social class and birth and included 2015, the Secretary-General provided an overview
consideration of political opinions and religion; viola- of human rights issues in the dprk, in particular,
tions of the right to freedom of movement, of the right updated information on the right to life, liberty and
372 Part Two: Human rights

security of the person; international abductions and Against: Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Burundi, China, Cuba,
separated families; freedom of expression and access to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, Iran, Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Oman, Russian
information; freedom of movement; the right to food Federation, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Uzbekistan, Ven-
and to health; children’s rights; the rights of persons ezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.
with disabilities; and women’s rights, as well as the Abstaining: Angola, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
impact of economic sanctions on UN assistance. Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican
The report also described the engagement of various Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Guinea,
UN intergovernmental bodies and other entities to Guyana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Le-
sotho, Libya, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique,
address human rights in the country and referred to Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar,
the establishment in Seoul of the field-based struc- Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Gren-
ture of ohchr. The Secretary-General recommended adines, Senegal, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
that the Government translate its commitments Africa, Suriname, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkmeni-
under the universal periodic review into concrete stan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia.
follow-up measures; accept and implement more of
the recommendations made by international human Iran
rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies; invite the
Special Rapporteur and other independent human Report of Secretary-General. In a February
rights mechanisms to visit the country; engage con- report [A/HRC/28/26] on the human rights situation in
structively with the UN system, including ohchr– the Islamic Republic of Iran, submitted in accordance
Seoul, and seek technical assistance from ohchr; with General Assembly resolution 69/190 [YUN 2014,
p. 912], the Secretary-General provided information on
consider the recommendations of the commission of
inquiry and engage with the international community progress made in implementing that resolution and
towards their implementation; engage with all States highlighted the patterns and trends in the country,
concerned for the resolution of international abduc- including issues such as the death penalty, reprisals
tions and enforced disappearances; and provide un- against activists cooperating with the UN, the situ-
impeded access to the UN and humanitarian agencies ation of women, restrictions on the freedoms of ex-
to enable them to respond adequately to the needs of pression and of peaceful assembly, the human rights
the population. situation defenders and activists, and the treatment
of religious and ethnic minorities. The Secretary-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION General remained troubled by the continuing large
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General number of executions, including of political prisoners
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third and juveniles; reiterated his call on the Government
(Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Committee to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death
[A/70/489/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/172 (Situa-
penalty and prohibit the execution of juvenile offend-
tion of human rights in the Democratic People’s ers in all circumstances; and urged the Government
Republic of Korea) by recorded vote (119-19-48) to create space for human rights defenders, lawyers
[agenda item 72 (c)].
and journalists, and to release political prisoners,
including human rights defenders and lawyers de-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/172: tained solely for legitimately exercising their right to
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bah- assembly.
rain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cabo The Secretary-General welcomed the Govern-
Verde, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Co- ment’s invitation to the High Commissioner to a
lombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, country visit and encouraged the Government to
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, El cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on the human
Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Ger-
many, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, rights situation in the country by giving him access
Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, to Iran. He also welcomed the achievements that Iran
Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Latvia, had made in women’s education and health and en-
Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, couraged the Government to take steps to eliminate
Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, discrimination against women in all spheres of life,
Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Mo-
including political, social, cultural and civil areas. He
rocco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau,
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, urged the State to follow up on the concluding ob-
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, servations of all treaty bodies; ratify treaty bodies to
Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra which the State was not yet a party.
Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, [A/70/53 (res. 28/21)], by a recorded vote of 20 to 11, with
Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, 16 abstentions, the Council extended the mandate of
United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay. the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situa-
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 373

tion in Iran for one year; and requested the Special Report of Special Rapporteur. In an Octo-
Rapporteur to submit a report at the Council’s thirty- ber report [A/70/411], submitted in accordance with
first (2016) session and to the General Assembly at its Council resolution 28/21 (see p. 372), the Special Rap-
seventieth (2015) session. The Council called on the porteur provided an overview of the prevailing human
Government to cooperate with the Special Rappor- rights situation, with a focus on systemic issues that
teur and to permit access to visit the country. posed obstacles to the ability of the Government to
Report of Special Rapporteur. In a May report comply with its international human rights obliga-
[A/HRC/28/70], submitted pursuant to Council resolu- tions and commitments, including recommendations
tion 25/24 [YUN 2014, p. 911], the Special Rapporteur on accepted by the Government in March at the outcome
the human rights situation in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed of its second universal periodic review [YUN 2014,
(Maldives), highlighted developments in the country p. 751]. The Special Rapporteur expressed alarm by
since his fourth interim report [ibid.], and examined the rate of executions reportedly taking place in the
ongoing concerns. He recognized Government efforts country and recognized the severe conditions facing
to implement the commitments made in the context Iran and other countries in the region that also served
of the universal periodic review in 2010 [YUN 2010, as major transhipment points for narcotics smugglers.
p. 634], but regretted that a majority of them remained He urged the authorities to consider examining the
unimplemented and that underlying causes of viola- merits of views shared about the root causes of drug
tions highlighted during the review and in his annual abuse and crime in the country, along with propo-
and interim reports remained unaddressed. He made sals that urged it to re-examine the deterrent effects
recommendations for high priority to be placed on and human rights implications of the country’s drug
amending laws and policies that undermined or vio- policies, given the ongoing influx of narcotics, rising
lated internationally recognised rights and standards; abuse in the country and brutalizing effect that the
authorities to rescind the death sentences against all use of capital punishment had had on respect and
political prisoners and prisoners of conscience and of- protection for the right to life.
ficially ban the practice of executing juveniles; and The Special Rapporteur urged the authorities to
the Government to expedite the removal of land- ensure that persons were protected from acts that
mines and explosives that posed a threat to the lives impaired the free communication of information
and security of populations located in their vicinity, and ideas about public and political issues between
enhance provisions for public education, and ensure citizens, candidates and elected representatives, which
access to medical treatment and pension programmes was essential to the protection of other rights; encour-
for victims and their families. The Special Rapporteur aged the Government to amend laws that undermined
urged authorities to recognize freedom of religion or women’s full enjoyment of civil, political, social and
belief and to prosecute and sentence all officials found economic rights, including rights in family law, the
responsible for the torture and ill-treatment of detain- right to equal access to education and the right to
ees. He also called on the Government to amend laws work; and urged authorities to recognize that dialogue
that violated the rights of women or undermined their and inclusive participation of all citizens in a diverse
full enjoyment of civil, political, social and economic society could form the basis of enduring initiatives
rights, and to consider ending its satellite jamming, that addressed poverty and development, and could
given its impact on the health of its citizens and on also serve to strengthen protections for the rights of
the right to access information. all ethnic minorities in the country.
Report of Secretary-General. In an August
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
report [A/70/352], submitted in accordance with
General Assembly resolution 69/190 [YUN 2014, p. 912], On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
the Secretary-General found that since his February Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
report (see p. 372), the application of the death pen- mittee [A/70/489/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/173
alty, including in relation to drug-related offences (Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic
and executions in public, had continued at a high of Iran) by recorded vote (81-37-67) [agenda item 72 (c)].
rate; journalists, human rights defenders and women RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/173:
human rights activists had continued to face arrest,
In favour: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Ba-
detention and prosecution for exercising their profes- hamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
sion or their legitimate rights to freedom of expression Botswana, Bulgaria, Cabo Verde, Canada, Central African
and association; and the situation of women’s human Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus,
rights remained of major concern, in particular in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, El Salvador, Esto-
light of the number of child marriages and the un- nia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Grenada,
Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
derrepresentation of women in the labour force and Israel, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein,
in decision-making positions. The Secretary-General Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
reiterated many of the recommendations from his Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
February report. Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic
374 Part Two: Human rights

of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Saint Kitts and members of the Iraqi Security Forces (isf) and affili-
Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solo- ated armed groups may have committed war crimes.
mon Islands, South Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, The High Commissioner recommended that the
Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu. Government ensure that all alleged crimes were inves-
Against: Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Belarus, tigated and perpetrators brought to justice; take the
Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Cambodia, China, necessary steps for Iraq to become a party to the Rome
Comoros, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ec- Statute of the International Criminal Court; engage
uador, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakh-
stan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Oman,
in a rights-based, inclusive and meaningful political
Pakistan, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sudan, Syrian dialogue to bring the crisis to an end; ensure that all
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ven- displaced Iraqis had access to essential services and
ezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe. fundamental rights; ensure durable solutions for all
Abstaining: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Benin, Bhu- displaced populations, recognizing their right to re-
tan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte turn and their right as Iraqi citizens to reside in any
d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Do-
minican Republic, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
part of the country; investigate allegations that isf and
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, armed groups acting under its control failed to protect
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, communities persecuted by isil; and invite the special
Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, procedures of the Human Rights Council to visit Iraq
Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, to monitor and report on the human rights situation.
Niger, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Qatar, Saint
Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Sen-
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
egal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, [A/70/53 (res. 28/32)], the Council condemned the con-
Swaziland, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, tinued, widespread and grave abuses of human rights
Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of and violations of international humanitarian law com-
Tanzania, Uruguay, Yemen, Zambia mitted by Da’esh and associated terrorist groups, in
particular violence against persons based on their reli-
Iraq gion or ethnicity and attacks on civilians, particularly
against women and children. It urged the Government
OHCHR report. In March, pursuant to Human of Iraq to investigate all alleged abuses and violations
Rights Council resolution S-22/1 [YUN 2014, p. 915], of human rights and international humanitarian law,
ohchr submitted a report [A/HRC/28/18] on the and the international community to assist Iraq to en-
human rights situation in Iraq in the light of abuses sure humanitarian assistance to internally displaced
committed by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and persons fleeing areas affected by violence and put in
the Levant (isil) and associated groups, which pro- place measures to protect the sites of mass graves of
vided an overview of the situation from June 2014 to those killed by Da’esh. The Council requested the
February 2015, including events linked to the armed High Commissioner to provide technical assistance
conflict involving isil during that period. Information to the Government to assist in the promotion and
in the report was based on the investigation mission protection of human rights and to provide a written
carried out in Iraq between December 2014 and Feb- report to the Council’s thirtieth (2015) session.
ruary 2015. Ohchr also verified information received Report of High Commissioner. In a July report
on human rights violations and abuses, and violations [A/HRC/30/66], pursuant to Council resolution 28/32
of international humanitarian law that had been per- (see above), the High Commissioner described
petrated by other parties to the conflict. the human rights challenges in Iraq, the technical
The High Commissioner expressed satisfaction assistance provided by the Human Rights Office of the
with the relatively high number of credible witnesses United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (unami)
and victims who, despite severe trauma and risk to in cooperation with ohchr, addressed the protection
their personal safety and security, spoke out about of civilians and supporting community reconciliation,
the violations perpetrated to ensure that they were and reflected on the need to strengthen the administra-
documented with the aim of ensuring that the per- tion of justice, including by improving respect for due
petrators would be brought to justice. Subject to a process and fair trial standards through comprehensive
determination by an independent and competent legal and institutional reforms. The human rights sit-
court, the mission concluded that members of isil uation in the country remained alarming due to the
may have perpetrated genocide against the Yezidi violations and abuses committed by isil/Da’esh and
community, committed crimes against humanity associated groups, with non-international armed con-
and committed war crimes; isil was perpetrating flict and acts of terrorism continuing to inflict tremen-
serious human rights violations in areas which were dous suffering on civilians. From 1 January 2014 to
under its de facto control; some incidents addressed 31 May 2015, unami/ohchr recorded at least 15,612
in the report pointed to a failure on the part of the civilians killed, 30,502 others wounded and at least
Government to exercise due diligence as regards its ob- three million people displaced as a result of the non-
ligation to protect persons under its jurisdiction; and international armed conflict in Iraq.
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 375

Unami/ohchr continued to monitor and report tive developments in Myanmar and the commit-
on the situation, provide training and capacity ment of the Government to continue on its path of
development to relevant ministries and parliamentary political, economic and democratic reform. It called
committees and dedicate efforts to promoting and on the Government to implement its obligations to
protecting human rights and the rule of law through protect the right to freedom of expression, association
a three-fold project. Unami/ohchr would assist and peaceful assembly; to step up its efforts to end
the Government in reviewing criminal justice laws all remaining human rights violations and abuses,
and policies to ensure compliance with international including arbitrary arrest and detention, forced dis-
human rights standards; advising the Government in placement, rape and other forms of sexual violence,
undertaking administrative and institutional reforms torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
to ensure that the police forces and all officials engaged or punishment, and arbitrary deprivation of property.
in law enforcement and the administration of justice The Council expressed concern at the increase in
complied with the obligations of Iraq under its Con- nationalist-based intolerance of religious and ethnic
stitution and under international human rights law; minorities; the situation of persons belonging to the
assisting the Government in addressing legal gaps in Rohingya minority and other minorities in Rakhine
the protection of women, in particular, in ensuring the State, including further instances of violence and
national strategy on combating violence against women other abuses; the declaration of the Government that
was fully implemented; designing human rights all white card identity documents would expire on
training manuals tailored to government officials and 31 March, which would deny persons belonging to the
civil society actors, and organizing a forum to discuss Rohingya minority any form of identification and the
best practices regarding legal and institutional reforms, right to vote; and further delays to specify a process for
in particular on the use of the death penalty in Iraq. the opening of the ohchr office in the country.
The Council extended the mandate of the Special
Myanmar Rapporteur for one year and requested her to submit
a report to the General Assembly’s seventieth (2015)
Report of Special Rapporteur. In a March session and to the Council in accordance with its an-
report [A/HRC/28/72], the Special Rapporteur on the nual programme of work.
human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee On 3 July [A/70/53 (res. 29/21)], the Council con-
(Republic of Korea), stated that while the country had demned the systematic and gross violations of human
undergone far-reaching changes since 2011 that had rights and abuses committed in Rakhine State, in par-
affected many aspects of life, there continued to be ticular against Rohingya Muslims. It called on the
signs of backtracking by the Government and increas- Government to ensure the protection of human rights
ing concerns over discrimination and ethnic conflict. of all persons in Myanmar, including Rohingya Mus-
The report presented out the Special Rapporteur’s lims; take the necessary measures to address the spread
key areas of focus: the democratic space; political of discrimination and prejudice against Muslims and
participation and the electoral process; minority and members of national, ethnic, religious and linguistic
gender-based discrimination; conflict-related human minorities across the country and end impunity for
rights concerns; development, land and environ- all violations of human rights; undertake an inves-
mental issues; and the rule of law and accountability. tigation into reports of all violations of international
It also contained recommendations aimed at contrib- human rights and humanitarian law; ensure the safe
uting to the efforts of Myanmar towards respecting, and voluntary return of all refugees and persons
protecting and promoting human rights and achiev- displaced from their homes, including Muslims; and
ing democratization, national reconciliation and ensure full cooperation with all parties and allow full
development, including with regard to freedom of access of humanitarian assistance to affected persons
expression, association and peaceful assembly; the re- and communities for the distribution of humanitarian
lease of all political prisoners; political participation aid, including Rakhine State, without discrimination.
and the upcoming elections; discrimination against It urged the Government to take all necessary meas-
minorities and gender-based discrimination; the Ra- ures to prevent the discrimination and exploitation,
khine State, the Rakhine State Action Plan and the including through trafficking, of Rohingya Muslims
Rohingya community; conflict-related human rights and others by addressing the root causes compelling
concerns; sustainable development and programmes them to be more vulnerable and exposed to such acts.
to improve education, healthcare and livelihoods; and The Council requested the High Commissioner to
cooperation with the international community. present an oral update at its thirtieth (2015) session
In a March addendum [A/HRC/28/72/Add.1], My- and a report at its thirty-second (2016) session on the
anmar submitted to the Human Rights Council its human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya
observations on the report of the Special Rapporteur. Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, partic-
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March ularly the recent incidents of trafficking and forced
[A/70/53 (res. 28/23)], the Council welcomed the posi- displacement of Rohingya Muslims.
376 Part Two: Human rights

Report of Secretary-General. In an Au- porteur, which provided an overview of developments

gust report [A/70/332 & Corr.1], covering the period since her March report (see p. 375) and presented key
from 7 August 2014 to 6 August 2015, pursuant issues and priorities that needed to be addressed to
to General Assembly resolution 69/248 [YUN 2014, advance human rights reforms prior to the Novem-
p. 917], the Secretary-General examined the human ber elections and beyond. She conducted her third
rights situation in Myanmar in the context of the mission to the country from 2 to 7 August, while
democratization process in the country and high- Myanmar was dealing with the impact of floods
lighted UN efforts in supporting the Government and subsequent landslides, which had resulted in
and the people of Myanmar in their path towards over 110 deaths, severely affected 1.6 million people,
further reform and development. The Government and displaced more than 380,000 households. The
continued its efforts for national reconciliation by Special Rapporteur received information that some
pursuing peace talks with 16 ethnic armed groups, individuals with whom she met were photographed
culminating in a provisional agreement on a draft by security officials and that interlocutors from pre-
text for a nationwide ceasefire by the end of March vious visits were monitored, photographed and later
2015. While the draft had not received the final questioned by security personnel. She, therefore, re-
approval of all negotiating partners, it represented minded the Government of its obligation to ensure
an important step in framing a political dialogue the safety of all those who engaged with her mandate
between the Government and the warring ethnic and guarantee that they would not be subjected to
groups, as well as the acceptance in principle of a fed- reprisals, including threats, harassment, punishment
eral system of governance. Major improvements in or judicial proceedings. To ensure democratic elec-
the organization and conduct of elections, scheduled tions that were free, fair, inclusive and transparent,
for 8 November, were announced by the Union Elec- she recommended that the Government find solu-
tion Commissioner, but serious challenges remained. tions to allow all habitual residents of Myanmar to
Rising Buddhist chauvinism and strident anti- participate in the political process and vote; establish
Muslim sentiments had continued to threaten the a process for an independent and thorough review
fragile communal stability, particularly in Rakhine of all candidate disqualifications; ensure full respect
State, and the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya for the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and
Muslim population and other minority communi- association, and ease arbitrary arrest and detention;
ties, following the revocation of their temporary release all political prisoners; and take steps to coun-
identity cards, remained deeply problematic. The ter extremist nationalist sentiment in the country
risk of fresh outbreaks of communal violence, par- and take prompt action against all instances of hate
ticularly in the context of the elections remained speech and incitement to hatred and violence.
high and serious abuses against the media and civil The Special Rapporteur further recommended
society activists continued to be reported. In Rakh- that the Government, with regard to Rakhine State,
ine, the Muslim community continued to experience respect the right to self-identification according to
discrimination and deprivation of their human right international human rights law; ensure access to
and the crisis gripping migrants stranded on vessels adequate health, education and other basic services
in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal—many for all displaced persons without discrimination; lift
of whom were Rohingya—had attracted wide inter- the restrictions on freedom of movement and travel
national attention and turned the spotlight onto the restrictions preventing Rohingya students from at-
human rights situation in Rakhine and added fresh tending university; revise all local orders, instructions
pressure on the Government. and other policies and practices that were discrimina-
The Secretary-General observed that a unified tory in law and practice; and address long-standing
message from the country’s political leaders against social and economic development challenges through
incitement and hate speech was urgently needed. a human-rights-based approach, while ensuring the
Over the longer term, appropriate legal structures participation of affected communities. She reiterated
and policy guidelines would be needed—alongside her recommendations to the Government regarding
the necessary developmental efforts, education, and the ongoing conflict, sustainable development and
awareness-raising measures—to promote equality, the protection of economic, social and cultural rights,
non-discrimination and coexistence. In Rakhine and the Government’s cooperation with the interna-
State, he called on the authorities to take action to tional community and the UN system.
alleviate discriminatory practices against, and ad-
dress the humanitarian conditions of, the Rohingya GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
in order to assure for them a modicum of dignity and On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
basic human rights. Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
Report of Special Rapporteur. By an October mittee [A/70/489/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/233
note [A/70/412], the Secretary-General transmitted to (Situation of human rights in Myanmar) without
the General Assembly the report of the Special Rap- vote [agenda item 72 (c)].
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 377

Sri Lanka plan and oversee progress in implementing the recom-

mendations contained in the High Commissioner’s
OHCHR reports. In a September report of the reports, as well as outstanding recommendations of
ohchr investigation on Sri Lanka (oisl) [A/HRC/30/ the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission
CRP.2], ohchr, pursuant to Council resolution 25/1 and past commissions of inquiry; invite ohchr to
[YUN 2014, p. 919], organised information collected establish a country presence to monitor the human
into a series of thematic chapters on: unlawful kill- rights situation, advise on implementation of the
ings; violations related to the deprivation of liberty; recommendations and provide technical assistance;
enforced disappearance; torture; sexual and gender- initiate consultations on transitional justice; ap-
based violence; the abduction and forced recruit- point qualified new members to the Human Rights
ment of adults; the recruitment and use of children Commission of Sri Lanka; issue instructions to all
in hostilities; the impact of hostilities on civilian and branches of the military and security forces that
civilian objects in the final few months of the con- torture, rape, sexual violence and other human rights
flict; controls on movement; the denial of humanita- violations were prohibited and that those responsi-
rian assistance; and the screening and deprivation of ble would be investigated and punished; develop a
liberty of internally displaced persons in military- vetting process to remove from office military and
guarded closed camps. security force personnel and any other public official
The comprehensive investigation into human where there were reasonable grounds to believe that
rights violations and related crimes that occurred be- they had been involved in human rights violations;
tween 2002 and 2011 posed enormous challenges, prioritize the return of private land that had been oc-
namely the timeframe, the extent of the violations, the cupied by the military and end military involvement
amount of available information and the constraints in civilian activities; take immediate steps to identify
to the investigation, including a lack of access to the and disarm groups affiliated with political parties and
country and cooperation from the Government. The sever their links with the security forces, intelligence
report, nevertheless, attempted to shed further light services and other government authorities; initiate a
on the persistence, scale and gravity of the violations high-level review of the Prevention of Terrorism Act
of international human rights and humanitarian law and Public Security Ordinance Act, with a view to the
that had occurred, not only during the last phases formulation of the new security framework; incorpo-
of the armed conflict, but during the whole period rate better safeguards for the independence and effec-
covered by the oisl mandate, and prior to it. During tiveness of the witness protection programme; enact
the last phases of the conflict, the intense shelling legislation to criminalize war crimes, crimes against
by the armed forces caused great suffering and loss humanity, genocide and enforced disappearance with-
of life among the civilian population in the Vanni. out statutes of limitation; adopt legislation establish-
Witnesses gave descriptions of the carnage, blood- ing an ad hoc hybrid special court mandated to try
shed and psychological trauma of bombardments war crimes and crimes against humanity; carry out a
in which entire families were killed. Lack of food, mapping of all criminal investigations, habeas corpus
water and medical treatment, due to strict controls of and fundamental rights petitions relating to serious
supplies allowed into the Vanni by the Government, human rights violations and refer those cases to the
further impacted on their well-being and caused ad- special court upon its establishment; reinforce the
ditional deaths. forensic capacity of the judiciary; review all cases of
In a 28 September report [A/HRC/30/61], ohchr detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
presented the principal findings of the comprehensive and either release or immediately bring them to trial;
investigation into alleged serious violations and abuses develop a central database of all detainees where rela-
of human rights-related crimes during the armed con- tives may obtain information of the whereabouts of
flict and reviewed human rights-related developments family members detained, and publish a list of all de-
in the country since March 2014, in particular re- tention centres; publish all unpublished reports of the
forms and steps taken towards accountability and rec- many human rights-related commissions of inquiry;
onciliation by the new President of Sri Lanka elected develop a plan for preserving all existing records and
in January 2015, and by the new Government elected documentation relating to human rights violations;
in August 2015. The High Commissioner concluded develop a national reparations policy that took into
that the task of achieving accountability in Sri Lanka account the specific needs of women and children;
would require more than a domestic mechanism. Sri and strengthen programmes of psychological support
Lanka would need to draw on the lessons learned and for victims. He also made a series of recommendations
good practices of other States that had succeeded with to the UN system and Member States.
hybrid special courts, integrating international judges, Communication. On 16 September [A/HRC/​
prosecutors, lawyers and investigators. 30/G/4], Sri Lanka provided its comments on the
He recommended that the Government establish report of the Office of the High Commissioner and the
a high-level executive group to develop a time-bound ohchr investigation on Sri Lanka (oisl) (see above).
378 Part Two: Human rights

Human Rights Council action. On 1 October alty. The Government needed to, pending the aboli-
[A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/1)],
the Council took note of the tion of the death penalty, establish a moratorium on
ohchr report on promoting reconciliation and ac- its application, and in the meantime, comply with its
countability in Sri Lanka (see p. 377) and its inves- international obligations in not imposing the death
tigation, including its findings and conclusions. The penalty except for the most serious offences, suspend-
Council recognized the need for accountability and ing the application for crimes committed by persons
reconciliation for the violations and abuses committed under the age of 18, and ensuring respect for the
by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and encour- rights to due process and to a fair trial in death pen-
aged the Government to reform its domestic law; in- alty cases. He called on the international community
troduce security sector reform as part of its transitional to encourage the establishment of an international
justice process; and investigate all alleged attacks by independent and impartial mechanism to investigate
individuals and groups on journalists, human rights alleged violations and abuses of international human
defenders, religious minorities and other members of rights and humanitarian law; ensure the scaling-up of
civil society. It requested ohchr to continue to assess humanitarian assistance in Yemen; and cooperate with
progress on the implementation of its recommenda- the panel of experts charged with investigating indi-
tions and other relevant processes related to reconcilia- viduals or entities engaging in or providing support for
tion, accountability and human rights, and to present acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of the
an oral update at its thirty-second (2016) session, and a country, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2140
comprehensive report at its thirty-fourth (2017) session. [YUN 2014, p. 474].
Human Rights Council action. On 2 October
Yemen [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/18)], the Council expressed con-
cern at the serious abuses and violations of interna-
Report of High Commissioner. In a 7 Septem- tional human rights and humanitarian law in Yemen,
ber report [A/HRC/30/31], the High Commissioner pre- including the continued recruitment of children
sented an updated assessment of the overall human contrary to international treaties, the abduction of
rights situation in Yemen from 1 July 2014 to 30 June political activists, the violations against journalists,
2015, in the context of the deterioration in the security the killing of civilians, the prevention of access by
situation since September 2014, and described both relief and humanitarian aid, the cutting of electricity
alleged violations and abuses of international human and water supplies and the attacks against hospitals
rights law and alleged violations of international and ambulances. The Council called on all parties to
humanitarian law by parties to the conflict. He ex- respect their obligations under international human
pressed concern about the continued escalation of rights and humanitarian law, stop attacks on civilians
violence in the country and concluded that the situa- and ensure humanitarian access to all affected popu-
tion was partly the result of the failure to address past lations nationwide and called on the Government
grievances and to bring perpetrators to justice. The to take measures to protect civilians and investigate
High Commissioner recommended that all parties to all cases of violations and abuses of human rights. It
the conflict comply with their obligations under inter- expressed concern at the deteriorating humanitarian
national humanitarian and human rights law; abide situation in the country, called on the international
by the principles of distinction, proportionality and community to provide financial support for the Yemen
precautions in attacks in the conduct of hostilities; end humanitarian response plan and invited all bodies of
the recruitment and use of children for military pur- the UN system to assist the transitional process in the
poses; ensure immediate, safe and unimpeded access country. The Council requested the High Commis-
of humanitarian organizations to all areas under their sioner to provide technical assistance and work with
control; recall that the arms embargo pursuant to the Government in the field of capacity-building to
Security Council resolution 2216(2015) (see p. 179) identify additional areas of assistance; and to present
should not result in restrictions of the right to freedom an oral update at its thirty-first (2016) session and a
of movement and trade in commercial goods, includ- written report on implementation of the resolution at
ing fuel; and return to negotiations and find solutions its thirty-third (2016) session.
to end the conflict. He further recommended that the
coalition forces, consisting of all the States members of
the Gulf Cooperation Countries (with the exception Europe and the Mediterranean
of Oman), as well as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and the
Sudan and the Government of Yemen ensure prompt, Belarus
independent and impartial investigations into alleged
violations and abuses of international human rights Report of Special Rapporteur. In an April
and humanitarian law and those responsible brought report [A/HRC/29/43], the Special Rapporteur on the
to justice in a manner consistent with international human rights situation in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti
human rights law and without resort to the death pen- (Hungary), described the situation in Belarus up until
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 379

30 March since his previous report [YUN, 2014, p. 920], the justice sector and bar associations and to release
which outlined details of major concerns. No sub- immediately and unconditionally and rehabilitate all
stantial reform was discernible during the reporting political prisoners. The Council regretted that Bela-
period and violations had continued, while the legal rus had not taken steps ahead of the presidential elec-
and administrative environment for the enjoyment of tion of October to reform its electoral legislation and
human rights had further deteriorated, in particular urged the country to ensure that the election was free,
the rights to freedom of expression, association and fair, inclusive and peaceful, while providing for equal
assembly, to just and favourable conditions for work, treatment of all candidates before, during and after the
and to the freedom to choose one’s workplace. vote. The Council extended the mandate of the Special
The Special Rapporteur recommended that the Rapporteur for one year and requested him to submit
Government develop a national human rights plan a report to its thirty-second (2016) session and to the
of action to ensure follow up to and implementation General Assembly’s seventy-first (2016) session.
of all recommendations made by the international Report of Special Rapporteur. By a 14 August
human rights system; establish a national human rights note [A/70/313], the Secretary-General transmitted the
institution in accordance with international standards; report of the Special Rapporteur in accordance with
continue to reform the judicial system; repeal the Human Rights Council resolution 26/25 [YUN 2014,
amendments to laws on elections and referendums p. 920], which showed that for over two decades, the
that banned election boycotts; repeal the provisions of established system of media governance had stifled
the law on mass media that extended to restrictions the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and
on freedom of expression to Internet-based media; information. Media pluralism was absent in Belarus,
protect human rights defenders and journalists from the only country in Europe with no privately owned
harassment, intimidation and violence as a result of nationwide broadcasting outlets, and the Government
their activities and conduct investigation, prosecution was the direct regulator of all types of media. Media
and punishment of any such acts; release all political independence was rendered impossible through a
opponents, human rights defenders and activists who permission-based system of registration and arbi-
had been subjected to criminal charges without con- trary rules regarding the revoking of licences. Criti-
ditions; refrain from handing down death sentences cal expression and fact-finding were curtailed by the
and establish an immediate moratorium on the use of criminalization of content that was deemed harmful
the death penalty with a view to its permanent aboli- to the State, by criminal defamation and insult laws
tion; develop a comprehensive anti-discrimination law that protected public officials and the President, in par-
in accordance with international standards; amend or ticular, from public scrutiny, and by extremism laws
repeal legislation not in conformity with international that banned reporting on political or societal conflicts.
labour standards; and broaden the scope of cooperation The system-wide violations of the right to freedom of
with the UN, including ohchr, to undertake activities expression were further aggravated by the systematic
reflecting all the recommendations stemming from the harassment of journalists who challenged the de-
human rights system. nial of their rights. The adoption in December 2014
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July of an amendment to the law on mass media, which
[A/70/53 (res. 29/17)], by a recorded vote of 21 to 8, with 18 had taken on the last vestiges of free expression, the
abstentions, the Council expressed concern at the con- Internet, was especially worrying. Belarus approached
tinuing violations of human rights in Belarus, includ- its next presidential elections deprived of the media
ing the use of torture and ill-treatment in custody, as rights necessary for an informed, free and fair election.
well as the lack of response by the Government to cases The Special Rapporteur recommended that the
of enforced disappearance of political opponents, the Government conduct a review of the legislation per-
impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations, taining to freedom of expression and bring it in line
the violations of labour rights amounting to forced with the relevant international human rights law; en-
labour, the significant gap in anti-discrimination leg- sure that the permission-based print media registration
islation, the pressure on defence lawyers, and the lack procedure was transformed into a simple, transparent
of participation of opposition political parties in Par- and non-discriminatory notification system adminis-
liament. The Council called on the Government to tered by an independent body; eliminate the Govern-
carry out a comprehensive review of relevant legisla- ment’s authority to disallow the print press or the online
tion, policies, strategies and practices to ensure that media to start operation; repeal the use of accreditation
the provisions were clearly defined, consistent with laws as a prerequisite to exercising a media profession;
international human rights law and with its human lift the ban on cooperation with foreign media with-
rights obligations and commitments, and not used to out accreditation; secure the right of reporters of both
impede or unduly restrict the exercise of any human online and offline news media to operate freely; repeal
right, including the rights to freedom of opinion, ex- criminal provisions for journalistic errors; and intro-
pression, peaceful assembly, association and the me- duce regulation of the use of the Internet in accordance
dia. It urged the Government to carry out reform of with international freedom of expression standards.
380 Part Two: Human rights

Cyprus field of human rights. It also recognized the need

for ongoing reporting, including on the most seri-
Communication. By a 20 March note verbale ous human rights problems within Ukraine and their
[A/HRC/28/G/16], Turkey transmitted to the High root causes and invited ohchr to present orally to the
Commissioner the Turkish Cypriot view on the Council the findings of each of the period reports of
ohchr report on the question of human rights in the High Commissioner on the human rights situa-
Cyprus [YUN 2014, p. 921]. tion in the country, as part of an interactive dialogue,
OHCHR report. In a report on the question until the thirty-second (2016) session.
of human rights in Cyprus [A/HRC/31/21], the High OHCHR report. The eleventh ohchr report on
Commissioner provided an overview of specific the human rights situation in Ukraine, based on the
human rights concerns in the country, including with work of hrmmu and covering the period from 16 May
regard to the right to life and the question of missing to 15 August, stated that ongoing armed hostilities had
persons, the principle of non-discrimination, freedom continued in some areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk
of movement, property rights, freedom of religion and regions and were reportedly fuelled by the presence
cultural rights, freedom of opinion and expression and and continued influx of foreign fighters and weapons
the right to education, as well as the importance of a and ammunition from the Russian Federation. The
gender perspective when negotiating and implement- hostilities continued to result in violations of interna-
ing peace agreements. The report, which covered the tional human rights and humanitarian law, including
period from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2015, killings, abductions, torture and ill-treatment, sexual
indicated that as of the latter date, Cyprus remained violence, forced labour, ransom demands and extor-
divided, with a buffer zone maintained by the United tion of money. Ohchr called on all parties involved
Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (see p. 192). in the hostilities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions
There were several positive developments, such as to end the fighting and violence, respect international
progress in the search for and identification of the humanitarian law, investigate all allegations of viola-
remains of missing persons; a significant increase in tions and abuses of international humanitarian and
the number of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypri- human rights law, ensure treatment with due respect
ots crossing the Green Line; an encouraging level of and dignity of the bodies and remains of persons
interreligious communication and cooperation; the killed as a result of the hostilities, ensure rapid and
completion of several conservation works of cultural unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief, and ease
heritage sites on the whole island; the establishment freedom of movement across the contact line for civil-
of a bicommunal committee on gender equality; and ians. The Government of Ukraine needed to ensure
an agreement to create a bicommunal committee on consistency of charges against members of the armed
education. Given the positive momentum surround- groups and proportionality of sanctions to them;
ing the resumption of the talks and the commitment proactively investigate violations of international
expressed by the leaders to work tirelessly to reach a humanitarian and human rights law committed by the
comprehensive settlement of the question of Cyprus as Ukrainian armed forces and law enforcement agencies;
soon as possible, it was hoped that those efforts would ensure access of victims of human rights violations to
ultimately open avenues for improving the human medical services and social protection; and ensure
rights situation on the whole island. Further visits by the presence of law enforcement officials and medi-
special procedures mandate holders were encouraged. cal personnel to secure the protection of participants
in peaceful demonstrations. The High Commissioner
Ukraine called on the de facto authorities of Crimea and the
Russian Federation to implement the recommenda-
Human Rights Council action. On 3 July tions of the Human Rights Committee, in particular
[A/70/53 (res. 29/23)], by a recorded vote of 21 to 6, with on issues relating to nationality, rights of residence,
20 abstentions, the Council acknowledged the efforts labour rights, property and land rights, access to health
of the United Nations, the Organization for Security care and education, as well as the rights to freedom of
and Cooperation in Europe and other organizations expression, association, religion and peaceful assembly;
to assist Ukraine in protecting the rights of all persons stop all acts of discrimination and harassment of rep-
in the country as described in General Assembly reso- resentatives of minorities and indigenous peoples, in
lution 68/262 [YUN 2014, p. 505], the progress achieved, particular Crimean Tatars; investigate the killing of
as well as the challenges and obstacles that remained. Crimean Tatar Reshat Ametov and enforced disap-
It recognized the importance of the ohchr periodic pearances of Crimean civil society and human rights
reports based on the findings of the ohchr Human activists, and bring perpetrators to justice; ensure
Rights Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (hrmmu) compliance with fair trial and due process rights in
[ibid., p. 921] for the proper assessment of the human criminal proceedings; and provide hrmmu and other
rights situation in the country and an evaluation of international human rights missions with full access
the needs for technical assistance to Ukraine in the to the territory of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 381

Communication. On 15 September [A/HRC/​ The High Commissioner called on the de facto

30/G/5], Ukraine submitted a note verbale regard- authorities and the Russian Federation to permit
ing the eleventh ohchr report on the human rights hrmmu access to Crimea to ensure effective fulfilment
situation in the country (see p. 380), which had been of its mandate; stop using law enforcement bodies and
posted on the ohchr website. the justice system as instruments of political pressure,
OHCHR report. In the twelfth ohchr report on blackmail and intimidation of opponents; guarantee
the human rights situation in Ukraine, covering the impartial investigations and fair trial conditions for
period from 16 August to 15 November, the High Crimean Tatars undergoing criminal proceedings in
Commissioner stated that, despite a reduction in relation to the 16 February 2014 protests [YUN 2014,
hostilities, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine had p. 921]; allow unimpeded exercise of the freedoms
continued to significantly affect people residing in the of peaceful assembly, expression and religion by all
conflict zone and their human rights. From mid-April Crimean residents and accept and protect all non-
2014 to November 2015, hrmmu recorded at least violent forms of expression; and ensure the continued
29,830 casualties in the armed conflict area, includ- availability of education in the Ukrainian language.
ing 9,098 killed and 20,732 injured, with 52 per cent
of civilian casualties caused by explosive remnants of
war and improvised explosive devices. The impact of Middle East
the conflict on economic and social rights for peo-
ple residing in the conflict area remained significant;
the interruption of access to basic services was life- Syrian Arab Republic
threatening and with possible life-long impact on Communication. By a 10 March note verbale
the affected population, hindering the post-conflict [A/HRC/28/G/12], the Syrian Arab Republic informed
recovery. The human rights situation in Crimea con- the Human Rights Council of terrorist acts perpe-
tinued to be of concern due to persistent allegations trated by terrorist armed groups, such as the Da’esh
of violations of the right to life, liberty, security and organization, the Nusra Front, the Free Army and the
physical integrity, and non-respect of due process, fair Army of Islam against civilians in the country, includ-
trial rights and the rights to freedoms of expression ing assaults on the inhabitants of dozens of villages
and peaceful assembly. The trade blockade of Crimea that resulted in the killing of numerous civilians,
had human rights implications and affected more abduction of some 200 civilians and displacement of
acutely some vulnerable groups. more than 690 families. The groups attacked places
Ohchr called on all parties involved in the hostili- of worship and set fire to the historic church of Tal
ties to ensure the protection of civilians in the conflict Hermez, considered one of the most ancient churches
area; investigate all cases of civilian casualties caused in Syria and the world as a whole.
by military action; establish civilian casualty mitiga- Human Rights Council action. On 27 March
tion cells within their competent bodies; prioritize [A/70/53 (res. 28/20)], by a recorded vote of 29 to 6, with 12
demining activities and conduct mine awareness out- abstentions, the Human Rights Council welcomed the
reach to children and communities; release all those reports of the independent international commission
unlawfully or arbitrarily detained; treat all detainees of inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, extended for
in accordance with to international human rights and one year the commission’s mandate to investigate all
humanitarian law standards; investigate and pros- alleged violations of international human rights law
ecute any person responsible for serious human rights in the country since March 2011, and requested the
violations or abuses; and ensure freedom of the media commission to provide an oral update during the
and the liberty, security and rights of journalists to interactive dialogue at the Council’s twenty-ninth
freely conduct their work. (2015) session and written reports at its thirtieth
The Government needed to ensure investigations (2015) and thirty-first (2016) sessions. It deplored the
of all crimes motivated by ethnic or religious hatred; suffering and torture in prisons and detention facilities
reconsider restrictions of freedom of movement; en- throughout the country; condemned the abductions,
sure access of torture victims to medical, rehabilita- hostage-taking, incommunicado detention, torture,
tion, social and employment services; develop legal sexual violence, brutal killing of civilians and sum-
mechanisms for civilians whose property had been mary executions carried out by the regime forces and
damaged, looted or seized for military purposes to affiliated militias, non-State armed groups, as well as
receive compensation; recognize civil registration terrorist groups; and condemned the continued escala-
documents issued in territories controlled by armed tion of violence in Syria, which had caused more than
groups; take steps to guarantee the safety of pas- 200,000 fatalities, the use of chemical weapons and
sengers and pedestrians; and prevent unauthorized the intervention of all foreign terrorist fighters and
people from carrying out law enforcement functions foreign organizations fighting on behalf of the Syrian
in the areas adjacent to the crossing points between regime, particularly militia groups. The Council de-
mainland Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. cided to transmit all commission reports and oral
382 Part Two: Human rights

updates to relevant UN bodies, recommended that as other serious violations of international humanita-
the commission brief the General Assembly during rian law and gross violations of their human rights.
its sixty-ninth (2015) session and that the Assembly Within the overall population, groups and communi-
submit the reports to the Security Council, and recom- ties had been specifically targeted by one or more of
mended the continuation of future briefings. the warring parties. Often, individuals suffered on the
Communication. By a 19 May note verbale basis of multiple aspects of their identify, including
[A/HRC/29/G/5], Syria submitted to ohchr additional their gender, age, ethnicity, religion and profession.
information concerning the systematic and continu- Without stronger efforts to bring the conflict parties
ous terrorist acts perpetrated by terrorist armed groups to the peace table, ready to compromise, trends sug-
against civilians in Syria. gested that the Syrian conflict would continue for the
Human Rights Council action. On 2 July foreseeable future.
[A/70/53 (res. 29/16)], by a recorded vote of 29 to 6, with The commission recommended that all parties en-
12 abstentions, the Council demanded that the Syrian sure the effective protection of civilians and address
authorities cooperate fully with the Council and the the need for accountability, including access to justice
commission of inquiry by granting the commission at the national and local levels; respect civilians’ right
unfettered access throughout the country. It con- to access to basic necessities, including shelter, food,
demned the continued gross, systematic and wide- water and medical care; and allow unhindered access
spread violations and abuses of human rights and all of humanitarian aid; distinguish military from civilian
violations of international humanitarian law by the objectives, refraining from all indiscriminate and dis-
Syrian authorities and affiliated militias, including proportionate attacks; prohibit and prevent torture,
foreign terrorist fighters and those foreign organisa- including sexual violence; ban the recruitment and
tions fighting on behalf of the Syrian authorities; the use of children in hostilities; treat all persons deprived
widespread use of sexual violence and torture in deten- of liberty humanely; allow access for an independent
tion centres; all arbitrary detention of individuals by humanitarian assessment of besieged areas and com-
the authorities; the continued use of chemical weapons, munities; protect humanitarian workers; assist and pro-
including chlorine gas; the use of heavy weapons, clus- tect displaced persons; uphold religious and ethnically
ter munitions and aerial bombardments; the starvation diverse communities; and prohibit and prevent the use
of civilians as a method of combat against the Syrian of illegal weapons, including chemical weapons.
population; the terrorist acts and violence committed The Government needed to cease using illegal weap-
against civilians by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq onry and allow the commission access to the country.
and the Levant (isil/Da’esh), al-Nusra Front and other The international community needed to curb the
extremist groups, as well as the violent extremist ide- proliferation and supply of weapons; expand funding
ology professed, and human rights abuses and viola- and other support for humanitarian operations; pro-
tions of international humanitarian law committed, tect human rights, including of migrants, internally
by the groups; and the violence against all persons on displaced persons, asylum-seekers and refugees; abide
the basis of their religious or ethnic affiliation. The the principle of non-refoulement; and create more legal
Council called on the international community to avenues to safety for persons needing protection.
support the leadership and full participation of women Human Rights Council action. On 1 October
in all efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the [A/70/53/Add.1 (res. 30/10)], by a recorded vote of 29 to
country and to provide financial support to enable the 6, with 12 abstentions, the Council condemned the
host countries to respond to the growing humanitarian continued violations and abuses of human rights by the
needs of Syrian refugees. It demanded that the Syrian Syrian authorities and affiliated militias; the terrorist
authorities facilitate the full, immediate and safe access acts and violence committed against civilians by the
of UN and humanitarian actors, including to besieged so-called isil (Da’esh) and other extremist groups; the
areas and urged parties to the conflict to abstain from gross and systematic abuse of women’s and children’s
actions that could contribute to the deterioration of the rights by Da’esh, in particular the enslavement and
security and humanitarian situation in order to reach sexual abuses of women and girls and the forced re-
a genuine political transition. cruitment and abduction of children; the increasing
Report of international commission of in- number of massacres and other mass casualty incidents;
quiry. An August report [A/HRC/30/48 & Corr.1] of the damage and destruction of the cultural heritage of
the independent international commission of inquiry Syria, as well as the organized looting and trafficking
on the Syrian Arab Republic, established by Human of its cultural property; and the forced displacement
Rights Council resolution S-17/1 [YUN 2011, p. 180], of the population and alarming impact on the de-
covered investigations conducted from 10 January to mography of the country. It emphasized the need to
10 July 2015, including 335 interviews and the col- ensure that all those responsible for violations of inter-
lection of other evidence. The commission found national humanitarian law or violations and abuses of
that civilians of all backgrounds had been subjected international human rights law were held accountable
to crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well through fair and independent domestic or international
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 383

criminal justice mechanisms. The Council demanded raeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the
that all parties work towards the implementation of Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied
the Geneva communiqué [YUN 2012, p. 448], aimed at Territories (Committee on Israeli Practices) and other
bringing an end to all violence, violations and abuses bodies (see part one, Chapter VI).
of human rights and the launching of a Syrian-led Report of Special Rapporteur. In a January
political process leading to a political transition that report [A/HRC/28/78], the Special Rapporteur on the
would enable the Syrian people to determine their fu- human rights situation in the Palestinian territories
ture. The Council decided to transmit all reports and occupied since 1967, Makarim Wibisono (Indonesia),
oral updates of the commission to all relevant UN stated that, since assuming his mandate in 2014
bodies and recommended that the commission brief [YUN 2014, p. 929], his observations and interactions
the General Assembly during its seventieth (2015) with victims and witnesses living in the Occupied
session, and that the Assembly submit the reports to Palestinian Territory suggested that the protection
the Security Council for appropriate action. that international humanitarian law and international
human rights law should be providing for civilians
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION across the Occupied Palestinian Territory was absent.
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, Palestinian children were suffering the brunt of oc-
on the recommendation of the Third Committee cupation policies and practices of Israel, whether as
[A/70/489/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/234 (Situa- a result of the blockade and hostilities in Gaza, the
tions of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic) excessive use of force by Israeli security forces in the
by recorded vote (104-13-37) [agenda item 72 (c)]. context of legitimate protests and peaceful demon-
strations, search operations in the refugee camps or
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/234: abuse and ill-treatment in Israeli prisons. The Special
In favour: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Ar- Rapporteur recommended that the Government of
menia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bar- Israel implement the Gaza reconstruction mechanism
bados, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, brokered by the UN and allow delivery of construc-
Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, tion materials; lift the blockade of Gaza; and conduct
Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, investigations into all alleged incidents of killing of
Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, civilians during the hostilities and make public the
Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, findings and any steps taken regarding accountability.
Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, With regard to the situation of children in Israeli
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mon- military detention, the Israeli Government needed to
tenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nor- ensure that arrests of children only took place during
way, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, daylight hours; provide children and their legal guard-
Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of ians with a written statement in Arabic informing
Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra them of their legal rights in custody; allow all children
Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic to consult with a lawyer of their choice prior to ques-
of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab tioning; ensure that every interrogation was audio-
Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Yemen, visually recorded and a copy of the tape provided to
Zambia. the defence counsel prior to the first hearing; cease
Against: Algeria, Bolivia, Burundi, China, Cuba, Democratic the ill-treatment and abuse of children in detention;
People’s Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Iran, Nicaragua, Russian
Federation, Syrian Arab Republic, Uzbekistan, Venezuela
and exclude evidence obtained by the military courts
Abstaining: Angola, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bosnia and as a result of torture or ill-treatment. The Government
Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Central African Republic, also needed to ensure that Israeli security forces com-
Congo, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Greece, plied with the basic principles of the use of force and
Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lao firearms; conduct investigations into all cases involv-
People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Mozambique, ing the lethal use of force and make those findings
Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Singapore, South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Trini- public; cease punitive home demolitions and provide
dad and Tobago, Turkmenistan, United Republic of Tanzania, adequate compensation to family members whose
Zimbabwe. homes had been unlawfully demolished; and aban-
don plans entailing the forcible transfer of Palestinian
Bedouin and herder communities in the West Bank,
Territories occupied by Israel including in the East Jerusalem periphery, and provide
In 2015, the Human Rights Council addressed adequate compensation and restitution for individuals
cases of human rights violations in the territories oc- and communities who had been forcibly evicted and
cupied by Israel following the 1967 hostilities in the had their property destroyed.
Middle East. Political and other issues in the region Secretariat notes. By three notes dated 27 Febru-
were considered by the Security Council, the General ary [A/HRC/28/NI/2, 3 & 4], the secretariat transmitted
Assembly, the Special Committee to Investigate Is- to the Human Rights Council communications from
384 Part Two: Human rights

the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human report on the implementation of those recommenda-
Rights on the right to movement and travel in light of tions at the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session.
the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip; the right to On the same date [A/70/53 (res. 28/27)], by a recorded
adequate housing; and the rights of children. vote of 43 to 1, with 3 abstentions, the Council stressed
By a 26 March note [A/HRC/28/79], the Secretariat the need for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian
reported that on 16 March the Human Rights Council territory occupied since 1967; demanded that Israel
had decided by consensus that the commission of in- comply fully with the provisions of the 1949 Fourth
quiry, following a request for additional time to pre- Geneva Convention; cease all practices and actions
pare its report, should present an oral update at the that violated the human rights of the Palestinian
Council’s twenty-eighth (2015) session and a report people; cease its imposition of prolonged closures
at its twenty-ninth (2015) session. and economic and movement restrictions; and con-
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March demned all acts of violence, especially the excessive
[A/70/53 (res. 28/26)], by a recorded vote of 45 to 1, with use of force by the Israeli occupying forces against
1 abstention, the Council called for the cessation Palestinian civilians, and the firing of rockets against
of the operation by Israel of a tramway linking the Israeli civilian areas. The Council called on Israel
settlements with West Jerusalem, in clear violation to cease all violations of the right to education of
of international law and relevant UN resolutions; the Palestinians; end any harassment, intimidation and
expropriation of Palestinian land, the demolition of reprisals against human rights defenders; and prohibit
Palestinian homes, demolition orders, forced evic- torture. The Council urged States to continue to pro-
tions and relocation plans by Israel in areas identified vide emergency assistance to the Palestinian people to
for the expansion and construction of settlements; alleviate the financial crisis and the dire socioeconomic
other practices aimed at the forcible transfer of the and humanitarian situation; requested the High Com-
Palestinian civilian population; and Israeli meas- missioner to strengthen the presence of its office in the
ures in the form of policies, laws and practices that Occupied Palestinian Territory; and requested the
had the effect of preventing Palestinians from full Secretary-General to report on the implementation of
participation in the political, social, economic and the resolution at its thirty-first (2016) session.
cultural life of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Report of commission of inquiry. Pursuant to
and prevent their full development in both the West Human Rights Council resolution S-21/1 [YUN 2014,
Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Council called on p. 929], the independent international commission
Israel to reverse the settlement policy in the Occupied of inquiry established to investigate all violations of
Palestinian Territory; end all human rights violations international humanitarian and human rights law
linked to the presence of settlements; take measures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory submitted a
to prohibit and eradicate policies or practices that June report [A/HRC/29/52], which contained its find-
discriminated against and disproportionately affected ings and recommendations. In relation to the latest
the Palestinian populations; cease the requisition and round of violence, which had resulted in an unprec-
expropriation of Palestinian land and the allocation edented number of casualties, the commission was able
of “State land” for the establishment and expansion to gather substantial information pointing to serious
of settlements; end all measures and policies result- violations of international humanitarian and human
ing in the territorial fragmentation of the Occupied rights law by Israel and by Palestinian armed groups.
Palestinian Territory; implement measures to ensure The commission urged all those concerned to take im-
full accountability for, and preventing of, all acts of mediate steps to ensure accountability, including the
violence by Israeli settlers; halt all actions harming rights to an effective remedy for victims. It expressed
the environment, including the dumping of waste ma- concern that impunity prevailed across the board
terials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which for violations allegedly committed by Israeli forces,
gravely threatened their natural resources, namely whether it be in the context of active hostilities in Gaza
water and land resources, and posed an environ- or killings, torture and ill-treatment in the West Bank.
mental, sanitation and health threat to the civilian The commission called on Israelis and Palestinians
population; and cease the exploitation, damage, loss or to demonstrate political leadership by both refrain-
depletion, and endangerment of Occupied Palestinian ing from and taking active steps to prevent statements
Territory natural resources. The Council requested that dehumanized the other side, incited hatred, and
that all parties concerned ensure the implementation only served to perpetrate a culture of violence. The
of the recommendations contained in the report of Government of Israel needed to conduct a review
the independent international fact-finding mission to of policies governing military operations and of law
investigate the implications of Israeli settlement on enforcement activities in the context of the occupa-
the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights tion to ensure compliance with international law;
of the Palestinian people throughout the Occupied cooperate with international human rights bodies
Palestinian Territory [YUN 2012, p. 765]; and requested and non-governmental organizations concerned with
the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General to investigating alleged violations of international law;
Chapter III: Human rights country situations 385

address structural issues that were fuelling the conflict East Jerusalem; conduct full investigations into cases
negatively impacting a wide range of human rights, of excessive use of force by Israeli security forces and
including the right to self-determination; and accede into allegations of settler violence; remove procedural
to the Rome Statute. The State of Palestine needed to and physical barriers that obstructed access to health
ensure investigations into allegations of international care for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank;
humanitarian and human rights law complied with ensure that all Palestinian school children in East
human rights standards and that full accountability Jerusalem had access to education; end the practice
was achieved; and accelerate efforts to translate the of administrative detention and respect the right of
declaration on Palestinian unity into tangible meas- Palestinian prisoners and detainees to peaceful pro-
ures on grounds that would enable the Government test; redouble efforts to implement recommendations
of national consensus to ensure the protection of by the United Nations Children’s Fund with respect
human rights and achieve accountability for vic- to the detention of children; and cooperate with the
tims. The authorities in Gaza and Palestinian armed Special Rapporteur and any UN-mandated body and
groups needed to end all attacks on Israeli civilians facilitate access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
and civilian objects, and take measures to prevent On 9 December, the General Assembly took note
extrajudicial execution and eradicate torture, cruel, of the report of the Special Rapporteur in resolution
inhuman and degrading treatment. 70/89 (see p. 203) and resolution 70/90 (see p. 206).
On 9 December, the General Assembly took note By a later note [A/HRC/31/73], the secretariat trans-
of the report of the independent commission of in- mitted the report of the Special Rapporteur, which
quiry in resolution 70/87 (see p. 206). examined the overall lack of effective protection of
Human Rights Council action. On 3 July the rights of Palestinians living under Israeli occupa-
[A/70/53 (res. 29/25)], by a recorded vote of 41 to 1, with tion since 1967 and addressed the non-cooperation
5 abstentions, the Council welcomed the report of the of Israel with the mandate. He reviewed allegations
independent commission of inquiry on the 2014 Gaza of human rights violations related to the surge in
conflict (see p. 384); emphasised the need to ensure violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory dur-
that all those responsible for violations of international ing the year. The report further illustrated continuing
humanitarian and human rights law were held ac- concerns regarding the protection of human rights
countable through appropriate, fair and independent and respect for international humanitarian law by re-
domestic or international criminal justice mecha- viewing selected recommendations related to the Oc-
nisms. It recommended that the General Assembly cupied Palestinian Territory of the second universal
remain apprised of the matter until satisfied that ap- periodic review of Israel [YUN 2013, p. 593]. It also drew
propriate action had been taken or was being taken on communications addressed by the Special Rappor-
to ensure justice for victims and accountability for teur to the Israeli Government to illustrate continuing
perpetrators; and requested the High Commissioner concerns. He concluded the report reiterating recom-
to report on the implementation of the recommenda- mendations previously made that remained valid.
tions contained in the reports of the commission of Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
inquiry and of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Council resolution 28/27 (see p. 384), the Secretary-
Conflict at the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session. General submitted a report [A/HRC/31/44] on the
Reports of Special Rapporteur. In Septem- human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian
ber, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights Territory, including East Jerusalem, which covered the
situation in the Palestinian territories since 1967 period from 1 November 2014 to 31 October 2015.
submitted his second report to the General Assembly It presented the situation through an analysis of how
[A/70/392], in which he found that the cumulative the occupation and associated measures restricted
effects of Israeli occupation policies and practices, freedom of movement and examined the impact of
most prominently settlement expansion and related those restrictions on Palestinians’ enjoyment of their
impacts, the blockade, movement restrictions and economic, social and cultural rights. The Secretary-
the military justice system, were having a debilitat- General recommended that the Government of
ing effect on Palestinian society. Critically, without Israel lift the blockade of Gaza in accordance with
accountability, forty-eight years of occupation had international human rights law and allow movement
shown that Israeli policies and practices, which ran between Gaza and the West Bank; the right to
counter to international human rights law and in- education be respected and protected; measures be
ternational humanitarian law, would continue. The taken to remove barriers to freedom of movement
Special Rapporteur reiterated recommendations pre- and ease the restrictions on economic development
viously made and re-emphasized recommendations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; and that the
to the Government of Israel to lift the blockade on Israeli authorities needed to recognize and respect the
Gaza; ensure that domestic-level investigations pro- residency rights of Palestinians. He recommended
vided accountability; halt settlement expansion and that the Palestinian authorities implement their ob-
refrain from demolitions in the West Bank, including ligations under international human rights treaties,
386 Part Two: Human rights

including with regard to freedom of movement, and no legal effect. It called on States not to recognize any
take steps to encourage national political parties to of the above-mentioned legislative or administrative
resolve the political disunity that obstructed the equal measures; and requested the Secretary-General to
implementation of the human rights obligations of the bring the resolution to the attention of all Govern-
Government of the State of Palestine throughout the ments, UN organs, specialized agencies, international
Occupied Palestinian Territory. and regional intergovernmental organizations and in-
ternational humanitarian organizations, to dissemi-
Occupied Syrian Golan nate it as widely as possible and to report on the mat-
ter at the Council’s thirty-first (2016) session.
Communication. In a 26 February note verbale Communication. In an 8 May note verbale
[A/HRC/28/G/8], the Syrian Arab Republic informed [A/HRC/29/G/2], Syria informed the Human Rights
the Human Rights Council President that Israeli oc- Council President that the Israeli occupation forces had
cupation forces had rearrested a Syrian combatant seized thousands of dunams of land in the occupied
without any legal or moral justification and requested Syrian Golan with a view to their distribution among
the Secretary-General, Security Council, and the settlers who would be brought in to take over the seized
United Nations High Commissioner for Human land and set up agricultural projects. In addition, ex-
Rights to demand that Israel release the abducted de- ploratory drilling for oil had begun on the seized land.
tainee and all citizens of Syria held in the occupation Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
authorities’ prisons and detention centres. Human Rights Council resolution 28/24 (see above),
Human Rights Council action. On 27 March the Secretary-General submitted a report [A/HRC/31/41]
[A/70/53 (res. 28/24)], by a recorded vote of 29 to 1, with providing information on the implementation of the
17 abstentions, the Council called on Israel to desist resolution and communications related to the issue,
from its continuous building of settlements and from which included responses received from Bahrain,
changing the physical character, demographic com- Denmark, Ireland and Syria.
position, institutional structure and legal status of the
occupied Syrian Golan; desist from imposing Israeli
citizenship and identity cards on the Syrian citizens Follow-up to the 2012 fact-finding mission
in the occupied Syrian Golan and from its repressive on the implications of Israeli settlements
measures against them and from all other practices on Palestinian rights
that obstructed the enjoyment of their fundamental Report of High Commissioner. Pursuant
rights; allow the Syrian population of the occupied to Human Rights Council resolution 28/26 (see
Syrian Golan to visit their families and relatives in the p. 384), the High Commissioner submitted a report
Syrian motherland though the Quneitra checkpoint [A/HRC/31/42] on the status of implementation of
and under the supervision of the International Com- the recommendations contained in the report of
mittee of the Red Cross (icrc); release the Syrian the independent international fact-finding mission
detainees in Israeli prisons, some of whom had been on the implications of Israeli settlements on the
detained for more than 28 years, and treat them in civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights
conformity with international law; and allow icrc of the Palestinian people throughout the Occu-
delegates to visit Syrian prisoners of conscience and pied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem
detainees in Israeli prisons accompanied by special- [YUN 2012, p. 765]. He addressed the continued Israeli
ized physicians to assess the state of their physical and settlement activity; settler violence and lack of ac-
mental health and to protect their lives. countability; issues related to Palestinian detainees,
The Council determined that all legislative and including children in Israeli custody; and business
administrative measures and actions taken or to be and human rights in relation to the settlements.
taken by Israel that sought to alter the character and The report also included submissions received from
legal status of the occupied Syrian Golan were null Member States on the status of implementation of the
and void, constituted a flagrant violation of interna- recommendations contained in the report of the fact-
tional law and of the Geneva Convention, and had finding mission.
 PART THREE

Economic and social questions

Chapter I

Development policy
and international economic cooperation

The year 2015 marked a milestone with the expiration Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008–2017),
of the Millennium Development Goals (mdgs) and expressed its concern that progress had been uneven,
the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, and stressed the need for the development of a global
including the sustainable development goals (sdgs). strategy on youth employment.
At the United Nations summit for the adoption of the In May, the Commission on Science and Technology
post-2015 development agenda in September, partici- for Development considered progress made in imple-
pants adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable De- menting and following up to the outcomes of the
velopment with its 17 sdgs and 169 associated targets. World Summit on the Information Society (wsis). It
In a September resolution, the General Assembly en- also addressed its two priority themes on strategic fore-
dorsed the outcome document and resolved, by 2030, sight for the post-2015 development agenda and digital
to end poverty and hunger everywhere; combat ine- development. In December, the Assembly adopted a
qualities within and among countries; build peaceful, resolution on the outcome document of the high-level
just and inclusive societies; protect human rights and meeting of the General Assembly on the overall review
promote gender equality and the empowerment of of the implementation of the wsis outcomes.
women and girls; and ensure the lasting protection
of the planet and its natural resources. It also resolved With regard to development policy and public
to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and administration, the Committee for Development
sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and Policy, in March, addressed the themes of account-
decent work for all, and assigned the central role in ability for the implementation of the post-2015 devel-
overseeing follow-up and review at the global level to opment agenda as its contribution to the discussions
the high-level political forum under the auspices of on the 2015 annual ministerial review; the triennial
the General Assembly and the Economic and Social review of the category of least developed countries
Council. The resolution further announced the launch (ldcs); monitoring of countries that were graduating
of a Technology Facilitation Mechanism in order to and had graduated from the list of ldcs; review and
support the implementation of the sdgs. fine-tuning of the human assets index of the crite-
ria for the identification of ldcs; and strengthening
In a December resolution, the General Assembly official development assistance for the implementa-
welcomed the launch of the Global Partnership for tion of the Istanbul Programme of Action.
Sustainable Transport, developed by the International The Committee of Experts on Public Adminis-
Road Transport Union and the United Nations tration, at its April session, considered the issue of
Global Compact, as the primary tool to implement building trust in government in pursuit of the sdgs,
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in including through redefining relationships and re-
the transport sector; and called for efforts to promote sponsibilities in support of participatory governance
regional and interregional economic integration and and responsive public service delivery; strengthening
cooperation, including by improving transportation innovation, prioritization, informed decision-making
infrastructure, enhancing connectivity and facilitat- and integration of policy development processes; and
ing trade and investment. promoting accountable institutions, ethical leadership
Noting the key findings contained in the review of and integrity.
the implementation of the United Nations Decade of The United Nations continued to address the
Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014), development problems of groups of countries in
the General Assembly, in December, called upon the special situations, including follow-up to the Fourth
international community to provide inclusive and equi- United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
table quality education at all levels, and encouraged Gov- Countries, and UN system support to small island
ernments and other concerned stakeholders to scale up developing States (sids), including through implemen-
education for sustainable development action through tation of the Mauritius Strategy for Further Implemen-
implementation of the Global Action Programme on tation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Education for Sustainable Development. Development of sids and the sids Accelerated Modali-
The General Assembly, in its review of progress ties of Action (samoa) Pathway. The UN system also
made in implementing the Second United Nations continued to strive towards achieving inclusive growth

389
390 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and sustainable development through the Vienna Important issues in the field of environmental
Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing policies included protecting the atmosphere to combat
Countries for the Decade 2014–2024. climate change; sustainable management of forests;
protecting terrestrial and marine areas, water use, fish
stock and biodiversity; and improving drinking water,
International economic relations sanitation and slums. As the mdgs relied largely on
environment-related conventions under the aegis of
the UN for the determination and implementation
Economic and social trends of environmental targets, and the sdgs also appeared
The World Economic and Social Survey 2014/2015: to follow that model, greater efforts were needed to
Learning from national policies supporting mdg im- ensure the success of those conventions.
plementation [E/2015/50/Rev.1], published by the The report concluded that the adoption of global
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (desa), development goals by Governments was the impor-
analysed the broad policies and strategies adopted and tant initial step towards achieving the goals, and it
implemented to achieve the Millennium Development required decisions by political leadership, legislative
Goals (mdgs), in order to draw necessary lessons for changes, consultation with stakeholders and advocacy,
the achievement of the sustainable development goals and incorporation of the global goals into national
(sdgs). The report used a multidimensional analytical and subnational plans and budgets. The UN system
framework to capture the mdg lessons in the areas of could play a crucial role in assisting Member States as
economic, social and environmental policies, as well they engaged in that process. A range of economic,
as national adoption of global goals, governance and social and environmental policies were found to have
institutions, peace and stability, global cooperation for been crucial for achieving the mdgs through either
achieving development goals, and data development. their direct influence on specific goals and targets or
The report highlighted that the general growth pat- their indirect effects on creation of the necessary ena-
tern observed during the mdg period was not sustain- bling conditions. Some of those policies would have
able. For instance, gross domestic product (gdp) per to be adjusted to the much broader scope of the sdgs.
capita growth had been closely associated with an in- Good governance, effective institutions, peace and
crease in carbon dioxide emissions, which was the main stability were found to be both enablers and outcomes
cause of global climate change; and environmental of development; taking into account that interconnec-
sustainability challenges, such as resource depletion, tion would be of great importance for implementation
ecosystem degradation and climate change had un- of the post-2015 development agenda. Various forms
dercut the hard-earned gains in economic and social of global partnerships would have to be strengthened
development in many developing countries. It further in order for the sdgs to be achieved.
emphasized that while economic policies sought to The World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015:
support the achievement of the mdgs through the update as of mid-2015, jointly produced by desa, the
promotion of a growth pattern that was sustained, United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop-
inclusive and equitable, the post-2015 growth pattern ment (unctad) and the five UN regional commis-
had to become environmentally sustainable for at- sions, projected the world gdp to grow at 2.8 per cent
tainment of the sdgs. An important step in effecting in 2015, accelerating to 3.1 per cent in 2016. The
that transformation entailed counting the full value growth divergence among various regions was wid-
of environmental resources in the measurement of ening, owing to differing impacts of the decline in
national wealth, including through developing and the prices of oil and other commodities, as well as
mainstreaming the 2012 System of Environmental- country-specific factors. The short-term growth pros-
Economic Accounting, adopted by the Statistical pects of heavily commodity-dependent countries
Commission in its decision 43/105 [YUN 2012, p. 1247]. had worsened considerably. By contrast, commodity
With regard to social policies, non-contributory importers were benefiting from lower prices in the
social protection schemes would continue to be im- form of reduced inflationary, fiscal and balance-of-
portant for the reduction of poverty during post-2015, payment pressures. The overall subdued performance
and many low-income developing countries would of the world economy in preceding years had raised
continue to need external support in order to adminis- concerns of a “new normal” of lower growth, and the
ter those policies. In the field of education, mdg expe- broad-based weakness in investment worldwide not
rience pointed to the necessity of aligning expansion only held back growth, but also reduced potential
of education with expansion of employment oppor- growth in the future.
tunities. It was also important to note the time lags The downside risks to the baseline outlook were
between educational investment and its benefit in the related to the impact of the monetary policy normali-
form of increased economic growth. Health systems zation in the United States of America, uncertainties
had to provide people-centred solutions and had to in the eurozone, potential spillovers from geopoliti-
become part of the core social institutions. cal conflicts and persistent vulnerabilities in emerg-
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 391

ing economies. To mitigate those risks and ensure a on the theme “Managing the transition from the
return to strong, sustainable and balanced growth, a Millennium Development Goals to the sustainable
broad set of policy measures at the domestic, regional development goals: what it will take”.
and global levels was needed. The report identified Policy dialogue. On 9 July [A/70/3], the Council
key challenges in the areas of monetary, fiscal, labour held a high-level policy dialogue with international
market and trade policies, underlining the need for financial and trade institutions on the topic “Head-
strengthened international policy coordination. winds in the global economy”.
Thematic discussion. On 10 July, in accordance
Development and with decision 2015/206 (see p. 722), the Economic
international economic cooperation and Social Council held the thematic discussion of
its 2015 high-level segment on “Strengthening and
International economic cooperation issues were con- building institutions for policy integration in the
sidered by various UN bodies, including the General post-2015 era”. The Council had before it a report of
Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. the Secretary-General on the topic [E/2015/69], which
The Council held a special high-level meeting represented a conceptual discussion of institutions
(New York, 20–21 April) with the World Bank, and institutional arrangements that could best
the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade support integrated policymaking to tackle the goals
Organization and unctad, addressing the theme and challenges of the post-2015 period. It noted that
“Coherence, coordination and cooperation in the con- transformation of governance mechanisms and struc-
text of financing for sustainable development and the tures at all levels would be needed to enable institutions
post-2015 development agenda” (see p. 459). For its to support policy coherence and integration across all
consideration at the meeting, the Council had before dimensions of sustainable development in the post-
it a note [E/2015/52] by the Secretary-General. 2015 context. It also highlighted that institutions
On 22 December (decision 70/540), the Assembly would need to be multidisciplinary, participatory,
took note of the report of the Second (Economic and collaborative, transparent, accountable, willing and
Financial) Committee regarding macroeconomic agile so as to be adaptable to evolving circumstances.
policy questions [A/70/470]. Recommendations included institutional innova-
tion to make policy integration work in practice;
government ownership and transformational leader-
High-level segment of Economic ship to initiate institutional change; new and effective
and Social Council governance structures to facilitate multi-stakeholder
engagement in the various stages of policymaking;
In accordance with General Assembly resolutions
changes in norms, rules and regulations; and building
67/290 [YUN 2013, p. 782] and 68/1 [ibid., p. 1413], and
institutional capacity to strengthen management of
Economic and Social Council decision 2015/205
the sustainable development process.
(see p. 721), the Council held the high-level segment
of its 2015 substantive session in New York from 6 to Communication. On 6 October [A/70/410], South
10 July [A/70/3], including the three-day ministerial Africa transmitted to the Secretary-General the
meeting of the high-level political forum on sustain- Ministerial Declaration adopted at the thirty-ninth
able development. annual meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of
the States members of the Group of 77 and China
The Council had before it the reports of the
(New York, 24 September), which reviewed the
Secretary-General on managing the transition from
world economic situation and the challenges faced by
the Millennium Development Goals to the sustain-
developing countries.
able development goals: what it will take [E/2015/68]
and on strengthening and building institutions for
policy integration in the post-2015 era [E/2015/69] Globalization and interdependence
(see above); and notes on the progress on the 10-year Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/219
framework of programmes on sustainable consump- [YUN 2013, p. 772], the Secretary-General submitted
tion and production patterns [E/2015/56] and on the an August report [A/70/326] on the role of the UN in
discussions on the theme of the eighteenth session of promoting development in the context of globaliza-
the Commission on Science and Technology for De- tion and interdependence, which examined trends
velopment [E/2015/78] (see p. 404). It also had before and challenges in globalization and their implications
it the World Economic and Social Survey 2014/2015: for policymaking. The report also considered several
mdg Lessons for Post-2015 [E/2015/50]; and a report on key global and transboundary issues, such as inequal-
the world economic situation and prospects as of mid- ity within and between countries, the financial and
2015 [E/2015/73] (see p. 390). economic crisis, the energy and food crises, and climate
On 8 July [E/HLS/2015/1], the Council adopted a change, that had potential implications for the imple-
ministerial declaration of the high-level segment mentation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Devel-
392 Part Three: Economic and social questions

opment. It was proposed that the UN enhance its role countries as a group had registered remarkable progress
in policy integration, coordination and coherence to towards the mdgs, particularly in reducing poverty, they
support and reinforce efforts towards the achievement were facing challenges in terms of sustainable develop-
of the 2030 Agenda. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, ment. High gdp growth rates had often been accompa-
adopted at the third International Conference on Fi- nied by rising greenhouse gas emission levels and envi-
nancing for Development (see p. 395), provided con- ronmental degradation; and undermanaged rural-urban
crete policies and action that should be implemented migration, the influx of migrants and the rapid growth
to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. of informal settlements and slums in urban centres
The Secretary-General recommended that Gov- posed another sustainable development challenge.
ernments improve policy coordination and coherence Development cooperation between the UN system
through the relevant global and regional institutions and middle-income countries was as varied as it was
and policies to enhance global economic and financial important for the achievement of sustainable devel-
stability; continue to promote enabling domestic and opment in those countries. Upstream cooperation
international conditions for sustainable private sector activities and, in particular, capacity-building had
investment that supported national development gained in significance, as had concerns about environ-
policies; and strengthen cooperation and dialogue mental sustainability. The United Nations Industrial
on international migration. Assistance should be pro- Development Organization had facilitated a number
vided to developing countries to attain long-term debt of activities in middle-income countries, including the
sustainability, including through well-coordinated project “EQuIP—Enhancing the Quality of Industrial
policies that fostered debt financing, relief and re- Policies”, to support policymakers in middle-income
structuring and sound debt management. To address countries in the design of evidence-based strategies for
global environmental priorities and transboundary inclusive and sustainable industrial development. It also
challenges from the local to the global level, all devel- organized the first regional round table on inclusive
opment stakeholders should align their environmental and sustainable industrial development (Buenos Aires,
governance structures to support the integration of Argentina, March), and facilitated an international
social, environmental and economic objectives into conference on industrial development in middle-
sustainable development policies. income countries (Minsk, Belarus, 23–24 April). The
International Labour Organization (ilo) was active in
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION many middle-income countries, providing technical
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, support and advisory services through decent work
on the recommendation of the Second (Economic and country programmes. During the 2013–2015 period,
Financial) Committee [A/70/474/Add.1], adopted resolu- ilo provided development assistance to 92 middle-
tion 70/211 (Role of the United Nations in promoting income countries. The United Nations Environment
development in the context of globalization and Programme assisted Governments, businesses and indi-
interdependence) without vote [agenda item 22 (a)]. viduals to reduce emissions in an effort to minimize the
pace and scale of climate change. It also provided coop-
Also on the same date, by decision 70/543, the erative technical assistance to middle-income countries
General Assembly took note of the report of the Second facing disasters and conflicts.
Committee on globalization and interdependence The Secretary-General observed that future ini-
[A/70/474]. tiatives needed to take into account country-specific
needs and the trade-off between creating a more co-
Development cooperation herent policy background for development coopera-
with middle-income countries tion of the UN system with middle-income countries
and preserving sufficient independence to meet with
In response to General Assembly resolution 68/222 the specific mandates of individual agencies.
[YUN 2013, p. 774], the Secretary-General submitted a
July report [A/70/227] on development cooperation GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
with middle-income countries. In 2015, there were On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
104 countries in that category. on the recommendation of the Second Committee
Middle-income countries were facing a number of [A/70/474/Add.4], adopted resolution 70/215 (Develop-
challenges in the three dimensions (economic, environ- ment cooperation with middle-income countries)
mental and social) of sustainable development. While without vote [agenda item 22 (d)].
economic growth in those countries had remained ro-
bust, the pace had nevertheless slowed owing to both Development through partnerships
less favourable external conditions and domestic fragili-
ties. That, in turn, had led to challenging conditions in In accordance with General Assembly resolution
labour markets, besides structural employment prob- 68/234 [YUN 2013, p. 776], the Secretary-General sub-
lems in a number of countries. While middle-income mitted an August report [A/70/296] on enhanced co-
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 393

operation between the UN and all relevant partners, The conference provided a platform for identifying best
in particular the private sector. The Secretary-General practices in the care and management of migration in
stated that progress in implementing the recommen- the region, and to publicized best practices of the Joint
dations of that resolution had contributed to a more Programme as a result of its implementation.
strategic and integrated approach to engaging with The Human Security Unit and the Chilean Minis-
business partners and the design of more innovative, try of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Latin
effective and impactful partnerships for sustainable American Social Sciences Institute, hosted a Latin
development and humanitarian purposes. At the same America and the Caribbean regional human security
time, emerging trends were driving new partnership conference (Santiago, Chile, 9–10 April) on “The
developments within the UN and setting the stage for Contribution of the Human Security Approach to
progress to come. The UN was becoming more adept the Post-2015 Development Agenda”.
at managing the risks of partnering with the private During the year, untfhs issued policy briefs on
sector, both by improving due diligence and integrity human security; the work of untfhs; human security
measures and by leveraging its reputation and norma- and Agenda 2030; and human security and migration.
tive strength to align the business community with
the values of the UN. The Secretary-General observed
that the UN should pursue stronger disclosure of Sustainable development
partnership activity to better monitor results; and In 2015, various UN bodies, including the General
that UN entities should adopt a holistic approach to Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, and the
private sector engagement, employing risk-managed high-level political forum on sustainable development
partnership strategies where appropriate and pursuing considered the implementation of the outcomes of the
integrated partnership models that positively affected 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Devel-
business partners’ core corporate performance while opment [YUN 2012, p. 780]; of the 2002 World Summit
pursuing other specific partnership objectives; and on Sustainable Development [YUN 2002, p. 821], particu-
build robust engagement mechanisms and strategies larly the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Imple-
that fostered institutional continuity while leveraging mentation, which outlined actions and targets for step-
their unique mandates, operational advantages and ping up implementation of Agenda 21—a programme
capacities, including at country level. of action for sustainable development worldwide,
adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Environment and Development [YUN 1992, p. 672]—
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- and of the Programme for the Further Implementation
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second of Agenda 21, adopted by the Assembly at its nine-
Committee [A/70/479], adopted resolution 70/224 teenth special session in 1997 [YUN 1997, p. 792].
(Towards global partnerships: a principle-based The UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015
approach to enhanced cooperation between the development agenda, held in September and con-
United Nations and all relevant partners) without vened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General
vote [agenda item 27]. Assembly, represented the culmination of years of
research and negotiation on the post-2015 develop-
Human security ment agenda, a bold vision for achieving sustainable
development for all. More than 150 world leaders at-
At the Third UN World Conference on Disaster tended the summit and formally adopted the sustain-
Risk Reduction (Sendai, Japan, 14–18 March) (see able development goals (sdgs), a set of 17 goals that ad-
p. 442), the Human Security Unit of the United dress global challenges, including poverty, inequality,
Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (untfhs) climate change, environmental degradation, peace and
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan hosted an justice. The goals were designed to benefit all people,
event entitled “Disaster Risk Reduction and Human in all countries of the world.
Security: Effective Responses to Strengthen Resil-
ience and Protect and Empower People in Response
to Natural Disasters”. The event highlighted the ef- High-level political forum
fectiveness of the human security approach in tack- on sustainable development
ling disaster risk reduction and how it added value In accordance with General Assembly resolutions
to strengthening the resilience of communities, espe- 67/290 [YUN 2013, p. 782] and 68/1 [ibid., p. 1413], and
cially those most vulnerable. Economic and Social Council decision 2015/205 (see
The Joint Programme on Migration in Mexico, p. 721), the third meeting of the high-level political
which was funded by untfhs in collaboration with the forum on sustainable development was convened (New
Migration Policy Unit of the Mexican Ministry of Inte- York, 26 June–8 July) under the auspices of the Council
rior, organized an international conference on human [E/HLPF/2015/4] and the three-day ministerial segment
security and migration (Mexico City, 26–27 March). (6–8 July) was held during the Council’s high-level seg-
394 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ment (see p. 391). The theme for the high-level forum level Forum on Sustainable Development (Manama,
was “Strengthening integration, implementation and Bahrain, 5–7 May) [E/HLPF/2015/3/Add.3], the Asia-
review: the high-level political forum after 2015”. The Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (Bang-
forum held 19 panel discussions on: shaping the world kok, 21–22 May) [E/HLPF/2015/3/Add.4] and the Africa
for 2030; the role of business in the implementation of Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (Addis
the post-2015 development agenda; supporting national Ababa, 17–18 June) [E/HLPF/2015/3/Add.5], which were
action through the outcomes of the high-level political submitted in response to Assembly resolutions 67/290
forum; keeping science involved in the implementa- [YUN 2013, p. 782] and 69/214 [YUN 2014, p. 948].
tion of the sdgs; the Global Sustainable Development Ministerial declaration. On 8 July, the forum
Report; changing approaches to policymaking; regional adopted a ministerial declaration on the theme
support for national action; the sids Accelerated Mo- “Strengthening integration, implementation and
dalities of Action (samoa) Pathway; communicating the review: the high-level political forum on sustainable de-
agenda; training and learning for sustainable develop- velopment after 2015” in which participants requested
ment; sustainable consumption and production; invest- the Economic and Social Council to issue summaries
ing in the future we want; tracking progress through of the discussions held at the high-level segment and the
existing mechanisms; a transformative integrated high-level political forum as a contribution to the third
agenda; emerging issues; communicating and imple- International Conference on Financing for Develop-
menting a universal agenda at home; the high-level ment (see p. 395) and the intergovernmental negotia-
political forum on sustainable development in the next tions on the post-2015 development agenda.
15 years; reviewing and monitoring progress; and real-
izing the sdgs. The forum also held a general debate Follow-up to UN Conference
(7–8 July) within the framework of the general debate on Sustainable Development
of the Council’s high-level segment.
The 2015 Global Sustainable Development Report, Open Working Group on
launched by the UN Secretariat in June, was discussed Sustainable Development Goals
at the forum. The report examined the sustainable de- The Open Working Group of the General Assembly
velopment goals as constituting an interlinked system, on Sustainable Development Goals was established by
analysing how the goals were interrelated through their Assembly resolution 66/288 [YUN 2012, p. 782] to de-
targets, and how progress towards one goal depended on velop a set of sdgs for consideration and action by the
and contributed to progress towards others. It also pro- Assembly. The Working Group’s report submitted in
vided a survey of scientific findings on pressing sustain- 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 945] contained 17 sdgs and accom-
able development issues involving oceans, seas and ma- panying targets.
rine resources and human well-being; the cross-cutting
Explanations of positions and reservations by
issue of disaster risk reduction; industrialization and
some Member States on the 2014 report of the Open
its links to sustainable consumption and production;
Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
and innovative uses of big data in Africa. It highlighted
were transmitted to the General Assembly in an August
the state of the science-policy interface in countries in
report [A/68/970/Add.2]. In a further addendum [A/68/970/
special situations and examined emerging issues from
Add.3], Ghana informed the Secretary-General that it
various perspectives. Member States underlined that
had withdrawn its reservations regarding targets 3.7
the report should inform intergovernmental discussions
and 5.6 of the sdgs.
and should be clearly linked to the implementation,
follow-up and review of the sdgs, focusing on the in-
The 10-year framework of programmes on
terlinkages of the goals and identifying emerging issues.
sustainable consumption and production patterns
The forum had before it a report of the Secretary-
General on the mainstreaming of the three dimensions Progress report. By a March note [E/2015/56], the
of sustainable development throughout the UN system Secretary-General transmitted a progress report on
[A/70/75-E/2015/55] (see p. 397); a note of the Secretary- the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable
General transmitting the progress report on the 10-year consumption and production patterns (see p. 511),
framework of programmes on sustainable consumption prepared in response to Assembly resolutions 67/203
and production patterns [E/2015/56] (see below); and dis- [YUN 2012, p. 811], 68/210 [YUN 2013, p. 787] and 69/214
cussion papers on the theme of the high-level political [YUN 2014, p. 948].
forum on sustainable development [E/HLPF/2015/2]. It According to the report, considerable progress had
also had before it reports of the regional forums on been made since the 2014 report of the Secretary-
sustainable development [E/HLPF/2015/3], namely of General [ibid., p. 947]. Four out of six 10-year framework
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the programmes had been developed and launched and
Caribbean (New York, 19–20 March) [E/HLPF/2015/3/ a fifth was expected to be launched in April. In ad-
Add.1], the Economic Commission for Europe (Geneva, dition, the trust fund of the framework, established
14–16 April) [E/HLPF/2015/3/Add.2], the Arab High- to support sustainable consumption and production
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 395

policies and initiatives in developing countries and accordance with resolution 68/309 [ibid., p. 945], the pro-
economies in transition, had been operationalized. The posal of the Open Working Group should be the main
first global meeting of the 10-year framework (New basis for integrating the sdgs into the post-2015 devel-
York, 15 May) was to be held under the objective to opment agenda; and that the initial draft of the out-
promote the framework as an implementation mecha- come document on the post-2015 development agenda
nism of the future post-2015 development agenda, with should be prepared on the basis of views provided by
a focus on delivery at the regional and national levels; Member States and taking into account substantive dis-
and to operationalize the collective impact approach, cussions in the negotiations, and should be presented to
including by developing interlinkages between the pro- Member States by May for the intergovernmental nego-
grammes of the 10-year framework. tiations. It also decided that the interactive dialogues of
The Secretary-General observed that further support the summit should have an overarching theme entitled
was needed to build upon the solid foundations of the “Transforming the world: realizing the post-2015 devel-
framework and strengthen the engagement of all ac- opment agenda” and the themes for the six individual
tors, while assisting them in delivering concrete results dialogues would be decided through the process of
under the framework programmes. The opportunities intergovernmental negotiations.
for improving the comprehensiveness of programmes On 5 March (decision 69/557), the General As-
under the 10-year framework in support of national sembly decided that the opening plenary meeting of
sustainable development transitions included: identifi- the UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015 de-
cation by actors in all programmes of areas of coopera- velopment agenda on 25 September would begin at 11
tion, including between framework programmes, in a.m.; and that the first interactive dialogue would be
order to ensure a wider collective impact and effective convened from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the same day.
resource mobilization; showcasing, through framework In response to Assembly resolution 69/244 [YUN 2014,
programmes and country experiences, that the shift p. 961], the President of the General Assembly convened
to sustainable consumption and production patterns informal interactive hearings on the post-2015 develop-
could offer solutions for society, the economy and ment agenda with representatives of non-governmental
the environment; and identification of other priority organizations (ngos), civil society organizations, major
themes to be addressed through framework pro- groups and the private sector (New York, 26–27 May).
grammes in response to specific needs and priorities Addis Ababa Action Agenda. At the third
expressed by Member States and stakeholders. One of International Conference on Financing for Develop-
the key challenges for the 10-year framework remained ment (Addis Ababa, 13–16 July) (see p. 458), par-
the engagement of the business sector at all levels in ticipants adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda
programmes. International and regional meetings were
of the Third International Conference on Financing
one key tool to promote that engagement, but further
for Development, which was endorsed by the General
and possibly thematic opportunities were required.
Assembly in resolution 69/313 (see p. 458) and was
Board members. On 19 November (decision an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
70/411), the General Assembly decided that, as nomi- Development.
nated by the five regional groups of the United Nations,
The Addis Ababa Action Agenda focused on a global
Albania, Argentina, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, Mex-
framework for financing development post-2015; action
ico, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Romania and Tur-
areas; and data, monitoring and follow-up. It identi-
key would serve as members of the board of the 10-Year
fied actions and addressed critical gaps relevant to the
Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consump-
post-2015 development agenda, a range of cross-cutting
tion and Production Patterns and that the members of
areas including the sustainable development goals, with
the board would serve until 15 September 2017.
the aim of harnessing their considerable synergies so
that implementation of one would contribute to the
Adoption of the post-2015 progress of others. Cross-cutting areas included: deliv-
development agenda ering social protection and essential public services for
On 16 January, by decision 69/555 on modalities all; scaling up efforts to end hunger and malnutrition;
for the process of intergovernmental negotiations on establishing a new forum to bridge the infrastructure
the post-2015 development agenda, the General As- gap; promoting inclusive and sustainable industrializa-
sembly decided that the co-facilitators would ensure tion; generating full and productive employment and
the engagement of the relevant stakeholders, includ- decent work for all and promoting micro, small and
ing major groups, civil society, scientific and knowl- medium-size enterprises; protecting the ecosystems for
edge institutions, parliaments, local authorities and the all; and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies.
private sector; and seek their views, building upon the Parliamentary hearing. In a July note [A/70/137-
practices of the Open Working Group on Sustainable E/2015/86], which was circulated pursuant to General
Development Goals and in accordance with resolution Assembly resolution 65/123 [YUN 2010, p. 1417], the
69/244 [YUN 2014, p. 961]. It further decided that, in President of the General Assembly transmitted to the
396 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Assembly and the Economic and Social Council the (Draft outcome document of the United Nations
summary report of a parliamentary hearing (New York, summit for the adoption of the post-2015 develop-
19–20 November 2014) that brought together some ment agenda) without vote [agenda items 13 (a) & 115].
200 parliamentarians and ambassadors from a diverse
set of countries under the theme “Ensuring a people- Communication. In a 22 September letter
centred approach to the new sustainable development [A/70/401],Bangladesh transmitted to the Secretary-
goals: a shared responsibility”. The hearing was jointly General the final declaration adopted at the Fourth
organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (ipu) and World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, convened
the President of the General Assembly. The participants by ipu at United Nations Headquarters from 31 August
emphasized the need for parliamentary involvement in to 2 September 2015.
the formulation and implementation of the sdgs to en- UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015
sure that they were people-centred. development agenda
Communication. In a 26 June note verbale In accordance with General Assembly resolution
[A/70/131], Bangladesh, as the country holding the presi-
69/244 [YUN 2014, p. 961] and decision 69/557 of
dency of ipu, forwarded to the General Assembly the 5 March (see p. 395), the UN summit for the adop-
Hanoi Declaration, endorsed by the 132nd Assembly tion of the post-2015 development agenda (New York,
of ipu (Hanoi, Vietnam, 31 March). The Assembly re- 25–27 September) was convened as a high-level ple-
viewed the emerging sdgs and considered their role in nary meeting of the General Assembly. The summit
attaining them. was attended by more than 150 Heads of State and
Intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 Government and high-level leaders from business and
development agenda. Eight meetings of the process civil society, who formally adopted the 17 sdgs and
of the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 169 targets included in the document entitled “Trans-
development agenda were held, all in New York. The forming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
first session (19–21 January) conducted a stock-taking Development” (see below).
of governments’ views on the agenda. The second Speakers at the summit reflected on the mdgs and
session (17–20 February) focused on the declaration outlined the impressive achievements in implement-
component for the UN summit for the adoption of ing them yet noted that progress had been uneven,
the post-2015 development agenda outcome docu- and that unfinished business remained. The sdgs were
ment. The third session (23–27 March) focused on a recognized as more comprehensive and complex and
proposed timeline and road map for the UN Statistical a springboard for continued progress. The summit
Commission to create an indicator framework for the further included six interactive dialogues on ending
sdgs; country experiences in implementing sustain- poverty and hunger; tackling inequalities, empower-
able development; and arrangements for the fourth ing women and girls and leaving no one behind; foster-
session (21–24 April), which was convened as a joint ing sustainable economic growth, transformation and
meeting with the third International Conference on promoting sustainable consumption and production;
Financing for Development preparatory process. The protecting our planet and combatting climate
fifth session (18–22 May) discussed follow-up and change; building effective, accountable and inclusive
review of the post-2015 development agenda; goals, institutions; and a strengthened global partnership for
targets and indicators; and themes for the interactive realizing the post-2015 development agenda.
dialogues during the post-2015 summit, as requested
by General Assembly decision 69/555 (see p. 395). At GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the sixth session (22–25 June), participants provided On 25 September [meeting 4], the General Assembly
reactions and amendments to the zero draft that had adopted resolution 70/1 [draft: A/70/L.1] (Transform-
been circulated. The seventh session (20–24 July) un- ing our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
dertook a section-by-section review of the preamble and Development) without vote [agenda items 15 & 116].
declaration, goals and targets, means of implementa-
tion, and follow-up and review. At the eighth session Communications. In a 24 September letter
(27 July–2 August), Member States attempted to bridge [A/70/417], the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
differences on several contentious issues. On 2 August, transmitted to the Secretary-General a joint state-
Member States adopted by acclamation the outcome ment of the States members of the Central European
document on the post-2015 development agenda enti- Initiative at the UN summit for the adoption of the post-
tled “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for 2015 development agenda on the outcome document
Sustainable Development”. The document was trans- entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda
mitted to the General Assembly (see below). for Sustainable Development”. The States members
pledged their full support to the 2030 Agenda and
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION called upon the international community to display
On 1 September [meeting 101], the General Assembly the utmost degree of good will and mutual trust in
adopted resolution 69/315 [draft: A/69/L.85, as orally revised] order to support the new, effective Agenda.
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 397

Further statements, including observations and proaches to development and to marshal a range of
reservations on the outcome document of the UN policy tools and guidance for collaboration. It noted
summit were submitted by Cameroon [A/70/382]; Can- that the structure of the sdgs had implications for
ada [A/70/381]; Iran [A/70/399]; Libya [A/70/372]; Qatar policy integration and coherence across areas, as they
[A/69/1022]; the Sudan [A/70/370]; and Yemen [A/70/402]. referred to multiple goals and sectors. Of the 107 tar-
Programme budget implications. In a Septem- gets in the proposal that were not related to means
ber note [A/70/391] on programme budget implications of implementation, more than half were explicitly
of draft resolution A/70/L.1, the Secretary-General cross-cutting, with many targets even linking three
informed the General Assembly that the implemen- or more different goals. Such links could also facili-
tation of the recommendations contained in the out- tate real mainstreaming of the three dimensions of
come document of the UN summit for the adoption sustainable development, particularly around such
of the post-2015 development agenda, entitled “Trans- themes as sustainable consumption and production.
forming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable The report also examined accelerated efforts within
Development”, would give rise to additional resource the UN system to prepare for the new universal devel-
requirements under the proposed programme budget opment agenda, building on collective efforts that suc-
for the biennium 2016–2017 and beyond. cessfully leveraged acceleration towards the achieve-
Following the adoption of resolution 70/1 (see ment of the mdgs. A dialogue involving Member States
p. 396), the Secretary-General in December [A/70/589 & and all relevant stakeholders held by the Economic
Corr.1] submitted revised estimates resulting from the de- and Social Council in February underlined how the
cisions contained in that outcome document and in the UN development system had to respond coherently
Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International in linking the normative, standard-setting and opera-
Conference on Financing for Development (see tional dimensions of UN work, which would require
p. 395). The Secretary-General requested the General new thinking and new approaches to work models
Assembly to approve an additional appropriation, rep- and financing to guarantee operational effectiveness.
resenting a charge against the Contingency Fund, in The United Nations System Chief Executives Board
the total amount of $15,048,600 under the proposed for Coordination (ceb), through the High-level Com-
programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017. mittee on Programmes, was looking specifically at
ACABQ report. In December [A/70/7/Add.39], the sustainable urbanization, climate change and youth
Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary employment, in order to identify measures to deepen
Questions (acabq) recommended that the General As- policy coherence, system-wide coordination and en-
sembly authorize the Secretary-General to enter into gagement with other stakeholders to better support
commitments in an amount not exceeding $7,547,300 Member States in those areas. The framework for ad-
in the first year of the biennium 2016–2017 for the vancing environmental and social sustainability was
implementation of the decisions contained in the being applied throughout various parts of the system;
Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for however, further efforts were needed to promote its
Sustainable Development. Acabq would revert to its full implementation.
consideration of the proposals of the Secretary-General The Secretary-General stated that the impact of
during the course of its next session. the post-2015 development agenda and the sdgs was
driving the elaboration of more integrated approaches
Implementation of Agenda 21, the to implementation. The UN system needed to further
Programme for the Further Implementation strengthen its efforts to help countries to implement
of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the the universal development agenda and review progress
World Summit on Sustainable Development at all levels.
and of the United Nations Conference on In accordance with General Assembly resolution
Sustainable Development 69/214 [YUN 2014, p. 948], the Secretary-General sub-
mitted an August report [A/70/283] on the implemen-
Reports of Secretary-General. In accordance tation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further
with the outcome document of the 2012 United Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, the World Summit on Sustainable Development and
which was endorsed by the General Assembly in its of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable
resolution 66/288 [YUN 2012, p. 782], the Secretary- Development. The report provided an update on the
General in March submitted a report [A/70/75- follow-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable De-
E/2015/55] on mainstreaming of the three dimensions velopment [YUN 2012, p. 780] and new developments,
of sustainable development (economic, environmental taking into account the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of
and social) throughout the UN system. The report the Third International Conference on Financing for
highlighted the role of the sdgs at the core of the Development, which was endorsed by the General As-
post-2015 development agenda and their potential sembly in resolution 69/313. The report took into ac-
to inject new impetus for embracing integrated ap- count the outcome of the UN summit for the adoption
398 Part Three: Economic and social questions

of the post-2015 development agenda (see p. 396) and facilitation mechanism to promote the development,
highlighted the main outcome of the third meeting of transfer and dissemination of clean and environmen-
the high-level political forum on sustainable develop- tally sound technologies, which were noted by the
ment (see p. 393). Assembly in resolution 68/310 [YUN 2014, p. 951], and
The third International Conference on Financing the Secretary-General’s proposal included in his syn-
for Development decided to establish a Technology thesis report entitled “The road to dignity by 2030:
Facilitation Mechanism to be launched at the UN ending poverty, transforming all lives and protecting
summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development the planet” [ibid., p. 1124], the General Assembly, by
agenda in order to support the sdgs. The Secretary- resolution 69/313, decided to establish a Technology
General highlighted the role of the regional commis- Facilitation Mechanism, which was to be launched at
sions in contributing to the work of the high-level the United Nations summit for the adoption of the
political forum, including through annual regional post-2015 development agenda in order to support
meetings; and of partnerships and voluntary com- the sdgs. The Assembly further decided that the
mitments, directed towards working towards sustain- Mechanism would be based on a multi-stakeholder
able development, which were monitored through the collaboration between Member States, civil society,
Sustainable Development in Action Registry. the private sector, the scientific community, UN enti-
On 20 July, by decision 2015/220, the Economic ties and other stakeholders and would be composed of
and Social Council took note of the report of the a UN inter-agency task team on science, technology
Secretary-General on the mainstreaming of the three and innovation for the sdgs, a collaborative multi-
dimensions of sustainable development throughout stakeholder forum on science, technology and in-
the UN system (see p. 397). novation for the sdgs and an online platform. The
inter-agency task team would work with 10 repre-
Communications. In a 6 February letter [A/69/769], sentatives from civil society, the private sector and the
Uzbekistan transmitted to the Secretary-General scientific community to prepare the meetings of the
information on the outcomes of its socioeconomic de- multi-stakeholder forum; and in the development and
velopment programme in 2014 and on the priorities of operationalization of the online platform, including
the economic programme in 2015. preparing proposals for the modalities for the forum
In a 2 March letter [A/69/825], Ecuador transmit- and the online platform. The 10 representatives would
ted to the Secretary-General the political declaration be appointed by the Secretary-General, for periods
of Belén, the action plan 2015, and 26 special dec- of two years. The online platform would facilitate
larations, adopted at the third Summit of Heads of access to information, knowledge and experience, as
State and Government of the Community of Latin well as best practices and lessons learned, on science,
American and Caribbean States (Belén, Costa Rica, technology and innovation facilitation initiatives and
28–29 January). policies. The multi-stakeholder forum on science,
On 11 May [A/69/901], Azerbaijan, Turkey and technology and innovation for the sdgs was to be
Turkmenistan transmitted to the Secretary-General convened once a year, for a period of two days, to dis-
a joint statement on trilateral cooperation adopted cuss science, technology and innovation cooperation
at a meeting (Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 29 January) for the implementation of the sdgs. The summaries
that served as a positive example of a results-based of the meetings should serve as input to the meetings
approach and contribution to the international efforts of the high-level political forum, in the context of the
in addressing challenges for the UN post-2015 devel- follow-up and review of the implementation of the
opment agenda. post-2015 development agenda.
On 25 September, by resolution 70/1, the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
General Assembly decided to launch the Technology
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- Facilitation Mechanism.
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com-
mittee [A/70/472/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/201 International cooperation for sustainable
(Implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for development: the role of transport
the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the
outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable De- Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
velopment and of the United Nations Conference General Assembly resolution 69/213 [YUN 2014,
on Sustainable Development) without vote [agenda p. 952], the Secretary-General in August submitted a
item 20 (a)]. report [A/70/262] on the role of transport and transit
corridors in ensuring international cooperation for
Technology facilitation mechanism sustainable development, which conveyed the views
of Member States, relevant regional and international
Based on recommendations emanating from four organizations and entities of the UN system, includ-
structured dialogues on possible arrangements for a ing the regional commissions, on issues relating to
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 399

the development of transport and transit corridors. entitled “Education 2030: Towards inclusive and
The Secretariat received submissions from Azerbaijan, equitable quality education and lifelong learning
Brunei Darussalam, Georgia, Paraguay, the Russian for all”, Member States and the global community
Federation, Turkey and Turkmenistan. It further re- demonstrated their commitment to a single, renewed
ceived submissions from the Economic Commission education agenda that was holistic, ambitious and in-
for Latin America and the Caribbean, ilo, unctad, spirational, with the aim to realise everyone’s right
the United Nations Human Settlements Programme to education as a fundamental dimension of human,
(UN-Habitat), the Office of the High Representative social and economic development.
for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked UNESCO report. In a July note [A/70/228], the
Developing Countries and Small Island Developing Secretary-General transmitted to the General As-
States, the World Food Programme and the World sembly a letter from the Director-General of the
Health Organization. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Global Partnership. The Global Partnership for Organization (unesco) forwarding a review of the
Sustainable Transport and the Post-2015 Development implementation of the United Nations Decade of
Agenda High-Level Side Event (New York, 26 Sep- Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014)
tember), was convened by the International Chamber and an account of the World Conference on Education
of Commerce, UN-Habitat, the International Road for Sustainable Development [YUN 2014, p. 953], which
Transport Union (iru) and the UN Global Compact. was submitted in accordance with General Assembly
The meeting soft-launched the Global Partnership for resolutions 65/163 [YUN 2010, p. 806] and 69/211
Sustainable Transport (gpst), an initiative focusing [YUN 2014, p. 953].
on the implementation of the sdgs and the recom- The review was conducted through extensive
mendations of the Secretary General’s High-level data collection and consultations with a wide range
Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport [YUN 2014, of stakeholders and was based on regional multi-
p. 951]. The iru-led public-private gpst was recognized stakeholder consultations and peer-reviewed research.
as the primary tool to implement the 2030 Agenda It concluded that a solid foundation had been laid
for Sustainable Development in the transport sector for education for sustainable development at the end
at the first ever Global Conference on Sustainable of the Decade, achieved by raising awareness, influ-
Transport, to be held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in encing policies and generating significant numbers of
November 2016. Gpst focused on the three main good practice projects in all areas of education and
areas promoting best practice: giving businesses the learning. Education systems were addressing sustain-
tools and information needed to make their day- ability issues; sustainable development agendas and
to-day trading more sustainable, including through education agendas were converging; political lead-
promoting initiatives like the 10 principles of the UN ership had proven instrumental; multi-stakeholder
Global Compact; starting the conversation, including partnerships were particularly effective; local com-
through encouraging Governments and businesses to mitments were growing; whole-institution approaches
talk about sustainability and coming up with concrete had become more widespread; education for sustain-
solutions; and working in partnership. able development facilitated interactive, learner-
driven pedagogies; education for sustainable devel-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION opment was being integrated into formal education;
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- non-formal and informal education for sustainable
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second development was increasing; and technical and vo-
Committee [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/197 cational education and training advanced sustainable
(Towards comprehensive cooperation among all development. Remaining challenges in realizing the
modes of transport for promoting sustainable full potential of education for sustainable develop-
multimodal transit corridors) without vote [agenda ment included further alignment of education and
item 20]. sustainable development sectors; more effort towards
institutionalizing education for sustainable develop-
ment; and improving monitoring and evaluation. UN
Education for sustainable development
coordination during the Decade was ensured through
World Education Forum. The World Education the Inter-Agency Committee for the United Nations
Forum 2015 (Incheon, Republic of Korea, 19–22 May) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
was attended by the Secretary-General and the Pres- Unesco, as lead agency for the promotion of the Dec-
ident of the Republic of Korea, and brought together ade, provided strategic leadership for the coordina-
1,600 participants from 160 countries, including tion and implementation of the Decade and under-
120 Ministers of Education, heads of UN agencies, took its own implementation activities in support of
global education leaders and influential advocates the Decade.
from civil society, ngos, donor agencies and the Recommendations for future action on education
private sector. By adopting the Incheon Declaration for sustainable development included implement-
400 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ing the Global Action Programme [YUN 2014, p. 952] crop productivity, irrigation technologies, and resource
in its five priority action areas: policy, learning en- management and conservation.
vironments, educators, youth and local commu- According to the Secretary-General, it was of criti-
nities; aligning education and sustainable devel- cal importance to introduce agricultural practices that
opment agendas at global, regional, national and moved beyond yield gains to build up organic matter in
subnational levels; strengthening multi-stakeholder the soil, which would contribute to mitigating climate
partnerships, including using education for sustain- change while also reducing soil erosion and increas-
able development as a means of implementation ing soil fertility and soil health. As identified by an
across all the sdgs; and systemically integrating and International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge,
institutionalizing education for sustainable devel- Science and Technology for Development synthesis
opment in the education sector and other relevant report, agroecology and organic and regenerative prac-
sectors in Member States. That required the inclu- tices provided increased resilience through crop, animal
sion of education for sustainable development in and system diversification, crop rotation, permanent
relevant policies and developing the capacities of plant cover and significant underground carbon stor-
policymakers, institutional leaders and educators. It age. Further recommendations included supporting
also required strengthening research, innovation and smallholders and family farmers, especially women
monitoring and evaluation to support the scaling up and youth; empowering women; investments in pre-
of good practice. and post-harvest loss reduction; building the capacity
of family farmers, fisherfolk, fish farmers, forest dwell-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ers and rural producers; increased public investment
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- and conducive policy environments; incentives to in-
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com- crease the role of the private sector; gender-balanced
mittee [A/70/472/Add.8], adopted resolution 70/209 investment; and investments in better data collection
(United Nations Decade of Education for Sustain- and information systems.
able Development (2005–2014)) without vote
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
[agenda item 20 (h)].
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
Agricultural technology for development on the recommendation of the Second Committee
[A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/198 (Agricultural
In accordance with General Assembly resolution technology for sustainable development) by re-
68/209 [YUN 2013, p. 790], the Secretary-General sub- corded vote (146-0-36) [agenda item 20].
mitted an August report [A/70/298] on agricultural
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/198:
technology for development, which examined trends in
technologies that had the potential to overcome chal- In favour: Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Ar-
gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
lenges related to food security and enable producers Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia
to transition to more sustainable agricultural systems. and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,
The report also provided suggestions for transition- Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central
ing to sustainable agricultural systems. Challenges African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo,
to sustainable production included land degradation Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Do-
and soil health; competition for land; loss and waste of minican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
food; environmental impact of agricultural chemicals; Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon,
water use and management; climate change; and Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,
regional policy environments. Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary,
Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakh-
According to climate change models and the stan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechten-
International Model for Policy Analysis of Agricultural stein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta,
Commodities and Trade, the most promising Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco,
technologies for improving yields were the use of heat Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal,
tolerant varieties in North America and South Asia; Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua
the use of drought tolerant varieties in Latin America New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian
and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint
and sub-Saharan Africa; and crop protection in Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal,
Eastern Europe, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon
In addition, the adoption of irrigation technologies Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname,
was expected to amplify and complement the adop- Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad
tion of those technologies. The International Food and Tobago, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United King-
Policy Research Institute concluded that addressing dom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic
the issues of both climate change and food security of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
would require increased investments in research on Vanuatu, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 401

Against: None. Assembly of unwto in 1999 and acknowledged by

Abstaining: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, General Assembly resolution 56/212 [YUN 2001, p. 752]
Brunei Darussalam, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic
of Korea, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
as a frame of reference for sustainable tourism devel-
Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mo- opment. It constituted a comprehensive set of princi-
rocco, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, ples, which aimed at maximizing the sector’s benefits
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, while minimizing the potentially negative impact of
Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Yemen. tourism on the environment, societies and cultural
heritage across the globe.
Sustainable tourism The report summarized the findings of a survey on
In July [A/70/215 & Add.1], the Secretary-General the implementation of the Code, which had been con-
submitted a report on sustainable tourism and ducted by unwto secretariat in 2014. The secretariat
sustainable development in Central America, which had received 62 responses from its member States and
provided an update on the continuing efforts of territories, including one non-member State, Finland.
Central American States to implement programmes In 2011, unwto initiated a campaign to enhance
to promote sustainable tourism and sustainable devel- the implementation of the Code by the private sector,
opment, and which was submitted in accordance with the ultimate practitioners of tourism development.
Assembly resolution 68/207 [YUN 2013, p. 793]. Early As at 30 June, 417 companies and associations from
in 2015, the World Tourism Organization (unwto) 57 countries around the world had signed the Private
surveyed Central American States to monitor the im- Sector Commitment to the unwto Global Code of
plementation of the resolution. As only Nicaragua re- Ethics for Tourism, of which 134 had submitted their
sponded, it was not possible to draw broad conclusions reporting questionnaire to the Committee.
for the entire region. The Secretary-General noted The Secretary-General noted that, despite some
that Nicaragua had made significant efforts to support remarkable achievements, there was still great scope
the development of sustainable tourism, including the for improvement in terms of the practical application
adoption of new legislation and the establishment of of the Code’s principles. The World Committee on
fiscal measures to increase competitiveness, improve Tourism Ethics had undertaken initial steps to trans-
air connectivity, facilitate the issuance of visas and form the Code into an international convention.
enhance the protection of biodiversity, cultural her-
itage and community rights. Furthermore, it had GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
supported the development of national strategies for On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
disaster prevention that engaged the tourism sector in on the recommendation of the Second Committee
a public-private partnership to facilitate monitoring [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/200 (Global Code
and control mechanisms. of Ethics for Tourism) without vote [agenda item 20].
Strengthening collaboration on and alignment
of sustainable activities at the national, regional and International Year of Sustainable Tourism
global levels had the potential to provide effective for Development, 2017
support for evidence-based policy formulation and UNWTO session. In an 8 October letter
scaling up of good practices for the development of [A/C.2/70/4], the Secretary-General of unwto in-
sustainable tourism in all its forms and in all Member formed the Chair of the Second Committee
States. In that respect, the Central American Tourism (Economic and Financial Committee) that resolu-
Integration Secretariat framework could contribute tion A/RES/653 (XXI) was adopted by the General
to fostering engagement at the national, regional and Assembly of unwto at its twenty-first session (Me-
global levels, something that was essential to aligning dellin, Colombia, 12–17 September). The resolution
policies with a universally shared agenda. acknowledged with appreciation the initiative of
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Samoa, together with several other delegations, for
the General Assembly of the United Nations to pro-
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- claim 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Tourism for Development. The recommendation by
Committee [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/196 the General Assembly of unwto was made in view
(Sustainable tourism and sustainable development of the fact that international tourism was an increas-
in Central America) without vote [agenda item 20]. ingly significant component of international trade, as
evident in export earnings from international tourism
Global Code of Ethics for Tourism and passenger transport, which reached $1.5 trillion
Report of Secretary-General. In a July report in 2014. International tourism (travel and passenger
[A/70/224], the Secretary-General reviewed progress transport) represented 30 per cent of the world’s ex-
on the implementation of the Global Code of Ethics ports of services and 6 per cent of overall exports of
for Tourism. The Code was adopted by the General goods and services. As a worldwide export category,
402 Part Three: Economic and social questions

tourism ranked fourth after fuels, chemicals and food, people, was of great concern, with the Middle East
and in many developing countries it ranked first. (10.9 per cent) and Northern Africa (12.2 per cent)
The objectives of the proposal were to increase region experiencing the highest unemployment rates
awareness among public and private stakeholders about of all regions in 2013.
their participatory role in harnessing the contribution Policy priorities for poverty eradication and em-
of tourism to sustainable development and peace; pro- ployment creation assessed by the report included
vide for a better understanding of sustainable tourism structural transformation for employment creation
and its contributions to economic growth, inclusive and poverty reduction; investing in agriculture and
development and environmental sustainability; and promoting decent rural employment; improving
promote policies and business practices that advanced access to quality education and health care; promoting
the contribution of tourism to the implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment; expand-
relevant sdgs. ing social protection coverage; climate change miti-
gation and adaptation; and combating inequality
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION and social exclusion. The implementation of those
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As- policies required concerted efforts at national and
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second international levels. The inter-agency system-wide
Committee [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/193 plan of action for poverty eradication had served to
(International Year of Sustainable Tourism for coordinate the efforts of the UN system in its advisory
Development, 2017) without vote [agenda item 20]. and programmatic support to Member States. The
experience of countries that had achieved success in
reducing poverty indicated that economic growth had
Eradication of poverty to be complemented by mutually supportive social
Second United Nations Decade and environmental policies, critical investments in
for the Eradication of Poverty the social sector, agriculture and infrastructure, and a
supportive international environment.
In an August report [A/70/281], the Secretary-
General reviewed progress on the implementa- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

tion of the Second United Nations Decade for the On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
Eradication of Poverty (2008–2017), in accordance sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com-
with General Assembly resolution 69/234 [YUN 2014, mittee [A/70/476/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/218
p. 956]. The report discussed the progress made to (Second United Nations Decade for the Eradica-
eradicate poverty and examined the challenges—such tion of Poverty (2008–2017)) without vote [agenda
as low agricultural productivity, high unemployment, item 24 (a)].
rising inequality, social exclusion, economic crises and Also on the same date, by decision 70/545, the
the impacts of climate change—faced by countries General Assembly took note of the report of the
engaged in those efforts. The report also presented an Second Committee on eradication of poverty and
overview of UN activities to implement the plan of other development issues [A/70/476].
action for poverty eradication; and highlighted key
policy measures that had proved effective in reducing
poverty. The final section of the report offered recom- Millennium Development Goals
mendations for consideration by the Assembly. and the post-2015 development agenda
The Secretary-General noted that levels of poverty The Millennium Development Goals Report 2015,
had dropped in all regions: from 1990 to 2015, the published by the Department of Economic and
number of people living below $1.25 a day had fallen Social Affairs (desa), evaluated the progress made on
from 957.1 million to 86.4 million in East Asia and mdg indicators. The report, which was the final one
the Pacific, from 7.1 million to 1.3 million in Eastern issued on the mdgs, stated that the global mobiliza-
Europe and Central Asia, from 52.7 million to 26.8 tion behind the mdgs had produced the most suc-
million in Latin America and the Caribbean, and cessful anti-poverty movement in history. The data
from 53.2 per cent to 18.1 per cent in South Asia. In and analysis presented showed that extreme poverty
the Middle East and Northern Africa region, poverty and hunger (Goal 1) had declined significantly: from
rates had begun to trend upward owing to conflict 1990 to 2015, the proportion of the population in
situations. In sub-Saharan Africa, 40.9 per cent of the developing world living on less than $1.25 a day
the population lived on less than $1.25 a day in 2015 dropped from nearly 50 per cent to 14 per cent; the
compared with 56.6 per cent in 1990. number of people living in extreme poverty had de-
The global labour-market situation remained un- clined from 1.9 billion to 836 million; and the pro-
even or fragile, and the rise in the number of people portion of undernourished people in the developing
who were unemployed—from 197 million in 2012 regions had fallen from 23.3 per cent to 12.9 per cent.
to 201 million in 2014—especially among young With respect to universal primary education (Goal 2),
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 403

the net enrolment rate in the developing regions had corded since the Second World War. About 800 mil-
reached 91 per cent in 2015, up from 83 per cent in lion people still were still living in extreme poverty and
2000, with Sub-Saharan Africa showing the best suffering from hunger.
record of improvement in primary education of any Further progress would require a political will;
region. Regarding the promotion of gender equality collective, long-term effort; tackling of root causes; and
and the empowerment of women (Goal 3), developing the integration of economic, social and environmental
regions as a whole had achieved the target to eliminate dimensions of sustainable development. The emerging
gender disparity in primary, secondary and tertiary post-2015 development agenda, including the set of
education. In 2015, women made up 41 per cent of sdgs, strived to reflect those lessons, build on successes
paid workers outside the agricultural sector and had and put all countries, together, firmly on track towards
gained ground in parliamentary representation in a more prosperous, sustainable and equitable world.
nearly 90 per cent of the 174 countries. The reduction Annual ministerial review. From 8 to 10 July,
of child mortality (Goal 4) was also successful, with during the high-level segment of its 2015 substantive
the global under-five mortality rate dropping from session [A/70/3] (see p. 391), the Economic and Social
90 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births between 1990 Council held its annual ministerial review on the
and 2015. Measles vaccination helped prevent nearly theme “Managing the transition from the Millennium
15.6 million deaths between 2000 and 2013, as the Development Goals to the sustainable development
rate of children that received at least one dose of goals: what it will take”, in accordance with decision
measles-containing vaccine went up from 73 per cent 2015/203 (see p. 721).
to 84 per cent in that period. With regard to mater- The Council had before it a report [E/2015/68] of
nal health (Goal 5), the maternal mortality ratio had the Secretary-General on the topic, which was pro-
declined by 45 per cent worldwide since 1990, and vided in response to General Assembly resolutions
most of the reduction had occurred since 2000. Con- 61/16 [YUN 2006, p. 1589] and 68/1 [YUN 2013, p. 1413].
cerning the fight against hiv/aids, malaria and other The Secretary-General noted that the international
diseases (Goal 6), new hiv infections had fallen by community faced a different set of development chal-
approximately 40 per cent between 2000 and 2013, lenges at the outset of the post-2015 era than when the
from an estimated 3.5 million cases to 2.1 million, UN Millennium Declaration was adopted [YUN 2000,
and tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment p. 49]. Globalization and interdependence had opened
interventions saved an estimated 37 million lives. Be- up opportunities for development, but also needs,
tween 2000 and 2015, the global malaria incidence given that many people had been excluded from their
rate had fallen by an estimated 37 per cent. In the positive impacts. In addition, the world had seen food,
field of environmental sustainability (Goal 7), 1.9 energy, financial, health and environmental challenges
billion people had gained access to piped drinking across countries in the past decade, amplifying global
water; 98 per cent of ozone-depleting substances systemic risks. The Secretary-General emphasized
had been eliminated; and terrestrial and marine pro- that policy integration based on the three dimen-
tected areas in many regions had increased substan- sions of sustainable development—economic, social
tially since 1990. With a view to developing a global and environmental—would need to become the new
partnership for development (Goal 8), official devel- operational standard, supported by a greater empha-
opment assistance from developed countries increased sis on achieving integration and coherence across
by 66 per cent in real terms between 2000 and 2014, actors and sectors; and suggested that institutions
reaching $135.2 billion. at all levels would need to undertake adaptations to
Despite those significant achievements on mdg implement the new development agenda, requiring a
targets, progress had been uneven across regions and fundamental shift in mindsets and attitudes accom-
countries, leaving significant gaps. The report found panied by strong leadership and vision. Emphasis was
that gender inequality persisted, as women faced laid on the importance of ensuring that the efforts
discrimination in access to work, economic assets and of the growing diversity of development actors were
participation in private and public decision-making, aligned with the objectives of the post-2015 develop-
and remained at a disadvantage in the labour market. ment agenda and the underpinning revitalized global
Big gaps existed between the poorest and richest partnership for sustainable development. There was a
households, and between rural and urban areas, es- need to build trust among Governments, institutions
pecially with regard to school enrolment, under-five and people by strengthening institutions at all levels,
mortality rates, improved drinking water sources and with institutional arrangements being country-specific
improved sanitation facilities. Climate change and and time-specific, and suiting local circumstances. The
environmental degradation undermined progress Secretary-General also stressed that a multi-tiered and
achieved, and poor people suffered the most. Conflicts inclusive follow-up and review of implementation
remained the biggest threat to human development would be required to ensure an effective exchange of
and had forced almost 60 million people to abandon experiences, advancement of progress and ownership
their homes by the end of 2014—the highest level re- and engagement by all development stakeholders.
404 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The annual ministerial review further included included a segment on science, technology and in-
two panel discussions on the themes “Lessons from novation policy reviews, and two ministerial round
the Millennium Development Goals for the future” tables on managing the transition from the mdgs to
and “Implementing a post-2015 development agenda the sdgs: the role of science, technology and innova-
that works for the least developed countries”, and a tion, and on ten-year review of progress made in the
dialogue with the executive secretaries of the regional implementation of wsis outcomes.
commissions on the theme “Managing the transition The Commission had before it reports of the
to the sustainable development goals: what it will take Secretary-General on the priority themes and on pro-
at the regional level”. gress made in implementing and following up to the
On 10 July, the Council heard voluntary national outcomes of wsis at the regional and international lev-
presentations on the theme of the annual ministerial els (see below); and reports by unctad on the meeting
review provided by Kyrgyzstan [E/2015/62], Mongo- of the cstd intersessional panel (Geneva, 26–28 No-
lia [E/2015/61], the Philippines [E/2015/60] and Zambia vember 2014) [E/CN.16/2015/CRP.1] and on a ten-year
[E/2015/63]. review of implementing the wsis outcomes [UNCTAD/
DTL/STICT/2015/3] (see below).
Communications. In a letter [A/69/883] dated
16 April, the Republic of Moldova transmitted to the The Secretary-General, in his report [E/CN.16/2015/2]
Secretary-General the Chisinau Outcome Statement on the priority theme of cstd related to digital de-
on Strengthening Capacities and Building Effective velopment, reviewed emerging changes in the digi-
Institutions for the Implementation of the Post-2015 tal development landscape with regard to digital
Development Agenda, which was endorsed at the High- technologies, digital demographics and development
Level Meeting of the Global Dialogue on Strength- priorities. The report highlighted the need to broaden
ening Capacities and Building Effective Institutions the discourse on information and communications
(Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, 25–26 February). technologies (icts) for development, and identified
four policy focus areas for facilitating effective digi-
In a letter dated 28 April [A/69/892], Canada, tal development: the digital ecosystem, digital inclu-
Peru and the Republic of Korea transmitted to the sion, digital sustainability and digital threats. The
Secretary-General recommendations adopted at a Secretary-General encouraged cstd to inform the
global event entitled “Dialogue on the implementa- post-2015 development agenda process on the need
tion of the post-2015 development agenda: partici- for a more central role of icts as an enabler and means
patory monitoring for accountability” (Lima, Peru, of achieving the sdgs, and provide a forum for shar-
12–13 March). ing best practices in terms of developing national
In a letter dated 12 November [A/70/550-S/2015/868], and regional regulations and incentive mechanisms
Slovakia and South Africa transmitted the outcomes to facilitate the application of emerging technologies.
of a high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of Member States were encouraged to collaborate with
Security Sector Reform (New York, 2 October) on all relevant stakeholders, develop regulations and ini-
security sector reform and the sdgs. tiate pilot projects that would facilitate the wider ap-
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General plication of emerging technologies; bring icts to the
Assembly decided that the agenda item on follow-up core of national and international development agen-
to the outcome of the Millennium Summit would re- das; and conduct audits of national digital ecosystems.
main for consideration during its resumed seventieth Pursuant to Economic and Social Council reso-
(2016) session. lution 2014/27 [YUN 2014, p. 972], the Commission
organized a substantive discussion on the 10-year
review report on progress made in the implementation
Science, technology and innovation of wsis outcomes. The unctad report Implementing
for development wsis Outcomes: A Ten-year Review [UNCTAD/DTL/
Commission on Science and Technology STICT/2015/3] was welcomed by most Governments
for Development and other stakeholders as a comprehensive, thorough
and balanced analysis of developments. Some partici-
At its eighteenth session (Geneva, 4–8 May) pants, however, stated that the report did not reflect
[E/2015/31-E/CN.16/2015/4], the Commission on Science sufficiently the view that little or no progress had
and Technology for Development (cstd) reviewed been made in the area of enhanced cooperation. It
progress made in the implementation of and follow-up was suggested that there was a need for clear recom-
to the outcomes of the World Summit on the mendations and focus on developing countries and
Information Society (wsis), held in 2003 and 2005 their post-2015 needs. The Commission decided to
[YUN 2003, p. 857 & YUN 2005, p. 933], at the regional and transmit the report through the Economic and Social
international levels. It also considered two priority Council to the General Assembly as an input to its
themes: strategic foresight for the post-2015 develop- overall review of the implementation of the wsis out-
ment agenda and digital development. The session comes (see p. 407).
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 405

The Commission recommended two draft reso- launched at the UN summit for the adoption of the
lutions and five draft decisions for adoption by the post-2015 development agenda. The Mechanism
Economic and Social Council. It adopted and brought comprised a multi-stakeholder forum on science,
to the attention of the Council a decision by which it technology and innovation for the sustainable de-
took note of the report of the Secretary-General on velopment goals; an online platform as a gateway for
digital development. information on existing science, technology and inno-
On 22 July (decision 2015/246), the Council vation initiatives, mechanisms and programmes; and
took note of the Commission’s report on its eight- a UN inter-agency task team on science, technology
eenth session and approved the provisional agenda and innovation for the sustainable development goals,
and documentation for its nineteenth (2016) session. which would promote coordination, coherence, and
cooperation on science, technology and innovation
On the same date (decision 2015/242), the
within the UN system to enhance synergy and ef-
Council decided to extend the mandate of the cstd
ficiency, particularly for capacity-building initiatives.
Gender Advisory Board for a further five years, begin-
ning on 1 January 2016, in order to allow it to complete GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
its programme of work within the extrabudgetary
resources allocated for that purpose. On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com-
Also on 22 July, the Council invited ngos and civil mittee [A/70/474/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/213
society entities that were not in consultative status (Science, technology and innovation for develop-
with the Council, but that had received accreditation ment) without vote [agenda item 22 (b)].
to wsis, to participate in the work of cstd until 2020
(decision 2015/243). It extended the arrangements
for the participation of academic and technical enti- Information and
ties (decision 2015/244) and business sector entities, communications technologies
including the private sector (decision 2015/245), in During 2015, the United Nations continued to
the work of the Commission until 2020. consider how the benefits of new technologies, espe-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
cially information and communications technologies
(icts), could be made available to all, in keeping
On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social with recommendations contained in the ministerial
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission declaration adopted by the Economic and Social
on Science and Technology for Development [E/2015/31], Council at its 2000 high-level segment [YUN 2000,
adopted resolution 2015/27 (Science, technology p. 799], the Millennium Declaration [ibid., p. 49] and
and innovation for development) without vote [agenda the Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of
item 18 (b)]. Action [YUN 2003, p. 857] adopted at the first phase of
wsis [ibid.], and the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis
Report of Secretary-General. In response to Agenda adopted at its second phase [YUN 2005, p. 933].
General Assembly resolution 68/220 [YUN 2013,
p. 804], the Secretary-General in August submitted a
report [A/70/276] on science and technology for devel- Follow-up to World Summit
opment, which provided information on the work of on the Information Society
cstd, unctad and other relevant UN organizations. Report of Secretary-General. In response to
The report highlighted findings from policy discus- Economic and Social Council resolution 2006/46
sions and research on science, technology and innova- [YUN 2006, p. 1001], the Secretary-General in a Febru-
tion as an enabler of sustainable development; lessons ary report [A/70/63-E/2015/10], reviewed progress made
learned and recommendations from the work done in the implementation of and follow-up to the out-
to assist developing countries in their efforts to inte- comes of wsis at the regional and international levels.
grate science, technology and innovation policies into The contribution of the information society to
national development strategies and strengthen their human development since wsis had been consider-
national innovation systems; and the review of pro- able and continued to grow rapidly. Access to ict had
gress made in implementing wsis outcomes. become more widespread, and ict innovations had
Unctad work aimed at improving the integration profound impacts on the ways in which Governments
of science, technology and innovation policies within delivered services, businesses related to consumers and
national development strategies; making innova- citizens participated in public and private life. Digi-
tion policies more inclusive; enhancing innovation tal divides, however, remained a serious challenge.
systems; facilitating technology transfer; promoting While divides in access to basic communications be-
technology parks and cooperation in science, tween and in countries had been diminishing, new
technology and innovation; and strengthening ict divides had been growing in access to broadband
capacity. A Technology Facilitation Mechanism was networks. Particular concern had been expressed that
406 Part Three: Economic and social questions

least developed countries (ldcs) might fall behind, vide, the unpredictability of changes taking place in
that rural areas were disadvantaged and that there re- technology and services, the mainstreaming of icts
mained a gender gap in ict access and use. Priorities into wider social and economic development policies
included the importance of investment in broadband and programmes, education and capacity-building
networks and services, content and capacity-building; in ensuring that icts and the Information Society
the need to ensure trust in ict and maintain cyber- contributed to development, and monitoring and
security; and the need for legal and regulatory ar- measurement of wsis outcomes. Attention by the
rangements to adapt to rapidly changing technology international community was required on eight issues:
and markets, including the growing significance of the rapid development of broadband networks, inclu-
e-commerce and cloud computing. The Partnership siveness, Internet governance, education and capacity-
on Measuring ict for Development recommended building, cybersecurity, the cloud economy, rights
that future targets and indicators be ambitious, aspects of the Information Society and threats to the
achievable, measurable and related to the post-2015 environment. Suggestions regarding the monitoring,
development agenda, with more attention paid to the measurement, evaluation and implementation of the
development impact of ict. The task of implementing outcomes of wsis were related to a framework for the
wsis outcomes was the responsibility of a variety of adoption of new targets, improving the capacity of
actors, primarily Governments, the private sector and National Statistical Offices, the future development
development agencies. of Action Lines, integration of wsis outcomes into
WSIS Forum. The annual wsis Forum (Ge- UN Development Assistance Frameworks, financial
neva, 25–29 May), organized by the International mechanisms for the Information Society, achieving
Telecommunication Union (itu), unesco, unctad consensus on the future of Internet governance and
and the United Nations Development Programme the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to
(undp), was held under the theme “Innovating Information Society.
Together: Enabling icts for Sustainable Development”.
High-level meeting of the General Assembly
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
Preparatory process. On 1 June, in accordance
On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social with General Assembly resolution 68/302 [YUN 2014,
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission p. 976], the President of the Assembly appointed Janis
on Science and Technology for Development Maieiks, Permanent Representative of the Republic
[E/2015/31], adopted resolution 2015/26 (Assessment of Latvia to the United Nations, and Lana Zaki Nus-
of the progress made in the implementation of and seibeh, Permanent Representative of United Arab
follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit Emirates to the United Nations, as co-facilitators
on the Information Society) without vote [agenda to lead an intergovernmental negotiation process,
item 18 (b)]. which was to include preparatory meetings, resulting
In a September note [A/70/360], the Secretary- in an outcome document for adoption at the high-
General provided an assessment of the progress made level meeting of the General Assembly on the overall
in the implementation of and follow-up to the out- review of the implementation of the wsis outcomes
comes of wsis. (see below).
At the first preparatory meeting (New York,
Ten-year review of the World Summit 1 July), which was intended to provide an opportunity
on the Information Society for participants to share their preliminary inputs on
CSTD review. In response to the Tunis Agenda, and expectations concerning the outcome document,
which was adopted at the second phase of the World delegations addressed a number of themes, including
Summit [YUN 2005, p. 933], cstd Secretariat undertook the importance of investment and innovation; the
a ten-year review of progress made in the implemen- free flow of information; the critical importance of
tation of wsis outcomes and submitted its results, capacity-building; the development of local and mul-
through the Economic and Social Council, to the tilingual content; the need to improve the affordabil-
General Assembly. Its report, entitled Implementing ity of access and usage; the value of an enabling policy
WSIS outcomes: A Ten-year Review, highlighted the and regulatory environment in attracting investment
importance of the emerging Information Society in and fostering innovation; the role of public-private
global development, and found that its dynamism, partnerships; and the need to address governance
generated by continuous innovation in technology issues. At the second preparatory meeting (New York,
and services, had greatly changed the context for 20–22 October), Member States made statements on
wsis implementation. At the same time, new chal- the zero draft of the outcome document.
lenges had emerged because of developments in the On 30 July, by decision 69/559, the General As-
ict sector and in the context of economic and social sembly decided that the high-level meeting of the As-
change. Those challenges included the digital di- sembly on the overall review of the implementation of
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 407

the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information sustainable development and universal access. The
Society would be held on 15 and 16 December. Commission found that, although strong growth rates
High-level meeting. The General Assembly con- continued for mobile broadband and Facebook usage,
cluded its overall review of the wsis outcomes during and mobile cellular subscriptions exceeded 7 billion
a two-day high-level meeting (New York, 15–16 De- for the first time in 2015, growth in global mobile
cember). The meeting included the plenary, which cellular subscriptions and Internet usage had slowed
featured statements from Member States and non- sharply. Better coordination and more effective use
government entities, as well as side events, organized of existing resources by all stakeholders was needed
by Member States, UN agencies, and non-government to achieve universally available and more affordable
stakeholders, that offered interactive exchange on key Internet access. Policy recommendations to maximize
topics cited in the review. the impact of broadband on the supply-side included
On 16 December, by decision 70/529, the General promoting co-deployment and infrastructure-sharing
Assembly decided to invite Malcolm Johnson, itu of telecom infrastructure and co-investment to reduce
Deputy Secretary-General; Getachew Engida, Dep- prices; fostering co-deployment with access to non-
uty Director-General and Assistant Director-General telecoms infrastructure; ensuring sufficient avail-
for Communication and Information of unesco; ability of quality spectrum to deploy mobile broad-
Patrick Keuleers, undp Director and Chief of Profes- band networks; expanding network coverage; and
sion of the Governance and Peacebuilding Team; and developing effective technical standards to achieve
Torbjörn Fredriksson, unctad Officer-in-Charge of economies of scale and enhance quality of services.
the Science, Technology and ict Branch, to deliver Policy measures on the demand side included ensuring
availability and affordability of broadband-enabled
statements at the high-level meeting of the Assembly
devices and services for poor or at-risk households and
on the overall review of the implementation of wsis
other vulnerable groups; enabling the development of
outcomes.
local and relevant broadband applications and con-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION tent; improving broadband availability mapping; and
promoting effective ict skills through training and
On 16 December [meeting 79], the General Assembly education at all levels.
adopted resolution 70/125 [draft: A/70/L.33] (Outcome
document of the high-level meeting of the General GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Assembly on the overall review of the implementa-
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
tion of the outcomes of the World Summit on the
sembly, on the recommendation of the Second
Information Society) without vote [agenda item 17].
Committee [A/70/469], adopted resolution 70/184
(Information and communications technologies
Internet Governance Forum for development) without vote [agenda item 17].
The Internet Governance Forum held its tenth
meeting (João Pessoa, Brazil, 10–13 November) on
the theme “Evolution of Internet Governance: Em- Development policy and public
powering Sustainable Development”. The Forum, administration
which was attended by more than 2,400 registered
participants from over 116 countries, focused on a
range of sub-themes, including cybersecurity and Committee for Development Policy
trust; Internet economy; inclusiveness and diversity; The Committee for Development Policy (cdp)
openness; enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation; noted that the success of the post-2015 development
Internet and human rights; critical Internet resources agenda depended on a robust accountability system
and emerging issues. for results and constructive change, in which all
stakeholders were involved, with clearly delineated
Broadband Commission for Digital Development responsibility for implementation among partners
In 2015, the Broadband Commission for Digital and relevant quantifiable targets. The sustainable de-
Development [YUN 2011, p. 818], which sought to pro- velopment goals (sdgs) were universal, but needed to
mote the adoption of effective and inclusive broad- be adapted to national contexts, in order to ensure
band policies and practices with a view to achieving ownership and facilitate answerability, transparency
development goals and empowering every woman and and inclusiveness.
man, and every society through the benefits of broad- In its triennial review of the list of ldcs, cdp found
band, published its report The State of Broadband 2015: Angola eligible for graduation for the second consecu-
Broadband as a foundation for sustainable develop- tive time and recommended it for graduation from
ment. The report was structured around four themes: the list. Kiribati, which was also found eligible for the
connected future, policy leadership, broadband for second consecutive time, was not recommended for
408 Part Three: Economic and social questions

graduation, but was to be considered at the next tri- E/2015/L.13] (Report of the Committee for Develop-
ennial review in 2018, together with Bhutan, Nepal, ment Policy on its seventeenth session) without vote
Sao Tome and Principe, Solomon Islands and Timor- [agenda item 18 (a)].
Leste, which were all found eligible for graduation for
the first time. The graduation of Tuvalu, which had Public administration
been recommended by cdp for graduation in 2012
and postponed by Economic and Social Council The Committee of Experts on Public Adminis-
resolutions 2012/32 [YUN 2012, p. 837] and 2013/20 tration, at its fourteenth session (New York, 20–
[YUN 2013, p. 817], was scheduled to be addressed by 24 April) [E/2015/44], considered the issue of building
the Council in 2015. trust in government in pursuit of the sustainable de-
In preparation for its 2018 review, the Committee velopment goals, with an emphasis on the question
re-examined the human assets index and decided to “What will it take?”. The outline of an answer was re-
add the maternal mortality ratio. Accordingly, the flected in the sub-issues discussed, namely redefining
index would be comprised of five indicators, three of relationships and responsibilities in support of par-
which were related to health and two of which were ticipatory governance and responsive public service
related to education. Cdp also decided to continue delivery, including through e-solutions; strengthening
to examine other elements of the index, notably to innovation, prioritization, informed decision-making
consider further a possible replacement of the under- and integration of policy development processes; and
nourishment indicator with stunting, as a measure of promoting accountable institutions, ethical leader-
malnutrition. ship and integrity. For its consideration, the Com-
mittee had before it notes of the Secretariat on the
In its monitoring of countries that were graduat- sub-issues [E/C.16/2015/3, E/C.16/2015/4, E/C.16/2015/5],
ing and had graduated from the ldc category, cdp on Building trust in government in pursuit of the
reviewed the development progress of Maldives and sustainable development goals: the case of Nicaragua
Samoa, which had graduated in 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 826] [E/C.16/2015/2], and on review of the United Nations
and 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 986] respectively, and of Equa- Programme in Public Administration and Develop-
torial Guinea and Vanuatu, which were graduating. ment Management [E/C.16/2015/6].
Maldives and Samoa had continued to achieve steady
The Committee noted that building trust in gov-
development progress, while they remained vulner-
ernmental pursuit of the sdgs would depend prima-
able to economic and environmental shocks. The
rily on the implementation of sound public policy
Committee noted the imbalance between per capita
that reflected people’s priorities and on institutional
income and the level of human assets in Equatorial
performance and the quality of public services.
Guinea and its heavy dependence on the oil sector.
Bearing in mind national and local specificities, an
It expressed its concern about the negative impacts of ability to achieve political consensus and manage
cyclone Pam that hit Vanuatu in March (see p. 440). relationships with citizens would be an essential el-
Furthermore, cdp considered issues related to the ement. In promoting citizen engagement in public
implications of the post-2015 development landscape policymaking, care should be taken to remove bar-
and the need for ldcs to gain better access to oda riers to participation, in particular by marginalized
and alternative sources of financing. Donors should groups, and to ensure both technical and substantive
meet their commitments to ldcs and adopt better equality of opportunity in consultative processes.
aid allocation criteria to improve oda efficiency. Cdp The Committee stressed that the public sector had
proposed that donors organize ldcs into clusters with a critical role to play in pursuing all of the sdgs and
similar structural impediments; and underscored the could have tremendous strategic value and influence;
need for addressing aid dependency without reducing that political endorsement of the sdgs at national and
oda flow to those countries. local levels would be essential; that achievement of the
For its eighteenth session, cdp would follow up on sdgs would also necessitate a steady and continued
its work on the post-2015 UN development agenda, process of institutional and administrative reform;
with a particular focus on how international trade and that national systems of accountability should be
could help developing countries, in particular ldcs, to permeated with ethical values and standards. Recall-
achieve the sdgs. In that regard, particular attention ing the United Nations Convention against Corrup-
would be given to the issue of developing the neces- tion [YUN 2003, p. 1127], the Committee stressed the
sary productive capacities while achieving social and need to accelerate the adoption of measures to prevent
environmental objectives, as defined in the post-2015 corruption in the public sector and end impunity for
development agenda. corrupt practices.
In its review of the United Nations Programme
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
in Public Administration and Development
On 10 June [meeting 35], the Economic and Management, the Committee noted that the gover-
Social Council adopted resolution 2015/11 [draft: nance aspects of proposed sustainable development
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 409

goal 16, and aspects of goal 17, notably targets re- implementation of the Istanbul Declaration and
lated to technology, policy and institutional coherence Programme of Action for the Least Developed
and multi-stakeholder partnerships, were areas where Countries for the Decade 2011–2020 (Istanbul
the Programme could best support its work in the Programme of Action) [YUN 2011, p. 828], adopted at
follow-up to the post-2015 development agenda. In the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least
light of the substantially different nature of the sdgs Developed Countries [ibid., p. 827]. In addition to the
from the mdgs, in particular with regard to gover- United Nations Office of the High Representative
nance and public administration aspects, the Com- for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked
mittee decided to undertake an informal review of its Developing Countries and Small Island Developing
name and terms of reference with a view to ensuring States (ohrlls), the Committee for Development
that it was fit for purpose in the post-2015 period. Policy (cdp) and the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (unctad) also dealt with
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION ldc - related issues.
On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social The Least Developed Countries Report 2015
Council, on the recommendation of the Committee [UNCTAD/LDC/2015], published by unctad, addressed
of Experts on Public Administration [E/2015/44], transforming rural economies. Economic growth in
adopted resolution 2015/28 (Report of the Com- ldcs had slowed since 2012, and less favourable ex-
mittee of Experts on Public Administration on its ternal conditions in 2014, compounded by the impact
fourteenth session) without vote [agenda item 18 (g)]. of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone, contributed to a further deterioration in their
Also on the same date, by decision 2015/247,
economic performance. Growth in ldcs as a group was
the Council decided that the fifteenth session of the
projected at 5.2 per cent in 2015. The sustainable de-
Committee of Experts on Public Administration
velopment goals (sdgs) required an acceleration in the
would be held at United Nations Headquarters from
rate of progress and implied a shift in focus, towards
18 to 22 April 2016, and approved the provisional
areas of greatest need, namely ldcs. As more than two
agenda for that session.
thirds of their total population lived in rural areas, rural
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION development was of particular importance in ldcs.
Agriculture played a crucial role in all ldc economies,
On 14 September [meeting 105], the General As- accounting for 60 per cent of total employment and
sembly adopted resolution 69/327 [draft: A/69/L.81/ 25 per cent of value added; and shortfalls in human
Rev.1] (Promoting inclusive and accountable public development were much greater in rural than in urban
services for sustainable development) without vote areas. Sustainable poverty eradication in ldcs required
[agenda item 21 (b)]. a poverty-oriented structural transformation, includ-
ing increasing the level of labour productivity; provid-
ing productive economic opportunities for the entire
Groups of countries in special workforce; increasing the lowest levels of labour pro-
situations ductivity to generate an income above the poverty line;
and ensuring that such increases were translated into
higher household incomes. The key to achieving rural
On 18 September, the General Assembly, on economic transformation was harnessing the synergies
the recommendation of the General Committee between agricultural upgrading and rural economic
[A/70/475], included in the agenda of its seventieth diversification through development of the rural non-
session the item entitled “Groups of countries in farm economy. With regard to agricultural productiv-
special situations”, covering follow-up to the Fourth ity, which played an essential role in rural economic
United Nations Conference on the Least Developed transformation and development and strengthening
Countries [YUN 2011, p. 827]; and follow-up to the the rural non-farm economy, the main factors driv-
second United Nations Conference on Landlocked ing productivity growth in ldcs were the quantity of
Developing Countries [YUN 2014, p. 1012]; and to al- inputs; technology, human capital and input quality;
locate it to the Second Committee. public investment and policies; agroecological condi-
On 22 December, by decision 70/544, the General tions and climate change; and rural diversification.
Assembly took note of the report of the Second Com- With respect to domestic policies for rural economic
mittee on the subject [A/70/475]. transformation, encompassing agricultural upgrading
and diversification into non-farm activities, the report
Least developed countries recommended agricultural right-sizing; increasing use
of locally appropriate inputs to increase agricultural
The special problems of the officially designated productivity and yields; promoting early adoption of
least developed countries (ldcs) were considered in innovations and new technologies; increasing support
several UN forums in 2015, particularly through to research and development; market differentia-
410 Part Three: Economic and social questions

tion, through organic, fair trade and sustainability Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania,
certification; increased staple production, particularly Vanuatu, Yemen and Zambia.
in remote and isolated areas; gender-specific measures
to tackle the causes of disadvantages faced by rural GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
women; a major increase in infrastructure investment; On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly
rural electrification; sequencing infrastructure invest- adopted resolution 70/78 [draft: A/70/L.16, as orally
ments and interventions; appropriate policies and in- revised] (Extension of the preparatory period pre-
terventions in finance, human resources and enterprise ceding the graduation of the Republic of Vanuatu
support; increasing schooling of children and adult from the least developed country category) without
education; and vocational training. Rural economic vote [agenda item 9].
transformation required effective policy coordination
and an effective inter-ministerial coordinating mecha- Smooth transition strategy
nism could contribute substantially to that goal. In accordance with General Assembly resolution
67/221 [YUN 2012, p. 842], the Secretary-General sub-
LDC list mitted an August report [A/70/292] on implementation,
In accordance with Economic and Social Council effectiveness and added value of smooth transition
resolution 2013/20 [YUN 2013, p. 817], cdp at its sev- measures, including initiatives taken by the UN system
enteenth session (see p. 407) monitored the develop- to support countries during their graduation from the
ment progress of countries graduating from the ldc ldc category. The Secretary-General concluded that
category, namely Equatorial Guinea and Vanuatu, much still needed to be done to implement the provi-
earmarked for graduation in June 2017 and Decem- sions of the resolution, with a clear focus and leadership
ber 2017, respectively. It found that Equatorial Guinea by the graduating and graduated countries and equally
continued to rely on the hydrocarbon sector and had strong support from the development partners and the
an imbalance between the high level of per capita UN system. Graduation and smooth transition strat-
income and the low level of its human assets index. egies should be integrated into national development
Cdp advised the country to formulate and implement strategies and donors’ aid strategies, and development
a transition strategy for economic diversification and partners should provide timely information about those
an improved index. In 2014, Vanuatu continued to measures and apply the ldc criteria to their process of
achieve steady income growth and improved the level aid allocation. It was important that both the funding
of its human assets, however, cdp noted with concern to ldcs be increased and concessional funding be made
the devastating consequences of Cyclone Pam, which accessible for graduated countries, taking into account
hit the country in March 2015 (see p. 440), raising un- their vulnerability and geographical constraints. UN
certainty about the near-term development outlook. entities had to consider the extension and gradual
phasing-out of ldc-specific support to graduated
In response to Assembly resolution 67/221
countries for a fixed period of time in a predictable
[YUN 2012, p. 842], cdp further reviewed the devel-
manner and applied in accordance with the specific
opment progress of Maldives and Samoa, which
development situation of each graduating country. The
had graduated in 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 826] and 2014 institutionalization of efforts by ohrlls to coordinate
[YUN 2014, p. 986], respectively. It noted that both
UN system organizations, including the establishment
countries continued to achieve steady development of a dedicated working group as part of its inter-agency
progress, although they remained vulnerable to consultative group mechanism, needed to be further
economic and environmental shocks, as indicated by pursued. The issues of graduation and smooth transi-
their high scores on the economic vulnerability index. tion should be prominently included in the compre-
The Committee found that Samoa had been active in hensive high-level midterm review of the Programme
engaging its development and trading partners in the of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the
implementation of the transition strategy to minimize Decade 2011–2020, to be held in 2016.
possible negative impacts as a result of graduation.
At year’s end, the list of ldcs comprised the follow- Follow up to the Fourth UN Conference on LDCs
ing 48 countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh,
Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Appointment of co-facilitators. In response to
Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic General Assembly resolution 69/231 [YUN 2014, p. 987],
Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, in which the General Assembly decided to convene a
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, comprehensive high-level midterm review of the imple-
Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Le- mentation of the Istanbul Programme of Action in June
sotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, 2016, the President of the General Assembly appointed
Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, São Bénédicte Frankinet, Permanent Representative of Bel-
Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon gium to the United Nations, and Jean-Francis Régis
Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Timor-Leste, Zinsou, Permanent Representative of the Republic
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 411

of Benin to the United Nations, as co-facilitators to on a firm foundation. It further determined that the
oversee and direct informal intergovernmental con- technology bank, as a dedicated, coordinated and in-
sultations on all issues relating to the review and its terlinked facility, could achieve quick gains during its
preparatory process. initial phase of operation. The Panel recommended its
United Nations Economic Commissions. On operationalization during the seventieth session of the
5 May, the United Nations Economic Commission General Assembly, and its formal operationalization
for Africa, in collaboration with ohrlls, organized a at the comprehensive midterm review of the Istanbul
regional preparatory mid-term review meeting of the Programme of Action, to be held in Antalya, Turkey,
Istanbul Programme of Action in Africa (Algiers, Al- in June 2016. It requested the Secretary-General to take
geria, May). The deliberations of the meeting fed into the necessary steps to launch and operationalize the
the Ministerial Meeting of African Least Developed technology bank, including preparing a host country
Countries (see p. 412). agreement, and inform the General Assembly accord-
ingly; to establish a trust fund with the necessary flex-
At a High-Level Policy Dialogue on the Implemen- ibility to attract voluntary funding from Member States
tation of the Istanbul Programme of Action in Asia and and other stakeholders, including the private sector and
the Pacific (Siem Reap, Cambodia, 4–6 March), jointly foundations; to mobilize organizations of the UN system
organized by the Government of Cambodia and the and other international and regional organizations to
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for support the launching and operationalization of the
Asia and the Pacific, participants adopted an outcome bank and its effective functioning; and to encourage
document entitled “The Siem Reap Angkor Outcome the principal stakeholders to extend generous support
Document”, which was transmitted to the seventy-first to the bank during its initial phase and beyond.
session of the Commission (see p. 473) as a basis for the
midterm review of the Programme of Action. In line with the recommendations of the Panel, the
Secretary-General was of the view that the establish-
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to ment of the technology bank for ldcs would serve
General Assembly resolution 68/224 [YUN 2013, p. 822] as a critical instrument for creating a strong and vi-
and Economic and Social Council resolution 2014/29 able science, technology and innovation base in those
[YUN 2014, p. 922], the Secretary-General submitted an countries. Ohrlls would continue to provide sub-
October report [A/70/408] that included the recommen- stantive support and to assist the coordination of the
dations of a high-level panel of experts on a technology UN system entities for the operationalization of the
bank for ldcs. The Secretary-General had established technology bank.
the High-level Panel on Technology Bank for Least
Developed Countries in November 2014 to study the Communication. In a letter [A/C.2/70/2] dated
scope and functions of the proposed technology bank 7 October, Bangladesh transmitted to the Secretary-
dedicated to helping the world’s ldcs to lift themselves General the Ministerial Declaration adopted at the
out of poverty. The Assembly mandated the Panel to ex- Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Least Developed
amine the scope, functions, institutional linkage with Countries (New York, 1 October).
the UN and organizational aspects of the technology GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
bank, including by assessing the ability of a technology
bank to promote scientific research and innovation On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
and facilitate the diffusion and transfer of technologies sembly, on the recommendation of the Second
to ldcs; considering the international institutional Committee [A/70/475/Add.1], adopted resolution
landscape, synergies and options for cooperation 70/216 (Follow-up to the Fourth United Nations
with international technology initiatives, stakehold- Conference on the Least Developed Countries)
ers and organizations; examining potential functions, without vote [agenda item 23 (a)].
activities, working methods, governance mechanisms, On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
staffing arrangements and costs for a technology bank decided that the agenda item on groups of countries
and science, technology and innovation supporting in special situations: Follow-up to the Fourth
mechanism, including possible regional centres in United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
ldcs; and examining options for facilitating the neces- Countries would remain for consideration during its
sary voluntary financial support. The Panel held two resumed seventieth (2016) session.
meetings in Turkey, the first one in Gebze (16–17 Feb-
ruary), and the second in Istanbul (2–4 September), Programme of Action (2011–2020)
hosted by the Scientific and Technological Research Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/231
Council of Turkey. [YUN 2014, p. 987] and Economic and Social Council
In its feasibility study, which was supported by resolution 2014/29 [ibid., p. 992], the Secretary-General
the ohrlls secretariat, the Panel argued that the in May [A/70/83-E/2015/75] reported on implementation
technology bank was feasible, that the thinking be- of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed
hind it had been sound, and that it could be launched Countries for the Decade 2011–2020 (Istanbul
412 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Programme of Action) [YUN 2011, p. 828], and on pro- make progress in poverty eradication, peace and devel-
gress made towards including the implementation of opment for graduating from the ldc category.
the Istanbul Programme of Action in the agenda of the
United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Co- ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
ordination (ceb). On 23 July [meeting 56], the Economic and Social
The report found that the implementation of the Is- Council adopted resolution 2015/35 [draft: E/2015/L.23]
tanbul Programme of Action had seen continued pro- (Programme of Action for the Least Developed
gress by ldcs, however, poverty was still widespread Countries for the Decade 2011–2020) without vote
in many ldcs, with 46 per cent of their population [agenda item 11 (b)].
living in extreme poverty. Areas of progress that gave
hope included the reduction of poverty and hunger, re-
bounding growth, fledgling structural transformation
Small island developing states
and a number of countries graduating or in the process During 2015, UN bodies continued to review pro-
of graduation. New initiatives such as the technology gress in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy
bank and an investment promotion regime for ldcs for Further Implementation of the Programme of
signified continued support by the international Action for the Sustainable Development of Small
community. Progress in building productive capacity Island Developing States, adopted by the 2005
in ldcs was critical to achieving the other seven International Meeting to Review the Implementation
priorities of the Istanbul Programme of Action. The of the 1994 Programme of Action [YUN 2005, p. 946],
structural transformation of ldcs was insufficient, and the sids Accelerated Modalities of Action (samoa)
and investment rates, which were low but improving, Pathway, adopted by the General Assembly in 2014
had to be further accelerated and sustained over a long [YUN 2014, p. 995].
period of time. Progress was made in infrastructure
areas, such as improving access of the population in Samoa Pathway and Mauritius Strategy
ldcs to mobile/cellular telephone services, improving
road networks and conditions, increasing the volume JIU report. In a June note [A/69/921], the Secretary-
of air transport and enhancing shipping connectiv- General transmitted a report of the Joint Inspection
ity. Enrolment in primary and secondary education Unit (jiu) entitled “Recommendations to the General
also increased, while child and maternal mortality Assembly for the determination of parameters for
continued to decrease. Further national and global a comprehensive review of United Nations system
efforts were needed to sustain and accelerate the pace support for small island developing States” [JIU/
of those improvements. Further recommendations REP/2015/2], which was prepared pursuant to General
included giving ldcs more priority in the allocation Assembly resolution 69/217 [YUN 2014, p. 1010]. The
of aid and other resources with enhanced quality and review provided a preliminary synthesis of data col-
concessionality, capacity-building for collecting and lected through a system-wide survey completed by
processing timely and accurate data, more progress more than 20 jiu participating organizations and the
in granting duty-free and quota-free market access to secretariats of environmental conventions to assess their
ldcs, and further assistance to reduce trade costs by contribution to the priority areas of the Samoa Path-
strengthening inland transportation infrastructure. way by means of implementation. Findings made by
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction the review included a need for clarification of roles and
2015–2030 (see p. 443) had to be implemented with linkages, and improved communication and mecha-
a special focus on ldcs, and the high vulnerability of nisms for system-wide coordination; an overlap and
ldcs to climate change also had to be addressed. With lack of clarity regarding the mandates of ohrlls and
regard to the ldc category, further support to ldcs the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (desa)
on graduation and smooth transition was needed from Units for small island developing States (sids); limited
ohrlls, development partners and the UN system, resources allocated to desa and ohrlls Units for sids;
including through technical assistance and capacity and environmental vulnerability with regard to issues
development for resource mobilization. such as climate change, biodiversity, oceans, chemicals
Ministerial meeting. The Ministerial Meeting and waste management as a common concern of sids.
of African Least Developed Countries (Milan, Italy, Jiu recommended that the Assembly should en-
8–10 June), jointly organized by the Government sure that the comprehensive review addresses the
of Italy and ohrlls, had as its theme “Structural necessary linkages between the Samoa Pathway and
Transformation, Graduation and the Post-2015 De- the UN global mandates on related key issues, with
velopment Agenda”. The overall objective of the a view to strengthening system-wide coherence and
Ministerial Meeting was to support African ldcs to ensuring effective system-wide support for the sustain-
achieve internationally agreed development goals, in- able development of sids through adequate provi-
cluding the attainment of the goals and targets of the sion of resources. The Assembly should also ensure
Istanbul Programme of Action, and in particular to that the review evaluate the allocation of resources,
Chapter I: Development policy and international economic cooperation 413

as well as their effective and efficient use, at the UN the challenge of post-2015 financing. The high-level
Secretariat, with a view to improving governance and political forum on sustainable development (see p. 393)
effective coordination in the delivery of the mandates convened the segment on sids under the theme “The
given by the Assembly to desa and ohrlls; identify Samoa Pathway: translating vision to action”. Key chal-
all relevant entities of the UN Secretariat; and pro- lenges for sids emphasized in the dialogue included the
pose effective ways for the Secretariat to strengthen its need for enabling inclusive economic growth through
programmatic coordination and integrated reporting. adequate financing, in particular for infrastructure
The review should assess the role and functioning of projects, a small economic base due to remoteness, land
the Inter-Agency Consultative Group on Small Island scarcity and vulnerability, and a focus on generating
Developing States, and propose concrete measures to youth employment and reducing underemployment.
strengthen its effectiveness as a coordinating forum, to The report included the initial findings of the review
foster the implementation of the Samoa Pathway and to and the recommendations of jiu on UN system support
facilitate its monitoring. An analysis of the institutional for sids. In response to resolution 69/288 (see above),
set-up in place and the coordination process aimed at jiu decided to include the comprehensive review of UN
monitoring and reporting on implementation of the system support for sids in its programme of work for
Samoa Pathway, and institutional and managerial 2015, addressing issues relating to evaluation of allo-
mechanisms for strengthening coordination between cation of resources at UN Headquarters, focusing on
desa and ohrlls should also be part of the review. desa and ohrlls, in order to assess the commensu-
rability of resources and mandates given to them to
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
support the sustainable development of sids; and as-
On 8 June [meeting 93], the General Assembly sessing existing programmatic coordination and the
adopted resolution 69/288 [draft: A/69/L.73] (Compre- role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Group on sids.
hensive review of United Nations system support The comprehensive review had been included in the
for small island developing States) without vote roster for the programme of work for 2016.
[agenda item 19 (b)]. The Secretary-General observed that sids had
carefully outlined their priorities through the Samoa
Report of Secretary-General. In accordance with Pathway and during the formulation of the post-2015
General Assembly resolution 69/217 [YUN 2014, p. 1010], development agenda and the sdgs. The international
the Secretary-General submitted an August report community had provided considerable support to sids
[A/70/269] on follow-up to and implementation of the
and had remained committed to the implementation of
samoa Pathway [ibid., p. 995] and the Mauritius Strategy the Samoa Pathway.
for the Further Implementation of the Programme
of Action for the Sustainable Development of sids GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
[YUN 2005, p. 946]. The report evaluated the integra-
tion of the Samoa Pathway into national and regional On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
policies and development and cooperation frameworks, sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com-
programmes and activities, as well as support to mittee [A/70/472/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/202
national sustainable development strategies and pro- (Follow-up to and implementation of the SIDS
grammes. It included updates from the UN system Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Path-
and partner agencies with regard to cross-cutting way and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further
activities; economic growth; trade; data and statistics; Implementation of the Programme of Action for
oceans, climate change; disaster risk reduction; energy; the Sustainable Development of Small Island
health; gender equality and women’s empowerment; Developing States) without vote [agenda item 20 (b)].
partnership framework; partnership dialogue; and the
International Year of Small Island Developing States. Landlocked developing countries
Member States had also actively sought to implement
the Samoa Pathway within the areas of priority for sids, Vienna Programme of Action (2014–2024)
namely economic growth; sustainable energy; oceans Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/232
and seas; food security and nutrition; gender equality [YUN 2014, p. 1026], the Secretary-General transmit-
and women’s empowerment; data and statistics; and ted an August report [A/70/305] on implementation
partnerships. of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked
Sids were featured prominently in activities at the Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024.
Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster The report provided a review of the progress made,
Risk Reduction (see p. 442), which included an event focusing on key priority areas, such as: fundamen-
on building effective partnerships towards resilient sids tal transit policy issues; infrastructure development
in the post-2015 world. During the third International and maintenance; international trade and trade
Conference on Financing for Development (see p. 458), facilitation; regional integration and cooperation;
a side event was held with the theme sids: meeting structural economic transformation; and means
414 Part Three: Economic and social questions

of implementation. It further presented initiatives and harmonize customs and border crossing proce-
and activities being undertaken by Member States, dures and formalities; pursue national measures aimed
relevant UN system entities and other regional and at increasing the share of high-value added exports;
international organizations in response to the Vienna and encourage the development of labour-intensive
Programme of Action, concluding with a set of rec- sectors and forms of technology through industrial
ommendations. and educational policies. To monitor the implementa-
The Secretary-General observed that an impor- tion of the Vienna Programme of Action, there was a
tant element for the effective implementation of the need for systematic collection of data in landlocked
Vienna Programme of Action was its mainstreaming developing countries and transit countries in order to
into national and sectoral development plans and monitor improvements in trade facilitation.
the work programmes of international, regional and
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
subregional organizations. Landlocked developing
countries should take the lead in the further On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
mainstreaming of the Programme into national on the recommendation of the Second Committee
strategies so as to fully implement it, and develop- [A/70/475/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/217 (Follow-up
ment partners should accord priority to landlocked to the second United Nations Conference on
developing countries. Landlocked developing Landlocked Developing Countries) without vote
countries should continue their efforts to streamline [agenda item 23 (b)].
Chapter II

Operational activities for development

The year 2015 was a watershed for global development. unv operations amounted to $201 million. During
The agreements reached by Member States—the 2014–2015, 83 per cent of UN Volunteers were from
Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, the Paris countries of the global South, representing a signifi-
Climate Agreement, the Sendai Framework for cant South-South contribution.
Disaster Risk Reduction and the Addis Ababa Action The United Nations Office for Project Services
Agenda on financing for development—set a new (unops) delivered more than 1,000 peacebuilding,
global agenda for a generation. The preceding years humanitarian and development projects in over
had demonstrated the power of development, al- 80 countries. Unops delivery during the year was
lowing more countries than ever before to graduate $1.4 billion, compared to $1.2 billion in 2014. That
from low- to middle-income status and changing increase was mainly due to greater demand for unops
the development landscape. The opposite, however, support to health work in Myanmar and globally
had also become apparent, with seemingly robust through the Stop tb Partnership, continued demand
development derailed by insecurity and conflict. for peacebuilding support throughout Africa and hu-
In that changing context, the design of smart, risk- manitarian response activities in the Middle East.
informed and sustainable human development solu- Regarding South-South cooperation, the UN
tions was critical, and the development agencies of the development system had shown a shift from its pre-
United Nations were committed to remaining strong vious ad hoc support to South-South cooperation to
partners to Member States as they made the sustain- a more systematic approach, and UN organizations
able development goals a reality for their citizens. were increasingly directing their support to areas
During its operational activities for development such as policy development and dialogue, knowledge-
segment, the Economic and Social Council held a sharing, research and analysis, capacity development
dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the UN and partnership-building. In December, the General
development system and adopted a resolution on pro- Assembly adopted a resolution calling for proposals
gress in implementing the quadrennial comprehensive on how to enhance the impact of the United Nations
policy review of operational activities for development Office for South-South Cooperation, and requesting
of the UN system, which had been adopted by the the integration of South-South and triangular co-
General Assembly in 2012. In December, the General operation into the policies and strategic frameworks of
Assembly adopted a resolution urging the development the organizations of the UN system, in the context of
organizations of the UN system to fully align their the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustain-
strategic plans and their strategic planning and budg- able Development.
eting cycles with the quadrennial comprehensive
policy review.
Development assistance was mainly provided System-wide activities
through the United Nations Development Programme
(undp), in its dual role as the lead UN development
agency and coordinator of the UN development Operational activities segment of the
system. At midpoint of its Strategic Plan, 2014–2017, Economic and Social Council
undp was on track towards achieving most of the 2017 The Economic and Social Council, during its 2015
targets of the Strategic Plan. Among other measures of substantive session [A/70/3], discussed UN operational
progress, 18.6 million people were benefiting from im- activities for international development cooperation.
proved livelihoods in 115 countries, 1.346 million new At meetings of its high-level segment from 23 to
jobs had been created in 94 countries, over 68 million 25 February and on 29 June, the Council consid-
new voters had been registered in 37 countries, and ered the follow-up to policy recommendations of the
1,035 disaster reduction and adaptation plans were General Assembly and the Council; the reports of the
being put in place in 51 countries. Executive Boards of the United Nations Development
In 2015, the undp -administered United Nations Programme (undp)/United Nations Population Fund
Volunteers (unv) programme deployed 6,796 UN (unfpa)/United Nations Office for Project Services
volunteers from 153 countries to support UN en- (unops) [YUN 2014, p. 1036], the United Nations
tities in their peace and development activities Children’s Fund (unicef) [YUN 2014, p. 1310], the
through 7,053 assignments. The financial value of World Food Programme (wfp) [YUN 2014, p. 1373]

415
416 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and the United Nations Entity for Gender and the top five (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Jordan, South Sudan,
Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) [E/2015/47]; Sudan) alone accounting for some 21 per cent. Except
and south-south cooperation for development. The in the case of Afghanistan, humanitarian assistance
Council took note of the reports of the Executive dominated the activities in countries with the highest
Boards on 29 June (decision 2015/219). total programme expenditure. Funding was concen-
Also before the Council was the Secretary- trated in a relatively small number of UN entities, led
General’s report on the implementation of General by undp, unicef and the World Health Organization
Assembly resolution 67/226 [YUN 2012, p. 859] on the (who), with the top 10 accounting for 88 per cent of
quadrennial comprehensive policy review of opera- all contributions. Some 75 per cent of contributions
tional activities for development of the UN system were made by Governments directly; the remain-
[A/70/62-E/2015/4] (see below). ing 25 per cent was accounted for by the European
On 24 February, the Council held a dialogue with Commission and other multilateral institutions, in-
the executive heads of the UN funds and programmes cluding global funds. The UN development system
on the theme “Fit-for-purpose in the post-2015 era”. accounted for 29 per cent of direct multilateral
On 30 January, 23 February and 9 June, the Council funding; it was the second-largest channel for that
held a dialogue on the longer-term positioning of the type of funding behind the European Commission.
UN development system. By region, in 2013, Africa received 34 per cent of
On 29 June, the Council adopted resolution total expenditures; Asia and the Pacific 16 per cent;
2015/15 (see below). Western Asia 13 per cent; the Americas 6 per cent;
and Europe 2 per cent.
Operational activities for development ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION

Comprehensive policy review On 29 June [meeting 41], the Economic and

Social Council adopted resolution 2015/15 [draft:
On 13 January [A/70/62-E/2015/4], the Secretary- E/2015/L.16] (Progress in the implementation of
General reported to the Economic and Social Council General Assembly resolution 67/226 on the quad-
on progress in the implementation of General Assembly rennial comprehensive policy review of opera-
resolution 67/226 on the quadrennial comprehensive tional activities for development of the United
policy review of operational activities for development Nations system) without vote [agenda item 7].
of the UN system. The report provided an overview
of results achieved, measures taken and challenges en- JIU report. By a note of 20 January [A/69/737],
countered, and the exercise had been reinforced by the the Secretary-General transmitted to the General
use of the single coherent monitoring and reporting Assembly a report of the Joint Inspection Unit (jiu)
framework, the results of which were presented for entitled “An analysis of the resource mobilization
the first time. Overall, there was notable progress in function within the United Nations system”. The
implementing several provisions of the resolution, purpose of the jiu review was to examine the status
although progress in harmonizing business practices of resource mobilization in the UN system and iden-
at the country level remained slow. Further work on tify good practices and lessons learned. The report
harmonizing policies and procedures and rules and provided five recommendations, two of which were
regulations could reduce the workload of programme addressed to the legislative bodies of the UN system
countries and improve UN efficiency. The UN system organizations and three to their executive heads.
also needed to increase the use of national systems Note of Secretary-General. In August [A/69/737/
and capacity. Add.1], the Secretary-General transmitted to the
2013 financing. UN operational activities for General Assembly his comments and those of the
development covered activities with a longer-term United Nations System Chief Executives Board for
development focus and those with a shorter-term hu- Coordination regarding the jiu report.
manitarian assistance focus. In 2013, contributions GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
to operational activities for development of the UN
system amounted to $26.4 billion, accounting for On 22 December [meeting 81], the General
some 63 per cent of all UN system-wide activities. Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second
Some 71 per cent of the $25.8 billion in expenditure (Economic and Financial) Committee [A/70/477/Add.1],
was allocated to programme activities at the country adopted resolution 70/221 (Operational activities
level. About one third of all expenditure, or $8.4 bil- for development of the United Nations system)
lion, was spent in Africa. The share of operational without vote [agenda item 25 (a)].
activities for development carried out in Western Asia On the same date, the General Assembly took note
had increased, rising to 13 per cent in 2013. The top of the report of the Second Committee [A/70/477] on
50 programme countries accounted for 82 per cent of operational activities for development (decision
total country-level programme expenditure, with the 70/546).
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 417

Pledging Conference for Development Activi- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

ties. The 2015 United Nations Pledging Conference On 11 September [meeting 103], the General Assembly
for Development Activities was held in New York on adopted resolution 69/326 [draft: A/69/L77] (Venue
9 November [A/CONF.208/2015/3]. Sixteen countries of annual sessions of the Executive Board of the
pledged approximately $77 million in support of United Nations Development Programme/United
UN development activities, a dramatic decline in Nations Population Fund/United Nations Office
comparison to the pledges in 2014 of $560 million. In for Project Services) by recorded vote (103-11-38)
August [A/CONF.208/2015/2], the Secretary-General pro- [agenda item 24 (a)].
vided a statement of contributions pledged or paid at the
2014 Pledging Conference to 22 funds and programmes, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/95:
as well as four trust funds, as at 30 June 2015. In favour: Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argen-
tina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan,
Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cabo Verde, Cambo-
dia, Cameroon, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros,
Technical cooperation Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ja-
In 2015, the undp/unfpa/unops Executive Board maica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao
held two regular sessions (26–30 January and 31 Au- People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,
gust–4 September) and an annual session (1–9 June), Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Mau-
ritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar,
all in New York [E/2015/35]. Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan,
The Board adopted 22 decisions, including those Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip-
providing an overview of actions taken at its January pines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
[E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], June [dec. 2015/15] and August– Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
September [dec. 2015/22] sessions. Other decisions dealt South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu-
with the work of undp (see below), unfpa (see p. 423), nisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of
unops (see p. 424) and the United Nations Capital Tanzania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe.
Development Fund (uncdf) (see p. 422). Against: Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Israel,
The Economic and Social Council, by decision Japan, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United
States.
2015/219 of 29 June, took note of the report of Abstaining: Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
the undp/unfpa/unops Board on its work in 2014 Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Fin-
[YUN 2014, p. 1036]. land, Gabon, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Joint meeting of Executive Boards. On 2 Feb- Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Mon-
tenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portu-
ruary, the undp/unfpa/unops Executive Board held gal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San
a joint meeting with the Executive Boards of unicef, Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine.
UN-Women and wfp to address two topics: “In
partnership with others: lessons learned on scaling up
innovation to reach people in need”, and “Innovative UNDP
approaches to programme design and implementa- Country and regional programmes
tion to support the operationalization of the post-2015
development agenda”. At its first regular session, the Executive Board
approved the country programmes for Chile, Guate­
mala, Madagascar and Mali; the nine-month extension
Organizational matters of the country programme for Colombia; and two-year
By decisions adopted in January [dec. 2015/6], June extensions of the country programmes for Myanmar
[dec. 2015/15] and September [dec. 2015/22], the undp/ and Papua New Guinea [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)].
unfpa/unops Executive Board approved the agendas At its annual session [dec. 2015/15], the Board took
and workplans for its first [DP/2015/L.1] and second note of the first six-month extension of the country
[DP/2015/L.3] regular sessions, as well as its annual session programme for Ethiopia; the first one-year extension
[DP/2015/L.2]. The Board also approved the report of the of the country programme for the United Republic of
2014 second regular session [DP/2015/1]; and adopted the Tanzania; the first one-year extensions of the country
annual workplan for 2015 [DP/2015/CRP.1], the report of programmes for the Democratic People’s Republic of
the first regular session 2015 [DP/2015/9] and the report Korea, Mozambique and Yemen; and the first one-
of the annual session 2015 [DP/2015/24]. It agreed to the year extension of the country programme for Kyr-
schedule for its remaining 2015 sessions; approved the gyzstan [DP/2015/13]. The Board also approved the
draft annual workplan for 2016 [DP/2015/CRP.2]; and country programme documents for Armenia and
agreed to the schedule of its 2016 sessions. Turkmenistan.
418 Part Three: Economic and social questions

At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the Board for the year and two missing their milestones by
withdrew the country programme document for around 10 per cent. Total expenditure in 2014–2015
Azerbaijan; took note of the first one-year extensions of was $2,209 million, falling by 3 per cent in 2015.
the country programmes for Burkina Faso, Chad and Results achieved with undp support included im-
Somalia [DP/2015/28]; approved the exceptional one-year proved policies and systems for jobs and livelihoods
extension of the country programme for Côte d’Ivoire creation in 63 countries; more than 1.159 million
and the second one-year extensions of the country jobs created through economic transformation ac-
programmes for Lebanon and Libya [DP/2015/28]; and tivities in 75 countries (42 per cent for women) and
approved the country programme documents for Al- another 83,000 jobs created through natural resource
geria, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Colombia, El Salva- management in 41 countries (51 per cent for women);
dor, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, 8.22 million people in 86 countries (57 per cent
Malaysia, Maldives, Panama, Serbia, Swaziland, Ta- women) benefiting from strengthened livelihoods
jikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, related to economic transformation and another
Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 5.65 million people in 72 countries (50 per cent
women) benefiting from livelihoods through natural
UNDP programme results resources management; 14 countries with more fi-
nancially sustainable social protection systems; more
On 9 June [dec. 2015/7], the Executive Board took than 2.5 million people with improved access to
note of the report of the Administrator on the first energy in 45 countries; 76 countries implementing
year of implementation of the Strategic Plan, 2014– measures towards low-emission and climate-resilient
2017 [YUN 2014, p. 1037]; welcomed the progress made development; and forests, pastures, biodiversity and
towards achieving strategic plan results in 2014; en- water resources conserved, protected and/or utilized
couraged undp to analyse the data behind the results sustainably, with 971 new partnership mechanisms
using information provided by the organization’s supporting sustainable solutions in 80 countries.
analytical tools to understand what was driving or
hindering performance and progress; and requested Democratic governance
undp to review the monitoring, aggregation and
reporting systems related to the Integrated Results Performance in democratic governance had been
and Resources Framework as a part of the midterm positive, with four outputs exceeding their 2015 mile-
review of the Strategic Plan. stones and two falling short by 5 per cent or less. Total
Report of Administrator. The annual report of expenditure in 2014–2015 was $1,135 million, down
the Administrator for 2015 [DP/2016/9] also served 13 per cent in 2015. Results achieved with undp support
as the midterm review of the undp Strategic Plan, included voter registration more than doubling from
2014–2017. The report presented development and 29.4 million in 2014 to more than 68 million in 2015
institutional results during the first two years of in 37 countries; the number of women participating as
the Strategic Plan’s implementation as well as an candidates in national elections increasing from 3,822
assessment of performance factors, lessons learned in 2014 to 34,866 in 2015 in 26 countries; the prep-
and recommendations. At midpoint, undp was on aration or amendment of constitutions in 10 countries;
track towards achieving most of the 2017 targets of the administrative and human capacity of parliaments
the Strategic Plan. Of 38 outputs, 32 (84 per cent) improved in 45 countries, of constitution-making
met or exceeded their cumulative 2015 milestones and bodies in 32 countries and of electoral management
six (16 per cent) fell marginally short of their mile- bodies in 38 countries; 58 initiatives adopted to miti-
stones. The progress included 18.6 million people gate sector-specific corruption risks in 35 countries; 2.1
(50 per cent women) having benefited from improved million people (51 per cent women) in 33 countries
livelihoods in 115 countries; 1.346 million new jobs gaining access to legal aid services; 32 countries with
(42 per cent for women) created in 94 countries; over improved legal and regulatory frameworks for engage-
68 million new voters registered in 37 countries; and ment of women’s groups and 28 countries for engage-
1,035 disaster reduction and adaptation plans put in ment of youth groups; greater capacity for engagement
place in 51 countries. The report concluded that the in development and crisis-related issues among wom-
Strategic Plan’s vision to help eradicate poverty and en’s groups in 37 countries, and among youth groups in
reduce inequalities and exclusion remained as valid as 39 countries; and expanded capacities of human rights
when Member States had adopted the Plan in 2013, institutions in 37 countries.
but declining regular resources posed a challenge.
Universal access to basic services
Sustainable growth and development Performance in the area of enabling institutions
Performance in the area of inclusive and sustain- to deliver universal access to basic services had been
able growth and development was mostly solid in strong, with four of five outputs exceeding their 2015
2015, with three outputs exceeding their milestones milestones, three by a substantially greater margin
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 419

than under any other outcome. Total expenditure in Early recovery

2014–2015 was $2,943 million, down 1.6 per cent in Performance in early recovery had been strong,
2015. Results achieved with undp support included with all outputs exceeding their 2015 milestones.
reaching more than 10.6 million women and 12.3 mil- Despite improvements, efforts needed to be strength-
lion men by behavioural change communication; 1.8 ened in gender mainstreaming in early recovery and
million people receiving hiv treatment; national dia- return to sustainable development. Total expenditure
logues in 62 countries to review legal and policy bar- in 2014–2015 was $612 million, rising by 18 per cent
riers to services for people living with hiv and other in 2015. Results achieved with undp support included
groups; improved capacities for planning, budgeting the creation of more than 147,400 emergency jobs; ap-
and/or monitoring basic services at the subnational proximately 5,337,600 people benefiting from diversi-
level in 39 countries; approximately 740,100 women fied livelihoods opportunities, of which more than 2
and 718,900 men gaining access to justice-related million were for women; 13 countries with improved
legal services; approximately 18,300 cases of gender- capacities to lead and coordinate early recovery, in-
based violence and 407,000 cases of non-gender-based cluding Ebola-affected countries; the percentage of
violence referred to the justice system; approximately total resources mobilized for early recovery rising to
414,800 male and 304,500 female victims provided 18.7 per cent in 2015 (from 11.2 per cent in 2013 and
with access to transitional justice; improved capaci- 15.1 per cent in 2014); and 99 new partnerships on in-
ties in 24 countries for security sector governance and novative solutions for early recovery in nine countries,
oversight; and gender-sensitive security strategies for re- including 22 partnerships with the private sector.
ducing armed violence and/or the control of small arms
operational at the community level in 16 countries. Development debates and actions
Women’s empowerment Progress in development debates and actions to
prioritize poverty, inequality and exclusion had been
Performance in gender equality and women’s solid across almost all outputs. Total expenditure in
empowerment had been strong, with all outputs ex- 2014–2015 was $443 million, rising by 6 per cent
ceeding their 2015 milestones. Total expenditure in in 2015. Results achieved with undp support in-
2014–2015 was $64 million, with a 7 per cent in- cluded Millennium Development Goal Acceleration
crease in 2015. Results achieved with undp support Frameworks under way in 53 countries; Millennium
included 21 new laws and policies adopted and 42 laws Development Goal monitoring reports published
and policies strengthened in 24 countries; more than in 24 countries, with focus on transitioning to the
13,100 women benefiting from private and/or public sustainable development goals (sdgs); groundwork
measures to support preparedness for leadership and laid to help implement the sdgs, including macro-
decision-making roles; 14 countries strengthening legal economic modelling, data gap analysis and design
and policy frameworks to prevent and respond to sexual of social inclusion indicators; 21 countries using
and gender-based violence; six additional countries updated and disaggregated data to monitor progress
with services in place targeting sexual and gender-based on national development goals aligned with Agenda
violence; and accelerated implementation of women’s 2030; 22 countries reporting progress in development
economic empowerment policies in 10 countries. cooperation; 16 countries with more effective mech-
anisms in place to deliver, monitor, report on and/
Risk reduction or verify use of official development assistance; and
Performance in reducing the likelihood of conflict 689 projects under way in 132 countries utilizing
and lowering the risk of natural disasters had been South-South and triangular cooperation, covering
strong, with all outputs exceeding their 2015 mile- more than 15 per cent of all projects.
stones. Total expenditure in 2014–2015 was $507
million, increasing by 1.6 per cent in 2015. Results Funding
achieved with undp support included 268 plans and Overall contributions received during 2014–2015
programmes informed by multi-hazard disaster and were 94.5 per cent of the target set in 2013, or $9 bil-
climate risk assessments developed in 30 countries; lion versus $9.5 billion. Regular resources, however,
79 new plans addressing disaster and/or climate risk met only 85.5 per cent of the target, at $1.5 billion
management developed in 12 countries (59 gender- versus $1.75 billion, falling at an annual rate of
responsive); 35 countries with legislative/regulatory 11.3 per cent during 2013–2015. Compared to 2014,
provisions for managing disaster and climate risks; total contributions for 2015 fell by 4.3 per cent, regu-
1,035 new disaster risk reduction and adaptation lar resources by 11.2 per cent and other resources by
plans in place in 51 countries (274 gender-responsive); 2.8 per cent. Undp responded to those challenges by
improved measures to deal with disasters through 189 pursuing more flexible and predictable funding for
new early warning systems in 26 countries; and 407 achieving the Strategic Plan, with the aim of reversing
new preparedness plans developed in 28 countries. the decrease in regular resources, increasing the qual-
420 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ity of other resources and diversifying the resource outcomes; the management response to the review
base among and beyond Governments. of the undp evaluation policy [DP/2015/6]; and the
Total provisional expenditure for development undp Independent Evaluation Office’s response to
activities was $8.88 billion in 2014–2015, of which the review of that policy [DP/2015/7]. The Executive
$1.05 billion was funded from regular resources and Board took note of the review of the undp evaluation
$7.83 billion from other resources. Total expendi- policy and the accompanying management responses.
tures on UN coordination, management and special- At the annual session of the Executive Board,
purpose categories were, respectively, $200 million, the Director of the undp Independent Evaluation
$820 million and $170 million. Undp continued to Office presented the revised undp evaluation policy
prioritize core programme resources to low-income [DP/2015/15], which outlined the purpose, status
and least developed countries. In 2014–2015, undp and scope of the policy; the purpose of evaluation;
allocated on average 88 per cent of its core programme evaluation principles; the evaluation architecture for
resources to low-income countries and 71 per cent to undp, uncdf and the United Nations Volunteers
least developed countries. programme; and actions to operationalize the
evaluation policy. In view of the remaining disagree-
Gender equality ments and inability to reach consensus for a decision,
the Executive Board withdrew the item on the revised
At the annual session of the Executive Board, the undp evaluation policy from the agenda of the session.
undp Associate Administrator introduced the report
At the annual session, the Director of the undp
of the Administrator on the implementation of the
Independent Evaluation Office presented the annual
undp gender equality strategy in 2014 [DP/2015/12].
report on evaluation, 2014 [DP/2015/16]; the undp As-
The report summarized the achievements of undp
sociate Administrator followed with the management
in 2014 towards implementing the gender equality
response. The report provided an overview of the pro-
strategy, 2014–2017. It noted that the strategy cor-
gress undp and its associated funds and programmes
responded with the undp Strategic Plan, 2014–
had made in fulfilling the evaluation functions out-
2017, which included gender equality and women’s
lined in the undp evaluation policy and presented the
empowerment as one of seven development outcomes
planned programme of work for 2015 and 2016.
and integrated them into all other outcome areas. The
report described new and strengthened measures to Also at the annual session, the Director of the
improve accountability, investments and capacity for undp Independent Evaluation Office presented the
gender mainstreaming. evaluation of the contribution of global and regional
The report demonstrated that the undp Strategic Human Development Reports to the public policy
Plan and accompanying gender equality strategy were process [DP/2015/17], and the evaluation of the role
effective tools for gender mainstreaming. It showed of undp in supporting national achievement of the
that, as the largest UN agency in the field, undp Millennium Development Goals (mdgs) [DP/2015/19].
played a vital advocacy role for women’s rights and The Director of the undp Bureau for Policy and
gender equality, which was supported by programme Programme Support provided the respective
countries. The report highlighted undp’s leading management responses [DP/2015/18 & DP/2015/20].
role in ensuring that gender equality and women’s On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/8)], the Executive
empowerment were central to the sdgs and the new Board took note of the annual report on evaluation,
agreements on disaster risk reduction and climate 2014, and urged undp to address its findings and rec-
change. Particularly strong results were reported in the ommendations with a view to improving programme
areas of jobs and livelihoods; gender mainstreaming results and impacts, and approved the revised the
in climate change policy and natural resource 2015 programme of work of the undp Independent
management; women’s participation in decision- Evaluation Office. The Executive Board took note
making and political processes; and gender-based vio- of the findings, conclusions and recommendations
lence. The second part of the report demonstrated the of the evaluation of the contribution of global and
investment of undp in institutional and management regional Human Development Reports to the public
reforms to strengthen gender mainstreaming. policy process and requested undp to take them fully
The Board took no action on the report. into account in future global and regional human
development reporting. The Board also took note of
the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the
Evaluation evaluation of the role of undp in supporting national
At its first regular session, the Executive Board achievement of the mdgs and requested undp to take
had before it the review of the undp evaluation them fully into account in its work in support of
policy [DP/2015/5], which offered guidance on how countries on their fulfilment of the mdgs.
to improve the policy to meet the standards of At the second regular session of the Executive
independence, credibility and relevance of evaluation Board, the Director of the undp Independent
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 421

Evaluation Office presented the evaluation of the budget support, 2008–2014 [DP/2015/3], based on
undp contribution to gender equality and women’s undp experiences in Burkina Faso and Nepal. Undp
empowerment [DP/2015/29], and the Director of the affirmed that providing direct budget support was an
undp Bureau for Programme and Policy Support pre- important policy option that should remain at its dis-
sented the management response to that evaluation posal in response to country demand.
[DP/2015/30]. The evaluation recommended that undp On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/1)], the Executive
align its resources and programming with its corpo- Board took note of the report on direct budget
rate message on the centrality of supporting gender support, 2008–2014; requested that undp present an
equality and women’s empowerment as a means to evaluation of the pilot activities carried out under that
“fast forward” development results; that undp en- policy before the first regular session of the Board in
sure that future assessments pay specific attention 2017; and agreed that undp continue the pilot period
to the progress, effectiveness and quality of gender of implementation of the policy until 1 January 2017.
development results in the seven outcome areas of the
Strategic Plan; that undp focus on refining tools, in- Regular funding commitments to UNDP
struments and processes developed in 2008–2013 and
focus on further internalizing among staff the central- A July report [DP/2015/27] provided information on
ity of gender equality and women’s empowerment to the status of regular funding commitments to undp
the achievement of all development goals; that country and its associated funds and programmes for 2015 and
offices prepare gender plans identifying gaps and needs onward, as well as a summary of the income for regular
in terms of technical support, capacity-building, joint and other resources received in 2014. The report stated
action and advocacy and collective monitoring; and that in 2014, contributions to regular resources de-
that undp codify the way it wished to monitor, report, creased by 11 per cent, to $793 million, due to reduced
evaluate and audit its contributions to gender. contributions from 10 donors, currency fluctuations
and non-receipt of contributions intended for 2014.
On 3 September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/17)], the In 2014, 56 Member States contributed to regular
Executive Board noted the evaluation report con- resources, the same number as in 2013. Total contribu-
clusions and recommendations, and management tions (regular and other resources) to undp decreased
response; requested that undp report on progress in to $4.59 billion in 2014, from $4.69 billion in 2013.
responding to the evaluation recommendations; and
requested that undp, in its report to the Executive As at June, undp had received 49 per cent of the
Board on the implementation, performance and regular resources projected for 2015. Subject to con-
results of the gender equality strategy at its annual firmation by some Member States, and exchange rate
session of 2016, address areas of work requiring special fluctuations, 2015 regular resources were projected
attention and follow-up. at approximately $700 million. Together with the
$793 million received in 2014, the total amounted
to 85 per cent of the $1.75 billion integrated budget
Financial and administrative matters target for 2014–2015.
The undp Administrator, in the annual review of On 4 September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/16)], the
the financial situation [DP/2016/20], reported that in Executive Board took note of the annual review of
2015, undp maintained a positive net asset position the financial situation, 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1042] and
on its balance sheet, and achieved regular resources the status of regular resources funding commitments
year-end liquidity above the threshold requested by to undp and its funds and programmes for 2015
the Executive Board. Nonetheless, total undp revenue and onwards. The Board requested undp to engage
decreased by 4 per cent, to $4.820 billion, of which in informal dialogues with Member States to ensure
contributions were 5 per cent lower, at $4.486 billion. an ongoing discussion, exchange of information and
Total expenses dropped to $5.057 billion. Contribu- analysis of funding issues and options; to submit an
tions to regular resources fell by 11 per cent, to $0.704 analysis of the predictability, flexibility and alignment
billion. Regular resources expenses fell by 12 per cent, of resources provided for the implementation of the
to $0.823 billion. Other resources contributions fell Strategic Plan; and to widen its partnerships with
by 4 per cent, to $3.782 billion. Contributions to the private sector, civil society organizations, philan-
other resources comprised funding from programme thropic organizations and other actors.
country Governments of $0.901 billion; donor
country Governments, which fell by 5 per cent, to Audit and oversight reports
$1.335 billion; and multilateral partners, which also In June, the Executive Board considered the
fell by 5 per cent to $1.546 billion. Other resources ex- undp report on the recommendations of the Joint
penses also decreased, by 3 per cent, to $4.460 billion, Inspection Unit (jiu) in 2014 [DP/2015/11/Add.1] and its
remaining above the level of contributions. statistical annex [DP/2015/11/Add.2]. The report noted
At the first regular session of the Executive Board, that in 2014, jiu issued one note with four recom-
the Administrator presented the report on direct mendations and four reports with 25 recommenda-
422 Part Three: Economic and social questions

tions directed at undp. They included five recom- 528,000 in the Niger. Financing mechanisms were
mendations addressed to the Executive Board. The established to increase resilience to economic and en-
report provided a synopsis of management responses vironmental shocks—in particular the Local Climate
to those recommendations and included an update Adaptive Living Facility (Local) programme helped
on the status of implementation of the recommenda- Governments to channel global climate adaption
tions contained in reports issued in 2013 and 2012. finance to local governments; the Finance for Food
Undp had pursued or implemented 92 per cent of the programme supported a local food systems approach
24 recommendations issued by jiu in 2013. Of the to food security; and the Local Cross-Border Initia-
40 recommendations issued in 2012, 63 per cent had tives (Lobi) emphasized cross-border cooperation and
been implemented or were being pursued. investment planning in fragile settings. With grants
On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/15)], the Executive totalling $3.5 million, the Local mechanism had
Board took note of the undp report on the jiu recom- been implemented in 11 countries. The Finance for
mendations in 2014 and its statistical annex. Food programme, covering Benin, Burundi, Mali,
Mozambique and the Niger, made 83 food security
Human Development Report investments in those countries, totalling $3,661,040.
The first grant under Lobi was disbursed in 2015 to
An oral update on consultations and preparations support the implementation of investments in the
for the Human Development Report editions for 2015 livestock sector in Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger.
and 2016 was presented to the Executive Board at its Uncdf also promoted a policy environment that was
annual session. conducive to sustainable financing, including through
The Executive Board took note of the oral report the local development finance practice, whereby train-
on 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/15)]. ings on public financial management helped increase
the absorption capacity of the local governments and
UN Capital Development Fund supported them to handle larger infrastructure proj-
ects. In Somalia (Somaliland and Puntland), $8.5 mil-
In the first two years of implementation of its lion were channelled into local projects and services
strategic framework, 2014–2017 [DP/2016/14], uncdf, through local development finance, supporting roads
the UN capital investment organization for the least and water supply infrastructure.
developed countries, largely achieved its planned At the annual session of the undp/unfpa/unops
results, though in fewer countries than foreseen. The Executive Board, the uncdf Executive Secretary pre-
ability to achieve programme results was sustained by sented the annual report on results achieved in 2014
regular resources (“core”) contributions from donors [YUN 2014, p. 1043] and offered perspectives for 2015.
with an appetite for risk and innovation, and by a
On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/9)], the Executive
strong other resources (“non-core”) base. However, a
Board took note of the report on the results achieved
deterioration in core funding resulted in a projected
by uncdf in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1043]; expressed con-
shortfall of $10 million to $15 million per year by end
cern that regular resources remained far short of the
2016, against the $25 million per year target in the
$25 million threshold required to sustain uncdf pro-
strategic framework. That downward fluctuation neg-
gramming in 40 least developed countries; noted with
atively affected the innovation and replication space of
concern that, as a result, the number of countries sup-
uncdf at the country level, with programme presence
ported by uncdf dropped from 33 in 2013 to 31 in
down to 31 countries against the 40 projected in the
2014; recognized that a critical mass of core resources
strategic framework.
was required to ensure that uncdf maintained its in-
Total expenditures in 2015 were $70 million, $8.2 novation space; and called on Member States to con-
million higher than in 2014. Expenditures against tribute to uncdf to ensure that it reached the target
core resources increased by $2.7 million to $11.9 mil- of $25 million per year in annual regular resources.
lion, while expenditures against other resources in-
creased by $6.6 million, to $54.7 million.
UN Volunteers
Financing increased for basic services and inclu-
sive growth/local economic development. Some $24 In 2015 [DP/2016/15], 6,796 UN volunteers from
million were disbursed in grants to benefit 1,077 153 countries worked for the undp -administered
local authorities across 21 countries, supporting local United Nations Volunteers (unv) programme,
economic development in urban, peri-urban and supporting partner UN entities in their peace and
rural communities. Uncdf invested $24 million in development activities through 7,053 assignments.
101 financial service providers during 2014–2015, International unv assignments (4,669) represented
reaching out to 6.5 million clients with a range of 66 per cent of the total and national assignments
financial products at reasonable cost and on a sustain- (2,384) 34 per cent. By region, UN Volunteers
able basis. Clients included some 666,000 deposi- were deployed in Sub-Saharan Africa (59 per cent),
tors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Arab States (16 per cent), Asia and the Pacific
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 423

(12 per cent), Latin America and the Caribbean UNFPA

(8 per cent) and Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States (5 per cent). During 2014–2015, At its first regular session in January, the Executive
83 per cent of UN Volunteers were from countries of Board adopted several decisions related to unfpa ac-
the global South, representing a significant South- tivities, including those on the revised unfpa oversight
South contribution. policy [DP/FPA/2015/1] [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/2)] and on
scaling up unfpa humanitarian response funding [DP/
The financial value of unv operations amounted FPA/2015/2] [dec. 2015/3]. It also took note of the report
to $201 million, which included and was supported on the actions taken and the further actions planned
by undp regular resources of $9.8 million. Although by unfpa to implement the recommendations of the
2015 saw an increase in volunteer numbers, the Board of Auditors for the financial period that ended
midterm growth target was not reached. Net resource on 31 December 2013 [DP/FPA/2015/3] [dec. 2015/5];
mobilization reached $14 million in 2015, missing approved the country programme documents for
the target by 42 per cent. Unv addressed this overall Madagascar and Mali; approved the two-year exten-
reduced income by decreasing formal management sion of the country programme for Myanmar and the
costs by 43 per cent and adopting other measures. nine-month extension of the country programme for
Regarding midterm results against the unv Colombia [DP/2015/4 & Corr.1]; and took note of the
strategic framework 2014–2017, the unv programme first one-year extensions of the country programmes
outcome and output performance for 2014–2015 was for Iraq and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
as follows: 11 indicators rated as meeting/exceeding [dec. 2015/6].
expectations; 6 indicators rated as below expectations; At its annual session in June, the Executive Board
and there were 2 indicators for which midterm data adopted a decision on the annual report of the unfpa
were unavailable. With nearly two thirds of the active Executive Director for 2015 [dec. 2015/10], which
indicators (11 of 17) meeting or exceeding perfor- was comprised of a report on progress in the imple-
mance, unv had delivered a significant, positive base mentation of the unfpa strategic plan 2014–2017
of results at midterm. [DP/FPA/2015/5 (Part I)], a statistical and financial review
Report of Secretary-General. In June [A/70/118 for 2014 [DP/FPA/2015/5 (Part I)/Add.1] and a report on
& Corr.1], in response to General Assembly resolution the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit in
67/138 [YUN 2012, p. 884], the Secretary-General sub- 2014 [DP/FPA/2015/5 (Part II)]. The Board also adopted a
mitted a report on integrating volunteering in the next decision [dec. 2015/11] on the annual report on evaluation,
decade, which presented a plan of action to integrate 2014 [DP/FPA/2015/6]. On country programmes and re-
volunteering into peace and development. The report lated matters, the Executive Board took note of the
noted that there was evidence that when volunteerism one-year extensions of the country programmes for
was integrated into national development strategies Somalia, the United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen;
and UN plans, people were increasingly able to con- approved the second one-year extension of the country
tribute to achievements in education, health, gover- programme for Lebanon, the fourth one-year exten-
nance, sustainable livelihoods, security and peace, sion of the country programme for the Syrian Arab
environment, gender and social inclusion. More at- Republic and the two-year extension of the country
tention, however, would be needed towards ensuring programme for Papua New Guinea; and approved the
the protection of the huge cadre of volunteers. The country programme documents for Armenia, Turk-
plan of action identified three strategic objectives for menistan and Uganda [dec. 2015/15].
deepening the integration of volunteering in peace At its second regular session in September, the
and development for the next decade and beyond: Board adopted a decision on funding commitments to
bolstering ownership of the development agenda unfpa [dec. 2015/18] and on the quadrennial evaluation
through enhanced civic engagement and widening of the unfpa workplan and budget [dec. 2015/19]. It
the enabling environment for citizen action; integrat- also approved the country programme documents
ing volunteerism into national and global strategies for Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cambodia, China, Colom-
for the post-2015 development agenda; and measuring bia, El Salvador, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Indone-
volunteerism to contribute to a holistic understanding sia, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Panama, Serbia, Swa-
of the engagement of people and their well-being. ziland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zim-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
babwe; approved the second one-year extension of the
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, country programme for Côte d’Ivoire; and took note
on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Human- of the six-month extension of the country programme
itarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/481], adopted for Ethiopia and the first one-year extensions of the
resolution 70/129 (Integrating volunteering into country programmes for Brazil, Burkina Faso, the
peace and development: the plan of action for the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan,
next decade and beyond) without vote [agenda item 28]. Mozambique and Ukraine [dec. 2015/22].
424 Part Three: Economic and social questions

At the second regular session, the unfpa Deputy ments with those of sister agencies governed by the
Executive Director (Programme) also presented the Executive Board.
report on the implementation of the decisions and On 9 June [dec. 2015/12], the Executive Board en-
recommendations of the Programme Coordinating couraged the Executive Director to proceed with
Board of the Joint United Nations Programme the Audit Advisory Committee in accordance with
on hiv/aids [DP/2015/31-DP/FPA/2015/13]. The Executive established best practices of undp and unfpa and en-
Board took note of that report. couraged unops to explore the potential of facilitating
(For more information on unfpa operational ac- partnerships with like-minded actors, including from
tivities, see part three, Chapter VIII). the private sector.

UNOPS Financial and administrative matters

The United Nations Office for Project Services Budget estimates
(unops)—a separate, self-financing entity of the A June report [DP/OPS/2015/5] outlined the unops
UN system—continued to act as a service provider to budget estimates for the 2016–2017 biennium in the
UN organizations. It offered a broad range of services, amount of $138.7 million, consisting of $125.6 mil-
from overall project management to the provision of lion in management resources and $13.1 million for
single inputs. potential provisions. The budget estimates of $125.6
million corresponded to a 9 per cent real reduction in
2015 activities management resources compared to the budget esti-
mates for the previous biennium. That was achieved
In 2015 [DP/OPS/2016/2], unops delivered a range by driving down indirect costs while making room for
of more than 1,000 peacebuilding, humanitarian strategic investments. For the biennium 2016–2017,
and development projects in over 80 countries. the revenue target was set at $138.7 million.
Unops delivery during the year was $1.4 billion,
compared to $1.2 billion in 2014. The change was In August [DP/OPS/2015/7], the Advisory Com-
mainly attributable to increased demand for unops mittee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions
support to health work in Myanmar and globally recommended approval of the unops budget esti-
through the Stop tb Partnership; continued demand mates for the biennium 2016–2017.
for peacebuilding support throughout Africa; and On 4 September [dec. 2015/20], the Executive
humanitarian response activities in the Middle East. Board approved the net revenue target and endorsed
Highlights of results completed on behalf of partners the two-year aspiration of unops with respect to its
included the construction, design or rehabilitation management results and the targeting of resources to
of 2,572 kilometres of road, 46 schools, 25 hospi- pursue operational excellence.
tals, 2 airstrips and 2 ports. In 2015, 29 per cent of
unops - supported projects provided employment for Audit reports
local people. More than 2.2 million days of paid Board of Auditors report. In June, the UN Board
work for local people were created in 2015, and of Auditors transmitted to the General Assembly the
unops procured more than $717 million worth of unops financial report and audited financial state-
goods and services for its partners. Those included ments for the year ended 31 December 2014 [A/70/5/
almost 39,000 units of machinery and equipment Add.11 & Corr.1]. In 2014, unops had an average of
as well as more than 6,200 vehicles. More than 40 765 projects across 80 countries. It provided overall
million medical supplies were handled, including the project services worth $1.29 billion, $666.0 million
distribution of almost 3 million mosquito nets, and as the principal and $619.6 million delivered on be-
over 240 million doses of medicine were procured or half of other organizations. Operational reserves as
distributed. at 31 December 2014 amounted to $78.5 million.
On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/4)], the Executive Personnel costs amounted to $258 million, equiva-
Board approved the establishment of a unops Audit lent to 39 per cent of total expenses. Unops person-
Advisory Committee to assume the roles and func- nel totalled 5,619, of which 845 were UN personnel
tions designated to the Strategy and Audit Advisory while most of the others were non-staff personnel
Committee; took note of the purpose and terms of with an individual contractor agreement. A surplus
reference for the Audit Advisory Committee; empha- of $9.9 million was achieved in 2014, bringing the ac-
sized that the role of the Committee was to provide cumulated reserves at year’s end to $78.5 million. The
independent views and findings regarding assurances report noted that as at March 2015, of the 32 recom-
to management and the Board on the audit and mendations of the Board made for 2013 and earlier,
oversight functions of the organization; and took note 10 (31 per cent) were implemented, 18 (56 per cent)
of the Executive Director’s initiative to align further were under implementation, and 4 (13 per cent)
the unops governance and accountability arrange- had not been implemented. Annexed to the report
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 425

was a detailed commentary on the status of those recommendations. Of those, the Board identified
recommendations. nine that had high priority, while the other 19 were
On 23 December, by resolution 70/238 A (see assigned medium priority. The undp report [DP/2015/8]
p. 738), the General Assembly accepted the report of on the status of those recommendations noted that
the Board of Auditors on unops for the year ended as at October 2014, management actions had already
31 December 2014. started on many of the 28 audit recommendations.
One had been implemented and management had
Joint matters requested closure by the Board of Auditors. Most of
the recommendations had target completion dates of
Procurement 2015 due to the broad nature of their applicability.
An annual statistical report on the procurement The Board of Auditors report of unfpa for 2013
activities of UN system organizations [DP/OPS/2015/6] had made 11 new recommendations for 2013. The
stated that total UN system procurement during unfpa report [DP/FPA/2015/3] presented the status of
2014, under all sources of funding, was $17.2 bil- implementation for all of the recommendations of
lion, which represented an increase of $1,154 mil- 2013 and prior periods made by the Board of Audi-
lion, or 7.2 per cent, over the previous year. The tors, addressing nine issues.
share of procurement from developing countries and The Board of Auditors report of unops for 2013
countries with economies in transition increased to had issued six main recommendations classified as
64.2 per cent, an increase of 3.4 percentage points. high priority and 10 classified as medium priority. The
The total procurement of goods increased by $1,206 unops report [DP/OPS/2015/1] noted that some progress
million, an increase of 15.8 per cent, while procure- had been made in implementing those recommenda-
ment of services decreased by $52 million, a slight tions, and the implementation of all the recommenda-
decline of 0.6 per cent. The UN system procured tions was on track for completion.
goods and services from 194 countries in 2014, with On 30 January [dec. 2015/5], the Executive Board
127 countries having an annual procurement volume took note of the reports of undp, unfpa and unops on
of more than $10 million each. the status of implementation of the recommendations
On 4 September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/21)], the of the United Nations Board of Auditors for 2013.
Executive Board took note of the report and expressed The Executive Board requested undp to reassess and
its appreciation for the transparency under which the strengthen implementation of its risk management
report was made available to the public by unops activities, and to prioritize the implementation of
through the International Aid Transparency Initiative the revised framework for the harmonized approach
on data transparency. to cash transfers, along with measures to ensure its
appropriate application in country offices; urged
A report of undp, unfpa and unops on joint pro- undp to enhance its oversight and management of
curement activities [DP/FPA/OPS/2015/1] presented find- implementing partners with regard to monitoring,
ings and outcomes from their common procurement reporting, compliance with controls and assurance
work conducted in 2014 and set out the initiatives activities; and urged undp to respond to the critical
under way in 2015. It concluded that the agencies had findings related to programme/project management,
derived continuing savings and benefits from their quality assurance, design, monitoring and evaluation.
common procurement efforts. Additional initiatives It requested unfpa to inform the Executive Board
were developed and delivered in 2014, and projects of the organization’s plans to improve its internal
under way in 2015 sought to consolidate and stand- audit coverage; and requested unops to assess and
ardize practices within the UN system. As that co- strengthen implementation of its internal control and
operative work continued, savings and improvements risk management policies.
were realized across a range of products, services and
sectors.
Internal audit and oversight
In September, the Executive Board took note of the
report [dec. 2015/22]. At its June session, the Executive Board considered
the internal audit and oversight activities reports of
Recommendations of the Board of Auditors undp [DP/2015/22], unfpa [DP/FPA/2015/7] and unops
[DP/OPS/2015/3] for 2014.
In January, the Executive Board considered the The undp report provided information regarding
reports of undp [DP/2015/8], unfpa [DP/FPA/2015/3] financial losses identified by investigations as well as
and unops [DP/OPS/2015/1] on the status of the imple- the manner and amount of recovery. The report ad-
mentation of the recommendations of the Board of dressed Board requests noted in prior years’ decisions,
Auditors for 2013. such as the titles of all internal audit reports issued
For the year ended 31 December 2013, the Board during the year and ratings received, issues related
of Auditors in its report of undp had issued 28 audit to the public disclosure of internal audit reports and
426 Part Three: Economic and social questions

cases of fraud and action taken in cases of misconduct. foster a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability.
Appended to the report was the annual report of the The Board urged management to allocate sufficient
Audit Advisory Committee. resources to the ethics function and encouraged the
The unfpa report provided information on the offices to provide management with advice and rec-
activities of the unfpa Office of Audit and Investiga- ommendations to strengthen the organizational cul-
tion Services in 2014, including on the overall audit ture of integrity.
assessment of the risk exposure of unfpa; significant
issues revealed through the Office’s internal audit and Other matters
investigation activities; investigations and actions
taken; the review of internal audit recommendations Field visits
issued in 2010–2014 and their implementation status; A 24-member delegation of the Executive Boards
and the disclosure of internal audit reports. Adden- of undp/unfpa/unops, unicef, UN-Women and wfp
dums to the unfpa report [DP/FPA/2015/7/Add.1, 2] con- made a joint field visit to Jordan (24 April–2 May)
tained the annual report of the unfpa Audit Advisory [DP/FPA/OPS-ICEF-UNW-WFP/2015/CRP.1]. The United
Committee and the management response thereto. Nations Assistance Framework (unaf) 2015–2017
The unops report provided information on the ac- for Jordan was the strategic plan guiding UN work
tivities of the unops Internal Audit and Investigations in support of the Government, aimed at enhanc-
Group, which issued 22 reports during 2014. The ing systemic reform, social equity and the delivery
combined audit reports contained 110 audit recom- of quality social services, while investing in young
mendations, of which 82 pertained to internal audit people and preserving the environment. Jordan was
reports and 28 to project audit reports. Most areas seeking to accelerate the pace of its development
of audit recommendations pertained to corporate progress while mitigating the impact of the Syrian
strategic management and leadership (28 per cent), refugee crisis. With the conflict in Syria entering its
procurement (26 per cent), project management fifth year in 2015, Jordan was hosting 1.4 million
(23 per cent), finance (12 per cent), human resources Syrians. The Executive Board delegation recom-
(6 per cent), general administration (4 per cent) and mended, among other things, that the United Nations
contracts and property review (1 per cent). country team work to enhance coordination among
On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/13)], the Executive all agencies, under the leadership of the Resident
Board took note of the reports of the three Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and in line
organizations; requested the internal audit and in- with the unaf; identify innovative ways to strengthen
vestigation offices of the three organizations to pro- communication and accountability to beneficiaries,
vide timely information to the Executive Board when including through better communication with af-
faced with challenges in discharging their oversight fected communities; work with the Government and
responsibilities or fulfilling their workplans; requested international financial institutions to improve access
that undp provide information on follow-up to to financing; and support initiatives to improve social
investigations finalized in previous reporting years cohesion by increasing impact-mitigation projects
and as to losses recovered for such years, as well as on that benefited both Jordanians and Syrians in areas
follow-up to, and losses recovered for, investigations with high concentrations of refugees.
concluded in the reporting year; and requested that In September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/22)], the Executive
the undp Office of Audit and Investigations provide Board took note of the report of the joint field visit to
a thorough presentation of their organizational risk Jordan. It also took note of the guidelines for the field
assessment in future annual reports. visits of the Executive Board of undp, unfpa and unops
and for the joint field visits with unicef, UN-Women
Ethics offices and wfp Executive Boards [DP/2015/CRP.3].
At its annual session in June, the Executive Board
considered the reports of the undp Ethics Office
[DP/2015/23], the unfpa Ethics Office [DP/FPA/2015/8] Other cooperation
and the unops Ethics Office [DP/OPS/2015/4], cover-
ing their respective activities in 2014 in such areas
as standard-setting and policy support; training, out- Development Account
reach and awareness-raising; advice and guidance; In response to General Assembly resolution 56/237
financial disclosure; and protection of staff against [YUN 2001, p. 810], the Secretary-General, in June, sub-
retaliation for reporting misconduct and for cooper- mitted the ninth progress report [A/70/97] on the imple-
ating with audits or investigations. mentation of projects financed from the Development
On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/14)], the Executive Account. The report provided information on the
Board took note of the reports of the Ethics Offices policy context in which the Development Account
of undp, unfpa and unops, and urged those offices to operated, reviewed the progress made and results
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 427

achieved in implementing projects funded from the Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to

Account since the eighth progress report [A/68/92] and General Assembly decisions 52/466 [YUN 1998, p. 1297]
provided updates on the management and coordina- and 53/475 [YUN 1999, p. 1318], the Secretary-General
tion of the Account. Established by the Assembly in submitted a July report [A/70/202] on the activities of
resolution 52/12 B [YUN 1997, p. 1392], the Account the Office for Partnerships. The report concluded that
functioned as a programme of the UN Secretariat the Office continued to host innovative high-impact
aimed at enhancing the capacities of developing events and provide advisory services to a wide range
countries in the priority areas of the UN development of Member States, as well as external stakeholders
agenda. By financing projects at the national, subre- who sought to partner with the UN system. Unfip
gional, regional and interregional levels, the Account supported UN projects and programmes in 124
served as an operational facility for testing new and countries, and undef complemented the work of
innovative development approaches that, if success- many UN agencies that concentrated on the “supply”
ful, could be scaled up and replicated for increased side of democratic institutions by focusing on the
development results. The projects sought to ensure “demand” side through grants to local civil society
effective follow-up to the UN intergovernmental organizations.
processes, most recently the consideration of the The General Assembly took note of the report on
post-2015 development agenda. They also provided a 23 December (decision 70/552).
mechanism for promoting the exchange and trans-
fer of skills, knowledge and good practices among UN Fund for International Partnerships
target countries, including through South-South
cooperation. Unfip was established in 1998 [YUN 1998, p. 1297]
to serve as the interface between the UN system and
Since the launch of the Development Account in the United Nations Foundation, a public charity re-
1997, 315 projects had been approved, of which 111 sponsible for administering Robert E. Turner’s $1 bil-
projects were ongoing (eighth and ninth tranches). lion contribution in support of UN causes. At the end
Thirty-three new projects under the tenth tranche, in- of 2015, the cumulative allocations as approved by the
cluding a project on the programme for statistics and Foundation for unfip projects to be implemented by
data, were being presented to the General Assembly for the UN system reached approximately $1.4 billion.
its consideration as part of the proposed programme Of that amount, it was estimated that $0.45 billion
budget for the biennium 2016–2017. In December (about 32 per cent) represented core Turner funds and
2014, the total amount approved by the Assembly for $0.96 billion (about 68 per cent) was generated as co-
the Development Account reached $181.3 million. financing from other partners. The number of UN
Approval of the tenth tranche would add $28.4 mil- projects and programmes supported through the end
lion to the overall total for the financing of the addi- of 2015 by the Foundation through unfip stood at
tional 33 new projects. Annexed to the ninth progress 592. Collectively, those projects were implemented by
report of the Secretary-General were an overview of 43 UN entities in 124 countries.
all Development Account tranches and an update on
the implementation status of the Account projects of In 2015, the United Nations Foundation approved
the eighth and ninth tranches. projects totalling $46.1 million, most of which ($42.6
million) focused on global health. Health-related
On 23 December, by resolution 70/247 (see projects supported by the Foundation through unfip
p. 732), the General Assembly recalled that the during the year included the Measles and Rubella
Secretary-General proposed the establishment of the Initiative through the disbursement of $34.5 million
Development Account to be funded by savings from to uncef and who; a polio campaign in Afghanistan
reduced non-programme costs and other management to vaccinate children by the disbursement of $730,000
efficiencies. On the same date, by resolution 70/249 A to uncef; and the Girl Up campaign by the disburse-
(see p. 733), the Assembly decided to appropriate
ment of a grant of $575,000 in support of unfpa
$28.4 million for the Development Account for the
programming in India and Guatemala and a grant of
biennium 2016–2017, which was the same level as the
$856,306 in support of a UN system programme in
revised appropriation for the biennium 2014–2015.
Guatemala to promote the rights and leadership of in-
digenous adolescent girls. Energy and climate projects
UN Office for Partnerships that received grants in 2015 included the Sustainable
The United Nations Office for Partnerships served Energy for All initiative and the Global Alliance for
as the gateway for public-private partnerships with Clean Cookstoves.
the UN system in furtherance of the Millennium
Development Goals (mdgs). It oversaw the United UN Democracy Fund
Nations Fund for International Partnerships (unfip) Undef was established by the Secretary-General
and the United Nations Democracy Fund (undef) and in 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 655] to support democratization
provided partnership advisory and outreach services. around the world. It focused on strengthening the
428 Part Three: Economic and social questions

voice of civil society, promoting human rights and of South-South cooperation in an August report
ensuring the participation of all groups in democratic [A/70/344], which noted that the global context for
processes. Through the Fund, the Office channelled forms of such cooperation, such as trade, investment,
approximately $154 million to almost 600 projects development assistance and other exchanges between
in more than 130 countries, ranging from strength- developing countries, was in flux owing to a slowdown
ening civil society leadership skills and promoting in global demand for goods and services. For the first
the participation of women and youth, to media time in the past decade, emerging economies had ex-
programmes allowing civil society to project its voice. perienced negative growth rates for four consecutive
In its ninth round of funding, the Fund received years, from 2011 to 2014. South-South trade had stag-
2,331 project proposals from civil society, reflecting nated since 2011, and intraregional trade continued to
the continued high demand for projects that strength- be lower in Latin America and Africa: in 2013, more
ened the voice of civil society, promoted human rights than 75 per cent of South-South trade was either to
and encouraged the participation of all groups in or from countries in Asia. Foreign direct investment
democratic processes. The proposals originated from showed a different picture: such flows to developing
organizations in 143 countries, most of them local non- economies reached their highest level ever in 2014,
governmental organizations (ngos) in Africa, Asia, at $681 billion. In the wake of those global trends,
Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. the countries of the South were moving towards
In the ninth round, 51 projects were funded at a to- more formalized forms of South-South cooperation.
tal cost of $8,878,000. The activities of those projects Two notable efforts in that regard were the launch-
covered youth engagement (48 per cent), rule of law ing of the $100 billion New Development Bank in
and human rights (17 per cent), community activism July 2015, followed by the establishment of the Asian
(11 per cent), strengthening interaction with govern- Infrastructure Investment Bank.
ments (10 per cent), media and freedom of information The report contained recommendations for im-
(8 per cent) and women’s empowerment (6 per cent). proving UN system-wide mainstreaming of South-
In November, the Fund launched its tenth round of South cooperation, and for leveraging such coopera-
calls for project proposals. When applications closed tion during the implementation of the post-2015
on 31 December, the Fund had received 2,664 project development agenda. It noted that in the past year,
proposals, which would be assessed by March 2016. the UN development system had shown a shift from
its previous ad hoc support to South-South coopera-
Partnership advisory and outreach services tion to a more systematic approach. The report con-
cluded that as implementation of the sdgs got under
The United Nations Office for Partnerships pro- way, the United Nations should leverage South-South
vided advisory and outreach services in response to cooperation to bolster international collective action
the growing demand from the UN system, Govern- in addressing issues such as rapid urbanization, youth
ments and non-State actors in pursuing public-private unemployment, food and nutrition security, and pan-
partnerships. In 2015, companies, foundations and demic diseases.
ngos approached the Office to explore opportuni-
High-level Committee. The High-level Commit­
ties for engagement with the United Nations and to
tee on South-South Cooperation, at an intersessional
pool expertise and resources to address issues on the
meeting of its eighteenth session (New York, 8, 14
UN agenda and advance the achievement of the sdgs
and 15 September) [SSC/18/IM/2], considered the report
and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
of the Secretary-General on further mainstreaming
Partnership projects and initiatives included the Per-
and coordination of South-South and triangular co-
manent Memorial at the United Nations to the vic-
operation in the United Nations system [SSC/18/IM/1].
tims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade; the
The report, which responded to General Assembly
Youth Assembly at the United Nations; the Media for
resolution 69/239, called attention to the initiatives
Social Impact Summit; the Global Insurance Forum;
of the UN development system in response to the
the Nexus Global Youth Summit on Innovative
growing demands by Member States for greater UN
Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship; and the
support for South-South and triangular cooperation.
Millennium Campus Conference.
It noted that more UN organizations and agencies
were mainstreaming South-South and triangular co-
Economic and technical cooperation operation in their policies, strategic frameworks, oper-
among developing countries ational activities and budgets, with the focus of their
support increasingly being directed towards policy
development and dialogue, knowledge-sharing,
South-South and triangular cooperation research and analysis, capacity development and
Report of Secretary-General. In response to partnership-building. It concluded with recommen-
General Assembly resolution 69/239 [YUN 2014, dations to strengthen the United Nations Office for
p. 1051], the Secretary-General presented the state South-South Cooperation and to maximize the con-
Chapter II: Operational activities for development 429

tribution of South-South and triangular cooperation to make recommendations on additional support that
to the implementation of the post-2015 development the UN system and States could provide to South-
agenda. South and triangular cooperation; and called upon
In a decision adopted on 15 September [SSC/18/IM/2 undp and other organizations of the UN system to
(dec. 18/IM/1)], the Committee requested the Secretary- assist developing countries in implementing projects
General to present, during the seventieth session of of South-South cooperation, including by sharing
the General Assembly, information on the assign- best practices and experiences from the South.
ments and duties to be taken up by the Director of
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the United Nations Office for South-South Coopera-
tion deriving from his appointment as the Envoy of On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
the Secretary-General on South-South Cooperation on the recommendation of the Second Committee
[YUN 2014, p. 1050]; requested the undp Administrator, [A/70/477/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/222 (South-
as Chair of the United Nations Development Group, South cooperation) without vote [agenda item 25 (b)].
Chapter III

Humanitarian and special economic assistance

In 2015, the United Nations, through the Office for personnel; participation of volunteers, “White Hel-
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, continued mets”, in UN humanitarian relief, rehabilitation and
to mobilize and coordinate humanitarian assistance technical cooperation for development; international
to respond to international emergencies. Humanita- cooperation on humanitarian assistance in the field
rian appeals were launched for Afghanistan, Burkina of natural disasters, from relief to development;
Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, international strategy for disaster reduction; the im-
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, the pacts of the 2015/16 El Niño phenomenon; and
Gambia, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, the assistance in mine action.
Niger, Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, In December, the General Assembly desig-
South Sudan, the Sahel Region, Senegal, Somalia, nated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day,
the Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Guatemala, Haiti, calling on countries, international bodies and civil
Honduras, Vanuatu and Nepal. Four large-scale crises, society to raise tsunami awareness and share innova-
in Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, were classi- tive approaches to risk reduction.
fied as Level-3 emergencies requiring the immediate
scaling-up of the response.
The humanitarian appeals sought $19.3 billion
to assist around 78.9 million people; some $10.8 bil- Humanitarian assistance
lion was made available, meeting 55.9 per cent of re-
quirements. The United Nations Central Emergency Coordination
Response Fund allocated nearly $470 million in hu-
manitarian assistance for helping front-line partners Humanitarian affairs segment
on the ground to kick-start or reinforce emergency of the Economic and Social Council
activities in 45 countries. In accordance with Council decision 2015/210
In June, the Economic and Social Council con- of 15 May, the humanitarian affairs segment of the
sidered ways to strengthen the coordination of UN Economic and Social Council (Geneva, 17–19 June)
emergency humanitarian assistance. In July, the [A/70/3], at its substantive session of 2015, considered
Council endorsed the establishment of the Asian the theme “The future of humanitarian affairs: towards
and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster greater inclusiveness, coordination, interoperability
Information Management. The objective of the Centre and effectiveness”. It convened two panels: one on
was to reduce the risks, losses and damages from addressing capacity and resource challenges through
natural hazards by developing the capacities and capa- humanitarian financing, and another on protecting
bilities of the countries and organizations of the region. civilians by upholding international humanitarian law.
The tenth anniversary of the International Day for The Council, along with the General Assembly,
Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action was considered the April report of the Secretary-General
commemorated worldwide in April. [A/70/77–E/2015/64] on strengthening the coordina-
The Third United Nations World Conference on tion of the emergency humanitarian assistance of the
Disaster Reduction (Sendai, Japan, 14–18 March) United Nations, submitted in response to Assembly
concluded a review of the 2005 Hyogo Framework resolutions 46/182 [YUN 1991, p. 421] and 69/135
for Action 2005–2015 and adopted the Sendai Dec- [YUN 2014, p. 1060], and Council resolution 2014/13
laration and the Sendai Framework for Action 2015– [YUN 2014, p. 1056].
2030. In June, the General Assembly endorsed the In the report, the Secretary-General described the
Sendai Declaration and Framework and established an major humanitarian trends and challenges in 2014 and
open-ended intergovernmental expert working group addressed: meeting capacity and resource challenges
to develop a set of possible indicators to measure global through humanitarian effectiveness; risk management
progress in the implementation of the Framework. approaches; changes to humanitarian financing; ad-
During the year, the General Assembly adopted res- herence to international humanitarian law and prin-
olutions on strengthening emergency relief, rehabilita- ciples; and access and protection concerns. He also
tion and reconstruction in response to the devastating reviewed efforts to improve humanitarian coordina-
effects of the earthquake in Nepal; safety and security tion and response with recommendations for further
of humanitarian personnel and protection of UN improvement.

430
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 431

The Secretary-General stated that a record 33 emer- ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
gencies and crises, covered by appeals, were stretching On 19 June [meeting 40], the Economic and Social
the capacity of the humanitarian system to its limit. Council adopted resolution 2015/14 [E/2015/L.15]
While the more than $11 billion provided for 2014 (Strengthening of the coordination of emergency
through inter-agency appeals was an all-time high, so humanitarian assistance of the United Nations)
too was the $7.4 billion shortfall, highlighting the need without vote [agenda item 9].
to make the best use of available resources. Effective re-
sponses required a critical need to maximize resources GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and expertise by connecting more predictably the
many actors and systems involved. It also required On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly
the international humanitarian actors to complement, adopted resolution 70/106 [A/70/L.29 & Add.1]
not substitute, national actors. In addition, the goals (Strengthening of the coordination of emergency
that were shared among international humanitarian humanitarian assistance of the United Nations)
actors needed to include a clear exit strategy, with clear without vote [agenda item 73 (a)].
benchmarks to signal the phase-out of humanitarian On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
operations. Assembly decided that the agenda item on strength-
ening the coordination of humanitarian and disaster
On humanitarian financing, the Secretary-General relief assistance of the United Nations, including
stated that the approach needed to address the problem special economic assistance, would remain for consid-
not just by increasing humanitarian funding, but by eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
taking measures to improve the efficiency of human-
itarian response, prioritizing resources for the most
urgent needs and strengthening links to development UN and other humanitarian personnel
financing mechanisms to build the resilience of vul-
nerable populations before, during and after crises. In response to General Assembly resolution 69/133
[YUN 2014, p. 1693], the Secretary-General in a Septem-
On progress in the coordination of humanitarian ber report [A/70/383] provided an update on the global
action, in 2014, particular emphasis was placed on security environment, threats and challenges facing
identifying lessons learnt and best practices to inform UN personnel and the response of the Organization,
adjustments to guidance and tools. The Office for the and on the role of the Department of Safety and
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began a multi- Security (dss) in strengthening the safety and security
year workstream to develop new digital platforms of UN personnel. The report covered the period from
and modernize existing ones, to improve information January 2014 to June 2015.
services to the humanitarian community and support In 2014, 15 UN personnel lost their lives and 65
its humanitarian coordination work. Major areas of were injured as a result of acts of violence. An addi-
work included developing a contact management tional 8 personnel were killed and 42 injured during
system for humanitarians in the field and upgrading the first six months of 2015. Six personnel were killed
its financial tracking service. In 2014, the multilateral in 2014 as a result of terrorism and an additional five in
system for humanitarian operations in Iraq and Syria the first six months of 2015, the first recorded period in
saw a growth in the engagement of new and returning which deaths resulting from terrorism exceeded those
donors, and initiatives were undertaken to converge resulting from other causes. The number of victims of
the common interests of all stakeholders for humani- crimes increased almost three-fold, from 39 to 112,
tarian operations in Chad, Iraq, Philippines, Somalia, between 2013 and 2014, with 73 personnel victimized
South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, through pledging con- in the first six months of 2015. Other types of incidents
ferences, joint partnership missions, strategic dialogue included gender-related security incidents; abduction;
and regional information platforms. intimidation and harassment; violations of the human
The Secretary-General recommended that Member rights, privileges and immunities of UN and other per-
States, the United Nations and humanitarian ac- sonnel; public health-related incidents and incidents
tors recognize the central role of national and local caused by natural disasters. Road traffic accidents re-
authorities and institutions in addressing the specific mained a leading cause of death and injury.
needs of internally displaced persons and refugees, The Secretary-General emphasized the Organiza-
and in finding solutions for displacement, and the tion’s commitment to stay and deliver and to respond
role of the Emergency Relief Coordinator in ensuring at both the strategic and operational levels, with a view
improved coordination with those institutions and to enabling UN operations while ensuring the safety
among humanitarian organizations. and security of UN personnel. The United Nations
In accordance with Economic and Social Council continued to strengthen security collaboration with
decision 2015/211 of 15 May, an informal event on host Governments by enhancing situational aware-
17 June focused on “Supporting the transition from relief ness, sharing information and threat and risk analysis,
to development: Promoting recovery and resilience”. coordinating prevention and mitigation measures and
432 Part Three: Economic and social questions

managing security in crisis situations. The United to jump-start and accelerate life-saving response to
Nations had taken steps internally to bring perpe- hundreds of thousands of people. In Yemen, where
trators of serious crimes and acts of violence against a staggering 82 per cent of the population required
its personnel to justice. A centralized database being humanitarian assistance, cerf provided $44 million
developed by dss facilitated completion of an initial to ensure that critical services reached people most in
stocktaking exercise in which more than 800 victims need. As millions of people struggled with the dev-
in more than 500 incidents that occurred between astating impact of droughts and floods driven by a
January 1992 and June 2014 were identified. strong El Niño weather cycle, cerf provided quick
In April 2014, the High-level Committee on and early funding in the amount of $59 million to
Management established a working group, chaired by countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, Central
the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, America and the Caribbean.
to undertake a comprehensive review of key duty-of- Report of Secretary-General. In response to
care issues. Comprehensive studies had been under- General Assembly resolution 68/102 [YUN 2013,
taken in five high-risk environments (Afghanistan, p. 869], the Secretary-General submitted a June report
Haiti, Mali/Somalia, Syria and countries affected [A/70/96] which described the activities of cerf in
by Ebola). The development of a significantly im- 2014. The Emergency Relief Coordinator allocated
proved security risk management process was nearly $460.8 million from the rapid response and under-
complete, along with relevant training and an e-tool funded emergency grant windows to support activities
module. in 44 countries and one territory. Member States and
the private sector contributed $479.2 million to the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Fund for 2014. During the year, the Emergency Relief
On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly Coordinator commissioned two studies to look at the
adopted resolution 70/104 [A/70/L.25 & Add.1] (Safety role of the Fund in the evolving humanitarian land-
and security of humanitarian personnel and scape and to ensure that contributions entrusted to
protection of United Nations personnel) without the Fund effectively and efficiently served people most
vote [agenda item 73]. affected by crises.
Food assistance ($110.1 million), health ($73.4
million) and water and sanitation ($53.9 million) to-
Resource mobilization talled more than 51 per cent of all Fund allocations
Central Emergency Response Fund in 2014. Some $338.7 million, or 73.5 per cent,
went to emergency activities in Africa. South Sudan
The Central Emergency Response Fund (cerf) was was the largest recipient globally, followed by the
established in 1992 with the name Central Emergency Sudan and Ethiopia. The Middle East received
Revolving Fund [YUN 1992, p. 584] as a cash-flow 10.9 per cent, Asia and the Pacific 7.8 per cent,
mechanism for the initial phase of humanitarian Latin America and the Caribbean 5.9 per cent and
emergencies. In 2005, by General Assembly resolution Europe 1.8 per cent. The three largest grant-receiving
60/124 [YUN 2005, p. 991], the Fund was renamed and agencies in 2014 continued to be the World Food
upgraded with the purpose of promoting early action Programme ($137.3 million), the United Nations
and response, enhancing response to time-critical re- Children’s Fund (unicef) ($115.8 million) and the
quirements, and strengthening core elements of hu- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
manitarian response in underfunded crises. Refugees ($52.4 million). Other recipients included
In 2015, cerf remained a critical enabler of effec- the International Organization for Migration ($48
tive, timely and life-saving humanitarian action, help- million), the World Health Organization ($45.5 mil-
ing front-line partners on the ground to kick-start or lion), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
reinforce emergency activities in 45 countries. During United Nations ($30.8 million), the United Nations
the year, cerf raised $409 million from 59 Member Population Fund ($15.2 million), the United Nations
States, and more than half of its funding was allocated Development Programme (undp) ($7.8 million) and
for food, health services, and water and sanitation. the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Emergencies in Africa received the largest amount Palestine Refugees in the Near East ($3 million).
of funding by region, accounting for approximately Advisory Group meetings. At its May meeting
52 per cent of the allocations. [A/69/998] (Geneva, 28–29 May), the cerf Advisory
Cerf supported the scale-up of humanitarian Group—established by Assembly resolution 60/124
operations in Level-3 emergencies in the Central [YUN 2005, p. 991] to advise the Secretary-General on
African Republic (car) (deactivated in May 2015), the use and impact of the Fund—considered issues
Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as major such as the role of the Fund in supporting regional
natural disasters in Nepal and Vanuatu. For exam- emergency response efforts in the car, Nepal, Nige-
ple, within 48 hours of the devastating earthquake ria, South Sudan and Syria; a potential expansion of
in Nepal in April, cerf had announced $15 million the Fund; the World Humanitarian Summit process
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 433

and the work of the High-level Panel on Humanita- the end of the year, over 87.6 million people across 37
rian Financing. countries, most of which were in conflict, needed life-
At its October meeting [A/70/615] (New York, saving humanitarian assistance. Crises were becoming
27–28 October), the Advisory Group discussed the more protracted and displacement levels were unprec-
use and management of the Fund in 2015. While the edented due to the lack of durable political solutions.
allocations of the Fund were small compared with to- Nearly 60 million people, half of them children, had
tal global humanitarian needs, the contributions had to flee their homes. Extended conflicts in Iraq, South
a high impact because of their speed and timing, of- Sudan, Syria and Yemen continued to affect large
ten at the immediate onset of an emergency or after numbers of people and to place extraordinary strain
situations deteriorated sharply. Allocations from the on the humanitarian system.
underfunded emergencies window of the Fund often In its fifth year, the crisis in Syria continued to
triggered greater public awareness and generated ad- propel one of the largest refugee exoduses since the
ditional funding from other donors to address pro- Second World War. More than 830,000 refugees and
tracted and chronically underfunded emergencies. The migrants found their way into Europe. In Yemen,
Advisory Group also discussed the shortfall in reach- some 4,500 civilians were reportedly killed or injured
ing the 2015 funding target, the need to deepen and by explosive weapons in the first seven months of the
diversify the income base of the Fund and the related year—more than in any other country or crisis dur-
challenges and opportunities, including exploring in- ing that period. In Ukraine, the number of casualties
novative financing for resource mobilization efforts. from landmines and unexploded ordnance along the
contact line had increased alarmingly, as civilians
White Helmets without reliable gas or electricity left relatively safe
areas to seek firewood for fuel.
The “White Helmets” initiative was endorsed by the Violence in north-eastern Nigeria and neighbour-
General Assembly in resolution 49/139 B [YUN 1994, ing countries prompted the Governments of the Lake
p. 827]. Volunteers or “White Helmets” acted at the re-
Chad Basin to engage in counter-insurgency military
quest of the affected country or within the framework activities. Insecurity caused mass internal displace-
of a call for international humanitarian assistance, ment (over 2 million people in Nigeria) and a refugee
supported immediate response to disasters, as well as
influx into Cameroon, Chad and Niger—countries
rehabilitation, reconstruction and development, and
that were already fragile.
promoted risk prevention and management. Since the
adoption of the initiative, “White Helmets” had parti- Humanitarian workers were not spared the vio-
cipated in more than 262 international humanitarian lence, yet they were reaching more people in more
assistance missions, many of them in coordination places than ever before. In Syria, nearly 6 million
with the United Nations. With 20 years of experience people received monthly food assistance, 4.4 million
in supporting and facilitating humanitarian assistance people received other assistance and shelter support,
around the world, the initiative had become a useful over 9 million people received medical care and more
tool in humanitarian action. than 5 million children received education support.
In October, Somalia was declared polio-free. All the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION countries hosting South Sudanese refugees (Ethiopia,
On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly Kenya, Uganda and Sudan) were close to providing
adopted resolution 70/105 [draft: A/70/L.27 & Add.1] the standard of 15 litres of water per person per day
(Participation of volunteers, “White Helmets”, in the in refugee camps. And in Mali, the humanitarian
activities of the United Nations in the field of human- community delivered food to 1.6 million people and
itarian relief, rehabilitation and technical coopera- provided health care for 1.3 million.
tion for development) without vote [agenda item 73]. Around 55.9 per cent ($10.8 billion) of the 2015
requirement was funded via assistance to people in
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, car, Chad,
Humanitarian action the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti,
The total global financial requirement in 2015 the Gambia, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Myan-
to cover humanitarian needs for 78.9 million peo- mar, the Niger, Nigeria, the Occupied Palestinian
ple reached $19.33 billion, of which $10.82 billion Territory, South Sudan, Senegal, Somalia, the Sudan,
(55.9 per cent) was met. Organizations receiving con- Syria, Ukraine, Yemen, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras,
tributions reached 168, while 334 donor organizations Vanuatu, Nepal, and the Sahel region.
contributed. During the year, the largest response to plans and
Devastating natural disasters struck Nepal and Va- appeals was by the United States (27.7 per cent), fol-
nuatu, while debilitating droughts affected Guatemala lowed by the United Kingdom (10.6 per cent), the
and Honduras. However, armed conflicts were the European Commission (10.0 per cent), Germany
greatest driver of prolonged humanitarian needs. At (6.8 per cent), and Japan (4.8 per cent).
434 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Africa in neighbouring countries, totalling almost 20 per cent

of the population. Key milestones in the political pro-
Central Africa cess took place during the year demonstrating a will-
Cameroon ingness by the major political actors to move forward.
The UN humanitarian response plan for Cameroon The organization of the Bangui Forum, in May, fol-
in 2015 sought $264 million, of which 49 per cent lowed by a referendum approving a new constitution,
($129.2 million) was received. paved the way for presidential and legislative elections.
Cameroon continued to face a complex and mul- Chad
tilayered humanitarian crisis. Boko Haram-related
violence displaced 92,000 Cameroonians and led to The UN humanitarian response plan for Chad in
the influx of some 65,000 Nigerians in the Far North 2015 sought $571.6 million, of which 47.9 per cent
region. Boko Haram’s attacks on civilians were posing ($273.9 million) was received.
serious threats to the protection and functioning of The strategic objectives of the humanitarian
basic social services. Throughout Cameroon, some 2.4 community were to track and analyse risk and vul-
million people needed humanitarian and protection nerability, integrate findings into humanitarian and
assistance. A total of 138 schools were closed in 2015, development programming; support vulnerable pop-
affecting about 38,000 children. Some 253,000 ulations to better cope with shocks by responding ear-
Central African refugees had also sought refuge in lier to warning signals, reducing post-crisis recovery
Cameroon. The number of food-insecure people had times and building capacity of national actors; and de-
more than doubled since June 2015 to 2 million. liver coordinated and integrated life-saving assistance
During the year, humanitarian aid allowed 30,544 to people affected by emergencies.
children under the age of five with moderate acute As at June 2015, an estimated 3 million people
malnutrition to be admitted in targeted supplemen- needed humanitarian assistance due to four simulta-
tary feeding programmes. neous crises: food insecurity and malnutrition, forced
The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com- displacement, health emergencies and natural disasters.
munity for 2015 were to collect data on risks and vul- Over 2.4 million people (20 per cent of the population)
nerabilities, analyse and integrate the results into hu- were food insecure, including 428,000 severely food
manitarian programming and development; support insecure people. The volatile regional security situa-
vulnerable populations to better cope with shocks tion continued to prompt population movements into
in responding to early warning signals, reducing the Chad, which hosted some 235,000 displaced people
duration of the post-crisis recovery and building the from the car, some 377,000 refugees from Darfur
capacity of national actors; and provide people in and over 41,000 displaced people fleeing from Boko
emergency situations with coordinated and integrated Haram violence in the Lake Chad basin. Diseases with
assistance necessary for their survival. the potential to become epidemics, such as cholera and
measles, were causing significant morbidity and mor-
Central African Republic tality, particularly among children, with malaria being
The UN humanitarian response plan for the the leading cause of infant mortality.
Central African Republic (car) in 2015 sought $608.8 Democratic Republic of the Congo
million, of which 53.6 per cent ($326.1 million) was
received targeting 2 million people. The humanita- The UN humanitarian response plan for the
rian community endorsed four strategic objectives for Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc) in 2015
2015: immediately improve the living conditions of sought $818.0 million, of which 53.8 per cent ($439.7
newly displaced individuals, ensuring their protection million) was received.
and providing basic goods and social services; rein- The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com-
force the protection of civilians, including their basic munity were to strengthen the protection of the
rights, in particular those of women and children; in- civilian population and improve the food security as
crease access to basic services and means of subsistence well as access to essential goods and basic services in
for vulnerable men and women; and facilitate sustain- areas affected by violence and conflicts; reduce mor-
able solutions for displaced individuals and refugees, bidity and mortality due to acute malnutrition in
particularly in areas of return or reintegration. areas affected by nutritional crises; and reduce mor-
The outbreak of violence at the end of 2013 had led bidity and mortality among populations affected by
to a devastating humanitarian crisis that forced more epidemic-prone diseases.
than 1 million people to flee their homes in and out- As at June, 7 million people in the drc, including
side the country, and left half of the population in need 2.8 million internally displaced persons (idps), re-
of humanitarian assistance. By the end of the year, 2.7 quired humanitarian assistance to meet basic needs.
million people were still in need of assistance and 0.9 With over 1 million idps, North Kivu was the most
million people remained displaced either internally or affected province. Some 6.4 million people were food
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 435

insecure and half the children under age five were Sudan
chronically malnourished. Malnutrition was even The UN humanitarian response plan for the Sudan
more endemic in less conflict-affected provinces such in 2015 sought $1.04 billion, of which 56.2 per cent
as Kasais and Bas-Congo, where it was the cause of ($582.6 million) was received.
35 per cent of deaths among children under the age
The strategic objectives of the humanitarian
of five. The protection situation remained dire, partic-
community were to ensure coherence with needs-
ularly in conflict-affected eastern drc. Tens of thou-
assessment findings; emphasize cross-cutting issues,
sands of civilians lived under the threat of violations
in particular humanitarian protection and resilience;
including killings, rape and abduction, forced labour,
enhance links between operational and strategic ob-
maiming by mines, recruitment of children or looting
jectives; and facilitate multi-sector responses.
of private property, hospitals and schools.
As at June, humanitarian needs had increased
South Sudan due to continuing conflict between Government
forces and armed groups, and inter-tribal violence.
The UN humanitarian response plan for South By May, 143,000 South Sudanese refugees had ar-
Sudan in 2015 sought $1.08 billion, of which 65.9 per rived in Sudan since early 2014. The fighting had
cent ($1.64 billion) was received. also generated new needs in government-controlled
The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com- areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Despite the
munity were to save lives and alleviate suffering by challenging operating environment, humanitarian
providing multi-sector assistance to people in need; partners continued to respond to needs. The vast ma-
protect the rights of the most vulnerable people, in- jority of confirmed newly displaced people in Darfur
cluding their freedom of movement; and improve self- had received some form of basic assistance, while core
reliance and coping capacities of people in need by support had continued in other areas. A measles-
protecting, restoring and promoting their livelihoods. vaccination campaign targeting close to 8 million
Despite the signing of the Peace Agreement in people was being rolled out following a widespread
August, violence continued to affect civilians in all measles outbreak. Providing life-saving humanitarian
ten states in South Sudan. By the end of the year, assistance and protection, the reduction of food in-
more than 2.3 million people had been displaced by security and malnutrition, and the strengthening of
the conflict, including 1.69 million idps and 633,800 resilience were the overarching priorities.
who were seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
The year also saw an unprecedented malaria outbreak, West Africa
with more than 2 million cases reported. There were Burkina Faso
also five confirmed measles outbreaks and a cholera
outbreak. The rising cost of living and the ongoing The UN humanitarian response plan for Burkina
conflict undermined people’s ability to access safe Faso in 2015 sought $98.8 million, of which 31.0 per
water. Thousands of people lost their lives and viola- cent ($30.6 million) was received.
tions against civilians were widely reported. In Leer, The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com-
Koch and Mayendit counties of Unity alone, an esti- munity were to track and analyse risk and vulnera-
mated 1,000 civilians were killed, 1,300 women and bility, integrating findings into humanitarian and
girls raped, and 1,600 women and children abducted development programming; support vulnerable pop-
from April to September. The operating environment ulations to better cope with shocks by responding ear-
for humanitarian actors continued to be extremely lier to warning signals, by reducing post-crisis recovery
challenging, with more than 900 humanitarian access times and by strengthening the capacities of national
incidents reported, more than half of which involved actors; and deliver coordinated and integrated life-
violence against personnel and/or assets. saving assistance to people affected by emergencies.
Regional Response Plan. The South Sudan Since the 2011–2012 food and nutrition crisis the
Regional Refugee Response Plan 2015 (Ethiopia, humanitarian situation in the country had signifi-
Kenya, Uganda components) sought $657.8 million, cantly improved due to government efforts, human-
of which 32.1 per cent ($211.3 million) was received. itarian support and favourable weather conditions.
In response to the massive outflow of refugees flee- However, a poor agricultural season threatened to re-
ing the conflict in South Sudan, the Plan aimed to verse progress as the country entered the lean season
reach 821,000 South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia, in June, with 1.5 million people at risk of being food
Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. The majority of the insecure.
refugees were women and children who had settled
in insecure border areas with some of the highest Gambia
levels of chronic vulnerability in the world, seeking The UN humanitarian response plan for Gambia
food and protection but further straining the already in 2015 sought $23.7 million, of which 4.5 per cent
precarious survival strategies of hosting communities. ($1.1 million) was received.
436 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com­ The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com­
munity were to track and analyse risk and vulnera- munity were to track and analyse risk and vulnera-
bility, integrating findings into humanitarian and bility, integrating findings into humanitarian and
development programming; support vulnerable development programming; support vulnerable pop-
populations to better cope with shocks by respond- ulations to better cope with shocks by responding ear-
ing earlier to warning signals, by reducing post-crisis lier to warning signals by reducing post-crisis recovery
recovery times and by building capacity of national ac- times and by building capacity of national actors;
tors; and deliver coordinated and integrated life-saving and deliver coordinated and integrated life-saving
assistance to people affected by emergencies. assistance to people affected by emergencies.
Poor rainfall had resulted in below-average agricul- Mauritania had been one of the coastal countries
tural production. Due to the reduced production of most affected by the late start of the rainy season and
cereals, especially rice, food prices had continued to in- uneven rain distribution. In some areas in the south,
crease. Access to improved water sources and sanitation 264,000 people needed immediate food assistance.
remained a major challenge in rural areas, especially in The pastoral situation had also deteriorated because of
Upper River and Central River regions, which had the the lack of grazing land. The failure of rain-fed crops
highest rates of mortality and malnutrition for children had limited farming activities and the lean season in
under 5 years. Economic difficulties had sharply in- farming areas in the north-west started as early as
creased due to a 60 per cent reduction in tourism be- March instead of June. In addition, over 52,000 Mali-
cause of the Ebola virus in neighbouring countries, ans sought refuge in Mauritania following Mali’s crisis
policy-reform shortcomings and deterioration in the in 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 165], the majority of whom were
macroeconomic environment over the past two years. residing in the Mberra camp.
Mali Niger
The UN humanitarian response plan for Mali in The UN humanitarian response plan for the Niger
2015 sought $377.4 million, of which 35.0 per cent in 2015 sought $375.7 million, of which 55.8 per cent
($132.0 million) was received. ($209.6 million) was received.
The strategic objectives of the humanitarian com­ The strategic objectives identified by the humani-
munity were to track and analyse risk and vulner- tarian community were to track and analyse risk and
ability, integrating findings into humanitarian and vulnerability, integrating findings into humanitarian
development programming; support vulnerable popu- and development programming; support vulnerable
lations to better cope with shocks by responding ear- populations to better cope with shocks by respond-
lier to warning signals, by reducing post-crisis recovery ing earlier to warning signals by reducing post-crisis
times and by building capacity of national actors; and recovery times and by building capacity of national ac-
deliver coordinated and integrated life-saving assistance tors; and deliver coordinated and integrated life-saving
to people affected by emergencies. assistance to people affected by emergencies.
As at mid-year, five out of the country’s eight regions As at 18 May, over 40,000 people had been
had a malnutrition rate above the emergency thresh- internally displaced due to Boko Haram attacks on Ni-
old, while the south hosted 85 per cent of the 700,000 ger’s territory and military operations in the Lake Chad
children at risk of malnutrition. In the northern re- islands. Furthermore, the meningitis outbreak in the
gions, stock-breeder communities were struggling due country had reached epidemic thresholds in 12 health
to a fodder deficit along the Niger, Burkina Faso and districts (out of 44) following a three-year absence. Of
Mauritania cross-border strips, as well as high cattle- the Sahel countries covered by the Regional Humani-
mortality rates. Unusual cattle movements had been tarian Response Plan, Niger remained one of the most
observed due to the lack of pasture and insecurity and vulnerable to malnutrition. As at June, Niger showed
armed confrontation in the Gao, Timbuktu and Mopti a global acute malnutrition rate of 14.8 per cent na-
regions. The resurgence of violence since the beginning tionally, which was close to the emergency threshold of
of the year coupled with a stalled peace process ham- 15 per cent. Food insecurity was affecting 2.5 million
pered efforts to restore basic services in the northern people due to a crop shortage countrywide, the low
regions and caused further displacements. Armed availability of pasture and water, and disruption in the
conflict had caused weapons and explosive hazard con- transhumance routes in the Lake Chad basin area due
tamination, which adversely affected the safe return to the Boko Haram insurgency.
of refugees, the freedom of movement for idps and
economic recovery for all. Nigeria
The UN humanitarian response plan for Nigeria
Mauritania in 2015 sought $100.3 million, of which 57.8 per cent
The UN humanitarian response plan in 2015 sought ($58.0 million) was received.
$94.6 million, of which 55.2 per cent ($52.2 million) The strategic objectives identified by the humani-
was received. tarian community were to track and analyse risk and
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 437

vulnerability, integrating findings into humanitarian The strategic objectives identified by the humanita-
and development programming; support vulnerable rian community were to reduce the impact of drought,
populations to better cope with shocks by respond- re-establish livelihoods and strengthen the resilience of
ing earlier to warning signals by reducing post-crisis affected people; minimize the risk of epidemics, epizo-
recovery times and by building capacity of national ac- otics and zoonotics and reduce their impact on drought-
tors; and deliver coordinated and integrated life-saving affected populations and livestock; and strengthen
assistance to people affected by emergencies. protection and improve access to food and other basic
Since a state of emergency was declared in May 2013, services for refugees and vulnerable migrants.
an estimated 1.5 million people had been displaced in Over a decade of recurrent, severe droughts and
the north-east due to the Boko Haram insurgency. limited access to basic social services had led to a wors-
About 90 per cent of idps were still living with host ening humanitarian situation. Over 40 per cent of the
communities in precarious conditions and were poorly population was food insecure, 42 per cent lived in ex-
accessible. Less than 40 per cent of health facilities in treme poverty and 44 per cent of the rural population
conflict-affected areas were operational and water and had no access to water. In addition, the spill-over from
sanitation were inadequate. As the Multi-National the Yemen crisis had led to the arrival of some 9,700
Joint Task Force, which included Nigerian forces, had people from Yemen as at May. Approximately 80,000
reclaimed a significant part of the north-east previously Ethiopian migrants were reportedly transiting through
under the insurgents’ control, a significant number of Djibouti every year en route to the Arab states in the
liberated idps were severely traumatized, emaciated and Gulf. Humanitarian partners continued to help imple-
weak, and in need of psychosocial assistance. Two mil- ment projects to promote agricultural production and
lion people required protection support. As the Boko food security, access to water and the safeguarding of
Haram insurgency spilled over into neighbouring livelihood assets, activities to prevent and treat mal-
countries, the humanitarian response plan also targeted nutrition, and support people arriving from Yemen.
the needs of 240,000 Nigerian refugees who had fled to
Cameroon, Chad and the Niger. Somalia
Senegal The UN humanitarian response plan for Somalia
in 2015 sought $858.3 million, of which 44.9 per cent
The UN humanitarian response plan for Senegal ($385.0 million) was received.
in 2015 sought $59.4 million, of which 21.4 per cent
($12.7 million) was received. The strategic objectives identified by the humani-
tarian community were to provide timely and quality
The strategic objectives identified by the humani-
life-saving assistance to people in humanitarian crisis
tarian community were to track and analyse risk and
and emergency; enhance the scale and quality of hu-
vulnerability, integrating findings into humanitarian
manitarian protection services and improve the broader
and development programming; support vulnerable
protective environment through preventative measures;
populations to better cope with shocks by respond-
and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable house-
ing earlier to warning signals by reducing post-crisis
holds and communities through livelihood support,
recovery times and by building capacity of national
programmes for critical gaps in basic social services
actors; and deliver coordinated and integrated life-
and social protection that complemented disaster risk
saving assistance to people affected by emergencies.
reduction, recovery and development interventions.
Poor rainfall had resulted in a 16 per cent decrease
in agricultural production and poor pastoral condi- As at June, about 731,000 Somalis faced acute
tions. Below-average incomes from crop sales and re- food insecurity while an additional 2.3 million people
duced milk availability were also limiting food access. were at risk of sliding into the same situation. Those
In some areas of the country, the grasslands had dis- figures included children, of whom 203,000 were
appeared. At the onset of the lean season in June, one acutely malnourished and close to 38,000 severely
million people needed immediate food assistance. malnourished, requiring urgent lifesaving therapeutic
Households were already adopting coping mecha- assistance. Idps living in urban areas were among the
nisms, such as selling additional livestock, increasing most vulnerable and made up 76 per cent of those that
debt levels, engaging in increased levels of wage labour, faced acute food insecurity. More than 8,000 Somalis
migration, fishing and forestry product sales, and re- fleeing the conflict in Yemen had returned to Somalia
ducing the quantity and quality of their meals. since late March. In addition, Somalia remained
one of the most dangerous operating environments
Horn of Africa to deliver humanitarian assistance. On 20 April, an
attack by Al Shabaab in Garowe killed four unicef
Djibouti staff and injured several others. Despite the difficult
The UN humanitarian response plan for Djibouti environment, humanitarian organizations delivered
in 2015 sought $82.0 million, of which 21.2 per cent assistance in Somalia, including by using air cargo
($17.4 million) was received. and working with local partners.
438 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Asia and the Pacific Libya

Afghanistan The UN humanitarian response plan for Libya in
2015 sought $35.7 million, of which 34.0 per cent
The UN humanitarian response plan for ($12.2 million) was received.
Afghanistan in 2015 sought $416.7 million, of which
79.8 per cent ($332.5 million) was received. The strategic objectives identified by the hu-
manitarian community were to provide idps and
The strategic objectives identified by the human- the conflict-affected population with life-saving
itarian community were to reduce excess morbidity protection and humanitarian assistance in the form
and mortality; reduce conflict related deaths and im- of health in emergencies, food and non-food items,
pairment; and respond timely to affected populations. hygiene kits and mine action activities; ensure access
As at June, more than 1,800 civilians were killed to education for children from idp families and pro-
or injured in the first three months of the year, and vide psychosocial support to displaced persons and
internal conflict had displaced an estimated 20,000 conflict-affected populations in close cooperation
people. Emergency trauma care and other lifesaving with local and international ngos; and ensure that
and protection assistance remained high priorities. migrants and vulnerable persons, who were in need
Insecurity had resulted in 74 incidents affecting aid of evacuation, received the full range of humanitarian
workers: 11 were killed and 54 abducted. Cross- relief and support needed for onward transportation
border displacement continued as a result of military to country of origin, including post-arrival and family
operations in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency, reunification assistance.
with nearly 245,000 Pakistani refugees seeking ref- Humanitarian conditions had deteriorated con-
uge in Afghanistan. Avalanches and floods had af- siderably during the year due to hostilities and the
fected 100,000 people, destroying or damaging 9,000 increased presence of non-state armed groups with
homes. Nearly 1 million Afghans still lived within some 2 million people affected. Since July 2014, 2,383
500 metres of landmines and unexploded remnants of fatalities had been reported and some 400,000 people
war (erw), which affected about 1,600 communities had been internally displaced. Education in eastern
in more than 240 districts. Libya had been suspended, with most children not
attending school during the year. An estimated 2.5
Iraq million people needed access to health services and an
The UN humanitarian response plan for Iraq in estimated 400,000 required food assistance. Access to
2015 sought $704.3 million, of which 73.5 per cent electricity, health care, water and waste collection had
($518.0 million) was received. been reduced. Many locations continued to be heavily
The strategic objectives identified by the humani- contaminated by landmines, unexploded ordnance
tarian community were to respond to the protection and erw. Migrants were particularly vulnerable and
needs of civilians, including those displaced and oth- were subjected to marginalization and detention. In-
erwise affected by the conflict; provide life-saving creasing numbers of people were taking huge risks
assistance and ensure access to essential services for trying to reach Europe by boat from Libya. Human-
displaced and vulnerable individuals in a manner that itarian priorities for Libya included providing food
supported the Government’s responsibility as first re- assistance, health-care support, delivery of basic water
sponder; and improve the access of conflict-affected and sanitation services, and protection assistance to
people to livelihoods and durable solutions to en- migrants and other highly vulnerable groups.
able them to restore their self-sufficiency and build A new humanitarian response plan issued in Oc-
resilience. tober 2015 and covering the period until December
The pace of the Iraq crisis had increased dramat- 2016 sought $165.6 million in funding.
ically. The country was plagued by conflict, targeted
Myanmar
attacks on civilians, and sexual and gender-based vi-
olence—often along ethnic and sectarian lines. The The Myanmar humanitarian response plan in 2015
number of Iraqis requiring humanitarian assistance sought $265.0 million, of which 52.0 per cent ($137.8
had risen to over 8.2 million by June, including million) was received.
2.8 million who were internally displaced. The The strategic objectives identified by the humani-
number of displaced people had increased by at least tarian community were to ensure that the life-saving
700,000 and half of those displaced were children. protection and assistance needs of people affected by
Iraq also continued to host some 250,000 refugees conflict and/or disasters were met; ensure that peo-
from Syria. Nearly 7 million people could not access ple affected by conflict and/or disasters had equitable
essential health or water and sanitation services due access to basic services and livelihood opportunities;
to the conflict, and the number of people suffering and enhance the resilience of communities to conflict
food insecurity had increased by 60 per cent in the and natural disasters and contribute to early recovery
first half of the year. and durable solutions.
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 439

The first half of the year had seen an increase in ceived, targeting around 1.6 million people out of a
overall humanitarian needs in Kachin and northern population of 4.5 million. Around 1.3 million of those
Shan states, where the security situation remained targeted were in Gaza.
challenging. Sporadic clashes had resulted in approxi- The humanitarian community identified six
mately 20,000 newly displaced people. In March, after strategic objectives: to enhance protection by pro-
a six-month hiatus, the UN-led humanitarian convoys moting respect for international humanitarian and
to areas beyond government control resumed. In the human rights law, pursue accountability and prevent
Kokang Self-Administered Region, new conflict caused and mitigate the impact of violations; respond to im-
additional displacement and put many civilians at risk. mediate needs following shocks and increase the resil-
In Rakhine State, some 139,000 people remained ience of those at risk of forcible displacement; respond
displaced. Intercommunal tensions and movement to food insecurity and promote resilient livelihoods;
restrictions undermined the resilience of communities ensure that 1.6 million people in areas with limited
and progress towards achieving durable solutions. services and restricted access had access to essential
services; enhance the capacity of national stakeholders
Nepal to provide timely coordination of and effective prepar-
The Nepal Earthquake Flash Appeal 2015 sought edness for coordinated response to emergencies; and
$421.9 million, of which 66.9 per cent ($282.2 mil- ensure transitional solutions for idps and those vul-
lion) was received. nerable to re-displacement in Gaza, working towards
The strategic objectives that guided the human- a durable solution.
itarian community to address earthquake fallout The protracted protection crisis with humanitarian
were to save lives and alleviate suffering by providing consequences was principally driven by insufficient re-
and/or ensuring access to multisectoral assistance to spect for international law by all sides, with recurrent
those most affected; protect the rights of those most peaks of hostilities that primarily affected the Gaza
affected, and promote inclusive access to humanita- Strip. Seasonal winter flooding also increased hu-
rian assistance, with particular attention to the most manitarian needs and requirements almost every year.
disadvantaged groups; and support the recovery and Palestinians faced serious protection threats related
resilience of the most affected by protecting, restoring to those factors, including threats to life, liberty and
and promoting their livelihoods and well-being. security; destruction or damage to homes and other
On 25 April, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck property; large amounts of erw; forced displacement
Nepal causing widespread destruction and loss of and risk of forcible transfer; restrictions on freedom
life. On 12 May, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck of movement and access to livelihoods; and lack of
Dolakha district. Powerful aftershocks continued accountability and effective remedy. Those threats
for hours after both earthquakes, including 5.6- and were exacerbated by the inability of all sides to reach
6.3-magnitude tremors with epicentres in Sindhupal- a political agreement. Conflict in July and August
chowk and Ramechhap districts. Over 8 million people 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 552] caused a sharp increase in the
were affected in 39 of Nepal’s 75 districts. Over 2 mil- severity of humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip that
lion people lived in the 11 most critically hit districts. continued to affect shelter, health and the economy.
Nearly 289,000 buildings were destroyed, and 2.8 mil- The strategic response plan aimed to ensure pro-
lion people displaced. Schools, health facilities, bridges, vision of basic services such as water, sanitation, and
access roads, water wells, heritage sites and telecommu- hygiene, health and education; address continued
nications systems were damaged or destroyed. Over- food insecurity; declining resilience; and a variety of
crowded hospitals lacked medical supplies and capacity. protection and critical shelter needs.
With the three-month monsoon season beginning in
June, providing emergency shelter, blankets and house- Syria
hold items, particularly in remote areas, was a priority. Strategic Response Plan. The Syria Strategic
The rains increased the risk of localized flooding and Response Plan for 2015 sought $2.89 billion, of which
waterborne diseases. An estimated 3.5 million people 42.9 per cent ($1.24 billion) was received.
needed food assistance due to the quakes’ impact on The humanitarian community organized the plan
agriculture-based livelihoods and the loss of livestock. around five strategic objectives: promote protection
Malnutrition rates in certain areas were already among of and access to affected people in accordance with
the world’s highest even as the earthquakes intensified international law, international humanitarian law and
pre-existing vulnerabilities. international human rights law; provide life-saving
and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance to people
Occupied Palestinian Territory in need, prioritizing the most vulnerable; strengthen
The UN strategic response plan for 2015 for the resilience, livelihoods and early recovery through
Occupied Palestinian Territory sought $706.1 mil- communities and institutions; strengthen harmonized
lion, of which 56.6 per cent ($399.9 million) was re- coordination modalities through enhanced joint
440 Part Three: Economic and social questions

planning, information management, communication and focused on meeting the lifesaving and protection
and monitoring; and enhance the response capacity of needs of 158,000 people in 23 islands from May un-
all humanitarian actors assisting people in need, par- til July. The humanitarian community identified one
ticularly national partners and communities. primary and two complementary strategic objectives
As the conflict entered its fifth year, the situation for the flash appeal. The primary objective was to
remained grave. Over 220,000 people had been killed meet the life-saving and protection needs of the af-
and over 1 million injured. A total of 12.2 million fected people through the provision of safe drinking
needed humanitarian assistance inside Syria, includ- water, food assistance, nutrition support, health care
ing more than 5.6 million children. Some 7.6 mil- and protection measures, as well as shelter and non-
lion had been internally displaced, and the average food items. The two complementary objectives aimed
life expectancy was estimated to be 20 years less than to map the transition from emergency response to
when the conflict began. longer-term recovery aimed at supporting the resto-
Destruction of civilian infrastructure contin- ration of livelihoods and self-reliance of the affected
ued—a quarter of schools were damaged, destroyed people, and to re-establish and strengthen basic
or used as collective shelters or purposes other than services in affected areas.
education, and roughly 2 million children were out
of school. Less than half of secondary and tertiary Yemen
hospitals were fully functioning, and basic services The Yemen humanitarian response plan in 2015
such as water and electricity were disrupted. Despite sought $1.60 billion, of which 55.3 per cent ($885.3
a humanitarian response that reached millions of peo- million) was received.
ple each month, access remained limited. That was The plan originally sought $747.5 million in 2015
particularly acute for the 4.8 million people living in to assist 8.2 million people—8 per cent more than
hard-to-reach and besieged locations with little or no in 2014—with lifesaving, protection and resilience-
access to assistance for months at a time. building programmes. The strategic objectives identi-
Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). fied by the humanitarian community were to provide
The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3rp) was effective and timely life-saving assistance to the most
launched in December 2014 to respond to both the vulnerable people; assist and protect people affected
growing demand for protection and humanitarian by crisis, including refugees, migrants, idps and re-
assistance for refugees from Syria and the growing need turning Yemenis; strengthen the capacity of national
to build the resilience of individuals, communities and actors to plan for and respond to humanitarian emer-
institutions in host communities. It was aligned with gencies; address the underlying causes of vulnera-
national plans, including the Jordan Response Plan bility, reduce the need for continued humanitarian
2015 for the Syria Crisis, the Lebanon Crisis Response assistance and increase resilience working along with
Plan, the Iraq Humanitarian Response Plan, and development partners, including the Government;
country responses in Turkey and Egypt. and ensure meaningful participation and equita-
Throughout the year, the 3rp coordination mech- ble access to services, resources, and protection for
anism and structure were successful in fostering a women, girls, boys and men.
joint approach between the Governments and the Flash Appeal for Yemen. Conflict escalated sig-
international community. By the end of 2015, the nificantly in March, spreading to many parts of the
number of registered Syrian refugees in 3rp countries country. Airstrikes began on 26 March and affected
reached almost 4.6 million. 18 of Yemen’s 22 governorates. In the south, armed
As at May, over 4 million refugees had fled Syria. conflict had continued to intensify, particularly in
The crisis had unprecedented social and economic Aden, where widespread fighting continued, includ-
effects on host countries, placing significant strains ing in residential neighbourhoods.
on basic social services. Reinforcing national capac- On 17 April, the humanitarian country team
ities was an all-encompassing priority to make the issued a flash appeal for a three-month emergency
collective response more cost-effective and sustainable response, which called for $273.7 million to respond
over the long run, including reducing the degree to to the most urgent humanitarian needs of idps, host
which parallel service delivery systems were running. communities, migrants, refugees and other affected
people.
Vanuatu
Revised Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.
The UN humanitarian preliminary response plan The humanitarian response plan for Yemen was
for Vanuatu in 2015 sought $37.7 million, of which further revised in June, seeking $1.6 billion (includ-
58.0 per cent ($21.9 million) was received. ing funding requirements for the Refugee and Mi-
In March, humanitarian partners launched a flash grant Plan) to provide life-saving assistance to 11.7
appeal for $29.9 million to respond to tropical cyclone million people out of a total of 21.1 million in need
Pam. The appeal was later revised to $37.7 million of assistance. The plan prioritized protection of ci-
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 441

vilians and provision of life-saving assistance, while The strategic objectives identified by the human-
also recognizing specific disadvantages facing women itarian community were to ensure protection and
and girls. To ensure that the revised plan could be basic services to persons deported/returned from the
implemented, humanitarian organizations were Dominican Republic and to people displaced by the
scaling up operations, increasing the number of in- earthquake in 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 320] still living in
country staff and enhancing pipelines of supplies camps; ensure a rapid and effective response to cholera
coming into Yemen. A formal access monitoring and outbreaks; ensure immediate response to people living
negotiating mechanism was also being set up to work in severe food insecurity and facing acute malnutri-
closely with local authorities and the parties to the tion; and ensure readiness to respond to the immediate
conflict to ensure that assistance reached those who needs arising during the hurricane season.
needed it the most. Since the devastating earthquake of 2010, the hu-
manitarian situation had improved due to the resil-
Latin America and the Caribbean ience of the people of Haiti and the generosity of the
international community. However, climatic condi-
Guatemala tions, and the effects of the El Niño cycle, had caused
The UN humanitarian response plan for a second year of drought with around 60 per cent de-
Guatemala in 2015 sought $23.8 million, of which cline in crop output in the spring season. The depreci-
1.7 per cent ($0.4 million) was received. ation of the Gourde and the shortage of locally grown
Guatemala ranked fourth on the global list of agricultural commodities caused an increase in malnu-
countries with high levels of inequity, insecurity, mal- trition and food insecurity, affecting 30 per cent of the
nutrition and poverty. As at June, the country had the population. Cholera, which had considerably abated
highest level of inequity, one of the highest levels of in the first months of 2014, saw a resurgence in the
insecurity due to crime and drug-related killings, and last few months of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015,
the highest level of malnutrition and poverty in the with more than 25,000 cases as at 1 August. While
Latin America and Caribbean region. the situation appeared under control, Haiti remained
The humanitarian community identified “seasonal vulnerable to a sudden onset of the disease.
hunger” as an annual and recurring phenomenon Honduras
that usually affected the same regions along the dry
corridor and identified three strategic objectives: to The UN humanitarian response plan for Hondu-
provide prompt, effective, differentiated, and timely ras in 2015 sought $13.2 million, of which 53 per cent
humanitarian assistance to families affected by the ex- ($6.9 million) was received as at June.
tended dry spell and food crisis, focusing on the most The strategic objectives identified by the human-
vulnerable groups; implement actions for rehabilita- itarian community were to reduce food insecurity
tion, recovery and diversification of livelihoods, and for the most vulnerable populations affected by the
revitalization of the economy and agricultural cycles drought in the 64 prioritized municipalities, thereby
in the affected areas using an inclusive, participatory, decreasing malnutrition and negative strategies of
gender-differentiated approach and a development under-capitalization and the breakdown of the family
perspective; and promote and implement actions to structure; and improve sanitary conditions for the
increase community and household-level resilience to most vulnerable populations affected by the drought
extreme weather events. in the 64 prioritized municipalities based on access to
The northeastern, north-central and northwestern secure water, sanitation, nutritional recovery and the
area of Guatemala, known as the “dry corridor”, was provision of quality health services.
affected by a prolonged dry spell that reached a record As at June, the potential impact of El Niño could
of 45 days without rain in some areas. The lack of rain further worsen food insecurity for approximately
resulted in crop failures (70 per cent loss of beans and 500,000 people. In addition, humanitarian agencies esti-
up to 80 per cent loss of corn, compared with the mated that more than 29,400 Hondurans were idps due
2013 cycle) for families that practiced subsistence and to criminal violence linked to drug trafficking and gang
below-subsistence farming. Harvest losses resulted in activities, with the urban centres of Tegucigalpa, San
the depletion of food reserves, which increased acute Pedro Sula and La Ceiba being the most affected areas.
and severe malnutrition and food insecurity, lead-
ing to deterioration of sanitary conditions and water Europe
quality.
Ukraine
Haiti The UN humanitarian preliminary response plan
The UN humanitarian response plan for Haiti in for Ukraine in 2015 originally sought $189 million
2015 sought $25.5 million, of which 52.1 per cent targeting 900,000 people but was later revised to
($13.3 million) was received. $316.0 million, of which 54.9 per cent ($173.4 mil-
442 Part Three: Economic and social questions

lion) was received targeting 3.2 million people in Disaster Reduction

response to intensification of the conflict and subse-
quent deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Third UN World Conference on Disaster
The conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014 had led to Risk Reduction
enormous suffering, loss of life and extensive damage. On 5 March (decision 69/556) the General
As at June 2015, the number of registered idps had Assembly, on the proposal of its President, recalling its
doubled to over 1.2 million people, with an additional resolutions 66/199 [YUN 2011, p. 877], 67/209 [YUN 2012,
800,000 people fleeing to neighbouring countries. p. 920], 68/211 [YUN 2013, p. 886] and 69/219 [YUN 2014,
The conflict affected five million people who needed p. 1083], decided that the conference on disaster risk
humanitarian assistance, while more than 670,000 reduction, to be held in Sendai, Japan, from 14 to
people needed urgent food support. Access to health 18 March 2015, should henceforth be known as the
services remained a major concern as many health fa- Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster
cilities were closed or only partially operational due to Risk Reduction.
a lack of supplies and an outflow of personnel. In accordance with General Assembly resolu-
The strategic objectives identified by the humani- tion 68/211 and decision 69/556 (above), the Third
tarian community were to respond to the protection United Nations World Conference on Disaster
needs of the displaced and other conflict-affected Risk Reduction (Sendai, Japan, 14–18 March) [A/
people, with due regard to international human- CONF.224/6] was attended by 6,500 delegates, in-
itarian norms and standards; provide life-saving cluding 25 Heads of State and Government and
assistance and ensure non-discriminatory access to Vice-Presidents and well over 100 ministers. The
quality essential services for the displaced and other intergovernmental segment included five ministerial
conflict-affected people, with emphasis on the most round tables and three high-level multi-stakeholder
vulnerable; improve the access of the displaced and partnership dialogues. In addition, 34 multi-
conflict-affected people to high-impact early recovery stakeholder sessions were held, focusing on pro-
activities, focusing on livelihood opportunities; nor- gress made under the Hyogo Framework for Action
malization of basic services; and post-conflict recon- 2005–2015 [YUN 2005, p. 1016], emerging risks and
ciliation programming, with attention to reducing commitments made to the implementation of the
social inequalities. Sendai Framework. Outside the formal confines of
the World Conference, more than 700 local and
international side events were held as part of the
Disaster response public forum, attended by more than 50,000 people.
In five ministerial round tables, the Conference
In 2015, 361 disasters were recorded, which af- discussed the following: Reconstruction after disas-
fected 102 million people in 114 countries and caused ters: build back better; International cooperation in
$90 billion in damage. The number of disasters was support of a post-2015 framework for disaster risk
roughly 50 more than in 2014, while the number of reduction; Governing disaster risk: overcoming chal-
affected people decreased from 141 million in 2014 to lenges; Reducing disaster risk in urban settings; and
102 million in 2015. Two disaster categories, floods Public investment strategies for disaster risk reduction.
and droughts, saw an increase in the number of af- Three high-level multi-stakeholder partnership dia-
fected people. Most disaster-related fatalities occurred logues focused on the following themes: Mobilizing
in Asia (72 per cent), the majority of them involv- women’s leadership in disaster risk reduction; Risk-
ing earthquakes and tsunamis. Floods affected the sensitive investment: public-private partnerships; and
most people (upwards of 85 million). Compared with Inclusive disaster-risk management: governments,
2014, only India remained in the top three countries communities and groups acting together.
in terms of the number of people affected. With the
exception of Europe, the number of disasters in every Sendai Declaration and Framework for Action
region of the world increased in 2015. On 18 March, the Conference adopted the Sen-
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had dai Declaration and the Framework for Disaster
the largest number of people affected (18 million), Risk Reduction 2015–2030 to enhance efforts to
followed by India (16.4 million), Ethiopia (10.2 mil- strengthen disaster risk reduction and reduce loss of
lion), Myanmar (9 million) and Nepal (5.6 million), lives and assets from disasters worldwide. Participants
while the five costliest disasters were an earthquake noted the importance in the previous ten years of the
in Nepal ($4.8 billion), Typhoon Mujigae in China Hyogo Framework for Action 2005–2015: Building
and the Philippines ($3.5 billion), Typhoon Soudelor the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Dis-
in China and Taiwan ($2.8 billion), a winter storm asters, and, having completed the assessment and
in the United States and Canada ($2.8 billion) and review of the Hyogo Framework and considering the
severe storms in the United States ($2.5 billion). implementation experience, were strongly committed
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 443

to the implementation of the new Sendai Framework On 3 June [meeting 92], the General Assembly
as a guide to future efforts. adopted resolution 69/284 [draft: A/69/L.68] (Estab-
In the Sendai Framework for Action, the lishment of an open-ended intergovernmental
Conference aimed to achieve, over the next 15 years, expert working group on indicators and terminol-
substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in ogy relating to disaster risk reduction) without vote
lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, [agenda item 19 (c)].
physical, social, cultural and environmental assets of
persons, businesses, communities and countries. To International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
that end, the Conference adopted seven global tar-
gets: to substantially reduce global disaster mortality The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
by 2030, aiming to lower the average per 100,000 [YUN 1999, p. 860] was built upon the experience of the
global mortality rate in the decade 2020–2030 com- International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction
pared to the period 2005–2015; substantially reduce (1990–1999) [YUN 1987, p. 458] and embodied the
the number of affected people globally by 2030, aim- principles articulated in several major documents
ing to lower the average global figure per 100,000 adopted during the Decade. The Strategy reflected a
in the decade 2020–2030 compared to the period major shift from the traditional emphasis on disaster
2005–2015; reduce direct disaster economic loss in response to emphasis on disaster reduction. The
relation to global gross domestic product (gdp) by United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction
2030; substantially reduce disaster damage to crit- acted as the secretariat of the International Strategy
ical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, and was mandated by the General Assembly to ensure
among them health and educational facilities, in- its implementation.
cluding through developing their resilience by 2030; Report of Secretary-General. In response to
substantially increase the number of countries with General Assembly resolution 69/219 [YUN 2014,
national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by p. 1083], the Secretary-General in August [A/70/282]
2020; substantially enhance international coopera- reviewed the implementation of the International
tion to developing countries through adequate and Strategy for Disaster Reduction, including the out-
sustainable support to complement their national come of the Third United Nations World Conference
actions for implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (see p. 442). The report
by 2030; and substantially increase the availability of presented the Sendai Framework and its implications
and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and for the implementation of the post-2015 agenda, the
disaster risk information and assessments to people transition from the Hyogo Framework [YUN 2005,
by 2030. p. 1016], and an overview of other initiatives.
Drawing on the review of the Yokohama Strategy The Secretary-General stated that worldwide
[YUN 1994, p. 851] and the Hyogo Framework, disaster-related economic losses had reached an aver-
the Conference focused action on four priorities: age of $250 billion to $300 billion a year, severely af-
understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster fecting economic growth in low- and middle-income
risk governance to manage disaster risk; investing in countries and eroding development gains in vulner-
disaster risk reduction for resilience; and enhancing able communities. Despite significant progress in
disaster preparedness for effective response and to spreading a culture of disaster risk reduction around
“Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and the world over the previous decade, the international
reconstruction. community had made little progress as disaster-related
On 3 June, in resolution 69/283 (see below), mortality remained stubbornly high in many parts of
the General Assembly endorsed the Sendai Decla- the world.
ration and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk The deadliest single disaster triggered by a natural
Reduction 2015–2030. Also on 3 June, in resolu- hazard during the reporting period resulted from two
tion 69/284 (see below), the Assembly established an earthquakes in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, that
open-ended intergovernmental expert working group occurred on 25 April and 12 May. Recovery needs,
to develop a set of possible indicators to measure at $6.6 billion, represented more than 25 per cent of
global progress in the implementation of the Sendai the country’s gdp. That disaster typified the challenge
Framework, which should report to the Assembly by that low-income countries faced, particularly from in-
December 2016. tensive disaster events. The Ebola outbreak in West Af-
rica—a major international public health emergency
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak on
On 3 June [meeting 92], the General Assembly record—reflected the need outlined in the Sendai
adopted resolution 69/283 [draft: A/69/L.67] (Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction to be integrated
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015– into national health systems and for developing the
2030) without vote [agenda item 19 (c)]. capacity of health workers to understand disaster risk.
444 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Sendai Framework mapped out a broad, Nations/Germany International Conference on Earth
people-centred approach to disaster risk reduction and Observation: global solutions for the challenges of
focused on the risk of small- and large-scale disasters sustainable development in societies at risk (Bonn,
caused by natural or man-made hazards, as well as re- Germany, 26–28 May) [A/AC.105/1097], which show-
lated environmental, technological and biological haz- cased the most recent developments on the use of
ards and risks. The Framework advocated a shift in fo- Earth observation and integrated space technology
cus from managing disasters to managing risk, and the applications to address the challenges of climate
implementation of sustainable development, economic change and disaster risk reduction and to contribute to
growth and environmental and climate change-related sustainable development worldwide; a regional expert
policies that would prevent the creation of new risk, meeting on access to information and knowledge for
reduce existing risk and strengthen resilience. disaster risk reduction and emergency response (Bo-
The Secretary-General recommended that Member gota, Colombia, 12–14 August) [A/AC.105/1105], which
States, among others, carry out stocktaking on disaster discussed ongoing efforts related to the use of space-
risk management practices in the next three years; based information to strengthen national drought
give priority to the development of national and early warning systems; and the United Nations
local disaster risk reduction policies, strategies and International Conference on Space-based Technologies
plans over the next five years with the participation for Disaster Management: a consolidating role in the
of all stakeholders; establish or strengthen national implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster
mechanisms for disaster risk reduction; participate Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Beijing, 14–16 Septem-
in the open-ended intergovernmental expert working ber) [A/AC.105/1102], which contributed to the process
group on indicators and terminology on disaster risk of producing guidelines for Member States to integrate
reduction; enhance international cooperation and the Earth observation and geospatial technologies in im-
provision of means of implementation to support de- plementing the Sendai Framework.
veloping countries in the implementation of the Sendai On 9 December, in resolution 70/82 (see p. 285),
Framework; and consider augmenting their financial the General Assembly noted the significant achieve-
contributions to the Trust Fund for the International ments made and the advisory support provided to
Strategy for Disaster Reduction. more than 35 Member States within the framework
of UN- spider and welcomed its role in promoting
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION international cooperation as a way to enhance the use
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, of space-based technologies and related services.
on the recommendation of the Second (Economic and
Financial) Committee [A/70/472/Add.3], adopted reso- GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

lution 70/204 (International Strategy for Disaster On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly
Reduction) without vote [agenda item 20 (c)]. adopted resolution 70/107 [draft: A/70/L.30 & Add.1]
(International cooperation on humanitarian
assistance in the field of natural disasters, from
International cooperation relief to development) without vote [agenda item 73 (a)].
Report of Secretary-General. In response to
General Assembly resolution 69/243 [YUN 2014, Asian and Pacific Centre for the Development
p. 1076], the Secretary-General submitted an August of Disaster Information Management
report [A/70/324] on international cooperation on hu-
manitarian assistance in the field of natural disasters. On 22 July (see below), the Economic and Social
The report analysed risk management, interoperability, Council, noting the adoption of resolution 71/11
displacement and global policy agendas, highlighting by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia
the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. and the Pacific at its seventy-first session (Bangkok,
The report also provided an overview of progress made 25–29 May), endorsed the establishment of the Asian
in strengthening international cooperation and rec- and Pacific Centre for the Development of Disaster
ommendations for further improvements. Information Management. The objective of the Centre
was to reduce the risks, losses and damages resulting
UN-SPIDER programme. The Committee on from natural hazards by developing the capacities and
the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (see p. 279) sub- capabilities of the countries and organizations of the
mitted a report [A/AC.105/1105] with a summary of the region and strengthening regional cooperation on
2015 activities of the United Nations Platform for information-sharing and management of disaster risk
Space-based Information for Disaster Management reduction. The Centre would commence its functions
and Emergency Response (UN- spider) under the and programmes with a focus on the more vulnerable
workplan for the biennium 2014–2015. subregions of Asia and the Pacific. Iran offered to host
Among the major events organized or co-organized the Centre and to bear its costs for five years, up to
by the UN- spider programme were the United $50 million.
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 445

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION casualties related to explosive remnants of war, and
On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social the percentage of civilian victims who were children
Council adopted resolution 2015/31 [E/2015/15/Add.2] had continued to rise. The United Nations had a
(Establishment of the Asian and Pacific Centre mine action presence in 85 per cent of countries and
for the Development of Disaster Information territories classified as “heavily” or “very heavily” con-
Management) without vote [agenda item 15]. taminated; and the conflicts in Afghanistan, Libya,
Somalia, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen were resulting
World Tsunami Awareness Day in new contamination by explosive remnants of war.
Mine action remained an essential enabler for an
In December (see below), the General Assembly des- effective humanitarian response, the protection of ci-
ignated 5 November as World Tsunami Awareness vilians and freedom of movement for communities,
Day, calling on countries, international bodies and humanitarian personnel and peacekeepers.
civil society to raise tsunami awareness and share in-
novative approaches to risk reduction. The year 2015 marked the tenth observance of the
International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION in Mine Action with the theme, “More than mines”.
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, On 14 April, the Secretary-General designated the
on the recommendation of the Second Committee actor, Daniel Craig, as the Global Advocate for the
[A/70/472/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/203 (World Elimination of Mines and Explosive Hazards.
Tsunami Awareness Day) without vote [agenda In regard to international instruments related to
item 20 (c)]. mine action, as at August, 162 countries (84 per cent
of Member States) had ratified or acceded to the
Impacts of 2015/16 El Niño phenomenon Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,
Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines
In December (see below), the General Assembly
and on Their Destruction (Anti-Personnel Mine
decided to convene in 2016 a plenary meeting of the
Ban Convention). Over 47.1 million stockpiled anti-
Assembly to discuss action-oriented recommenda-
personnel mines had been destroyed, 157 States
tions to address the socioeconomic and environmental
parties (97 per cent) no longer held stockpiles of anti-
impacts of the 2015/16 El Niño phenomenon. The
personnel mines, and 28 States parties had completed
Assembly noted that the phenomenon had a recurring
their clearance obligations under the Convention.
character and could lead to extensive natural hazards
with the potential to seriously affect humankind and Also, as at August, 121 States had ratified or acceded
recognized that the 2015/16 El Niño phenomenon to the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on
was already occurring and that it was likely to have a the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which
global impact, in particular on developing countries. May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to
Have Indiscriminate Effects (Convention on Certain
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Conventional Weapons), including six during the
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly reporting period, while 93 States were party to the
adopted resolution 70/110 [draft: A/70/L.37] (The im- Convention on Cluster Munitions. Furthermore, 156
pacts of the 2015/16 El Niño phenomenon) without countries had ratified or acceded to the Convention
vote [agenda item 15]. on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and 86 had
ratified or acceded to its Protocols.
The report also presented the midterm review of
Mine action the Strategy of the United Nations on Mine Action
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to 2013–2018, assessing progress against its four
General Assembly resolution 68/72 [YUN 2013, p. 893], strategic objectives and seven internal commitments.
the Secretary-General in August submitted a report In the countries and territories participating in the
[A/70/207] describing the activities and achievements, monitoring and evaluation mechanism that had
between August 2013 and July 2015, of the 12 UN access to the relevant data, 51 per cent of suspected
entities comprising the Inter-Agency Coordination and confirmed hazardous areas had been released to
Group on Mine Action. affected communities. In the Lao People’s Democratic
Globally, as many as 7.9 million people lived in Republic, with the support of the United Nations and
close proximity to areas contaminated with mines other stakeholders, the number of casualties had been
and/or explosive remnants of war, and an additional reduced by 85 per cent in the previous decade, and in
4.7 million people were at risk as a result of seasonal Mozambique, 97 per cent of districts were declared
migration through corridors. The number of victims free from mine contamination in January.
of anti-personnel landmines had declined by about The United Nations provided support to affected
two thirds (67 per cent) from a peak in 2005. How- States and communities across all six pillars of victim
ever, there had been no decline in the number of assistance: data collection; emergency and continu-
446 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ing medical care; physical and other rehabilitation; report [E/AC.51/2015/10] on UN support for nepad
psychological and psychosocial support; and social since June 2014 through the nine clusters of the
and economic inclusion and the establishment, Regional Coordination Mechanism of UN Agencies
enforcement and implementation of relevant laws and and Organizations working in Africa and through the
public policies. funding of programmes and projects, capacity- and
Among countries participating in the monitoring institution-building activities, policy advisory services,
and evaluation mechanism, all of which received UN resource mobilization, advocacy and humanitarian
mine action support, 59 per cent had developed a assistance.
national strategy and national budget for mine action. On infrastructure development, in June 2014, the
Furthermore, 61 per cent of those countries had ini- United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,
tiated plans for the transition to national ownership, undp, the World Bank and the African Development
and 45 per cent of those transition plans included a Bank partnered with the nepad Agency and Sene-
monitoring process. During the reporting period, gal to co-organize the Dakar Financing Summit
several affected States made progress in developing for Africa’s Infrastructure Development. Through
national mine action legislation. In Afghanistan, the adoption of the Dakar Agenda for Action, the
such legislation had been drafted with UN support Summit helped garner support to accelerate the im-
and was pending approval by the Ministry of Justice. plementation of 16 priority projects of the Programme
In Tajikistan, the United Nations was supporting the for Infrastructure Development in Africa. The World
development of mine action legislation, drawing on Bank committed over $4 billion in support to such
national expertise and experience from other affected projects in energy, transport, information and
States, including Croatia and Lebanon. communications technology and water. The United
The Secretary-General called on States parties to Nations Industrial Development Organization had
stay committed to the task of ridding the world of been implementing a $3.35 million project, financed
anti-personnel landmines and realizing the rights by the Global Environment Facility, to promote micro-
of survivors and victims through political will and hydropower capacity in the rural areas of Tanzania.
financial support. The International Telecommunication Union con-
tinued to support the operationalization of the Con-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION nect Africa Initiative with respect to the broadband
development of the Uhurunet submarine cable and
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
the Umojanet terrestrial network. The World Bank
on the recommendation of the Fourth (Special Political
had been supporting ten corridor projects worth $2.7
and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/493], adopted billion to enhance trade and market access in Africa.
resolution 70/80 (Assistance in mine action) with- The International Civil Aviation Organization had
out vote [agenda item 51]. been assisting 29 African States in resolving safety
deficiencies, with progress achieved in enhancing avi-
ation safety. To address water resource management
Special economic assistance in the Sahel region, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, through a project covering five major aquifer
African economic recovery systems shared by 13 African countries, developed a
database for shared aquifer diagnostic analysis and
and development a strategic action plan to be used for training and
New Partnership for Africa’s Development management and water balance modelling.
On governance, the United Nations Democracy
The General Assembly in 2002, by resolution 57/7 Fund continued to strengthen democracy and civil
[YUN 2002, p. 910], endorsed the Secretary-General’s
society organizations, notably through 13 projects
recommendation [ibid., p. 909] that the New Partnership worth $2.3 million. The Fund strengthened grass-
for Africa’s Development (nepad), adopted in 2001 roots citizen participation in the implementation
by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of decentralization in Cameroon; supported youth
of the Organization of African Unity [YUN 2001, empowerment for participation in local gover-
p. 900], should be the framework within which the
nance in Malawi; strengthened young women’s civic
international community should concentrate its participation and leadership in Uganda; amplified
efforts for Africa’s development. During 2015, efforts youth voices in Zimbabwe; and improved public
continued to focus on UN and international support policy participation and accountability in Somalia. In
for nepad and its implementation. early 2015, the Peacebuilding Support Office assisted
in the organization of the Bangui forum for reconcilia-
Implementation and support for NEPAD tion and political dialogue that enhanced public confi-
In response to Assembly resolution 69/17 [YUN 2014, dence in the Central African Republic’s political tran-
p. 1653], the Secretary-General submitted a March sition. The United Nations Conference on Trade and
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 447

Development continued to help 16 African countries with the adoption of the African Union (au) Agenda
in simplifying and automating their investment and 2063—the long-term, strategic vision for the conti-
entrepreneurship rules and procedures. nent’s transformative development over the next 50
The United Nations Regional Office for Central years—and its first 10-year Implementation Plan
Africa was instrumental in the Central African (2014–2023). The report highlighted actions taken
Republic in bringing the anti-Balaka and ex-Séléka by African countries towards achievement of the
elements back to the negotiating table and facilitating aims of nepad, including increased investment and
the signing of an agreement on the cessation of hos- regional coordination in infrastructure development
tilities. Similarly, the Department of Political Affairs and regional integration, innovative agriculture
supported the Mano River Union in the development development projects and climate change adaptation,
and subsequent launch of the implementation of the and strengthened efforts to improve national and
cross-border security strategy in the subregion. The regional health-care systems in the wake of the Ebola
International Maritime Organization continued to outbreak. To achieve further progress, however, the
support counter-piracy measures in Somalia and the continent would need to overcome challenges in all
Gulf of Aden, including in the areas of training and the nepad priority thematic areas and adapt nepad
capacity building, with similar efforts in the West and priorities to the new strategic thinking of the au.
Central Africa regions for the Gulf of Guinea. Despite extensive efforts in domestic resource
The UN system also gave support on policy issues mobilization, the report identified inadequate fi-
such as the implementation of nepad, including nancing as a major challenge in all sectors and un-
strengthening of the cluster system and enhanced co- derlined the need for greater investment by African
operation between the UN and the au; support to the countries and their development partners, as well as
mobilization of financial resources for the implemen- for greater efforts to spur private sector investment
tation of nepad; cross-cutting issues; and institutional and public-private partnerships. The report em-
support. phasized the need for African countries to achieve
The Secretary-General noted that the role of the economic transformation through industrialization
UN system in response to the Ebola virus disease and diversification. It also stressed the need for the
outbreak was exemplary. He recommended, inter international community to complement the conti-
alia, that the UN should further enhance its support nent’s efforts, including through increased financial
towards the implementation of the Programme for support, technical assistance and capacity-building,
Infrastructure Development in Africa, with par- and emphasized the need for Africa’s priorities to be
ticular attention to the Dakar Agenda for Action reflected in the post-2015 development agenda.
and the 16 priority projects; enhance UN support The Secretary-General noted that while the conti-
towards Africa’s structural transformation, as envis- nent’s growth remained strong, its narrow growth bases
aged in Agenda 2063, with particular attention to and high dependence on commodities rendered it vul-
inclusive and sustainable industrial development; and nerable to terms of trade shocks, which heightened the
strengthen UN support to the African Peer Review need for urgent measures to promote the diversification
Mechanism to foster good political, economic and and structural transformation of African economies.
corporate governance in Africa. The strong emphasis on industrialization and diversifi-
CPC action. The Committee for Programme and cation in Agenda 2063 was therefore welcome.
Coordination, at its fifty-fifth session (New York, On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
1–26 June), considered the report of the Secretary- Assembly decided that the agenda item on New
General on UN system support for nepad and rec- Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in im-
ommended that the General Assembly endorse its plementation and international support would remain
conclusions and recommendations. for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
session.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 19 June [meeting 96], the General Assembly Social dimension of NEPAD

adopted resolution 69/290 [draft: A/69/L.64/Rev.1 & The Commission for Social Development at its
Add.1] (New Partnership for Africa’s Development:
fifty-third session (New York, 21 February 2014 and
progress in implementation and international 4–13 February 2015) [E/2015/26-E/CN.5/2015/9] rec-
support) without vote [agenda item 62 (a)]. ommended to the Economic and Social Council for
Report of Secretary-General. In response adoption resolution 2015/3 (see below) on the social
to Assembly resolution 69/290 (see above), the dimensions of nepad.
Secretary-General submitted in July the thirteenth
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
consolidated report [A/70/175] on nepad implementa-
tion and international support. The report stated that On 8 June [meeting 32], the Economic and Social
2015 was a landmark year for Africa’s development, Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
448 Part Three: Economic and social questions

for Social Development [E/2015/26], adopted res- assist 3.6 million people. A major food and livelihoods
olution 2015/3 (Social dimensions of the New response helped to avert a famine, reaching more than
Partnership for Africa’s Development) without vote 2.3 million people with emergency food assistance and
[agenda item 19 (b)]. 4.8 million people with livelihood support. Efforts by
partners in the health, water, sanitation and hygiene
African countries emerging from conflict sectors had curtailed a large-scale outbreak of cholera
that threatened tens of thousands.
Report of Secretary-General. In May [E/2015/74],
the Secretary-General presented his fourth report to The Secretary-General called upon the parties to
the Economic and Social Council on integrated, co- the conflict to end the violence to create space for
herent and coordinated support to South Sudan by development, including by increasing expenditure on
the UN system following the country’s independence basic social services. He called on the international
in July 2011. The report reviewed major developments community to provide appropriate funding that
in South Sudan since July 2014, with a focus on the would allow for people-based or community-based
continuing impact of the conflict on prospects for development and to focus on protecting development
development. It included some key actions taken by gains. A central message was the need to ensure that
the UN system and the international community to there was an appropriate balance between humanita-
help the citizens of South Sudan cope with the disrup- rian and development support.
tion to their lives. On 21 July (decision 2015/231), the Economic and
The crises had been created by the outbreak of Social Council took note of the report and requested
conflict on 15 December 2013 and the subsequent that another report on the subject be submitted to the
and repeated failures to reach a peace agreement. The Council at its substantive session in 2016.
Sudan People’s Liberation Army, the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition and affil- Other economic assistance
iated militia groups continued their armed offensives On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
throughout 2014 and into 2015. Consequently, an es- Assembly decided that the agenda item on assistance
timated 1.5 million people were internally displaced, to survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, partic-
more than 135,000 of whom had sought protection at ularly orphans, widows and victims of sexual violence
United Nations Mission in South Sudan bases across would remain for consideration during its resumed
the country as at 2 April. The parties failed to resolve seventieth (2016) session.
outstanding issues, including power-sharing, by the
deadline of 5 March imposed by the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development. The political crisis and vi- Haiti
olence had a significant impact on the economy, which Report of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group. In June
was at risk of collapse. The reduction of the oil output [E/2015/84], the Economic and Social Council Ad
to half of what was projected for the budget for fiscal Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti presented its eleventh
year 2015, coupled with the sharp decline in global oil report since its reactivation in 2004 [YUN 2004, p. 939].
prices and the flat-fee arrangements for oil transport The report indicated that Haiti had made progress in
through the Sudan, dramatically affected the country’s recovery and reconstruction five years after the devas-
main source of revenue. tating earthquake in 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 320]. Challenges,
The UN system faced dilemmas and challenges however, remained, including the holding of elections
in 2014. Much of the international assistance to and the subsequent formation of a new government and
development was frozen or reprogrammed from administration; difficulties in relations with the Do-
development to humanitarian assistance. Education minican Republic, including the deportation of Hai-
and health indicators in South Sudan, already among tians; lack of housing for the remaining idps in camps;
the lowest in the world, had further deteriorated ow- the cholera epidemic; the response to the drawdown of
ing to the protracted conflict; only 27 per cent of the the UN military presence in the country; the weakness
population was literate and less than 1 per cent of the of key institutions such as the judiciary and the police;
population had post-secondary education. Maternal and the decline in donor assistance.
mortality rate was 2,054 per 100,000 births, the high- The Group identified priority areas for action,
est in the world. Only 44 per cent of households lived including improving the functioning of the judici-
within 5 km of a health care facility. ary in order to strengthen political and institutional
The humanitarian aid operation was central to UN stability, and to enhance the confidence of local and
activities in South Sudan. Following the initial, rapid foreign investors and the donor community; improv-
onset of conflict, aid agencies swiftly moved to scale ing management of government finances as well as
up their presence throughout the country, in partic- focusing attention on areas with the potential to con-
ular in hard-to-reach areas in the three states worst tribute to job creation, such as the system of property
affected by violence, Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile to registration that could lead to increased agricultural
Chapter III: Humanitarian and special economic assistance 449

production; increased investment in tourism; and Rev.1] (Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti) without
stronger partnerships with local and foreign private vote [agenda item 12 (d)].
investors.
The Group called for a continued donor support Nepal
and coordinated international engagement with the Statement by Secretary-General. In a statement
country; more efficient aid coordination structures [SG/SM/16701] issued on 25 April on the Nepal earth-
that were conducive to transparency and mutual ac- quake that had struck the Kathmandu valley, the
countability. It also stressed that the UN presence Secretary-General expressed his deepest condolences
in Haiti needed to continue to be responsive to to Nepal and to everyone affected, particularly to the
Haiti’s evolving development needs and transitional families and friends of those killed and injured. He
requirements. stated that the United Nations was supporting the
Communications. In a 22 July letter [E/2015/87] Government in coordinating international search and
addressed to the President of the Economic and Social rescue operations and was preparing to mount a major
Council, the Dominican Republic rejected the nega- relief effort.
tive characterization of the country in some sections General Assembly consideration. On 15 May
of the report by the Ad Hoc Advisory Group, affirm- [A/69/PV.90], the General Assembly considered
ing that there were no stateless persons in the country, “Special economic assistance to individual countries
there had been no deportations since November 2013 or regions” under the agenda item “Strengthening of
and there had been no violence of any sort against the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief
those who had chosen to return voluntarily to their assistance of the United Nations, including special
country of origin. It appealed to the Haitian political economic assistance”.
leadership to assume greater responsibility for Haiti
for the common good and to closely coordinate GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
measures to ensure security, political stability and On 15 May [meeting 90], the General Assembly
institutional organization. adopted resolution 69/280 [A/69/L.66 & Add.1]
(Strengthening emergency relief, rehabilitation
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
and reconstruction in response to the devastating
On 21 July [meeting 52], the Economic and Social effects of the earthquake in Nepal) without vote
Council adopted resolution 2015/18 [E/2015/L.18/ [agenda item 69 (c)].
Chapter IV

International trade, finance and transport

In 2015, the work of the United Nations on interna­

tional trade, finance and transport continued to focus International trade and development
on multilateral efforts to support the global recovery
from the world economic and financial crisis of 2008, According to the Trade and Development Report,
and to bolster inclusive and sustainable growth and 2016 [Sales No. E.16.II.D.5], the growth rate of world
development. merchandise trade (by volume) slowed to around
Important developments during the year included 1.5 per cent in 2015, from 2.3 per cent in 2014. That
the adoption by UN Member States of the Addis poor performance was primarily due to the lacklustre
Ababa Action Agenda at the third International development of merchandise trade, which increased
Conference on Financing for Development held in by only around 1.5 per cent in real terms.
Addis Ababa in July. The Action Agenda provided In developed economies, exports of the United
a strong foundation to support the implementation States were held back in 2015 by slow foreign growth
of the post-2015 development agenda and included and the appreciation of the dollar. Meanwhile, im­
a new global framework for financing sustainable ports increased owing to rising household consump­
development by aligning all financing flows and tion. In Europe, exports increased with the accelera­
policies with economic, social and environmental tion of trade within the continent, which accounts for
priorities. Member States and other stakeholders also roughly two thirds of European total trade. European
agreed on a comprehensive set of policy actions, with exports to the United States were also robust. By con­
more than 100 concrete measures that drew upon trast, exports to China and other large developing
all sources of finance, technology, innovation, trade, countries and economies in transition appeared to
debt and data in order to support achievement of the be subdued. In Japan, by contrast, both imports and
sustainable development goals. exports declined in real terms, with imports show­
The growth rate of world merchandise trade (by ing the effects of domestic factors while exports faced
volume) slowed to around 1.5 per cent in 2015, from headwinds from the weak demand emanating from
2.3 per cent in 2014 primarily due to the lacklustre developing Asia.
development of merchandise trade, which increased In developing Asia, all the subregions except West
by only around 1.5 per cent in real terms. World sea­ Asia, registered declines in real exports. China’s de­
borne trade volumes expanded by 2.1 per cent in 2015, clining trade weighed on regional trade flows. Real
surpassing 10 billion tons for the first time in history. imports by China declined by 2.2 per cent during
In April, the annual high-level meeting between the year—the first negative figure in decades—due
the Economic and Social Council and the Bretton to slower growth in manufacturing. That decline in
Woods institutions (the World Bank Group and Chinese international trade affected the entire re­
the International Monetary Fund), the World Trade gion. In South-East Asia, while exports declined,
Organization and the United Nations Conference on imports remained subdued owing to domestic fac­
Trade and Development discussed the topic “Coher­ tors such as slower job creation in Indonesia and high
ence, coordination and cooperation in the context of household debt levels in Malaysia and Thailand. In
financing for sustainable development and the post- South Asia, by contrast, import growth accelerated as
2015 development agenda”. In October, the Council lower energy and other commodity prices improved
also convened the eleventh session of the Com­ economic prospects in India and other economies of
mittee of Experts on International Cooperation in the subregion.
Tax Matters. International trade in several transition economies
In December, the General Assembly adopted in North and Central Asia registered a marked de­
the revised United Nations guidelines for consumer terioration in 2015, as the deep plunge in the global
protection and established an intergovernmental prices of oil, gas and minerals slashed export earnings
group of experts on consumer protection law and led to steep currency depreciations, inflation and
and policy within the framework of an existing recession. All those factors greatly affected the volume
commission of the Trade and Development Board of imports (almost -20 per cent in 2015) without im­
of the United Nations Conference on Trade and proving that of exports.
Development to monitor the implementation of the In Africa, many countries had been hard hit by the
revised guidelines. decline in commodity prices and negative spillovers

450
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 451

from developing Asia. Major oil exporters like Angola marked its twentieth anniversary in 2015 with a series
and Nigeria had been severely affected. Meanwhile, of events—book launches, exhibitions and other
for oil-importing African countries which rely on ex­ special activities highlighting the achievement of the
porting other commodities, the benefits of cheaper wto over the previous two decades. The wto’s Tenth
energy imports were offset by the general decline in Ministerial Conference (Nairobi, 15–19 December)
other commodity prices in a context of depressed adopted a range of decisions on agriculture, cotton
foreign demand. In South Africa, the largest trad­ and issues related to least-developed countries. The de­
ing partner for most other African countries, slower cisions included a commitment to abolish export subsi­
growth in export volumes despite the depreciation of dies for farm exports, which the wto Director-General
the currency, along with the decline in commodity hailed as the “most significant outcome on agriculture”
prices, had meant only marginal growth in the nom­ in the Organization’s 20-year history. In their Nairobi
inal value of merchandise exports. Declaration, ministers acknowledged that wto mem­
In Latin America and the Caribbean, plunging bers had different views on how to address the future
commodity prices had also had major impacts on the of the Doha Round negotiations. The Conference
region’s average export revenues in 2015. Countries approved the accessions of Liberia and Afghanistan to
whose exports were concentrated mainly in hydrocar­ wto membership. A landmark information technology
bons, such as Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad and deal to eliminate tariffs on 201 information technology
Tobago, and Venezuela, were among the hardest hit. products valued at over $1.3 trillion per year was con­
cluded. The Fifth Global Review of Aid for Trade
World seaborne trade volumes expanded by (Geneva, 30 June–2 July) underscored how high trade
2.1 per cent in 2015, surpassing 10 billion tons for costs were hampering developing countries’ ability to
the first time in history. benefit from market access opportunities. The Review
attracted over 1,500 participants and saw the launch of
Multilateral trading system a new oecd - wto co-publication outlining the impact
of the Aid for Trade initiative.
Report of Secretary-General. In response to
General Assembly resolutions 69/205 [YUN 2014, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
p. 1103] and 68/199 [YUN 2013, p. 909], the Secretary-
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General
General submitted an August report [A/70/277] on
Assembly adopted resolution 70/187 [A/70/470/Add.1]
international trade and development, prepared
(International trade and development) without vote
by the United Nations Conference on Trade and
[agenda item 18 (a)].
Development (unctad). The report discussed trends
in international trade and development, linkages be­
tween trade and the sustainable development goals, United Nations Conference on
developments in the multilateral trading system, and Trade and Development
developments in regional trade agreements.
Trade and Development Board
According to the report, the role of trade as a pow­
erful enabler of growth and development had been In 2015, the Trade and Development Board
recognized in the draft sustainable development goals (tdb)—the governing body of unctad—held its
that were due to be adopted by UN Member States in sixty-first executive session (24–26 June) [A/70/15 (Part
September. Trade had the potential to support a broad II)]; sixty-second annual session (14–25 September)
range of development goals by promoting economic [A/70/15 (Part III)]; and twenty-ninth special session
growth, creating jobs, enabling the efficient use of (26 November) [A/70/15 (Part IV)], all in Geneva.
resources and raising standards of living. However, At the sixty-first annual session, tdb considered,
translating efficiency gains from trade integration into in particular, issues concerning Africa. It took note
broad-based development and poverty reduction re­ of the report by the secretariat on activities under­
quired deliberate policy actions. Such policy efforts taken by unctad in support of Africa [TD/B/EX (61)/2];
needed to be supported by an enabling economic the report of the seventieth session of the Working
environment and a universal, rules-based, open, Party on the Strategic Framework and the Programme
non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trad­ Budget [TD/B/WP/270]; the report of the Investment,
ing system. It was incumbent upon the international Enterprise and Development Commission on its sev­
community to work towards concluding multilateral enth session [TD/B/C.II/31 & Corr.1]; and the report of
negotiations under the World Trade Organization’s the Trade and Development Commission on its sev­
Doha Development Agenda and revitalizing that im­ enth session [TD/B/C.I/38]. The Board further discussed
portant global partnership for inclusive and sustain­ the preparatory process for the fourteenth session of
able development. the Conference (unctad XIV).
WTO report. According to the World Trade At the sixty-second executive session, tdb held
Organization (wto) Annual Report 2016, the wto 14 plenary meetings. It adopted agreed conclusions
452 Part Three: Economic and social questions

on the fourth progress report [TD/B/62/8] of the Review of UNCTAD technical cooperation activities
unctad secretariat on the contribution of unctad At its sixty-second annual session [A/70/15 (Part III)],
to the implementation of the Programme of Action tdb took note of the report of the Secretary-General
for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade of unctad on the review of unctad technical co­
2011–2020; the unctad secretariat’s Economic operation activities and their financing [TD/B/WP/272/
Development in Africa Report 2015 [TD/B/62/4], sub­ Add.1]. It encouraged the unctad secretariat to ensure
titled “Unlocking the Potential of Africa’s Services a balanced regional distribution of technical coopera­
Trade for Growth and Development”; and a report tion based on demand, taking into consideration the
[TD/B/WP/272] by the Secretary-General of unctad on
needs of Africa, least developed countries, landlocked
the review and financing of the technical cooperation least developed countries and small island developing
activities of unctad. States. Tdb also encouraged unctad to further access
At the twenty-ninth special session, the unctad existing funding through One United Nations funds,
secretariat informed the Board about various aspects and called upon member States to continue informal
of ongoing arrangements for unctad XIV, includ­ consultations to agree on a set of common goals and
ing the proposed dates of 17–22 July 2016 for the principles for the fundraising strategy, including the
Conference. The Board also welcomed the offer of the establishment of a multi-donor trust fund on trade
Government of Kenya to host unctad XIV in 2016. and productive capacity to effectively scale up the
On 22 December (decision 70/541), the General efficiency and impact of technical cooperation deliv­
Assembly took note of the report of tdb on its twenty- ered by the United Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on
ninth special session, and the decisions contained Trade and Productive Capacity at the national and
therein, and welcomed the offer of the Government of regional levels.
Kenya to host the fourteenth unctad session in 2016.
Evaluation
Implementation of the outcome from LDC-IV In September, the Secretary-General of unctad
At its sixty-second session [A/70/15 (Part III)], tdb reported on the evaluation of unctad activities
had before it the fourth progress report [TD/B/62/8] [TD/B/WP/273], providing an overview of the exter­
by the unctad secretariat on the contribution nal evaluations of unctad programmes and projects
of unctad to the implementation of the Istan­ undertaken in the period between April 2014 and
bul Programme of Action for ldcs for the Decade March 2015. Five evaluations were completed during
2011–2020 [YUN 2011, p. 906]. The report provided the reporting period: unctad subprogramme 2 on
a synthesis of unctad activities carried out be­ investment and enterprise and four development ac­
tween subsequent reporting periods in the areas of count projects. It also elaborated on the key findings,
research and policy analysis; consensus-building and recommendations and lessons learned from those
intergovernmental support; and technical coopera­ evaluations. The Working Party on the Strategic
tion and capacity-building. The unctad secretariat Framework and the Programme Budget was invited
concluded that as a way forward and building on to review the evaluation plan for 2016–2018 and to
its expanded and strengthened support to ldcs, submit its conclusions and recommendations to tdb.
unctad would continue addressing specific socio­
economic challenges facing those countries. Unctad Economic development in Africa
would also continue to assist efforts aimed at ena­ Unlocking the potential of Africa’s services trade
bling ldcs to take advantage of national, regional
for growth and development
and global opportunities for trade, investment and
sustainable development. At its sixty-second session [A/70/15 (Part III)], tdb
Tdb urged unctad to make substantive contribu­ had before it the unctad Economic Development in
tions to the comprehensive high-level midterm review Africa Report 2015: Unlocking the Potential of Africa’s
of progress in the implementation of the Istanbul Services Trade for Growth and Development [Sales
Programme of Action, due to be held in Antalya, No. E.15.II.D.2]. The report examined some of the major
Turkey, in June 2016. Tdb also invited unctad to policy issues that underlay the continent’s services
facilitate the full and effective participation of the sector and provided policy guidance on how services
ldcs at unctad XIV, due to be held in July 2016; could contribute to regional integration in Africa
enable them to promote and protect their collective and generate inclusive growth and employment. The
trade and development interests during and beyond Board also had before it a summary report on the
unctad XIV; as well as to mainstream the Vienna topic [TD/B/62/SC.II/L.1].
Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing
Countries for the Decade 2014–2024 into its work UNCTAD activities in support of Africa
programme, including annual reporting, insofar as At its sixty-first executive session [A/70/15 (Part
it fell within the mandate of unctad. II)],tdb had before it the report [TD/B/EX(61)/2] on
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 453

activities undertaken by unctad in support of Africa national trade development policies in the context of
from May 2014 to April 2015. The report documented implementation of the post-2015 development agenda;
the impact that the work of unctad was having on and also requested the secretariat to enhance its efforts
African development outcomes through three main in order to enrich deliberations in the Commission’s
channels: contributions to policy design, formulation future sessions, including by ensuring that the parlia­
and implementation; capacity-building of African mentary documents addressed the trade development
government officials, institutions, the private sector policies and the multilateral trading system.
and civil society; and the facilitation of consensus on
issues of interest to Africa. The Board also discussed Investment, Enterprise and Development
a background note [TD/B/EX(61)/3] on revisiting debt Commission
sustainability in Africa.
The Investment, Enterprise and Development
Commission, at its seventh session [TD/B/C.II/31],
Subsidiary bodies discussed, inter alia, mobilizing investment for
During the year, the Trade and Development development; entrepreneurship and sustainable
Commission held its seventh session (Geneva, 18– development goals; and policies to promote collab­
22 May) [TD/B/C.I/38] (see below); the Investment, oration in science, technology and innovation for
Enterprise and Development Commission also held development.
its seventh session (Geneva, 20–24 April) [TD/B/C.II/31 The Commission took note of the report of the
& Corr.1] (see below); the Intergovernmental Working Multi-year Expert Meeting on Investment, Innova­
Group of Experts on International Standards of tion and Entrepreneurship for Productive Capacity-
Accounting and Reporting (isar) held its thirty- building and Sustainable Development on its third
second session (Geneva, 4–6 November) [TD/B/C.II/ session [TD/B/C.II/MEM.4/9]; the report of the Expert
ISAR/75] (see p. 459); and the Working Party on the Meeting on the Transformation of the International
Strategic Framework and the Programme Budget held Investment Agreement Regime: The Path Ahead
its seventieth (Geneva, 9–13 March) [TD/B/WP/270], [TD/B/C.II/EM.4/3]; the report of the Expert Meeting
seventy-first (Geneva, 7–9 September) [TD/B/WP/275] on Cyberlaws and Regulations for Enhancing
and seventy-second sessions (Geneva, 30 Novem­ E-commerce, including Case Studies and Lessons
ber–2 December) [TD/B/WP/277] (see below). Learned [TD/B/C.II/EM.5/3]; and the report of isar on
its thirty-first session [TD/B/C.II/ISAR/71].
Trade and Development Commission
In agreed conclusions, the Commission took note
The Trade and Development Commission, at its of the work of the various expert group meetings held
seventh session [TD/B/C.I/38], took note of the reports under its aegis and looked forward to their contin­
of unctad on the Multi-year Expert Meeting on ued contributions to synergizing the three pillars of
Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation unctad; noted with appreciation the programme of
on its second session [TD/B/C.I/MEM.7/6 & TD/B/ Investment Policy Reviews and underlined the useful­
C.I/MEM.7/9]; the Multi-year Expert Meeting on
ness and the positive impact of the intergovernmental
Commodities and Development on its seventh session peer review process in that regard; and recognized the
[TD/B/C.I/MEM.2/31]; the Multi-year Expert Meeting
work of unctad in the areas of science, technology
on Trade, Services and Development on its third and innovation, and in investment and enterprise,
session [TD/B/C.I/MEM.4/9]; the Multi-year Expert and the importance of such work in strengthening
Meeting on Promoting Economic Integration and the capacity of developing countries to address key
Cooperation on its second session [TD/B/C.I/MEM.6/6]; development challenges.
and the Multi-year Expert Meeting on Enhancing
the Enabling Economic Environment at All Levels in
Support of Inclusive and Sustainable Development on Working Party on the Strategic Framework
its second session [TD/B/C.I/MEM.5/6]. and Programme Budget
The Commission further discussed Trade The Working Party on the Strategic Framework
development policies and the post-2015 sustainable and the Programme Budget, at its seventieth session
development agenda; formulation of national policies [TD/B/WP/270], took note of the report [TD/B/WP/269]
in the context of existing regional trade agreements; on the implementation of the communications
and progress report on promoting and strength­ strategy and publications policy of unctad.
ening synergies among the three pillars of the work During its seventy-first session [TD/B/WP/275], the
of unctad, namely research and analysis, consensus Working Party considered the external evaluation of
building and technical assistance. unctad subprogramme 3: International trade [TD/B/
In agreed conclusions, the Commission requested WP/274]. It requested the unctad secretariat to report
unctad to continue providing support as needed to on the progress made in the implementation of the
developing countries in the formulation and review of recommendations at the next session of the Working
454 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Party on technical cooperation and evaluation; and Joint Advisory Group

to implement the evaluation plan for 2016–2018. The itc Joint Advisory Group at its forty-ninth
At its seventy-second session [TD/B/WP/277], the session (Geneva, 26 June) [ITC/AG(XLIX)/260], dis­
Working Party adopted conclusions on the review cussed the implementation of recommendations pro­
of the proposed unctad Biennial Programme Plan vided by two external independent evaluations of itc:
for the period 2018–2019 [TD/B/WP(72)/CRP.1/Rev.1]. Independent Evaluation of itc 2014, and Programme
It requested the secretariat to make arrangements for Evaluation of itc 2015 by the United Nations Office
the revision of the draft proposed unctad Biennial of Internal Oversight Services.
Programme Plan in line with the outcome to be
adopted at unctad XIV to be held in July 2016; Administrative and budgetary matters
and recommended that efforts be made to ensure ad­ In March, the Secretary-General transmitted to the
equate resources towards addressing issues relating Assembly the proposed itc programme budget for the
to the work of subprogramme 5, without adversely biennium 2016–2017 [A/70/6 (Sect. 13)] and, in Septem­
affecting the other subprogrammes. ber, detailed estimated resource requirements and pro­
jected income for that biennium [A/68/6 (Sect.13)/Add.1].
International Trade Centre The overall resources required for the 2016–2017
biennium for itc amounted to $39,454,900, which
The joint unctad/wto International Trade was identical to the appropriation for the 2014–2015
Centre (itc), as indicated in its Annual Report 2015 biennium.
[ITC/AG(L)/262] delivered a record level of technical
Having considered the Secretary-General’s report,
assistance, capacity support and market intelligence,
the Advisory Committee on Administrative and
with extra-budgetary expenditures reaching $55.3
Budgetary Questions, in October [A/70/7/Add.1], rec­
million—the highest figure in itc history. Itc focused
ommended that the Assembly approve the proposed
its activities in the six areas: providing trade and
programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017.
market intelligence; building a conducive business
environment; strengthening trade and investment On 23 December, by resolution 70/248 A (see
support institutions; connecting to international p. 734), the General Assembly approved the proposed
value chains; promoting and mainstreaming inclusive programme budget for the biennium 2016–2017 for
and green trade; and supporting regional economic itc in the amount of $35,697,300.
integration and South-South links. Among its many
accomplishments in 2015, itc launched a new tool, Commodities
Procurement Map, to help businesses, especially
Report of Secretary-General. In response to
small and medium-sized enterprises (smes), bid for General Assembly resolution 68/203 [YUN 2013,
public procurement contracts around the world. The p. 916], the Secretary-General submitted a July report
tool listed public tenders from around the world and [A/70/184] on world commodity trends and prospects,
highlighted situations where countries had procure­ prepared by the unctad secretariat. The report re­
ment policies that favoured women-owned businesses viewed developments in key commodity markets and
or smes. Itc also developed two new web-based tools, analysed the factors that had contributed to fluctua­
the Sustainable Spices Initiative and Floriculture Sus­ tions in commodity prices in 2013, 2014 and the first
tainability Initiative, which reviewed and compared four months of 2015. It stated that imbalances be­
standards for spices and flowers respectively, enabling tween supply and demand had weighed prices down
supply chain actors to benchmark their own perfor­ for most commodities in the agricultural sector, min­
mance against market requirements. Over 1,000 in­ erals, ores and metals and the energy markets. For
dividual and business users of Standards Map used many commodity markets, the general downward
the tool’s new features to generate diagnostic reports pressure was also combined with short-term fluctua­
enabling them to determine necessary adjustments tions. Those developments had significant impacts on
and investments to meet the requirements of specific the economies of commodity-dependent developing
standards. During the year, itc also became a core countries and on investors and farmers. The report
member of the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for also suggested strategies to strengthen coordination
Youth, led by the International Labour Organization, between international organizations and other rele­
to support the achievement of the agenda’s goals to vant institutions dealing with commodities issues.
create decent jobs for young women and men. Itc
also entered into an agreement with the Economic GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
deliver capacity building and training on wto ac­ on the recommendation of the Second (Economic and
cession and implementation, with a strong focus on Financial) Committee [A/70/470/Add.4], adopted reso-
the region’s least developed countries and transition lution 70/191 (Commodities) without vote [agenda
economies. item 18 (d)].
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 455

On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly commodities: Challenges and opportunities”. The
decided that the item on “Macroeconomic policy Forum—consisting of one keynote session and five
questions: Commodities” would remain for consid­ plenary sessions—provided rich analysis of the effects
eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. of the end of the 2003–2014 commodity price boom
on commodity-dependent developing countries. The
Individual commodities Forum reached general consensus on recommenda­
tions related to development priorities in ongoing
Cocoa. As at 31 December, the International Co­ multilateral trade negotiations and on increasing
coa Agreement, 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 944], had 12 parties. the adoption of renewable energy technologies. In
During the year, Madagascar became a party. contrast, consensus was elusive on the use of ex­
Grains. As at 31 December, there were 30 parties to port restrictions in the trade of raw materials, and
the Grains Trade Convention, 1995 [YUN 1995, p. 1332]. on collective efforts to improve transparency in the
Sugar. As at 31 December, the International Sugar commodities sector.
Agreement, 1992 [YUN 1992, p. 625]] had 61 parties.
During the year, Trinidad and Tobago issued a notice Coercive economic measures
of withdrawal, effective 31 May. On 16 July, pursuant to General Assembly resolu­
Tropical timber. As at 31 December, there were tion 68/200 [YUN 2013, p. 919], the Secretary-General
72 parties to the International Tropical Timber submitted to the Assembly a report [A/70/152] entitled
Agreement, 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 1124]. During the year, “Unilateral economic measures as a means of political
Belgium, Croatia and Thailand became parties. and economic coercion against developing countries”.
Other commodities. During the year, the follow­ In the report, the Secretary-General outlined the
ing commodities agreements remained in force with­ outcome of his monitoring efforts on such measures
out changes to their lists of parties: Asian Coconut and presented an analysis of their impact on the af­
Community (12 parties); Asian Rice Trade Fund (5 fected countries, including the impact on trade and
parties); International Pepper Community (6 parties); development.
and International Tea Promotion Association (8 parties).
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Common Fund for Commodities On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the Second Committee
In 2015, the Common Fund for Commodities— [A/70/470/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/185 (Unilat-
established in 1980 to realize the potential of com­ eral economic measures as a means of political and
modity production, processing, manufacturing and economic coercion against developing countries)
trade for the benefit of the poor [YUN 1980, p. 621]—had by recorded vote (131-2-49) [agenda item 18 (a)].
102 Member States plus ten institutional members. RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/185:
At its twenty-seventh annual meeting (The Hague, In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Bar­
8–9 December), the Governing Council considered buda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain,
the “Eventual Extension of the date of Entry into Force Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bo­
of the Amendments to the Agreement Establishing livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
the Common Fund for Commodities” and decided Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa
to extend the date of entry into force of the amend­ Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of
ments to the Agreement to 10 January 2017 with the Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dom­
possibility of a further extension to be granted by the inica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,
Council at its twenty-eighth annual meeting, as rec­ Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana,
ommended by the Executive Board. The Governing Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana,
Council also decided to extend the date of entry into Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jor­
dan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s
force of a number of new documents, and amend­ Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Mad­
ments to existing documents, of the “Second Level” agascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mau­
to the same date, 10 January 2017. The Governing ritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar,
Council took note of the report on the First Account Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,
Net Earnings Programme and the Activities under Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
the Second Account for the year 2015. The Governing Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Vin­
cent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra
Council also approved the Administrative Budget for Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa,
2016 and the 2014 Audited Financial Statements. South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian
Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Global Forum Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tu­
valu, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania,
The sixth Global Commodities Forum (Geneva, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen,
13–14 April) was held under the theme “Trade in Zambia, Zimbabwe.
456 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Against: Israel, United States. the sustainable development goals were enormous,
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia currently available global public and private savings
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia,
would be sufficient to achieve that goal. The ultimate
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liech­ objective of the international financial system was to
tenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, facilitate the flow of funds from savers to investors
Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, in the right sectors. Strengthening the effectiveness
Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, of official development assistance (oda) and other
Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swe­ types of development cooperation remained an im­
den, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom. perative for the post-2015 development agenda. The
international financial safety net had been strength­
ened at the regional and international levels since the
Consumer protection global financial crisis of 2008, however it did not yet
United Nations guidelines for consumer provide an adequate safeguard in times of emergency.
protection which provided an internationally ac­ Enhancing cooperation and increasing comple­
cepted framework for the development of national mentarities between regional and global financing
consumer protection policies were first adopted by arrangements would contribute to global financial
the General Assembly in resolution 39/248 [YUN 1985, stability and sustainable growth). He further stated
p. 571], later expanded by the Economic and Social that global economic governance structures needed to
Council in resolution 1999/7 [YUN 1999, p. 884] to further evolve in order to broaden and strengthen the
include a new section on sustainable consumption. participation of developing countries and countries
The revised guidelines made specific reference to the with economies in transition in international
needs of developing countries, to the setting of the economic decision-making and norm-setting.
sustainable development goals as the successors to the Communication. By a letter dated 30 October
Millennium Development Goals, and the need for [A/C.2/70/9], Singapore, on behalf of the Global Gover­
governments to cooperate across borders. nance Group (3G), comprised of 30 UN Member
States, transmitted to the Secretary-General two
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
documents entitled “Input of the Global Governance
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Group (3G) to the Group of 20 (G-20) on sustain­
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second able development and governance” and “Input of the
Committee [A/70/470/Add.1], adopted resolution Global Governance Group (3G) to the Group of 20
70/186 (Consumer protection) without vote [agenda (G-20) Action Plan on Food Security and Sustainable
item 18 (a)]. Food Systems”.
The 3G stressed the importance of an effective,
open and transparent multilateral system that ensured
International financial system the voices of all countries were heard, and emphasized
and development that the United Nations was the only global body with
universal membership and unquestionable legitimacy
playing a central role in overseeing the implementa­
Report of Secretary-General. In response to tion of the 2030 Agenda. It urged the G-20 to align
General Assembly resolution 69/206 [YUN 2014, its development agenda with the 2030 Agenda and
p. 1108], the Secretary-General submitted an Au­ reiterated the importance of complementary work
gust report [A/70/311] on the international financial between the G-20 and the United Nations in imple­
system and development. The report summarized menting the 2030 Agenda.
information on recent trends in international official
and private capital flows to developing countries GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and ongoing efforts to strengthen the international
financial system for the implementation of the forth­ On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
coming 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on the recommendation of the Second Com­
(see p. 396). It also highlighted relevant agreements mittee [A/70/470/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/188
and commitments in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (International financial system and development)
of the Third International Conference on Financing without vote [agenda item 18 (b)].
for Development, regarding official development
assistance, financial regulation, sovereign debt dis­ Debt situation of developing countries
tress, the global financial safety net, multilateral
surveillance, policy coordination and governance re­ External debt sustainability and development
form of the international financial institutions. Report of Secretary-General. In response to
The Secretary-General concluded that although General Assembly resolution 69/207 [YUN 2014,
the financing requirements for the achievement of p. 1109], the Secretary-General submitted an August
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 457

report [A/70/278] on external debt sustainability and vative financing mechanisms, such as gdp -indexed
development, prepared by the unctad secretariat. and catastrophe bonds, also merited further attention
The report reviewed the recent evolution of debt in­ for mitigating the growing vulnerability of the exter­
dicators of developing countries and countries with nal debt positions of developing countries.
economies in transition; provided an assessment of
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
trends in debt relief and oda; and analysed the grow­
ing challenges faced by developing countries in main­ On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
taining and managing debt sustainability because of on the recommendation of the Second Committee,
changes in the global economic environment, shifts in [A/70/470/Add.3] adopted resolution 70/190 (External
the composition of their external debt and increased debt sustainability and development) without vote
incidences of natural disasters. [agenda item 18 (c)].
The total external debt stocks of developing
countries and countries with economies in transition Sovereign debt restructuring process
(henceforth “developing countries”) reached $6.7 tril­
lion in 2014, an increase of 5.2 per cent compared with In accordance with General Assembly resolution
2013 stocks. Official lending to developing countries, 69/247 [YUN 2014, p. 1112], the Ad Hoc Committee
which accounted for 21.2 per cent of total long-term on Sovereign Debt Restructuring Processes held three
external debt, had been on a downward trend follow­ working sessions in 2015. The first working session
ing the 2008 global crisis. Meanwhile, the stock of was held from 3 to 5 February, the second from 28 to
short-term debt had been increasing rapidly, totalling 30 April and the third on 27 and 28 July. The Ad Hoc
$1.8 trillion in 2014, an increase of 60 per cent com­ Committee held 12 plenary meetings.
pared with 2010. At the first working session, participants held panel
Since the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor discussions under the following themes: “Gaps in the
Countries (hipc) Initiative had been launched in current restructuring system”; “Options for moving
1999, 36 of the eligible 39 heavily indebted poor forward”; “Resolving economic disputes multilater­
countries had reached the completion point and ally: lessons from experience”; “The political economy
benefited from debt relief under the hipc Initiative of debt restructuring”; “Standstills, roll-overs and
and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative. Progress write-offs: economic perspectives”; and “Possible ele­
under the hipc Initiative had slowed tremendously as ments of a multilateral legal framework for sovereign
it came to an end. The only country to reach the com­ debt restructuring process and the way forward”. The
pletion point since 2012 was Chad, which reached it second working session focused on the themes: “Guid­
in April 2015, marking the end of a long process for ing principles: legitimacy, impartiality, transparency,
the country from its arrival at the decision point in good faith and sustainability”; “Latest developments
2001. Three eligible heavily indebted poor countries in the contractual approach and why it is not enough”;
had yet to reach the decision point: Eritrea, Somalia and “The way forward” and “Problems of litigation
and the Sudan. against heavily indebted poor countries (hipcs)”. The
Unctad also reported that after declines in 2011 third session featured, inter alia, statements by the
and 2012, oda maintained its 2013 level of approxi­ Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee and the representa­
mately $135 billion in 2014. Although that was high tives of many governments, and a keynote address by
by historical standards, the renewed decline, in 2014, Joseph Stiglitz, Professor at Columbia University and
of oda in the poorest developing economies was of recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic
concern, especially since the enhanced hipc Initiative Sciences.
was fast approaching its end. For vulnerable countries, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
including small island developing States, post- hipc
Initiative assistance was urgently needed and had On 10 September [meeting 102], the General Assembly
been considered swiftly. For developing countries adopted resolution 69/319 [draft: A/69/L.84] (Basic
overall, it was important to ensure that future oda Principles on Sovereign Debt Restructuring Pro-
terms and modalities preserved the principle of its cesses) by recorded vote (136-6-41) [agenda item 13 (a)].
additionality. That was especially relevant in the con­ RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 69/319:
text of the ambitious post-2015 development agenda In favour: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Bar­
and support for climate change adaptation measures. buda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain,
The report stated that international support to en­ Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bo­
sure the effective management of day-to-day public livia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso,
liabilities, through financial and technical assistance Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African
Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica,
and institutional capacity-building for public debt Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
management, was critical to equipping developing Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican
countries with the means to manage and assess the Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,
market-based risks to debt sustainability. Some inno­ Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,
458 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, tional commitments and present new initiatives that
Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Ku­ complemented the actions contained in the Action
wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon,
Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mal­
Agenda. On 14 July, the business sector held a one-
dives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongo­ day International Business Forum. Some 800 partici­
lia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, pants, including more than 400 representatives from
Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, the business sector, engaged in interactive dialogues
Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip­ on investing in the post-2015 sustainable development
pines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and agenda. New concrete initiatives and partnerships
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa,
Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singa­ were announced, including a new sustainable develop­
pore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, ment investment partnership to mobilize $100 billion
Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, Ta­ in private financing over five years for infrastructure
jikistan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tur­ projects in developing countries.
key, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab
Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu, The Conference resulted in the adoption of the
Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe. intergovernmentally negotiated and agreed outcome,
Against: Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, United Kingdom, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which was subse­
United States. quently endorsed by the Assembly in its resolution
Abstaining: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia 69/313 (see below).
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provided a strong
Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lith­ foundation to support the implementation of the post-
uania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, 2015 development agenda. It included a new global
New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, framework for financing sustainable development
Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slo­ by aligning all financing flows and policies with
venia, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. economic, social and environmental priorities.
Member States and other stakeholders also agreed on
a comprehensive set of policy actions, with more than
Financing for development 100 concrete measures that drew upon all sources of
Third International Conference on Financing finance, technology, innovation, trade, debt and data
for Development in order to support achievement of the sustainable
development goals.
The third International Conference on Financing
for Development was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
from 13 to16 July, pursuant to General Assembly res­
On 27 July [meeting 99], the General Assembly
olutions 68/204 [YUN 2013, p. 931], 68/279 [YUN 2014,
adopted resolution 69/313 [draft: A/69/L.82] (Addis
p. 1116] and 69/278 (see below). The Conference was
Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International
attended by 24 Heads of State and Government and
Conference on Financing for Development (Addis
their deputies, more than 100 Ministers for Finance,
Ababa Action Agenda)) without vote [agenda item 18].
Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation and
deputies and other high-ranking officials from 174
Preparations for the Conference
countries. The heads of major financial, trade and
development institutions and senior representatives GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
of United Nations agencies and other international On 8 May [meeting 89], the General Assembly
organizations, and more than 600 civil society adopted resolution 69/278 [draft: A/69/L.62] (Further
organizations and 400 representatives of the business modalities for the third International Conference
sector participated in the Conference. on Financing for Development) without vote [agenda
The Conference consisted of eight plenary meet­ item 18].
ings and six multi-stakeholder round tables. In par­
allel to the plenary, six multi-stakeholder round ta­ Follow-up to the International Conference
bles were held on the themes of global partnership on Financing for Development
and the three dimensions of sustainable development
and ensuring policy coherence and an enabling Report of Secretary-General. In response to
environment for sustainable development. During the General Assembly resolution 69/208 [YUN 2014,
Conference, a total of 182 side events were organized p. 1118], the Secretary-General submitted an August
by Member States, major institutional stakeholders, report [A/70/320] summarizing the outcome of the
United Nations bodies and other intergovernmental third International Conference on Financing for
organizations, as well as civil society, business sector Development. The report consisted of five sections.
and philanthropic organizations. Apart from official The introductory section provided an overview of
meetings, side events provided a platform for Gov­ the preparation of the Conference and its outcome.
ernments and other stakeholders to announce addi­ The second section provided a brief description of
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 459

proceedings at the Conference. The third section pre­ cial and additional resources for the new universal
sented a summary of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda agenda should be made available; that participants
adopted at the Conference. The fourth section dis­ underscored the importance of strengthening tax
cussed the revitalized global partnership for sustain­ collection capacity and tax compliance, as well as ad­
able development and summarized additional initi­ dressing illicit financial flows; that participants also
atives, commitments and deliverables announced highlighted the potential and importance of small and
in the context of the Conference. The final section medium-sized enterprises, in both economic growth
summarized the inputs by non-governmental stake­ and job creation; that development agenda should also
holders in support of the Conference, in particular recognize the need for coherence and consistency in
the Civil Society Organizations Global Forum and the trading system, working to address distortions
the International Business Forum. in trade, non-tariff measures, tariff peaks and other
policies that harmed developing countries; that some
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION participants had called for the strengthening of the
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly role of the United Nations in global economic gover­
adopted resolution 70/192 [A/70/471] (Follow-up to nance and international cooperation in tax matters,
the International Conference on Financing for as well as for governance reforms of international
Development) without vote [agenda item 19]. financial institutions to improve the voice and rep­
Also, on 22 December [meeting 81], the General resentation of developing countries. The Council Pres­
Assembly adopted resolution 70/189 [A70/470/Add.2] ident called for the strong engagement of all relevant
(Financial inclusion for sustainable development) stakeholders in tackling the challenges ahead in for­
mulating and implementing a new global financing
without vote [agenda item 18 (b)].
framework, stressing that the Council stood ready to
play its part.
Special high-level meeting of the Economic
and Social Council
Other matters
The Economic and Social Council held a special
high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, International Standards of Accounting
wto and unctad (New York, 20–21 April) under the and Reporting
theme “Coherence, coordination and cooperation in
the context of financing for sustainable development Group of experts
and the post-2015 development agenda”. The meeting At its thirty-second session (Geneva, 4–6 No­
was organized around a ministerial segment, statements vember) [TD/B/C.II/ISAR/75], the Intergovernmental
by intergovernmental representatives and three the­ Working Group of Experts on International
matic debates. The ministerial segment focused on the Standards of Accounting and Reporting considered
theme “World economic situation and prospects”. The a secretariat note [TD/B/C.II/ISAR/73] on “Key founda­
thematic debates were organized around the themes of tions for high-quality reporting: International audit
“Current challenges and emerging opportunities for and assurance requirements and good practices in
mobilization of financial resources and their effective their implementation”, which reviewed trends in the
use for sustainable development on the road to Addis development and implementation of the International
Ababa”; “Renewed global partnership for development Standards on Auditing, as well as the related imple­
in the context of the post-2015 development agenda”; mentation challenges of such standards pertaining
and “Follow-up and the way forward: enhancing the to regulatory, institutional and human capacity re­
role of the Economic and Social Council”. It had be­ quirements. In agreed conclusions, it called for closer
fore it a note by the Secretary-General on the theme collaboration among standard-setters, various sectoral
[E/2015/52], which provided background information regulators and oversight authorities to gain synergies
and suggested points for reflection on the above and achieve effective regulation. Issues such as audit
four themes. quality, independence and professional scepticism
The Council President, in his concluding remarks were highlighted as areas to be addressed in order
[A/70/85-E/2015/77] noted that the meeting had brought to enhance the positive contribution of auditing to
together the key players involved in deliberations on high-quality reporting. The Group of Experts called
the post-2015 development agenda and its means of on unctad to continue to facilitate the sharing of
implementation. He summarized the main features of good practices in the consistent implementation and
the discussions, noting: that in order to create enabling enforcement of international auditing and assurance
national and global environments for development, standards, including through the conducting of case
a package of ambitious structural reforms should be studies and organizing capacity-building seminars
put in place in many areas, including labour mar­ and workshops.
kets, social sectors, infrastructure and energy; that The Group also considered a note prepared by
official development assistance would remain cru­ the unctad secretariat [TD/B/C.II/ISAR/74] entitled
460 Part Three: Economic and social questions

“Review of good practices on enhancing the role of cor­ from the point of view of developing countries and
porate reporting in attaining sustainable development aimed to demonstrate practical and feasible solutions
goals”, which highlighted the important role of cor­ on both the national and international level.
porate reporting in the development agenda and out­ On 23 July (decision 2015/257), the Economic
lined main international initiatives and good practices and Social Council took note of the report of the
on sustainability reporting. In agreed conclusions, the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation
Group called on unctad to conduct further work, in in Tax Matters [E/2014/45-E/C.18/2014/6] on its tenth
collaboration with the consultative group, with a view session and of the report of the Secretary-General on
to identifying good corporate reporting practices on further strengthening the work of the Committee of
the sustainable development goals and facilitation of Experts [E/2015/51].
harmonization of sustainability reporting.
The Working Group also reviewed progress made Committee of experts
during the intersessional period on developing a guid­ On 9 June (decision 2015/214), the Economic
ing document on good practices around monitoring and Social Council decided to convene the eleventh
of compliance and enforcement of globally recognized session of the Committee of Experts on International
standards and codes with a view to achieving high- Cooperation in Tax Matters from 19 to 23 October
quality reporting in both financial and non-financial 2015 in Geneva [E/2015/45-E/C.18/2015/6]. The meeting
aspects of the performance of enterprises. discussed issues related to international cooperation
in tax matters issues, in particular: Article 1 (Persons
International cooperation in tax matters covered): application of treaty rules to hybrid entities
Special meeting of Economic and Social [E/C.18/2015/3]; Article 5 (Permanent establishment):
Council. Pursuant to Economic and Social Council the meaning of “connected projects”; Article 8 (Ship­
resolution 2014/12 [YUN 2014, p. 1120], the Council ping, inland waterways transport and air transport);
held a one-day meeting (New York, 22 April) to con­ and Article 9 (Associated enterprises): issues for the
sider international cooperation in tax matters includ­ next update of the United Nations Practical Manual
ing its contribution to mobilizing domestic financial on Transfer Pricing for Developing Countries. The
resources for development and the institutional Committee decided to hold its twelfth session in Ge­
arrangements to promote such cooperation, with neva from 11 to 14 October 2016, and approved its
the participation of representatives of national tax provisional agenda for the session.
authorities. The Council had before it a report
[E/2015/51] of the Secretary-General on strength­
ening the work of the Committee of Experts on Transport
International Cooperation in Tax Matters, and the
report [E/2014/45-E/C.18/2014/6] of the tenth session of
the Committee of Experts on International Coopera­ Maritime transport
tion in Tax Matters [YUN 2014, p. 1120]. The Review of Maritime Transport, 2016 [Sales
The morning session featured an update on the No. E.16.II.D.7]stated that estimated world seaborne
work of the Committee, followed by a panel dis­ trade volumes in 2015 surpassed 10 billion tons—the
cussion on “The role of international tax coopera­ first time in the records of unctad. Shipments ex­
tion in mobilizing domestic financial resources panded by 2.1 per cent, a pace notably slower than
for development”, with the participation of major the historical average. The tanker trade segment re­
international organizations active in the tax area, such corded its best performance since 2008, while growth
as the imf, World Bank, oecd, Inter-American Centre in the dry cargo sector, including bulk commodities
of Tax Administrations and African Tax Administra­ and containerized trade in commodities, fell short of
tion Forum. expectations.
The afternoon session began with a panel dis­ The world fleet grew by 3.5 per cent at the end
cussion on “Tax incentives and tax base protection of 2015 (in terms of dead-weight tons). The freight
issues for developing countries”, which highlighted rates and maritime transport costs of most shipping
the views of international organizations on options segments, except for tankers, suffered historic low lev­
for developing countries’ efficient and effective use of els of freight rates and weak earnings, triggered by
tax incentives for investment. The panel also featured weak demand and oversupply of new tonnage. The
a developing country perspective on designing, imple­ tanker market remained strong, mainly because of
menting and monitoring tax incentives. The meeting the continuing and exceptional fall in oil prices. In
concluded with an interactive discussion on “Taxation the container segment, freight rates declined steadily,
of intellectual property rights and other intangibles: reaching record low prices as the market continued
Issues for developing countries”, which focused on as­ to struggle with weakening demand and the presence
sessing international reform processes on those issues of ever-larger container vessels that had entered the
Chapter IV: International trade, finance and transport 461

market throughout the year. Market conditions in the the fifth revised edition of the Globally Harmonized
tanker market, however, were favourable. The crude System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
oil and oil product tanker markets enjoyed strong All the main legal instruments and codes governing
freight rates throughout 2015, mainly triggered by a the international transport of dangerous goods by
surge in seaborne oil trade and supported by a low sea, air, road, rail or inland waterway were amended
supply of crude tanker fleet capacity. accordingly, with effect from 1 January 2015, and
The report also described its work in helping de­ many Governments also transposed the provisions
veloping countries improve port performance, with a of the Model Regulations into their own legislation
view towards lowering transport costs and achieving for domestic traffic for application from 2015. Many
better integration into global trade. Governments and international organizations had re­
vised or taken steps to revise existing national and
Among regulatory initiatives, planning was international legislation in order to implement the
underway for the entry into force on 1 July 2016 of Globally Harmonized System as soon as possible.
the International Convention for the Safety of Life
at Sea amendments related to the mandatory veri­ The Committee adopted amendments to the
fication of the gross mass of containers, which was Model Regulations and the Manual of Tests and Cri-
poised to contribute to improving the stability and teria, which consisted of new or revised provisions
safety of ships and avoiding maritime accidents. At that concerned the transport of viscous liquids, gases,
the International Maritime Organization, discussions polymerizing substances, internal combustion engines
continued on the reduction of greenhouse gas emis­ or machinery powered by flammable liquids or gases,
sions from international shipping and on technical electric vehicles, and lithium batteries and ammonia
cooperation and transfer of technology particularly dispensing systems. The Committee also adopted
to developing countries. Also, progress was made amendments to the Globally Harmonized System that
in other areas related to sustainable development. included a new hazard class for desensitized explosives
Those included work on technical matters related and a new hazard category for pyrophoric gases; and
to the imminent entry into force and implementa­ miscellaneous provisions intended to clarify the crite­
tion of the International Convention for the Control ria for some hazard classes.
and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sed­ The Committee recommended that the secretariat
iments (2004) and on developing an international be requested to collect information on the contact de­
legally binding instrument under the United Nations tails of competent authorities responsible for national
Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation regulations applicable to the transport of dangerous
and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of goods by modes of transport other than by air or sea
areas beyond national jurisdiction. and of national authorities competent for author­
izing the allocation of the “UN” approval mark on
packaging and tanks that met the specifications of
Transport of dangerous goods the Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous
Committee of experts Goods: Model Regulations. The Committee adopted
a programme of work for the biennium 2015–2016,
In accordance with Economic and Social Council planning its sessions and those of the Subcommittee
resolution 645 G (XXIII) [YUN 1957, p. 194], the of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Secretary-General submitted a report in April and the Subcommittee of Experts on the Globally
[E/2015/66] on the work of the Committee of Experts Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling
on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the of Chemicals in accordance with Council resolution
Globally Harmonized System of Classification and 1999/65 [YUN 1999, p. 906]. It recommended a draft
Labelling of Chemicals during the biennium 2013– resolution for adoption by the Council (see below).
2014 and the implementation of Economic and Social
Council resolution 2013/25 [YUN 2013, p. 941]. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION

The secretariat of the Economic Commission for On 8 June [meeting 32], the Economic and Social
Europe, which provided services to the Committee, Council adopted resolution 2015/7 [E/2015/66]
published: the eighteenth revised edition of the Rec- (Work of the Committee of Experts on the
ommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods: Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the
Model Regulations, Amendment 2 to the fifth revised Globally Harmonized System of Classification
edition of the Recommendations on the Transport of and Labelling of Chemicals) without vote [agenda
Dangerous Goods: Manual of Tests and Criteria and item 18 (l)].
Chapter V

Regional economic and social activities

In 2015, the five UN regional commissions of the Centre for the Development of Disaster Information
Economic and Social Council—the Economic Management based in Tehran, Iran.
Commission for Africa (eca), the Economic and At its sixty-sixth session in April, ece discussed
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (escap), the theme “Committing to action on sustainable
the Economic Commission for Europe (ece), the development in times of change”, with a focus on
Economic Commission for Latin America and the sustainable energy and resilient communities; sustain-
Caribbean (eclac) and the Economic and Social able management of ecosystems and natural resources;
Commission for Western Asia (escwa)—continued connectivity and competitiveness for sustainable lives;
to provide technical cooperation and advisory services measuring and monitoring sustainable development;
to Member States, promote programmes and projects and partnering for sustainable development. The
and provide training to enhance national capacity- Commission endorsed a “High-level statement on the
building. Three of them—eca, ece and escap—held post-2015 development agenda and expected sustain-
regular sessions during the year, while eclac and able development goals in the ece region” and de-
escwa did not meet in 2015. The Executive Secretar- cided to transmit that statement as a regional input
ies of the Commissions continued to hold periodic to the 2015 High-level Political Forum on Sustain-
meetings to exchange views and coordinate activities able Development and the 2015 Annual Ministerial
and positions on major development issues, includ- Review of the Economic and Social Council.
ing in relation to the three landmark multilateral
agreements that were concluded in 2015—the Addis In July, the Economic and Social Council approved
Ababa Action Agenda, adopted in July; the sustain- the admission of Norway to membership in eclac,
able development goals, adopted in September; and and the admission of Mauritania to membership in
the Paris Agreement, adopted in December. escwa.
Eca held its forty-eighth session under the theme
“Implementing Agenda 2063: planning, mobilizing
and financing for development”, which explored Regional cooperation
key issues related to Agenda 2063 in general and
the associated first 10-year plan in particular. The In 2015, the United Nations continued to strengthen
Commission adopted nine resolutions that provided cooperation among its regional commissions, between
mandates to eca and the African Union Commission them and other UN entities, and with regional and
to undertake work in areas such as data revolution and international organizations.
statistical development in Africa; mainstreaming the Meetings of Executive Secretaries. The
African Social Development Index; the framework Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions
for a renewed United Nations-African Union met six times in 2015 [E/2015/15 & E/2016/15]: once in
partnership on Africa’s integration and development March, on the margins of the UN senior managers’
agenda for 2017–2027; the Vienna Programme of retreat in Turin, Italy; twice in July, on the margins of
Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for their annual dialogue with the Economic and Social
the Decade 2014–2024; least developed countries in Council in New York and at the third International
Africa; and progress and further development of the Conference on Financing for Development in
African Risk Capacity Agency. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; twice in September, on the
Escap held its seventy-first session in May under occasion of the annual coordination meeting hosted
the theme “Balancing the three dimensions of by escwa in Beirut, Lebanon, and on the margins
sustainable development: from integration to im- of the UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015
plementation”. The Commission adopted 14 resolu- development agenda in New York; and once in Octo-
tions on a range of subjects, plans and programmes ber on the margins of their annual dialogue with the
of importance for development in the region. On Second Committee of the General Assembly. Those
the recommendation of escap, the Economic and meetings proved crucial in forging coordinated po-
Social Council endorsed the restructuring of the sitions and strategic responses to the deliberations
escap conference structure to be fit for the evolving on the post-2015 development agenda, including
post-2015 development agenda. The Council also through papers articulating the role and assets of the
endorsed the establishment of the Asian and Pacific regional commissions in supporting the implemen-

462
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 463

tation and follow-up to and review by States of the Ethiopia, 30–31 March) [E/2015/38-E/ECA/CM/48/9].
2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. The session was held under the theme “Implementing
The meetings also served as a forum for coordinating Agenda 2063: planning, mobilizing and financing for
joint activities by the commissions on the margins of development”.
global conferences. As part of its expert and ministerial segments, the
Commission explored key issues related to Agenda
Cooperation in the economic, social 2063 in general and the associated first 10-year plan
and related fields in particular, including implementation arrangements
and capacities; integration in national and regional
In accordance with General Assembly resolution development plans, monitoring and evaluation; fi-
1823 (XVII) [YUN 1962, p. 293] and Economic and Social nancing strategies; stakeholder participation; part­
Council resolution 1817(LV) [YUN 1973, p. 449], the nerships; and communication and outreach. The
Secretary-General in June submitted to the Economic Commission discussed additional issues of relevance
and Social Council a report [E/2015/15] on regional co- for Africa’s development, including the post-2015
operation in the economic, social and related fields. development agenda; data revolution; regional inte-
The report was divided into two main sections. The gration in Africa; the Vienna Programme of Action
first section provided regional perspectives on two for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade
global processes under active consideration during the 2014–2024; the proposed programme budget for the
reporting period, namely the post-2015 development period 2016–2017; outcomes of the survey carried out
agenda and the third International Conference on by the Commission among its partners; the African
Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Social Development Index; the Programme of Action
13–16 July). It also highlighted the role of the regional for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade
commissions in supporting action on climate change 2011–2020 (Istanbul Programme of Action); UN
in their regions ahead of the twenty-first session of system-wide support for au and its New Partnership
the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations for African Development (nepad) programme;
Framework Convention on Climate Change (Paris, regional consultations on financing for development;
30 November–13 December). The second section the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development; the
covered developments in selected areas of regional and au financial institutions; the African Private Sector
interregional cooperation, including additional policy Forum; the common African position on financing for
matters addressed during the ministerial sessions of the development; and the African Risk Capacity Agency.
regional commissions; efforts to promote coherence at The Commission adopted nine resolutions
the regional level, including through the respective [E/2015/38-E/ECA/CM/48/9] that provided mandates
regional coordination mechanisms convened by the to eca and the au Commission to undertake work
regional commissions, as mandated by the Council; in the following areas: intensifying implementa-
cooperation with non-UN regional organizations to tion of Agenda 2063 through planning, mobiliz-
promote development; and enhanced interregional co- ing and financing for development; input to the
operation among the regional commissions. third International Conference on Financing for
Two addendums [E/2015/15/Add.1, 2] contained infor- Development (Addis Ababa, 13–16 July) (see p. 458);
mation on resolutions and decisions adopted at the reg- convening, on a biennial basis, the African Regional
ular, extraordinary or special sessions of the regional Forum on Sustainable Development; data revolution
commissions during the reporting period. and statistical development in Africa; mainstreaming
The Economic and Social Council took note of the the African Social Development Index; the framework
report and related addendums on 22 July (decision for a renewed United Nations-African Union
2015/251). partnership on Africa’s integration and development
agenda for 2017–2027; the Vienna Programme of
Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the
Decade 2014–2024; least developed countries (ldcs)
Africa in Africa; and progress and further development of the
African Risk Capacity Agency.
In accordance with Economic and Social Council The activities of the Commission were summar-
resolution 2007/4 [YUN 2007, p. 1014], the Economic ized in the eca biennial report 2014–2015 [E/ECA/
Commission for Africa (eca) held its forty-eighth COE/35/9].
session as part of the eighth Joint Annual Meetings of the
African Union (au) Specialized Technical Committee Economic trends
on Finance, Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning
and Integration and the Economic Commission for The adoption of three landmark multilateral agree-
Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, ments that aligned well with Africa’s need to industri-
Planning and Economic Development (Addis Ababa, alize by generating greener and more inclusive growth,
464 Part Three: Economic and social questions

was a defining feature of 2015. The Addis Ababa Action driven to some extent by declining commodity prices,
Agenda—the outcome of the third International as oil-exporting countries had recorded the first cur-
Conference on Financing for Development in July—of- rent account deficit since 2009 in 2014. On the other
fered a comprehensive framework for financing Africa’s hand, low oil prices led to a narrowing of deficits in oil-
industrialization and structural transformation, with importing countries. Most African countries exercised
an emphasis on domestic resource mobilization. The tight monetary policy as global headwinds weighed
sustainable development goals (sdgs), adopted in Sep- on the region, mainly to curb rising inflation together
tember by the UN summit for the adoption of the with high fiscal and current account deficits. Inflation
post-2015 development agenda (see p. 396), placed rates increased mainly as a consequence of weakening
equality, sustainability and universal basic needs at the domestic currencies owing to declining commodity
heart of a common global economic strategy. The Paris prices and rising food prices across the continent.
Agreement, adopted in December by the twenty-first Africa’s medium-term prospects remained positive,
annual Conference of the Parties to the Framework despite downside risks such as the dry spell over the
Convention on Climate Change (see p. 515), aimed to East and Southern parts of the region, which was likely
lead a global transformation away from the dominant to significantly affect agricultural production as most
fossil fuel energy systems and towards a low-carbon of the economies were primarily based on agriculture.
economy. Together, those three global agreements set The weak global economy, monetary tightening in
the stage for international and regional partnerships developed economies and security and political insta-
that had the potential to transform Africa’s growth bility concerns in some countries remained a challenge.
prospects. In March, eca launched the Economic Report on
Taking stock of economic trends [E/2016/17], Africa 2015, devoted to the theme “Industrializing
global economic growth declined moderately from Through Trade”.
2.6 per cent in 2014 to 2.4 per cent in 2015, reflect- On 22 July (decision 2015/251), the Economic
ing a range of problems in the euro area, China, Bra- and Social Council took note of the document enti-
zil, and the Russian Federation, combined with the tled “Overview of economic and social conditions in
collapse of oil prices. This slowdown among Africa’s Africa, 2014–2015” [YUN 2014, p. 1125].
largest trading partners inevitably affected economic
performance on the continent, with growth moderat- Activities
ing from 3.9 per cent in 2014 to 3.7 per cent in 2015.
Oil-exporting African countries, with an estimated The eca programme of work in 2015 was organ-
3.9 per cent growth rate in 2015, continued to per- ized under ten subprogrammes: macroeconomic
form well (as declining oil prices were partially offset policy; regional integration and trade; innovations,
by healthy dynamics in the non-oil sectors in some technologies and management of Africa’s natural
countries) when compared to both oil-importing and resources; statistics; capacity development; technical
mineral-rich countries, with average growth rates of cooperation; gender and women in development;
3.5 per cent and 3.0 per cent, respectively. In those subregional activities for development; development
two latter groups of countries, growth was mainly planning and administration; and social development
driven by private consumption, increasing at 2.5 and [E/ECA/COE/34/11]. The eca secretariat prepared for
3.2 per cent relative to total gdp, respectively. and serviced meetings of various subsidiary bodies
of the Commission, including the meetings of the
At the subregional level, East Africa maintained intergovernmental committees of experts of its five
the highest growth rate in the region at 6.2 per cent. subregional offices. The key recommendations from
Across the subregions, private consumption contin- those meetings were highlighted in the eca annual
ued to be the main gdp growth driver, despite the report covering the period from March 2015 to March
decline in its share of growth in East and Central 2016 [E/ECA/CM/49/10].
Africa, mainly due to the global economic slowdown
that brought about a reduction in foreign investment
inflows. Compared to gdp, private consumption in- Macroeconomic policy
creased significantly in North, Southern and West The subprogramme on macroeconomic policy
Africa, growing at 2.2 per cent, 2.1 per cent and aimed to promote policies, strategies and programmes
3.4 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, gross capital for sustainable growth and development in Africa.
formation also increased significantly in the East and The main strategic focus of the subprogramme was
North Africa subregions, growing at 1.8 per cent and to accelerate the transformation of African countries
1.6 per cent relative to gdp, respectively, mainly as a from low-income to middle-income status. Dur-
result of increased investments in infrastructure proj- ing the year, eca produced the 2015 edition of the
ects in both subregions. Economic Report on Africa, under the theme “Indus-
All the African subregions and economic group- trializing through trade”. The 2015 edition built on
ings experienced current account deficits that were previous editions, which had emphasized the need for
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 465

developmental States and development plans to foster Regional integration and trade
Africa’s structural transformation, benefiting from the
continent’s natural resources to promote commodity- The regional integration and trade subprogramme
based industrialization. The key messages and recom- continued to support Member States to adopt policies
mendations of the report were widely disseminated and regional initiatives that would promote intra-
through launch events in more than 20 major cities African trade and better leverage other trade develop-
within and outside of Africa. Eca also contributed ments, such as the economic partnership agreements.
to and launched the 2015 edition of the World Eca provided support to the three regional economic
Economic Situation and Prospects, a joint annual pub- communities involved in the negotiation of the Tripar-
lication of the Department of Economic and Social tite Free Trade Area, which was launched in June and
Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and led to the kick-off of the continental free trade area ne-
Development and the five regional commissions. The gotiations. Eca also delivered technical assistance in the
publication provided an overview of recent global formulation and validation of the national and regional
economic performance and short-term prospects for action plans for boosting intra-African trade and the
the world economy, and key global economic policy continental free trade area (Gabon, Nigeria, Tunisia,
and development issues. United Republic of Tanzania, Arab Maghreb Union,
Eca undertook country case studies to distil les- East African Community, Economic Community
sons learned in development planning in Africa. A of Central African States, Economic Community of
report entitled “Economic development planning in West African States, Southern African Development
Africa: 50 years of experience” was finalized, with Community) and in the formulation and validation
translation and printing scheduled for 2016. The of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act national
report resulted from a research exercise based on the response strategy (Ethiopia, Lesotho). Technical
planning experiences of nine African countries from support was provided to the African group of countries
all five subregions of the continent, as well as from in preparation for the tenth World Trade Organization
eight Asian countries. The findings from that work, Ministerial Conference (Nairobi, Kenya, 15–19 De-
combined with a similar study on lessons learned in cember). The number of common positions adopted
the implementation of the Millennium Development or implemented by Member States in the area of
Goals (mdgs), provided an analytical basis to support international trade or trade negotiation increased from
Member States in their transition to and implementa- 10 in the biennium 2012–2013 to 16 in 2014–2015,
tion of the sdgs. against a 2014–2015 biennium target of 15.
Eca, in collaboration with the the African Union Concerning agricultural issues, eca met its target
Commission (auc), the African Development Bank of increasing the number of countries from five to six
and the United Nations Development Programme (with the addition of the Democratic Republic of the
(undp), also published the Millennium Development Congo) and the number of regional economic commu-
Goals Report 2015, which assessed the performance of nities from two to five (Common Market for Eastern
African countries in relation to the Goals, and also and Southern Africa, East African Community,
highlighted successful policy interventions in Africa Economic Community of Central African States,
that would guide implementation of the post-2015 Economic Community of West African States, South-
development agenda going forward. The report was ern African Development Community) that had de-
launched on the margins of the General Assembly signed or implemented policies or programmes aimed
in September and disseminated widely, including at at achieving agriculture development and food security.
the tenth African Economic Conference (Kinshasa, Cognizant of the role that private equity could
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2–4 November), play as an alternative source of investment in support
which deliberated on the theme “Addressing poverty of development efforts in Africa, eca worked to raise
and inequality in the post-2015 development agenda” the prospects for private equity in Africa’s economic
and was jointly organized by the African Development growth. In that context, eca developed a pan-Africa
Bank and undp. study entitled “Private equity and its potential role in
In the area of economic governance, eca met its economic growth in Africa: demystifying the asset class
target of increasing from 18 to 24 the number of for policymakers”. The ninth African Development
African countries using eca research and advocacy Forum (Marrakech, Morocco, 12–16 October 2014),
work to improve good economic governance practices, held under the theme of “Innovative financing for
policies and standards. The six additional countries Africa’s transformation”, provided an opportunity
were Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Ghana, Sierra Leone for eca to propagate the findings of the study among
and Swaziland. Eca also supported four additional stakeholders, including Member States, the private
countries (Cameroon, Chad, Djibouti, Ghana) in sector and civil society organizations.
adopting policies on economic governance, thereby Concerning infrastructure, eca contributed to the
meeting its target for the 2014–2015 biennium of development of the Programme for Infrastructure
bringing that total number of countries to 22. Development in Africa monitoring and evaluation
466 Part Three: Economic and social questions

model for trans-Africa infrastructure projects de- With regard to science, technology and innovation,
signed to enhance regional projects implementa- eca work in the area of research and advocacy allowed
tion. A road map for the accelerated implementa- it to fully meet its target of increasing the number of
tion of the African Action Plan for the Decade of institutions and networks of innovators and inventors
Action for Road Safety was adopted by auc during supported by Member States and regional economic
the regional review meeting on road safety, held in communities. This was achieved by promoting the
July. In general, progress was made towards increasing development of biomedical engineering programmes
the number of countries (from 8 to 17) and regional in African universities, which were adopted by 11 uni-
economic communities (from 1 to 3) developing versities by the end of 2015. About 220 students
policies or programmes in the areas of industrializa- were enrolled in such programmes using the generic
tion, infrastructure, energy or investment. curriculum, and some 33 students had graduated by
the end of 2015.
Europe–Africa fixed link Eca promoted the adoption and implementation of
On 20 April [E/2015/21], the Secretary-General new initiatives aligned with the Africa Mining Vision.
transmitted to the Economic and Social Council a Five countries (Guinea, Lesotho, Mozambique, Sierra
report jointly prepared by eca and the Economic Leone, United Republic of Tanzania) adopted policies
Commission for Europe (ece) on the activities car- or regulatory frameworks for the management of min-
ried out within the framework of the project for a eral resources in line with the Vision. Eca also under-
Europe-Africa fixed link through the Strait of Gibral- took an assessment of mineral beneficiation policies
tar. The report, prepared in accordance with resolu- across all of the 15 Member States of the Southern
tion 2009/11 [YUN 2009, p. 971] and resolution 2013/7 African Development Community, profiling the best
[YUN 2013, p. 947], summarized the work done under practices and lessons in the region with the ultimate
the authority of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Com- goal of advancing the Common Market for Eastern
mittee by two engineering firms, Sociedad Española and Southern Africa mineral beneficiation agenda.
de Estudios para la Comunicación Fija a través del Es- The knowledge and capacities of those benefiting from
trecho de Gibraltar and Société nationale d’études du the mineral sector were enhanced through regional
détroit de Gibraltar, in connection with the fixed-link initiatives on extractives in Africa, which included
project. The report described the activities undertaken leveraging the Africa Mining Vision for quality of
from 2013 to 2015 as well as the principal activities governance; production of a country mining vision
scheduled to be undertaken between 2015 and 2017 guidebook for the domestication of the Vision and
to advance the project. the design of compliant country-level policy and reg-
The Economic and Social Council took note of the ulatory frameworks; analyses of the capacity gaps of
joint report on 22 July (decision 2015/251). African geological survey organizations; and a study
on illicit financial flows. A study on African small
Innovations, technologies and management mining was also undertaken, including fieldwork and
of Africa’s natural resources data collection to establish a profile of such mining on
the basis of field evidence from 16 countries.
The focus of this eca subprogramme was to pro- Through the African Climate Policy Centre, eca
mote the adoption and implementation of new initi- continued to support Member States in addressing
atives in the areas of natural resources management, the challenges that climate change posed to vulnera-
climate change and new technologies and innova- ble development sectors. Major achievements included
tions to support economic and social transformation an increase from 10 to 27 in the number of Member
in Africa. Over the course of the review period, eca States that factored climate change into development
consolidated its research, policy development and frameworks and policies using eca research and
analytical work on innovations and technologies, advisory work. A total of 58 technical support activities
green transformation, minerals and extractives and were carried out, including 33 activities involving
climate change. Those efforts were aimed at helping training, workshops, awareness-raising, consensus-
to establish pro-poor policies and sound decision- building and policy dialogues.
making and policy processes as a conduit for sustain-
able development. The subprogramme increased the
Statistics
number of national, subregional and regional initi-
atives harnessing new technologies and innovations The objective of eca work under the statistics sub-
for development, from 15 initiatives in the 2012–2013 programme, managed by the Commission’s African
biennium to 28 in the 2014–2015 biennium. The Centre for Statistics, was to increase the statistical
initiatives included support for the development of capabilities of African countries to collect, compile
e-government strategies and measurement frameworks and use quality, comparable and harmonized statistics
for eight countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, in support of national, regional and international
Gambia, Guinea, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia). development efforts. During the reporting period,
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 467

some 24 Member States received technical assistance progress report on the first phase of the project (for the
from eca and its partners to design and imple- biennium 2014–2015) and a project document for the
ment the National Strategy for the Development of second phase (for 2016–2018).
Statistics, surpassing the 2014–2015 biennium target
of 21, from a previous baseline of 14. In the process, Capacity development
comprehensive assessments of the national statistical
systems were undertaken in ten countries (Comoros, The aim of the capacity development subpro-
Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, gramme was to strengthen the capacity of auc, the
Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe). nepad Planning and Coordinating Agency, the
In the area of geoinformation, eca led the establish- secretariat of the African Peer Review Mechanism
ment of the Regional Committee of United Nations and regional economic communities to implement
Global Geospatial Information Management for their development priorities in line with the priorities
Africa, which created new partnerships with national articulated in Agenda 2063 and in internationally
officials in all geospatial fields, as well as with non- agreed development goals such as the 2030 Agenda
governmental organizations, academia, research for Sustainable Development (see p. 396).
institutions and the private sector. Through the work During the review period, eca continued to ad-
of the Regional Committee, Member States agreed vance the ideals of the African Peer Review Mechanism
on a basic set of concepts, practices, standards and and assisted countries in the development of national
guidelines for the development and management of action plans. Eca provided substantive support for the
geospatial information in Africa. In addition, eca co- preparation of the extraordinary summit of Heads of
ordinated the deployment of 10 new global navigation State and Government participating in the African
satellite system reference stations in Burundi, Chad, Peer Review Mechanism. As a member of the technical
Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, team, eca also contributed to the issue papers and the
Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Namibia, Zambia and outcome of the Summit. In April, a technical training
Zimbabwe. workshop was organized in Senegal on methodologies
Eca improved the capacities of six pilot African and questionnaires related to the African Peer Review
countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Mechanism in order to equip national stakeholders
Tunisia, Zimbabwe) in the use of mobile technology with an understanding of the self-assessment process
in statistical processes. This initiative increased the and their roles and responsibilities, the structure of
capacity of national statistics offices to work with the questionnaire and the surveys for households and
training and research institutions to develop meth- other target groups, and the overall process of prepar-
odologies and systems for mobile data collection and ing the national report and programme of action.
also increased the capacity of those offices to develop Eca was instrumental in the endorsement of the
geo-enabled data collection systems running on mo- Framework for a Renewed United Nations-African
bile devices. As part of the project, eca published Union Partnership on Africa’s Integration and
guidelines on the use of mobile devices in data col- Develop­ment Agenda 2017–2027—through a reso-
lection. A regional conference on the use of mobile lution of the 2015 Conference of African Ministers
technology for statistical processes was held to share of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
the experience gained and lessons learned with practi- (Addis Ababa, 25–31 March) and in a decision
tioners and academics (Addis Ababa, 13–16 October). of the twenty-fifth (2015) Summit of the African
Eca continued to lead the implementation of the Union (Johannesburg, South Africa, 7–15 June). The
System of National Accounts in Africa in order to ad- Partnership was prepared by the Regional Coordina-
dress the challenges African countries were facing in tion Mechanism Africa (rcm-Africa), with eca as the
producing timely and quality national accounts and secretariat of the mechanism.
economic statistics. Eca achieved its target to increase Overall, eca supported the accomplishment of 20
to 44 the number of countries for which a comparable projects towards implementation of the priorities of
set of System of National Accounts data was included au, nepad, the regional economic communities and
in the African statistical database, from a baseline of Member States, from an original target of 15 proj-
38. Technical assistance was provided to six Member ects. The projects aimed to strengthen the capacity
States (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, of those bodies to implement, monitor and evalu-
Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan) to develop ate the priorities and programmes of its organs and
country plans and follow-up actions to improve the institutions.
compilation of national accounts and to implement the
2008 System of National Accounts. Eca also contin- Technical cooperation
ued to serve as the secretariat for the continental steer-
ing committee of the African project on the implemen- The eca programme on technical cooperation sup-
tation of the 2008 System of National Accounts. At its ported African countries in achieving inclusive and
fourth meeting, the steering committee reviewed the sustainable economic and social development towards
468 Part Three: Economic and social questions

accelerating Africa’s structural transformation, in line of the Ebola epidemic. A multidisciplinary team of
with the priorities and vision articulated in Agenda eca technical specialists assisted Guinea in designing
2063, the nepad programme and the internation- and implementing an institutional, organizational
ally agreed development goals, including those of and technical capacity development programme for
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Guinean infrastructure projects coordinating
the outcomes of other major UN conferences and agency, which was responsible for harmonizing the
international agreements since 1992. country’s post-Ebola economic recovery. Eca also
Eca continued its cooperation with the nepad provided technical assistance to the Government
Agency on the implementation of the Dakar Agenda of Benin in conducting feasibility studies on major
for Action by repackaging the 16 transboundary proj- infrastructure projects in support of the country’s
ects endorsed at the 2014 Dakar Financing Summit growth and poverty reduction strategy. That support
for Africa’s Infrastructure in a new publication enti- was harmonized with the regional and subregional
tled “Infrastructure projects for regional integration”, initiatives under way in the area of infrastructure
designed to serve as a tool for advocacy. The publi- development—an area that constituted a driving
cation would be launched at high-level regional and force behind economic transformation and was in
international events with the objective of securing conformity with Agenda 2063 and the post-2015
the interest of global investors in the 16 projects and common African position.
promoting public-private partnerships in their imple- Eca supported the development of the East African
mentation. subregion’s policy document, Vision 2050, which pro-
Eca continued to influence trade and indus- vided a broad outline for efforts to harness the value
try policies in African countries and the regional of East Africa’s resources in order to narrow gaps in
economic communities. The Heads of State and social well-being and productivity. The document de-
Government of the Southern African Development picted a future for East Africa of individual prosper-
Community, at their extraordinary summit in Ha- ity in cohesive societies, competitive economies and
rare, Zimbabwe, in March, approved the strategy strong interregional interaction. It was envisaged that,
and road map for industrialization in the Southern by 2050, per capita incomes would grow tenfold, situ-
African Development Community and reaffirmed the ating the region in the upper-middle income category.
importance of industrial development for poverty alle-
viation and the economic emancipation of the people Gender and women in development
of the region. The strategy and road map, developed Under the gender and women in development
with the support of eca, would facilitate accelerated subprogramme, eca aimed to promote gender
industrialization through practical interventions equality and women’s empowerment in the context of
while enabling the region to use its diverse resources international and regional commitments. The subpro-
to achieve economic and social development through gramme was implemented by the African Centre for
the processes of beneficiation and value addition. Gender in the Social Development Policy Division.
Another policy achievement for eca was the During the year, eca made progress in enhancing
development of a trade and industrialization policy the capacity of Member States and regional economic
for Swaziland. In that process, eca supported the communities to implement and report on their gender
development of an action plan and a policy imple- equality and women’s empowerment obligations
mentation plan to present options to the national and to address emerging issues that were impacting
authorities on the way forward. The policy framework women. In total, 52 countries—well above the target
was formulated through the involvement of key public of 15—submitted national reports on progress in the
and private stakeholders in both the initial consulta- implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action,
tive process and development of practical policy in- as part of the 20-year review of the implementation
terventions. The curbing of illicit financial flows was of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
another area where eca exercised policy influence. [YUN 1995, p. 1170].
The Commission provided technical and functional Eca continued work on the African gender
support to the High-level Panel on Illicit Financial and development index, an instrument that ena-
Flows from Africa in the production of its report on bled countries to compile data and assess their own
the practice, which had a severe impact on the conti- performance in terms of achieving gender equality
nent’s development and governance agenda by drain- and women’s empowerment, both quantitatively and
ing foreign exchange reserves, reducing the proceeds qualitatively. During the reporting period, the index
from tax collection, discouraging investment and was rolled out to an additional 12 countries (Gabon,
worsening poverty. Guinea, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria,
In the context of development planning and public Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Zim-
administration, eca made a significant contribution babwe). With 25 countries already covered (Benin,
by supporting Guinea in its recovery from the effects Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 469

Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the mittee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health
Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, of Women and Children and the international non-
Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, profit organization No Peace Without Justice, the
Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Centre developed a baseline study on the legal and
Republic of Tanzania, Zambia), the total number of normative framework on female genital mutilation.
countries covered by the index rose to 37. The study revealed that female genital mutilation was
At the direction of the auc Chairperson, eca practiced in 21 African countries. In addition, a fact
developed the African scorecard for gender equality sheet on normative and legal frameworks banning the
and women’s empowerment. The scorecard was an practice in 12 countries was produced and uploaded
efficient, easy-to-use tool designed to assess progress to the African Women’s Rights Observatory website.
by Member States in promoting gender equality At the regional level, the African gender scorecard
and women’s empowerment in critical development led to more accountability and a stronger focus on
sectors, such as health, education, access to and achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment
control over land, finance, political participation and commitments by Heads of State and Government in
others. Using information from the African gender Africa. Ministers of gender and women’s affairs were
and development index, the scorecard provided a sim- expected to be more accountable and to demonstrate
plified version of the index and was primarily intended annually their achievements in all undertakings re-
for the offices of Heads of State and Government. The lated to gender equality and women’s empowerment,
outcome of the scorecard was published and dissemi- which would be exhibited through the scorecard at
nated at the June session of the au Assembly of Heads the mid-year sessions of the au Assembly of Heads of
of State and Government, held in Johannesburg, State and Government. The scorecard also generated
South Africa. It was also used by the Chairperson to a regional call for more action in response to the need
select the best performing countries for awards and to for gender-disaggregated statistics, which were being
call for action to accelerate gender equality and wom- collected and analysed by national statistical offices
en’s empowerment on the continent. across the continent in order to correctly determine
A review of existing mining legislative frameworks country-level performance.
was conducted from a gender perspective in six
countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Subregional activities for development
Ghana, Guinea, United Republic of Tanzania, Zam-
bia, Zimbabwe), with a focus on artisanal and small- The eca subregional offices (North Africa, West
scale mining. The review was included in a compen- Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa and South-
dium of best practices on gender mainstreaming, ern Africa) continued to strengthen the capacity of
which profiled the experiences of women and show- Member States, regional economic communities and
cased policy innovations in this area. The review also other subregional intergovernmental organizations to
resulted in the production of two special issues on formulate and harmonize evidence-based policies in
women in artisanal and small-scale mining in The support of structural transformation for inclusive and
New African Woman magazine and a documentary sustainable development at the subregional level. A
film on women in artisanal mining, analysing the im- priority for the five subregional offices in 2015 was the
pacts of regional and national policies on the situation preparation of country profiles, which provided data,
of women. The review led to five successful national institutional and policy information, forecasts, indica-
workshops in the countries where the studies were tors, policy and risk analysis and recommendations on
undertaken, as well as to plans for the implementa- key social and economic variables. The profiles would
tion of key recommendations, calling for affirmative provide policy analysis and forecasts from an African
action in procurement and the identification of inno- perspective to clients ranging from Member States to
vative forms of financing. In addition, information academics, policymakers, civil society representatives,
and data management centres for gathering statistics analysts and investors from within and outside Africa.
on artisanal and small-scale mining operators were
developed for four African Governments.
Development planning and administration
Eca continued its work to upgrade and expand
the African Women’s Rights Observatory, a technical The main objective of the development planning
platform that facilitated the sharing of informa- and administration subprogramme, managed by the
tion and networking on issues of women’s rights in African Institute for Economic Development and
Africa. The database of Observatory focal points Planning, was to improve public sector management
in the national gender machineries of 24 African in respect of economic policy planning and analysis,
countries was updated. As part of the initial phase of and development planning by African Govern-
the project to ban female genital mutilation, which ments and other associated development actors. The
had been established as a partnership between the Institute surpassed its target to increase the number
African Centre for Gender, the Inter-African Com- of countries adopting new approaches in policy for-
470 Part Three: Economic and social questions

mulation and analysis and appropriate measures from Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco,
a baseline of 5 to 25 (against a 2014–2015 biennium Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South
target of 18). Similarly, it met its target to increase the Africa, Rwanda and Zambia.
number of national or subregional public sector de- Work accelerated in 2015 on the African Social
partments and institutions applying appropriate new Development Index [YUN 2014, p. 1131], created in
policy approaches in planning and analysis as a result response to a request from eca Member States for a
of the Institute’s work, from a baseline of 11 countries tool that measured the impact of social policies on
to 30. The Institute also made progress in increasing human exclusion in six key areas: survival, health,
the number of countries and subnational regions education, employment, productive income and de-
adopting policies and measures or implementing cent life. The Index was presented in March at a side
activities in the area of development planning in line event of the eighth (2015) Joint Annual Meetings of
with the Institute’s recommendations, from a baseline the au Specialized Technical Committee on Finance,
of 11 countries to 34 (against a target of 30 countries). Monetary Affairs, Economic Planning and Integra-
In sum, a total of 1,118 public officials—33 per cent tion and the eca Conference of African Ministers
of whom were female—benefited from the Institute’s of Finance, Planning and Economic Development,
capacity development interventions in the areas of held in Addis Ababa. Following that presentation, five
economic management and development planning. regional capacity-building workshops were organized
The Institute completed the groundwork for its covering 46 African States and nine regional economic
revamped master’s degree programmes. The MPhil communities. This, in turn, increased the demand for
programme in industrial policy, in collaboration with eca technical assistance both in specific countries and
the University of Johannesburg, would launch in Feb- at the subregional level to monitor human exclusion.
ruary 2016 with a first cohort of up to 20 public offi-
cials—10 fully sponsored by the Institute—from the Lessons Learned in implementing
five subregions of the continent. In addition, having de- the Millennium Development Goals
livered its first-ever course in Arabic with the Institute
of National Planning of Egypt in December 2014, the During the year, eca, undp, au and the African
two Institutes further consolidated their partnership Development Bank Group coauthored a report enti-
by undertaking the second session of the Arabic lan- tled “Mdg report 2015: lessons learned in implement-
guage version of the course and were in the final stages ing the mdgs”, in which they assessed progress made by
of preparations for a joint master’s degree programme African countries towards the realization of the mdgs,
in economic management and development planning. which were the series of eight time-bound international
Strides were made towards launching the e-learning development targets for the year 2015 established fol-
programme of the African Institute for Economic lowing the 2000 UN Millennium Summit and the
Development and Planning, with preparations at an adoption of the Millennium Declaration [YUN 2000,
advanced stage. The first set of online courses for offi- p. 49]. The report highlighted successful interventions
cials from African Member States were scheduled for in Africa that could inform policymaking and guide
2016. In developing its strategic plan for the next five the implementation of the post-2015 development
years, the Institute aimed to become a premier African agenda going forward.
virtual training centre by 2020, which would benefit In the report, eca and its partners observed that
Member States in terms of coverage, costs and oppor- Africa had made considerable progress towards achiev-
tunities for continuing capacity development for their ing the mdgs, notwithstanding the relatively low initial
civil servants and institutions. A more gender-balanced baseline figures for Africa on most mdg targets and
participation via e-learning was also anticipated. indicators, which could explain in part why most of
the Goals had not been fully achieved on the continent.
Social development The report noted that there had been significant gains in
placing more children in primary school, bridging the
Under its social development policy subpro- gender gap in primary enrolment, increasing the rep-
gramme, eca promoted inclusive and equitable human resentation of women in national parliaments, reducing
and social development for transformation in Africa, child and maternal deaths and reducing the prevalence
especially in the areas of employment and social of hiv/aids. Those achievements underscored the im-
protection, young people and population, urbaniza- portance of national commitment, supported by global
tion and women’s empowerment. During the year, eca partnerships, in realizing development objectives. The
achieved its target of increasing the number of Member report also noted that the overall pace of progress on all
States mainstreaming employment, social protection, indicators had accelerated since 2005, and that Africa
population and youth issues into national policies or was on track to attain three out of the eight mdgs:
strategies. Eca knowledge was mainstreamed into Goal 2 (Achieve universal primary education); Goal 3
policies and strategies in 13 countries (against the (Promote gender equality and empower women); and
2014–2015 biennium target of 12)—namely, Burkina Goal 6 (Combat hiv/aids and other diseases).
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 471

Among the significant challenges that remained divisions, subregional offices and the African Institute
in Africa were a high degree of inequity in access to for Economic Development and Planning with the
social services like health and education; a lack of corporate strategic objectives of policy influence, cred-
access to full and productive employment for all, par- ibility, accountability and learning, and operational
ticularly for women and youth; the threat of conflict effectiveness. Eca incorporated gender markers into
and climate change, which could derail the progress the 2016 business plan to estimate the extent to which
made so far; and the risk of shocks, such as the Ebola each output and the proportion of resources allocated
crisis, which exposed the weakness of health systems were expected to contribute to or support changes in
in some countries. Sustaining the momentum and gender equality and women’s empowerment.
advancing the gains made under the mdgs required
new approaches that embraced all three dimensions of Operational quality policy and plan 2014–2017
sustainability—environmental, economic and social.
The report concluded that Africa’s regional strategy for The operational quality policy and plan outlined the
sustained and inclusive development complemented by eca quality assurance policy for the period 2014–2017
the global post-2015 development agenda provided an and provided a framework to guide the planning, im-
appropriate framework for sustainable development, plementation, monitoring and evaluation of quality as-
but an important lesson of the mdgs was that success surance activities. There were six objectives: to support
depended on a credible means of implementation. eca in offering innovative thinking for Africa’s struc-
tural transformation; strengthen the capacity of eca
to deliver high-quality products and services that were
Programme and organizational questions relevant, credible and influential for policy choices and
Programme Support decisions for African transformation; enhance the use
of the results of the quality assurance system to support
In 2015, eca pursued its efforts to improve results accountability, programme learning and resource allo-
through higher quality products and services, greater cation; to ensure that risks threatening the quality and
organizational effectiveness and improved account- sustainability of eca products and services were ap-
ability. It took steps to enhance its focus on results, a propriately and continuously assessed, monitored and
process that began with the consolidation of strategic managed; promote compliance with the mandates of
programming and planning, budgeting, evaluation the Economic and Social Council and UN system-
and quality assurance into one office—the Strategic wide initiatives on gender mainstreaming; and con-
Planning and Operational Quality Division—as part tribute, through the eca quality assurance function,
of the framework for managing results in support of to building a competent organization.
the strategic reorientation introduced in March 2013.
Eca also developed a strategic planning and ac-
countability system intended to help it function as
a cohesive entity in terms of the planning, budget- Asia and the Pacific
ing, monitoring, carrying out quality assurance and
evaluation, and reporting of strategic priorities, out- The Economic and Social Commission for Asia
puts and results. The main elements of the system and the Pacific (escap) held its seventy-first session
were strategic planning instruments, including (Bangkok, 25–29 May) [E/2015/39] under the theme
the strategic framework, the proposed programme of “Balancing the three dimensions of sustainable
budget, the annual business plan, the evaluation and development: from integration to implementation”.
quality assurance functions, the revitalized executive The Commission discussed Asia-Pacific least
performance management dashboard and the annual developed, landlocked developing and Pacific Island
reports. The system aimed to align resources and op- developing countries [E/ESCAP/71/1/Rev.1, E/ESCAP/71/2–3
erational activities with the eca mission of becoming & E/ESCAP/71/39]; progress in the implementation
a think tank of reference on African development of Commission resolutions [E/ESCAP/71/4/Rev.1 &
issues, and to allow for the identification and tracking E/ESCAP/71/5]; macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction
of results that would influence policies for structural and inclusive development [E/ESCAP/71/6–7]; trade and
transformation across the region. investment [E/ESCAP/71/8 & Corr.1, E/ESCAP/71/9–10
& E/ESCAP/71/41]; transport [E/ESCAP/71/11–12];
Annual business plan for 2016 environment and development [E/ESCAP/71/13–15]; infor-
mation and communications technology [E/ESCAP/71/16
Eca developed its annual business plan for 2016. & E/ESCAP/71/18–19]; disaster risk reduction and
The plan outlined a road map of the annual implemen- management [E/ESCAP/71/17]; social development
tation of activities needed to achieve the outputs and [E/ESCAP/71/20–23]; statistics [E/ESCAP/71/24–25 &
outcomes set out in the approved programme budget. E/ESCAP/71/27]; and subregional activities for development
It facilitated the alignment of the outputs of the eca [E/ESCAP/71/28–29]. The Commission discussed
472 Part Three: Economic and social questions

management issues, including the draft programme India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Republic
of work for the biennium 2016–2017 [E/ESCAP/71/30]; of Korea and Thailand. At the subregional level,
programme changes for the biennium 2014–2015 growth performance was forecast to vary depending
[E/ESCAP/71/31]; and partnerships and extrabudgetary on the relative importance of domestic and external
contributions [E/ESCAP/71/32]. The Commission also demand for particular subregions. South and South-
discussed the review of the conference structure of the West Asia, where domestic demand played an impor-
Commission [E/ESCAP/71/33 & E/ESCAP/71/40]; the find- tant role, was expected to enjoy an economic growth
ings of the evaluation on the establishment of the Asian rate of 5.9 per cent in 2015—a four-year high—up
and Pacific centre for the development of disaster infor- from 5.5 per cent in 2014. That rise was due to an ex-
mation management [E/ESCAP/71/34]; and the activities pected higher level of growth in the larger economies
of the Advisory Committee of Permanent Representa- in the region, along with improved performance in
tives and Other Representatives Designated by Members all economies except Iran and Nepal. On the other
of the Commission between May 2014 and March 2015 hand, East and North-East Asian and South-East
[E/ESCAP/71/35 & Corr.1]. Asian economies, for which exports played an impor-
In 2015, the Commission adopted 14 resolutions tant role, were forecast to record more modest growth.
and 38 decisions. The Commission decided that the Growth in East and North-East Asia was expected
theme of its seventy-second (2016) session would be to increase slightly to 3.4 per cent in 2015, up from
“Science, technology and innovation for sustainable 3.3 per cent in 2014, mostly due to relatively better
development”. growth in Japan. This would help to overcome lower
growth in China as the economy rebalanced from an
Economic trends investment- and export-led economic growth model
towards a domestic consumption-oriented approach.
Part I of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia For South-East Asia, the forecast was for growth to
and the Pacific 2015 [Sales No. E.15.II.F.7] discussed the increase to 4.9 per cent in 2015, up from 4.3 per cent
need for more inclusive growth, as a prerequisite for in 2014, although growth in many export-led econo-
meeting the outstanding mdg commitments adopted mies might be more modest. Unlike other subregions,
in 2000 and for the effective implementation of North and Central Asia was forecast to see a contrac-
the post-2015 sustainable development agenda (see tion of 2.9 per cent in economic activity, which was
p. 396). It noted that in the two and a half decades significant when viewed in the context of a 1.3 per cent
leading up to 2015, the Asia-Pacific region had stood rise in real gdp in 2014. This captured the expected
out for its economic growth, which was, however, un- contraction of the economy of the Russian Federation
even. Real income per capita in the developing econo- and its spillovers into trade and remittance channels
mies of the region had doubled on average since the to countries with strong economic dependence on the
early 1990s. In Bhutan, Cambodia and Viet Nam, Russian Federation. In the Pacific island developing
real income per capita had tripled since 1990, while in economies, economic growth was expected to increase
China it had grown more than sevenfold in the same to 9.7 per cent in 2015—up from 6 per cent in 2014—
time frame. That performance had helped lift millions led by the strong performance of Papua New Guinea
of people out of extreme poverty—ahead of the 2015 due to the commencement of liquefied natural gas
mdg deadline—and had reduced by half the propor- production and export.
tion of people whose income was less than $1 a day. Overall, declining growth in oil-dependent econo-
At the same time, economic growth as at 2015 was mies, subdued global trade and likely volatility in
not as high as it could be or had been in the past. The capital flow were all expected to pose challenges to
region was expected to achieve only a slight increase in the sustainability of economic growth in the region.
its economic growth rate in 2015 and 2016. Reflecting Commodity-dependent economies were likely to
that trend and supported by lower international oil face further difficulties from negative terms of trade
prices, inflation was forecast to decline further and shocks. In addition, longer-term challenges to inclu-
remain low. Overall, there was particular concern that sive growth included structural barriers to women’s
the growth had not been inclusive; that its benefits participation in both the economy and wider society,
had not been shared equitably. Inequality of income persistently high levels of vulnerable employment,
and opportunity had increased between different infrastructure shortages and environmental and
geographies and sections of society, such as between climate-related challenges. Positioning the region to
rural and urban areas and among women and men. adopt a more sustainable path of development re-
Economic growth in the developing econo- quired strong macroeconomic management, with
mies of the Asia-Pacific region was expected to in- macroprudential policies that supported monetary
crease only slightly in 2015—to 5.9 per cent, up policies in managing large capital flows; mobiliza-
from 5.8 per cent in 2014. That outlook was based tion of resources through public and private chan-
on improved economic performance in a number of nels to boost infrastructure investment; policies to
major developing economies, including Bangladesh, address procyclicality and promote diversification
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 473

in commodity-dependent economies; and climate Secretary-General’s synthesis report on the post-2015

change adaptation and mitigation measures. development agenda [A/69/700]; focusing on people-
centred development, with action to support a good
Policy issues quality of life; using natural resources in an efficient
and sustainable way; and redefining the basic notions
Part I of the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and of economic progress to ensure that they aligned
the Pacific 2015 noted the significance of the year 2015 with sustainable development objectives. Overall, the
for global policymaking, with the arrival of the dead- theme study aimed to promote dialogue in the region
line for achieving the mdgs as well as the adoption of on development strategies that fostered resource al-
the post-2015 development agenda (see p. 396), the location and investments that maximized synergies
Paris Agreement (see p. 515), the Sendai Framework and minimized trade-offs among the objectives of
for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (see p. 442) economic growth, inclusive social progress and envi-
and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (see p. 395). ronmental protection for stakeholders, both current
Countries in the Asia-Pacific region were engaged and future.
in those global processes while introducing reform
In April [E/2015/18], the Secretary-General trans-
policies at home.
mitted to the Economic and Social Council a sum-
The Survey examined the extent to which growth mary of the Survey. On 22 July (decision 2015/251),
in the Asia-Pacific region had been inclusive. The the Council took note of that summary.
analysis found that growth had been more inclusive
at the country level, yet large divergences of inclusive-
ness existed within countries between sexes and across Activities
the rural and urban sectors. Income inequalities were Least developed, landlocked developing
large and widening in many countries, with wealthier and small island developing states
people able to secure access to better education and
better health services, thereby increasing their em- At its seventy-first session, the Commission had
ployment prospects. before it a note by the escap secretariat [E/ESCAP/71/2]
With developed countries in the Asia-Pacific re- summarizing escap support for implementation of the
gion facing low economic growth, it was important Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Devel-
that productivity growth be accelerated and that its oping Countries 2014–2024, which was adopted by
benefits be passed on to the labour force. Doing so the second United Nations Conference on Landlocked
would foster more sustainable growth by strength- Developing Countries [YUN 2014, p. 1014]. As an out-
ening domestic demand, thereby reducing the reli- come document, the Vienna Programme of Action
ance of the region on exporting to developed markets. aimed to address the special development needs and
While Governments needed to create an enabling challenges of landlocked developing countries arising
environment for the private sector to act as the main from their isolation from key global markets. As a
engine of growth, more efforts were needed to en- follow-up, escap proposed in the secretariat note a
sure equality of opportunities. There was a need for regional road map that had two broad components:
countries to make expenditure more development- a regional and subregional implementation strategy
oriented, particularly to ensure more equal access to for the Asian landlocked developing countries; and
education and health care and provide stronger social a set of deliverables for implementing the Vienna
safety nets. Employment creation needed to be fos- Programme of Action in the Asia-Pacific region. The
tered, particularly by developing small and medium- Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39 (res. 71/3)]
sized enterprises and fostering rural industrialization. requesting that the Vienna Programme of Action be
Such measures would enable the region to rebalance mainstreamed into the escap programme of work in
towards a more sustainable growth model and assist order to ensure effective realization of the road map.
countries in pursuing the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- The Commission also considered a note
able Development. [E/ESCAP/71/3] from Cambodia that contained the
In May [E/ESCAP/71/38], the escap secretariat pre- outcome of the High-level Policy Dialogue on the Im-
sented a summary of Part II of the Economic and Social plementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for
Survey of Asia and the Pacific, 2015, which contained the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011–
a theme study on the conceptual and institutional 2020 (Siem Reap, Cambodia, 4–6 March 2015)—
frameworks required to support countries in Asia namely, the Siem Reap Angkor Outcome Document.
and the Pacific in taking the necessary steps towards The Outcome Document noted that the Fourth
the balanced integration of the three dimensions of United Nations Conference on the Least Developed
sustainable development—the economic, social and Countries [YUN 2011, p. 827] had adopted the Istanbul
environmental. The proposed conceptual framework Programme of Action as a series of actions to be un-
contained four elements: ensuring that the needs dertaken by the least developed countries (ldcs) and
of all people were met, as proposed in the UN their development partners in eight priority areas of
474 Part Three: Economic and social questions

action, each supported by concrete deliverables and island developing States. The secretariat concluded
commitments. It acknowledged that the Asia-Pacific that integration would remain the central focus of the
ldcs had made progress in several areas but expressed Samoa Pathway response under the mandated func-
concern at the structural challenges they continued tions for regional commissions, and it was prepared
to face. The Asia-Pacific ldcs had seen a much slower to assist the Pacific small island developing States and
rate of growth than the average for the region. There Pacific organizations in their efforts to align the work
had been wide variation in growth performance, on the Samoa Pathway with the implementation of
with only the South-East Asian ldcs being able to the post-2015 development agenda. The Commission
achieve the threshold of 7 per cent annual growth set adopted a resolution [E/2015/39 (res. 71/4)] that acknow-
in the Istanbul Programme of Action. Most of the ledged the report summarizing escap support for the
ldcs had witnessed limited structural transformation implementation of the Samoa Pathway and requested
and in the majority of the Asia-Pacific ldcs, over half follow-up actions and reporting on the areas high-
of the working population were still employed in the lighted in the report.
agricultural sector. The greatest challenge facing the The Commission further considered a note by the
Asia-Pacific ldcs was the promotion of inclusive and escap secretariat [E/ESCAP/71/39] summarizing the
sustainable growth and development for reducing latest developments in the Asia-Pacific countries with
poverty and improving the quality of life of the people. special needs—comprised of ldcs, landlocked devel-
Such progress required measures to accelerate growth oping countries and small island developing States.
and diversify the economies in those ldcs, along with The note provided an overview of the progress made
a focus on agriculture and rural development, stronger by the countries with special needs according to se-
social protection, and enhanced financial inclusion es- lected economic and social indicators and analysed
pecially among poor and disadvantaged groups. The their various structural and long-term development
Outcome Document concluded with recommenda- challenges, which served to highlight their differences
tions for the way forward for the ldcs, development from other developing countries in the Asia-Pacific re-
partners and the UN system, and noted the impor- gion. The note also presented an analysis of the role of
tance of the adoption of country-specific strategies economic diversification in reducing the vulnerability
and actions within the framework of the Istanbul of the countries through reducing export concentra-
Programme of Action. The Commission adopted a tion, creating jobs, raising gross domestic product
resolution [E/2015/39 (res. 71/2)] that requested the Siem and securing competitive advantages within product
Reap Angkor Outcome Document to be transmitted niches. It identified policy options in promoting po-
as the input to the Midterm Review of the Imple- tential new sectors, products and markets for suc-
mentation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for cessful diversification of Asia-Pacific countries with
the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011– special needs, enabling the development of new ca-
2020, to be held in Antalya, Turkey, in June 2016. pabilities and easing their structural bottlenecks. The
The Commission also considered a report by the note was a summary of the Asia-Pacific Countries
escap secretariat [E/ESCAP/71/1/Rev.1] summarizing with Special Needs Report 2015, which comprehen-
escap support for the implementation of the Small sively reviewed the status and prospects of each of
Island Developing States Accelerated Modalities of the countries and provided policy options to promote
Action Pathway (Samoa Pathway), which had been their inclusive growth and sustainable development.
adopted in 2014 by the third International Conference The Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39
on Small Island Developing States [YUN 2014, p. 995]. (res. 71/2)] that requested the Asia-Pacific Countries with
The report focused on the strategic approach escap Special Needs Report to be prepared and published on
was taking in response to the Samoa Pathway, which an annual basis as one of the secretariat’s publications
was guided by three mandated functions for regional and for its main findings to be reported to the annual
commissions: building national capacity for sustain- sessions of the Commission.
able development with UN country teams; enhanc-
ing the “voice” and supporting the interests of Pacific Macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction and
small island developing States at regional and global inclusive development
forums; and monitoring and reporting on the imple- As part of its 2014–2015 biennium programme,
mentation of sustainable development. The escap escap pursued a sound macroeconomic policy
secretariat observed that Pacific Governments needed environment and enhanced regional economic co-
tools to undertake strategic analysis of the costs and operation for inclusive and sustainable development
benefits of policy choices in the context of sustainable in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in support of
development and to be able to monitor the impacts of poverty reduction and other internationally agreed
those policy choices over time. Prioritizing, sequenc- development goals, particularly among countries with
ing and integrating the sustainable development goals special needs. A key strategy towards that objective
(sdgs) into national sustainable development planning was to enhance understanding among policymakers
would present considerable challenges to Pacific small and other target groups of development trends, emerg-
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 475

ing issues, macroeconomic challenges and evidence- food security. The work of the Centre for Alleviation
based policy options that promoted economic growth, of Poverty through Sustainable Agriculture contrib-
reduced poverty and narrowed the development gaps. uted to improving evidence-based policymaking
The Commission’s work generated discussions on among Member States in relation to the environ-
emerging economic and social challenges facing the mental, economic and social aspects of sustainable
region. For the biennium, there were 800 references agriculture. Through its series of policy publications,
made in policy documents, academic literature and the Centre also contributed to enhancing knowledge
mass media to findings of the Economic and Social on food security, the role of agriculture in structural
Survey of Asia and the Pacific. The references were in transformation, agricultural innovation systems
top-tier media outlets, such as the BBC, Bloomberg, and market access for smallholder farmers. Overall,
CNN, Financial Times, Reuters, Wall Street Journal 81 per cent of participants in the work of the Centre
and Xinhua. There was also broad national pickup indicated that they were better able to formulate and
across the region. The sessions of the Commission implement rural development policies that promoted
and of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, sustainable agriculture and food security.
Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Development also At its seventy-first session, the Commission had
saw Member States frequently refer to the key findings before it the report of the Governing Council of the
and messages of the Survey in their policy statements Centre for Alleviation of Poverty through Sustainable
and discussions. Agriculture on its eleventh session (12–13 February
2015) [E/ESCAP/71/7]. The report reviewed the activities
Escap organized high-level discussion platforms
of the Centre since its tenth session [YUN 2014, p. 1135],
and workshops that supported Member States in
including progress in implementing the Network
reaching a consensus on the formulation of sustain- for Knowledge Transfer on Sustainable Agricultural
able development policies. Four outcome docu- Technologies and Improved Market Linkages in
ments reflecting consensus on regional economic South and Southeast Asia (satnet Asia). Owing to the
and financial cooperation were endorsed by the Centre’s accomplishments, the Governing Council
Asia-Pacific High-level Consultation on Financing recommended that the Centre continue to operate as
for Development (Jakarta, Indonesia, 29–30 April). a regional institution of escap, promoting coopera-
Those documents, together with the publication Fi- tion between and among countries and organizations
nancing for Transformation: From Agenda to Action to enable knowledge-sharing and leveraging of each
on Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific other’s strengths, and that the Centre focus its efforts
contributed to strengthening the regional voice at on agricultural innovation systems. The Governing
the third International Conference on Financing for Council endorsed the proposed financial statement
Development (Addis Ababa, 13–16 July). The 2014 and workplan of the Centre for 2015.
adoption of Commission resolution 70/1 on the im-
The escap secretariat transmitted to the Commis­
plementation of the Bangkok Declaration on Regional
sion a report [E/ESCAP/71/6] on financing for sustain-
Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and
able development in Asia and the Pacific, which
the Pacific also demonstrated collaboration among
discussed why the region needed to prioritize its
Member States for inclusive sustainable development
financial development as a key component of its
in the region.
development strategy and as a means of implemen-
As at 2015, 31 countries in the region had in- tation of the sdgs. The report assessed the region’s
corporated escap principles or recommendations to financial needs, discussed how those needs could
achieve the mdgs into their strategies and government be satisfied through the mobilization of existing
policies. Overall, 89.6 per cent of participants in escap resources and took stock of existing regional initia-
activities indicated that they were better able to design tives and efforts. The Secretariat noted that there were
and implement sound economic development policies. many opportunities in Asia and the Pacific to identify
The commitment of Member States to implement and tap resources, but the region needed appropriate
the Programme of Action for the Least Developed institutional arrangements and modalities to suggest
Countries for the Decade 2011–2020 [YUN 2011, ways in which financing for sustainable development
p. 828] was reflected in Commission resolution 70/3 may be achieved. It concluded that escap was posi-
[YUN 2014, p. 1134]. As at 2015, Samoa and Maldives tioned to facilitate intergovernmental dialogues on fi-
had graduated from least developed country status; nancing for development involving the private sector
while Kiribati, Tuvalu and Vanuatu were on their way and other stakeholders, and to examine approaches
to graduating. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, the and options for enhancing South-South cooperation
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar and and triangular development cooperation frameworks.
Nepal were on track to graduate by 2020. Those forms of cooperation would supplement—not
Escap worked to improve the capacity of Member be a substitute for—North-South flows.
States to formulate and implement rural development The Commission also had before it the Chair’s
policies that promoted sustainable agriculture and Summary of the Asia-Pacific High-level Consultation
476 Part Three: Economic and social questions

on Financing for Development (Jakarta, Indonesia, States, particularly in the areas of trade policy analysis
29–30 April). The aim of the High-level Consultation and trade facilitation. On average, 89 per cent of the
was to assess progress made in the implementation of workshop participants indicated that their capacity to
the Monterrey Consensus [YUN 2002, p. 953] and the formulate or implement policies on trade, investment
Doha Declaration [YUN 2008, p. 1069]; reinvigorate and and enterprise development had increased after at-
strengthen the financing for development follow-up tending escap activities, and 100 per cent of par-
process; address new and emerging issues; and review ticipants in the activities of the Asian and Pacific
the evolving development cooperation landscape, the Centre for Transfer of Technology and the Centre for
interrelationship of all sources of development finance Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization reported in-
and the synergies among financing objectives across creased capacity. The fourth round of tariff concession
the three dimensions of sustainable development. It negotiations under the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement
also looked at the need to support the UN development was successfully concluded, with Mongolia admitted
agenda beyond 2015. The Chair’s Summary included as the seventh member pending national ratification.
recommendations for mobilizing additional financial Although coverage of the Agreement, in terms of av-
resources, improving financial capacities and devel- erage margin of preferences, remained at 32 per cent,
oping instruments to support the emerging sdgs the number of products receiving preferences rose
in the region. The Commission adopted a resolu- from 5,000 in 2013 to 10,868.
tion [E/2015/39 (res. 71/5)] requesting that the Chair’s At its seventy-first session, the Commission had
Summary be transmitted, as the region’s input, to before it a note [E/ESCAP/71/8 & Corr.1] by the escap
the organizers of the upcoming third International secretariat that contained an analytical paper on
Conference on Financing for Development. “Global value chains, regional integration and
sustainable development: linkages and policy impli-
Trade and investment
cations”. The paper explored the relationship between
For the biennium 2014–2015, a primary objective global value chains and regional integration processes,
for escap was to enhance trade, investment, enterprise in particular the linkages between different types of
development and technology transfer for inclusive preferential trade agreements and the evolution of
and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific re- global value chains. It also analysed the prospects for
gion, and to strengthen knowledge among Member Asia-Pacific developing economies to enhance their
States of trends, emerging issues and evidence-based participation in regional and global value chains as
policy options in those areas. Analytical work, in- a way to achieve the sdgs. The paper discussed link-
cluding the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report, ages between corporate and global value chains’ sus-
the Trade and Investment working paper series, and tainability, with special attention given to small and
the Trade Insights and escap -World Bank Trade medium-sized enterprises. It also examined the con-
Cost Databases series, provided a basis for evidence- cepts of circular economy and social investment in the
based policymaking and implementation on emerg- context of relevance for and linkages with global value
ing issues and generated interest among the media chains. The paper concluded with policy options for
and policymakers. In 2014–2015, the number of national trade strategies and the design of economic
review articles and references to escap publications policies to enhance the competitiveness of firms and
reached 106 in the area of trade and investment value-added content of production.
and 34 in the area of technology and transfer and
For its consideration of trade and investment,
agricultural mechanization. The Asia-Pacific Research
the Commission also had before it the report of the
and Training Network on Trade expanded its efforts
Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre
to advance the understanding of evidence-based
for Transfer of Technology on its tenth session
policy options among policymakers in the region,
[E/ESCAP/71/9]; the report of the Governing Council
while the United Nations Network of Experts for
of the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechaniza-
Paperless Trade and Transport in Asia and the Pacific
tion on its tenth session [E/ESCAP/71/10]; and the report
expanded its knowledge-building activities on cross-
of the First Meeting of the Interim Intergovernmental
border paperless trade and other emerging issues re-
Steering Group on Cross-border Paperless Trade
lated to trade facilitation. Negotiations to facilitate
Facilitation [E/ESCAP/71/41].
cross-border paperless trade also advanced under
Commission resolutions 68/3 [YUN 2012, p. 971] and
70/6 [YUN 2014, p. 1136]. Thirty-four Member States Transport
benefitted from participating in regional cooperation A primary objective for escap in the area of
mechanisms on trade and investment, and 27 Member transport was to strengthen regional cooperation and
States benefitted from participating in regional co- integration in transport for inclusive and sustainable
operation mechanisms on innovation, technology development in the Asia-Pacific region. In the 2014–
transfer and agricultural mechanization. Escap used 2015 biennium, escap contributed to the development
over 80 workshops to build the capacity of its Member of ten new policies on sustainable transport among
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 477

governments and other stakeholders, which brought intermodal transport and logistics systems under the
the total number of policies, programmes and initi- sustainable development agenda”. The note stated
atives that reflected transport-related principles pro- that despite the progress in transport connectivity,
moted by escap to 90. Among the topics covered the transport network in the Asia-Pacific region re-
were supporting infrastructure development through mained patchwork, with infrastructural, operational,
public-private partnerships; improving road safety, institutional and technical holes. Road and rail links
including the harmonization and standardization of were missing, cross-border procedures were not
road traffic rules and road signs in support of the global aligned with business needs, transport vehicles across
Decade of Action for Road Safety; and implementing borders operated under different regulations, and,
sustainable transport policies. Resource materials with regard to the rail systems, track gauges, signaling
were produced, including the launch of an e-learning systems and tractive power needed to be standardized.
series on public-private partnerships. In addition, the Transport was a key factor in economic and social
Committee on Transport and the Committee on In- development, but it also had negative effects on society
formation and Communications Technology held and the environment. The transport sector remained
their first joint session on “Harnessing cross-sectoral the second largest consumer of energy, the primary
infrastructure synergies”, to promote links between urban polluter and the second largest contributor of
information and communications technology, energy carbon dioxide emissions. To minimize those effects,
and transport infrastructure. the note concluded there was an urgent need to de-
Escap worked to increase the capacity of Member velop and operationalize intermodal transport and
States and the private sector to develop international logistics systems with balanced integration of the
intermodal transport linkages while reducing the neg- economic, social and environmental dimensions of
ative externalities of the transport sector, including sustainable development.
through the Asian Highway Network, the Trans- The Commission adopted a resolution on maritime
Asian Railway Network and the Intergovernmental transport connectivity for sustainable development
Agreement on Dry Ports. As at 2015, three countries [E/2015/39 (res. 71/6)], in which it requested that maritime
had become signatories and five had become parties connectivity be included in the escap programme
to the Agreement on Dry Ports, which brought the of work for the biennium 2016–2017 and Regional
total number of accessions by escap Member States Action Programme (2017–2021), as appropriate, for
to relevant global, regional and subregional agree- follow up at the Ministerial Conference on transport
ments to 73, and Member States reported progress at its third session in 2016. In further resolutions,
in the development and upgrading of the two Net- the Commission adopted the Regional Cooperation
works. Notably, by the end of the 2014–2015 bien- Framework for the Facilitation of International Rail-
nium, 10 new national projects and feasibility studies way Transport [res. 71/7] and requested a series of meas-
had been developed to upgrade regional transport ures to strengthen intraregional and interregional
infrastructure, bringing the total number of those connectivity in Asia and the Pacific [res. 71/8].
projects and studies to 70. Environment and development
Escap also worked to increase the capacity of The overall objective for escap in the area of
Member States and the private sector to implement environment and development was to improve the
measures to improve the efficiency of international sustainability, resilience and inclusiveness of societies
transport operations and logistics. Escap facilitated in Asia and the Pacific, including through promoting
a draft agreement among China, Mongolia and the quality of growth, consistent with its 2014–2015
Russian Federation on international road transport biennial programme of activities. During the year,
along the Asian highways. Escap also forged escap delivered high-level regional forums, expert
consensus on a regional standard model of logistics group meetings, multi-stakeholder dialogues and
information systems. The number of initiatives to re- field projects to enhance understanding among local
move non-physical bottlenecks and facilitate the effi- and national governments and other stakeholders of
cient movement of people, goods and vehicles along environmental, energy and water, and urban policies
transport routes and at border crossings increased and strategies to address poverty and inclusive and
from 24 in 2012–2013 to 30 in 2014–2015. Five sustainable development challenges. Escap also
countries developed training programmes on freight produced analytical publications, technical reports
forwarding, multimodal transport and logistics, and policy briefs and developed online platforms re-
bringing the total number of countries with such lated to sustainable development, energy, water and
programmes to fifteen. sustainable urban development. Those resulted in 29
At its seventy-first session, the Commission had references by the end of 2015 to escap publications,
before it the report [E/ESCAP/71/12] of the Committee policy briefs, projects and related activities in policy
on Transport on its fourth session, as well as a note documents, declarations and statements and in key
[E/ESCAP/71/11] by the escap secretariat on “Integrated media outlets.
478 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Escap delivered a series of workshops, study tours inequality, environmental degradation and ineffective
and e-learning capacity-building programmes, in- governance systems—and provided recommendations
cluding a web-based regional platform on sustainable on adapting to the region’s shared urban future.
development and green economy. It also developed For its consideration of environment and develop­
new e-learning course modules and launched a web- ment, the Commission also had before it the report of
site, hosted on the escap site, for the 2015 report the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development
Transformation for Sustainable Development in Asia on its second session [E/ESCAP/71/14], the report on the
and the Pacific Region. Capacity-building activities intergovernmental consultative process on the future
helped to improve national and regional capabilities architecture of the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustain-
to integrate environmental issues into economic and able Development [E/ESCAP/71/15], the report of the
other development policies and plans, with a focus on Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes
low-carbon green growth, energy security and water in East and Southeast Asia [E/ESCAP/71/INF/1], and the
resources and sustainable urban development. The Report of the Mekong River Commission [E/ESCAP/71/
activities reached more than 600 policymakers and INF/2]. The Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39
key stakeholders in the region. They also contributed (res. 71/9)] on strengthening cooperation on sustain-
to 15 policies, strategies and initiatives developed by able management of water resources in Asia and the
governments in the areas of environment, energy, Pacific, which requested escap to continue consulta-
water and urban policies. tions among the appropriate actors on the development
Escap continued its efforts to strengthen regional and implementation of projects supporting regional
cooperation and networking on environmental, cooperation on transboundary water resources.
energy and water and urban policies and strategies
for inclusive and sustainable development. Capacity- Information and communications technology
development activities focused on supporting long-
term consensus building, particularly in light of Escap continued to strengthen information and
the global discussions on the development of the communications technology (ict) connectivity,
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the consistent with its 2014–2015 biennial programme
sdgs. Escap worked to lay the foundation for building of activities and the goal of achieving inclusive and
consensus and to provide Member States with the lat- sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.
est research and analysis to support intergovernmental Through analytical studies, regional workshops and
dialogue. In 2015, escap held the second session of multi-stakeholder policy dialogues, escap improved
the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development the capacity of Member States to measure and analyse
(Bangkok, 21–22 May) and organized the Sixth Asia progress towards an inclusive and resilient informa-
Pacific Urban Forum (Jakarta, 19–21 October) and tion society. In the 2014–2015 biennium, 15 escap
the regional consultation on accountability and im- Member States benefitted from escap -promoted
plementation for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable regional cooperation mechanisms in the areas of ict
Development. By the end of the year, 20 outcome connectivity and space technology applications for
documents, recommendations and initiatives were disaster risk reduction. Those regional cooperation
issued to support the Commission’s work in the areas mechanisms included the Asia-Pacific information
of the environment, energy security, water resources superhighway initiatives; geo-referenced informa-
management and urban development. tion systems for disaster risk management; and the
At its seventy-first session, the Commission had be- Regional Cooperative Mechanism for Drought
fore it a note [E/ESCAP/71/13] by the escap secretariat Monitoring and Early Warning, which focused on
that contained a paper entitled “Towards a sustainable, supporting developing countries in the region.
inclusive and resilient urban future for Asia and the With regard to ict for sustainable socioeco-
Pacific”. The paper noted that the Asia-Pacific region nomic development, the Academy of ict Essentials
was home to more than two billion urban residents, for Government Leaders of the Asian and Pacific
and it was estimated that by 2018, more than half of Training Centre for Information and Communication
the region’s population would be living in cities—a Technology for Development was rolled out in 30
figure that would rise to 64 per cent in 2050. Such a countries and expanded to 11 modules. Over 30,000
demographic, economic and cultural shift would re- government officials, policymakers and civil service
shape the region and represented an opportunity for trainers were reached through in-person and online
the cities of Asia-Pacific to rethink urban policy in the training activities. By the end of 2015, modules
light of regional projections and the gaps that existed developed by the Centre were reflected or integrated
between current urban development patterns and into 361 national training initiatives, and the Vir-
what was required to realize a sustainable, inclusive tual Academy modules were available in 16 lan-
and resilient urban future. The paper highlighted chal- guages. Through the Primer Series on Information
lenges—namely, inefficient patterns of resource use, and Communication Technology for Development
high and growing levels of income and other forms of (ictd) for Youth, learning resources were rolled out
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 479

in 14 countries and 7 languages and adopted by more secretariat in delivering on those priorities. It focused
than 130 universities, thereby helping to fill the gap on escap activities to support mainstreaming disaster
in ictd education at institutions of higher learning risk management; monitoring resilience; promoting
in the region. regional multi-hazard early warning systems; and fa-
At its seventy-first session, the Commission had cilitating regional cooperation in the application of
before it the report of the Governing Council of the innovative technologies.
Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information The Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39
and Communication Technology for Development (res. 71/12)] on strengthening regional mechanisms
on its ninth session [E/ESCAP/71/19], and the report of for the implementation of the Sendai Framework
the Committee on Information and Communications for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 in Asia and
Technology on its fourth session [E/ESCAP/71/18]. It the Pacific. The resolution requested escap to guide
also considered an escap secretariat report entitled actions at the regional level through agreed strat-
“Asia-Pacific information superhighway: for inclu- egies and mechanisms to strengthen disaster risk
sive and seamless connectivity” [E/ESCAP/71/16], modelling, assessment, mapping, monitoring and
which noted that the superhighway initiative aimed multi-hazard early warning systems; and to assist de-
to provide seamless regional connectivity between veloping countries in Asia and the Pacific to gain from
land- and sea-based ict infrastructure in a way that advances in science, technology and innovations, par-
increased the availability, reliability and affordability ticularly regarding applications of space technology
of broadband Internet for all. The report described and geographic information systems.
regional Internet infrastructure challenges; common Escap also submitted to the Economic and Social
principles for Asia-Pacific network development; Council a note [E/ESCAP/71/34] containing the findings
public funding and regulatory support for broadband and recommendations of the independent evaluation
infrastructure projects; the work of the secretariat on the establishment of an Asian and Pacific Centre
in support of the information superhighway; and for the Development of Disaster Information
policy recommendations for consideration by the Management based in Iran. Overall, the evaluation
Commission. The Commission adopted a resolution found concrete evidence to support the need for and
[E/2015/39 (res. 71/10)] that endorsed the establishment
benefits of establishing the Centre under the auspices
of an open-ended working group on the Asia-Pacific of escap and recommended that the Commission
information superhighway—to develop principles consider establishing it as a regional institution. The
and norms, as well as a master plan covering both the Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39 (res. 71/11)]
policy and technical aspects of the information super- in which it endorsed the recommendations contained
highway—and that requested escap to provide the
in the evaluation; decided to establish the Centre as
necessary support, through the subregional offices, to
a regional institution that would contribute to the
the work of the open-ended working group.
escap programme of work in the area of ict and
Disaster risk reduction disaster risk reduction; and adopted the statute of the
Centre, which was annexed to the resolution.
The Commission had before it two information
documents related to disaster risk reduction: the The Economic and Social Council, in resolu-
report of the Typhoon Committee [E/ESCAP/71/INF/3] tion 2015/31 of 22 July (see p. 445), endorsed the
and the report of the Panel on Tropical Cyclones establishment of the Asian and Pacific Centre for the
[E/ESCAP/71/INF/4]. It also considered a secretariat
Development of Disaster Information Management,
report [E/ESCAP/71/17] to the Economic and Social consistent with escap resolution 71/11.
Council entitled “Building resilience to disasters:
protecting the gains from sustainable development”, Social development
which noted that the Sendai Framework for Disaster The year 2015 marked the twentieth anniversary of
Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (see p. 442)—adopted by the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
UN Member States on 18 March 2015 at Sendai, Ja- for Action by the Fourth World Conference on
pan—reaffirmed that disaster risk reduction was key Women [YUN 1995, p. 1170]. As mandated in Economic
to protecting sustainable development gains and rec- and Social Council resolution 2013/18 [YUN 2013,
ognized the critical role of regional organizations in p. 1129], the international community undertook a
fostering regional solutions to disaster risk reduction. global review of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
The report described Asia and the Pacific as the most for Action, including challenges that affected the
disaster-prone region in the world, noting that in the implementation of the Platform for Action, as well
45 years preceding 2015, natural disasters in Asia and as opportunities for strengthening gender equality
the Pacific had affected 6 billion people, killing 2 mil- and the empowerment of women through the post-
lion and inflicting economic losses of $1.15 trillion. 2015 development agenda. In line with that mandate,
The report identified regional priorities in disaster escap and the other four regional commissions con-
risk reduction and highlighted the work of the escap ducted the regional review process.
480 Part Three: Economic and social questions

At its seventy-first session, the Commission had future action. It determined that while the region’s
before it the report [E/ESCAP/71/21] of the escap Com- greatest success was in reducing income poverty and
mittee on Social Development on its third session, achieving universal primary school enrolment, the
which focused on gender equality and women’s reduction in income poverty had often not translated
empowerment in preparation for the twentieth an- into improvements in other Goals and targets, such as
niversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for those on health and gender equality. Many countries
Action. The report contained a review of development with special needs were performing relatively well as
trends in Asia and the Pacific, with particular attention regards Goals 1 (Eradicate extreme poverty and hun-
given to addressing the challenge of inequalities and ger) and 2 (Achieve universal primary education),
identifying priorities for action within the context of while progress was uneven for other Goals. Least
the post-2015 global development agenda. In addition developed countries still had a long way to go to
to identifying priorities for escap in the field of social further reduce poverty, and child and maternal mor-
development, the Committee on Social Development tality. Addressing the following areas would continue
served as a preparatory body for the Asian and Pacific to be critical for sustainable development: investments
Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s in social policies; gender equality; and inequalities.
Empowerment: Beijing+20 Review (see below).
The Commission also had before it the report Statistics
[E/ESCAP/71/22] of the Asian and Pacific Conference on In line with its 2014–2015 programme of activities,
Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Bei- escap continued its efforts to increase the capacity of
jing+20 Review (Bangkok, 17–20 November 2014), its Member States to produce, disseminate and use
which adopted the Asian and Pacific Ministerial statistics in accordance with internationally agreed
Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and standards and good practices and in support of pro-
Women’s Empowerment. Through that Declaration, gress towards inclusive, sustainable and resilient socie-
escap Member States identified priority actions for ties. This included supporting Member States in devis-
advancing gender equality in the Asia-Pacific region, ing action plans to identify statistical capacity gaps in
which included strengthening institutions; increasing order to monitor the sdgs. The Commission focused
financing; enhancing accountability; forging stronger on mobilizing funds; providing advisory services;
partnerships; and strengthening regional coopera- and organizing expert group meetings and seminars.
tion. The Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39 By the end of the biennium, the Statistical Institute
(res. 71/13)] that endorsed the Ministerial Declaration for Asia and the Pacific had trained more than 1,400
and decided to hold a high-level intergovernmental government statisticians from 65 countries. Escap
conference in 2019 to review the progress made in the produced a variety of materials analysing development
further implementation of the Platform for Action and trends and emerging issues throughout the region,
in the implementation of the Ministerial Declaration. and the scope and use of statistical databases was ex-
It also requested escap to strengthen its role in sup- panded with new indicators and products, including
porting the efforts of members and associate mem- escap flagship publications and monitoring plat-
bers to realize their commitments on gender equality forms. Analysis in the Statistical Yearbook for Asia and
and women’s empowerment, particularly through the the Pacific 2015 was reoriented around the sdgs.
priority actions identified in the Declaration. At its seventy-first session, the Commission had
For its consideration of social development, the before it a note [E/ESCAP/71/24] entitled “Statistics
Commission also had before it the report [E/ESCAP/71/23] for the development agenda beyond 2015 in Asia
of the Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental Meeting on and the Pacific: leveraging the data revolution”. The
hiv/aids (Bangkok, 28–30 January), which was con- note provided an overview of the collective efforts by
vened by escap in cooperation with the Joint United Governments and partners in Asia and the Pacific to
Nations Programme on hiv/aids, the United Nations advance the use of data and statistics for informed
Development Programme and other relevant UN en- decision-making on development issues within and
tities. The meeting endorsed the Regional Framework beyond the region. The post-2015 development
for Action on hiv/aids beyond 2015, which contained agenda was expected to increase the demand for
a series of actions to support implementation of the rel- high-quality statistics by different stakeholders,
evant global and regional commitments with a view to and this development was occurring at a time when
achieving universal access to hiv prevention, treatment, technology was having a significant impact on how
care and support in Asia and the Pacific. data were being captured, produced and used. The
The Commission also considered a report note highlighted the work of the Committee on
[E/ESCAP/71/43] on key issues and challenges in achiev- Statistics to embrace the opportunities presented by
ing the social-sector-related Millennium Development the data revolution and build the capacity of national
Goals. The report took stock of achievements in the statistical systems to produce and disseminate core
region as a whole, with a particular focus on countries economic, social and environmental statistics for
with special needs, and identified priority areas for decision-making, including in relation to the sdgs.
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 481

The note also requested the Commission to provide INF/7], and the report of the Governing Council of
guidance on a proposal to strengthen regional support the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific on its
for statistics development by enhancing research tenth session [E/ESCAP/71/INF/7].
on statistical policies and practices; establishing a
regional platform to promote dialogue between data Subregional activities for development
users and producers; and advancing regional collabo-
ration, including South-South cooperation. At its seventy-first session, the Commission reaf-
firmed its commitment to strengthening subregional
The Commission also had before it the report cooperation in Asia-Pacific for inclusive and sustain-
[E/ESCAP/71/27] of the Ministerial Conference on Civil
able development and recommended that the four
Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific subregional offices (Pacific, East and North-East Asia,
(Bangkok, 24–28 November 2014), which took place North and Central Asia, and South and South-West
as part of the “Get Every One in the Picture” initiative Asia) increase their communications and advocacy
and was the first intergovernmental conference on civil efforts to Member States and seek greater coordina-
registration and vital statistics organized in the Asia- tion and coherence between escap activities and the
Pacific region. The report contained the detailed out- activities of other international development partners
comes of the Conference, which would be used to aug- and multilateral organizations in the subregions. The
ment and guide action at national and international Commission had before it the report [E/ESCAP/71/29]
levels, and would contribute to the improvement of of the Governing Council of the Special Programme
civil registration and vital statistics for realizing and for the Economies of Central Asia on its ninth session,
measuring inclusive and sustainable development. as well as a report [E/ESCAP/71/28] entitled “Subpro-
The report requested the Commission to endorse the gramme overview: issues and challenges related
report of the Conference, including the Ministerial to inclusive and sustainable economic and social
Declaration to “Get Every One in the Picture” in Asia development in Asia and the Pacific”, which high-
and the Pacific, and the Regional Action Framework lighted the activities of the escap secretariat to support
on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and its member countries at the subregional level through
the Pacific. It also invited the Commission to endorse policy analysis, dialogue and capacity-building so
the revised terms of reference of the Regional Steer-
they could better respond to the challenges they faced.
ing Group for Civil Registration and Vital Statistics
in Asia and the Pacific, and to decide on its member- In line with the 2014–2015 programme of
ship, as called for in the report of the Committee on activities, escap assisted with the facilitation of fif-
Statistics on its fourth session [E/ESCAP/71/25]. teen intraregional cooperation initiatives, including
The Commission endorsed the terms of reference those which involved South-South cooperation be-
of the Regional Steering Group for Civil Registration tween Pacific island countries and Asia. Following a
and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific [E/ESCAP/71/ Pacific regional workshop on the Asia-Pacific Trade
INF/9] and decided on the composition of its mem- Agreement, 11 Pacific island countries requested
bership for the term spanning 2015–2017. The escap to undertake country-specific studies to assess
Commission also adopted a resolution [E/2015/39 the costs and benefits of joining the Agreement.
(res. 71/14)] in which it declared the Asian and Pacific Escap also facilitated discussions and agreement on
Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade, 2015– a regional position for the post-2015 development
2024, in order to realize the goal that, by 2024, agenda between 14 Pacific island countries. During
all people in the region would benefit from civil the Asia-Pacific High-level Consultation on Financ-
registration and vital statistics systems that facilitated ing for Development, nine Pacific island countries
the realization of their rights and supported good were provided with information on infrastructure
governance, health and development. The resolution developments in the Pacific islands, which enhanced
endorsed the Ministerial Declaration to “Get Every meaningful dialogue with Asian countries. An escap-
One in the Picture” in Asia and the Pacific, and the led regional meeting also resulted in strengthened
Regional Action Framework on Civil Registration intraregional integration among eight Pacific island
and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, which countries through use of strategies developed to im-
were annexed to the resolution. The resolution also prove medium-term expenditure planning as a tool
requested escap to accord priority to the implemen- for achieving national sustainable development.
tation of the Ministerial Declaration and Regional Escap made progress in promoting cooperation
Action Framework and decided to hold a midterm that enhanced the capacities of Member States in
review of progress in 2020 and a final review of pro- subregional connectivity, sustainable development,
gress in 2025. The Commission also took note of two energy efficiency, disaster risk reduction and in-
documents that were submitted for its consideration clusive development. In the field of environmental
of statistics—the summaries of the special sessions of sustainability, cooperation was expanded into trans-
the Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and boundary air pollution, transboundary nature conser-
Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific [E/ESCAP/71/ vation, marine protected areas and low carbon cities
482 Part Three: Economic and social questions

through new field projects and formal frameworks posed theme for that session. The Commission decided
under the North-East Asian Subregional Programme to hold the seventy-second session in April or May of
of Environmental Cooperation. By holding consulta- 2016, and that the theme would be “Science, technology
tive meetings or launching knowledge-sharing plat- and innovation for sustainable development”.
forms, cooperation forums, collaborative initiatives
and research findings and policy recommendations, Conference structure review
Escap continued to fulfil its role as a subregional
hub for consensus-building, concerted actions and The Commission had before it a note [E/ESCAP/​
strategic partnerships in support of internationally 71/33] by the escap secretariat that contained an
agreed development goals. Ninety-one per cent of analysis of the programmatic, organizational and
escap Member States indicated that cooperation on budgetary implications of the proposed changes
the achievement of the development goals had in- to the conference structure of the Commission in
creased during the 2014–2015 biennium. accordance with the provisions of Commission res-
olutions 69/1 and 70/11. The document drew on the
Programme and organizational questions findings and recommendations of a study conducted
by an external consultant, and escap Member States
The seventy-first session of the Commission en- also provided inputs through interviews and a survey
dorsed a document [E/ESCAP/71/31] that contained questionnaire administered from September to Oc-
a series of programme changes for the biennium tober 2014. The document discussed how to ensure
2014–2015 that had no additional regular programme that the Commission would be “fit for purpose” for
budget implications. It also had before it the draft the post-2015 development context. It also provided
programme of work for the biennium 2016–2017 recommendations to reform the conference structure
[E/ESCAP/71/30], which reflected the goal of escap to and the programmatic, organizational and budgetary
support Member States in achieving inclusive and implications. The Commission was requested to con-
sustainable development, in line with the emerging sider the recommendations contained in the report
regional development agenda, the lessons learned for and adopt a resolution on the conference structure.
the implementation of previous programmes of work The Commission also had before it a note
as well as the outcome of a series of evaluations. The [E/ESCAP/71/40] by the escap secretariat with an over-
2016–2017 programme of work further aimed to view of the changes to the conference structure enacted
make escap more “fit for purpose” through ensuring on the basis of resolution 69/1, and a brief assessment
a balance between its normative, analytical and oper- of the outcomes of those changes. The document
ational work, and by using multisectoral approaches found that implementation of the resolution had led
with a focus on issues that were regional in nature. to multiple reforms that increased the relevance, ef-
The document contained four sections that covered ficiency and effectiveness of the Commission and its
the overall programme orientation; subprogramme conference structure and strengthened the conference
results frameworks and strategies; proposed output structure’s capacity to help fulfil the Commission’s
citations by subprogramme; and legislative mandates. mandate as the economic and social development
The Commission had before it an overview of the centre in the UN system for Asia and the Pacific. It
escap secretariat’s partnerships, extrabudgetary con- recommended that the Commission, effective from
tributions and technical cooperation work in 2014 its seventy-second (2016) session onwards, produce
[E/ESCAP/71/32]. The note highlighted the importance the annual theme study and the Economic and Social
of partnerships in all of the work carried out by escap; Survey of Asia and the Pacific as separate publications,
described steps taken by the secretariat to strengthen with a sufficient gap between their publication dates
relations with partners and donors; summarized the to enable more focused attention to both products.
extrabudgetary contributions made to the secretariat The Commission adopted a resolution [E/2015/39
in 2014; and elaborated on capacity development work (res. 71/1)] on restructuring the conference structure of
carried out with key partners. The Commission noted the Commission to be fit for the post-2015 development
that the secretariat’s total extrabudgetary cash contri- agenda. The resolution took note of the two reports
butions in 2014 for technical cooperation activities on the implementation of Commission resolution 69/1
and host country support to the subregional offices and decided to revise the conference structure based
had amounted to $13.3 million. It also took note of on the recommendations in those reports. Annexed to
the overview document and expressed appreciation resolution 71/1 was the text of the revised conference
for the pledges amounting to $9,044,725 that it had structure; issues to be addressed by committees sub-
received for 2015. sidiary to the Commission; and the terms of reference
The Commission also considered a note of the Advisory Committee of Permanent Repre-
[E/ESCAP/71/36] by the escap secretariat with informa- sentatives and Other Representatives Designated by
tion on the possible dates and venue of the seventy- Members of the Commission. In a July resolution (see
second (2016) session of the Commission, and a pro- p. 483), the Economic and Social Council endorsed
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 483

the restructuring of the escap conference structure as The Commission endorsed the “High-level state-
set out in resolution 71/1 and the annexes thereto. ment on the post-2015 development agenda and ex-
pected sdgs in the ece region” [E/ECE/1475] and de-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION cided to transmit that statement as a regional input
On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social to the 2015 High-level Political Forum on Sustain-
Council, on the recommendation of escap [E/2015/15/ able Development and the 2015 Annual Ministerial
Add.2], adopted resolution 2015/30 (Restructuring Review of the Economic and Social Council. The
the conference structure of the Economic and Commission also endorsed the Geneva UN Char-
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to be ter on Sustainable Housing [E/ECE/1478/rev.1] and
fit for the evolving post-2015 development agenda) decided to transmit that Charter as a regional input
without vote [agenda item 15]. to the United Nations Conference on Housing and
Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). The
Commission decided to hold its sixty-seventh session
Activities of the Advisory Committee in 2017, and elected Kazakhstan as Chair of that
of Permanent Representatives session, and Latvia and Switzerland as Vice-Chairs.
The Commission had before it the report [E/ESCAP/​
71/35 & Corr.1] of the Advisory Committee of Perma- Economic trends
nent Representatives and Other Representatives
A report on the economic situation in the countries
Designated by Members of the Commission on the
of the ece region, including Europe, North America
activities of the Advisory Committee from May 2014
and the Commonwealth of Independent States (cis)
to March 2015. The Advisory Committee held six
[E/2016/16], indicated that economic growth generally
regular sessions and six informal and special sessions
slowed to 1.6 per cent in 2015, down from 1.9 per cent
on topics including the second session of the Asia-
in 2014. Across the region, economic performance
Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development; reforms
was diverse. Moderate expansion was observed in
to the conference structure; the proposed programme
the European Union and particularly in the United
of work for the biennium 2016–2017; the work of
States. Despite a disappointing beginning of the year,
the secretariat in the subregions; and the proposed
economic growth remained relatively strong in the
calendar of escap meetings for 2015. The Advisory
United States in 2015, with gross domestic product
Committee continued to provide advice and guidance (gdp) posting a 2.4 per cent increase, unchanged from
on the implementation and monitoring of resolutions 2014. The euro area recovery gained momentum in
adopted by the Commission, and the organization 2015, although growth remained modest despite a
of intergovernmental meetings and initiatives of the rather favourable external environment during most of
secretariat. By serving as a channel for Member States the year. Growth was the fastest since 2011, with gdp
to cooperate with each other and with the secretariat, posting a 1.6 per cent increase, up from 0.9 per cent in
the activities of the Advisory Committee also im- 2014. Economic performance in the cis, however, de-
proved coordination among stakeholders and progress teriorated sharply in 2015 under the impact of falling
in the escap agenda. commodity prices and geopolitical tensions. Aggregate
gdp shrank by 3 per cent after having increased by a
mere 0.9 per cent in 2014. While some small econo-
Europe mies were net energy importers and therefore could
benefit from low oil prices, the positive effect of a lower
The Economic Commission for Europe (ece), import bill in those countries had been offset by the
at its sixty-sixth session (Geneva, 14–16 April) transmission of shocks from the Russian Federation.
[E/2015/37-E/ECE/1472], discussed the theme “Commit- The decline in oil prices, which almost halved, af-
ting to action on sustainable development in times of fected energy-exporting and -importing countries dif-
change” [E/ECE/1473]. The session covered five topics ferently. This was a major factor behind the diversity
that were addressed by thematic panels [E/ECE/1474]: of economic performance in the ece region. Lower
sustainable energy and resilient communities; sustain- oil prices also negatively affected investment in the
able management of ecosystems and natural resources; energy sector in advanced countries. Output in the
connectivity and competitiveness for sustainable lives; cis was expected to shrink for a second consecutive
measuring and monitoring sustainable development; year in 2016, amid further deterioration of the terms
and partnering for sustainable development. The of trade, albeit at a more moderate pace. No major
Commission also considered reports on progress in changes were envisaged in the United States and the
the implementation of the outcome of the review of European Union for 2016, with economic expansion
the 2005 reform of ece [E/ECE/1476] and the activities projected at similar levels.
and the achievements of the Executive Committee In the United States, job creation was robust, but
since the last session of the Commission [E/ECE/1477]. wage growth had only recently picked up. By contrast,
484 Part Three: Economic and social questions

in the euro area, unemployment levels remained high its first session in 2015 (Geneva, 31 August–1 Septem-
in many countries, despite some improvement. In the ber) [ECE/CTCS/2015/2]. The session featured a high-level
cis, the labour market proved relatively resilient, given segment entitled “Removing regulatory and procedural
the scale of the decline in economic activity, but unem- barriers to trade in the ece region”, under which the
ployment had increased and remittances, which were following topics were discussed: supporting the re-
sizeable in the poorest economies, had shrunk sharply. moval of regulatory and procedural barriers to trade,
The report noted that the varied role of fiscal policy in which focused on findings and recommendations
supporting the recovery after the 2008–2009 financial from Kyrgyzstan [ECE/TRADE/412, ECE/CTCS/2015/10];
crisis in the United States and the euro area had con- and country follow-up to ece studies on regulatory
tributed to explaining the differences in economic and procedural barriers to trade, which reviewed
performance in recent years. In the euro area, past activities in Belarus [ECE/CTCS/2015/11], Kazakhstan
tighter fiscal policy had been replaced by a more relaxed [ECE/CTCS/2015/12] and Tajikistan [ECE/CTCS/2015/13],
stance. In a number of European Union countries, the as well as the World Trade Organization post-accession
refugee crisis remained a source of additional fiscal out- plan [ECE/CTCS/2015/14]. The general segment of the
lays. In the cis, energy exporters were being forced to session—entitled “Increasing the participation of
undertake significant fiscal adjustments, as oil prices transition economies in international trade”—cov-
were expected to stay low for a long time. ered the following topics: matters arising from the
The report noted a number of risks that obscured sixty-sixth (2015) session of the ece Commission and
the outlook, including ongoing geopolitical tensions, Executive Committee (excom) meetings [ECE/EX/22,
which had disrupted trade and undermined confidence ECE/CTCS/2015/3, E/2013/37]; updates from subsidiary
in the cis; the refugee crisis, which was creating strains bodies [ECE/TR ADE/C/WP.6/2014/2, ECE/TR ADE/C/
in a number of European countries despite having pro- WP.7/2014/2, ECE/CTCS/2015/4]; the status of imple-
vided a short-term boost to economic activity; and a mentation of the 2014–2015 programme of work
potential decision by the United Kingdom to leave the [ECE/CTCS/2015/5]; capacity-building and technical
European Union following the referendum scheduled assistance activities [ECE/CTCS/2015/6 & Add.1]; the
for June 2016, which would represent a shock and add 2016–2017 programme of work [ECE/CTCS/2015/7;
to the uncertainty. Overall, medium-term growth ECE/CTCS/2015/7/Cor.1]; the plan for intersessional
prospects in the ece region were being undermined implementation of the programme of work
by a number of factors that required policy attention. [ECE/CTCS/2015/8]; reports from other ece bodies and
Ageing would reduce labour supply and therefore international organizations on related work and po-
growth potential. Large and persistent unemployment tential areas for collaboration with the Steering Com-
levels in some countries were eroding social cohesion mittee [ECE/CTCS/2015/9, ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2015/2,
and were likely to become entrenched through skill de- ECE/CECI/2015/8]; stakeholder needs and priorities; and
terioration. Productivity growth had been weak in the information on the Conference on Unlocking Economic
aftermath of the financial crisis and the existing levels Potential for Sustainable Development: The Role of
of investment did not portend a significant accelera- Trade, Innovation and Public Private Partnerships
tion. The predicament of energy-exporting countries (Geneva, 2 September 2015) [ECE/CTCS/2015/NONE/1,
showed the need for economic diversification, but that ECE/CECI/2015/NONE/1].
would require, among other things, an investment
effort that was at odds with the depressed trends being Forestry
observed. The multiple challenges faced by the region
needed to be addressed by a comprehensive mix of At the joint seventy-third session of the ece Com-
policies to offset demand weakness and tackle struc- mittee on Forests and the Forest Industry (coffi), thirty-
tural factors undermining growth. eighth session of the fao European Forestry Commission
On 22 July (decision 2015/251), the Economic (efc) and third European Forest Week (Engelberg,
and Social Council took note of the report on the Switzerland, 2–6 November) [ECE/TIM/2015/2-
FO:EFC/15/2], delegations from 39 countries discussed
“Economic situation in the Economic Commission
for Europe region (Europe, North America and the the following matters: the global and regional context
[ECE/TIM/2015/3-FO:EFC/15/3]; wood and wood prod-
Commonwealth of Independent States), 2014–2015”
[YUN 2014, p. 1141].
ucts/market discussions [ECE/TIM/2015/4-FO:EFC/15/4];
forest ecosystem services and financing sustainable
forest management [ECE/TIM/2015/5-FO:EFC/15/5];
Activities forest ecosystem services, including disaster risk
Trade reduction and watershed management, biodiversity
maintenance, climate change mitigation and adapta-
The Steering Committee on Trade Capacity and tion, and forest landscape restoration [ECE/TIM/2015/6-
Standards, which replaced the Committee on Trade as FO:EFC/15/6]; the ece/fao integrated programme of
the forum hosting the ece annual session on trade, held work 2014–2017 [ECE/TIM/2015/7-FO:EFC/15/7]; the
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 485

coffi programme of work 2016–2017 [ECE/TIM/2015/8- the strengthening of border crossing facilitation
FO:EFC/15/8]; the Strategic Framework 2018–2019 [ECE/TRANS/2015/17]. The Committee also adopted
for the ece subprogramme on forestry and timber its schedule of meetings in 2015 and from January to
[ECE/TIM/2015/9/Rev.1-FO:EFC/15/9/Rev.1]; follow-up to March 2016 [ECE/TRANS/2015/22/Rev.1]; and adopted
the decisions of the efc thirty-seventh (2013) session the list of main decisions at its seventy-seventh session
[ECE/TIM/2015/11-FO:EFC/15/11]; gender, youth and [Informal document ITC (2015) No. 14].
education [ECE/TIM/2015/12-FO:EFC/15/12]; contribu- Europe-Africa fixed link. On 20 April [E/2015/21],
tions to fao governance [ECE/TIM/2015/13-FO:EFC/15/13]; the Secretary-General transmitted to the Economic
and progress in Silva Mediterranea and the Working and Social Council a report jointly prepared by
Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds the Executive Secretaries of ece and the Economic
[ECE/TIM/2015/14-FO:EFC/15/14]. The countries agreed Commission for Africa on the activities carried out
to continue their efforts to build climate change into within the framework of the project for a Europe-Africa
national forest programmes, strategies and plans, and fixed link through the Strait of Gibraltar (see p. 466).
encouraged each other to actively participate in the The Economic and Social Council took note of the
work of the United Nations Forum on Forests (unff). joint report on 22 July (decision 2015/251).
They asked ece and fao to work on developing global
forest-related indicators related to the sustainable Energy
development goals (sdgs), building on the existing in-
dicators. Countries also expressed strong interest in de- In line with the “Sustainable Energy for All”
veloping markets and investments for forest ecosystem initiative of the Secretary-General [YUN 2013, p. 982],
services, and appraised the market discussions held at the Committee on Sustainable Energy focused its
the joint session as a unique platform for information twenty-fourth session (Geneva, 18–20 November)
and experience exchange on forest products markets at [ECE/ENERGY/99] on pathways to sustainable energy.
the regional level. An overview of the key developments As an underlying element of all of the sdgs, sustain-
and drivers for change in the forest sectors in the re- able energy combined environmental, economic and
gion were reflected in the market statement, which was social aspects to ensure a sustainable energy system in
annexed to the report of the joint session. the future. Such a system would address all aspects
of the sustainable development pillar in line with
national priorities and concerns, including climate
Transport change and natural resource use, job creation and
The Inland Transport Committee (itc), at its energy security, social tolerance, health and energy
seventy-seventh session (Geneva, 24–26 Febru- access, among others.
ary) [ECE/TR ANS/248] considered, among other The high-level segment of the session was held
topics, sustainable urban transport and mobility under the theme of “Pathways to sustainable energy
[ECE/TR ANS/2015/1]; strengthening the involve- in the United Nations Economic Commission for
ment of non- ece contracting parties in the itc and Europe region”. The Chair opened the segment by
its subsidiary bodies [ECE/TRANS/2015/2]; ece ana- focusing on the varying conceptions of sustainable
lytical work on transport [ECE/TRANS/2015/3]; itc energy that were leading to diverse expressions in
follow-up to Rio+20 [ECE/TR ANS/2015/4]; mitiga- national and regional energy strategies, resulting in a
tion of environmentally harmful effects of inland lack of common understanding of sustainable energy.
transport [ECE/TR ANS/2015/5]; impacts of climate He stressed the important opportunity presented to
change on international transport networks and Member States to explore what sustainable energy
adaptation requirements [ECE/TR ANS/2015/6]; the meant for the ece region, both from the perspective
Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European of reducing the environmental footprint of energy and
Programme [ECE/AC.21/SC/2014/6], intelligent transport the perspective of assuring needed energy for sustain-
systems [ECE/TRANS/2015/7]; assistance to countries able development. The Committee concluded the seg-
with economies in transition [ECE/TRANS/2015/8]; ment by noting the recommendations of its Bureau
the 10-year review of the implementation of the and the high-level panel on pathways to sustainable
Almaty Programme of Action and the new Vienna energy and endorsed the overall concept of a proposed
Programme of Action [ECE/TRANS/2015/9]; status of Pathways to Sustainable Energy project. It requested
accession to international ece transport agreements further analysis on sustainable energy policy drivers
and conventions [ECE/TRANS/2015/10]; the Euro-Asian in ece Member States that would help attain the ob-
Transport Links Project [ECE/TRANS/2015/11]; road jectives of energy for sustainable development. It also
safety [ECE/TRANS/2015/13, ECE/TRANS/2012/4 & Corr. requested the Bureau and the secretariat to submit the
1,2]; road transport [ECE/TRANS/2015/14]; rail transport project proposal, with all supporting documentation,
[ECE/TR ANS/SC.2/222, ECE/TR ANS/2015/15]; inter- to the Executive Committee for approval.
modal transport and logistics [ECE/TRANS/2015/16]; The Committee considered the reports of its sub-
inland water transport [ECE/TRANS/SC.3/197]; and sidiary bodies [ECE/EX/7, ECE/ENERGY/91, ECE/EN-
486 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ERGY/2015/4] and how their work had been contributing Review Programme. The Committee considered
to solutions sought by Member States in sustainable recent developments in its cross-sectoral activities,
energy. Those bodies comprised the Group of Ex- including highlights from the Transport, Health
perts on Gas [ECE/ENERGY/GE.8/2014/2, ECE/ENERGY/ and Environment Pan-European Programme; the
GE.8/2015/2 & ECE/ENERGY/2015/1]; the Expert Group Environment and Security Initiative; the European
on Resource Classification [ECE/ENERGY/GE.3/2015/2, Environment and Health Process; and the area of
ECE/ENERGY/2015/7]; the Group of Experts on Cleaner green building. Regarding the programme of work
Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels [ECE/ENERGY/ of the Environment subprogramme, the Committee
GE.5/2015/2]; the Group of Experts on Coal Mine Meth- discussed streamlining the work on environmental
ane [ECE/ENERGY/GE.4/2015/2, ECE/ENERGY/2015/1]; the monitoring and assessment [ECE/CEP/2015/12]; main-
Group of Experts on Renewable Energy [ECE/ENERGY/ streaming a gender perspective into environmental
GE.7/2015/2, ECE/ENERGY/2015/8]; and the Group of Ex- activities; performance assessment in 2014–2015
perts on Energy Efficiency [ECE/ENERGY/GE.6/2015/2, [ECE/CEP/2015/6]; a performance plan for 2016–2017
ECE/ENERGY/97 & ECE/ENERGY/100]. The Committee [ECE/CEP/2015/5]; the programme of work for 2016–
was briefed on activities conducted since its twenty- 2017 [ECE/CEP/2015/4]; the strategic framework for
second (2013) session and plans for 2016–2017. Key 2018–2019 [ECE/CEP/2015/7]; and revised criteria for
achievements were related to recommendations to the financial support for the participation of countries in
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate meetings and events. The Committee held a presen-
Change (unfccc) about carbon capture and stor- tation and exchange of views on preparations for the
age; best policy practices and national case studies second (2016) United Nations Environment Assembly;
on energy efficiency; dissemination of Best Practice approved the proposed schedule of Committee and
Guidance on Coal Mine Methane and steps to Bureau meetings until 2018; and was briefed on a
operationalize an International Centre of Excellence memorandum of understanding that had been con-
for Coal Mine Methane in Poland; United Nations cluded on 4 May between ece and the United Nations
Framework Classification (unfc): Application of unfc Environment Programme regarding cooperation on
to injection projects for geological storage of CO2 and environmental areas of mutual interest in accordance
guidelines for application of unfc to uranium and tho- with mandates given by the Member States.
rium resources; and establishment of a joint Task Force
on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings of the ece Innovation, competitiveness
Region for 2016–2017, for which the draft terms of and public-private partnerships
reference were annexed to the report of the session.
The Committee took note of the Statement of At its seventy-fifth meeting on 10 February, the
Common Action adopted at the Sixth International ece Executive Committee (excom), with reference to
Forum on Energy for Sustainable Development (Yere- paragraphs 13, 14 and 31(g) of Commission decision
van, Armenia, 29 September–2 October), and invited A(65) on the outcome of the review of the 2005 re-
ece to report to the annual session of the Economic and form of ece [YUN 2013, p. 964] and paragraph 24 of the
Social Council on the outcome of the Sixth International Chairman’s conclusions of the sixty-sixth meeting of
Forum. Regarding future work of the ece subpro- excom on 6 February 2014, decided to rename the
gramme on sustainable energy, the Committee en- Committee on Economic Cooperation and Integra-
dorsed the programme of work for 2016–2017 [ECE/EN- tion as the Committee on Innovation, Competitive-
ERGY/2015/2/Rev.1]; the publication plan for 2016–2017 ness and Public-Private Partnerships, and to revise
[ECE/ENERGY/2015/3]; the calendar of meetings for 2016 that Committee’s terms of reference, which were
[ECE/ENERGY/2015/6/Rev.1]; and the strategic framework annexed to the decision [ECE/EX/24].
2018–2019 [ECE/ENERGY/2015/9/Rev.1]. The ninth session of the Committee on Innova-
tion, Competitiveness and Public-Private Partnerships
Environment (Geneva, 3–4 September) [ECE/CECI/2015/2] featured
a high-level substantive segment that examined the
The Committee on Environmental Policy, at role of innovation, competitiveness and public-private
its twenty-first session (Geneva, 27–30 October) partnerships (ppps) in achieving the sdgs and the
[ECE/CEP/2015/2], discussed the outcomes of the work Committee’s role in demonstrating the applicability of
of its Bureau from November 2014 to July 2015 its work to sdg implementation; adapting its existing
[ECE/CEP/2015/3]; sustainable development in the ece tools and activities to further align them with the
region [E/ECE/1475]; the importance of ece multilateral sdgs; and, where appropriate, developing partnerships
environmental agreements for achieving the sdgs; and contributing to new tools and activities in support
organizational issues regarding the eighth (2016) of the sdgs. The Committee noted that achieving
Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference— most, if not all, of the sdgs would require massive
the “Batumi Conference” [ECE/CEP/2014/15]; and the investments in infrastructure and innovation and de-
2015 activities of the ece Environmental Performance termined that it could make the greatest contribution
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 487

to sdg 9, which called for countries to “build resilient Further matters considered during the session
infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable in- were capacity-building activities [ECE/CECI/2015/8],
dustrialization and foster innovation”. The Commit- and reports from other ece bodies and international
tee’s Bureau and secretariat were invited to further ex- organizations on areas of potential collaboration or
plore ways in which the Committee could contribute of common interest, including the draft programme
to achieving the sdgs, in cooperation with other ece of work of the ece trade subprogramme for 2016–
intergovernmental bodies. 2017 [ECE/CTCS/2015/7]. The Committee adopted the
The session Chairperson presented a summary draft programme of work of the economic coopera-
of the proceedings of the High-level International tion and integration subprogramme for 2016–2017
Conference on Unlocking the Economic Potential for [ECE/CECI/2015/9] and approved its intersessional im-
Sustainable Development: The Role of Trade, Innova- plementation plan for 2015–2016 [ECE/CECI/2015/10].
tion and Public Private Partnerships (Geneva, 2 Sep-
tember). The Conference noted that ppps were critically Housing and land
important for addressing the infrastructure gap that
needed to be closed in order to meet most of the sdgs; The Committee on Housing and Land Manage­
innovation would be essential for increasing country ment, at its seventy-sixth session (Geneva, 14–15 De-
capacity to create the products and services needed to cember) [ECE/HBP/184], discussed the work of the
meet the sdgs; and trade was an enabler of sustainable Bureau of the Committee and the main decisions
economic growth, poverty reduction and the integra- taken since the Committee’s seventy-fifth session
tion of low-income countries into the global economy. [ECE/HBP/2015/1]; relevant outcomes of the UN Summit
By examining perspectives from specific countries, the for the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Conference discussed the need for increased economic Development (New York, 25–27 September); imple-
benefits from agricultural trade; faster, cheaper and mentation of the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable
more efficient trade in support of equitable growth; Housing [E/ECE/1478/Rev.1] and the ece Strategy for
innovation for sustainable development; and ppps on Sustainable Housing and Land Management 2014–
the path to sustainable development. The Committee 2020 [ECE/HBP/2013/3]; and preparations for the Third
requested its Bureau and secretariat to explore ways to United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustain-
enhance awareness on the role of innovation, compet- able Urban Development (habitat iii), including the
itiveness and ppps in achieving the sdgs, and to con- organization of the high-level preparatory conference
sider the recommendations of the Conference when for the ece region (“European Habitat”) in Prague,
developing its future work in support of sustainable Czech Republic from 16 to 18 March 2016, and the
development. drafting of the habitat iii Report on Housing and
For the general segment of the session, the Com- Urban Development for the ece Region. The Com-
mittee discussed implementation of the programme mittee decided to develop a system for monitoring
of work since the eighth (2014) session of the Com- sdg 11 (Cities and Human Settlements); endorsed the
mittee on Economic Cooperation and Integration. It recommendations for implementation of the Charter
considered the report of the Team of Specialists on on Sustainable Housing; and took note of the prepara-
Innovation and Competitiveness Policies (tos-icp) on tions for European Habitat and the draft habitat iii
its seventh (2014) session [ECE/CECI/ICP/2014/2], smart report for the ece region.
specialization strategies for sustainable development The Committee reviewed the implementation
[ECE/CECI/2015/4]; innovation in the public sector of its work programme 2014–2015. In the area of
[ECE/CECI/2015/5]; good practices and policy recom- sustainable housing and real estate markets, it dis-
mendations on aligning entrepreneurship and innova- cussed affordable and social housing [ECE/HBP/182];
tion policies [ECE/CECI/2015/6]; and the approval and energy efficiency in buildings [ECE/HBP/2015/2]; and
establishment of a ppp Business Advisory Board and the programme of work of the Real Estate Market
the revised tos - icp mandate and terms of reference Advisory Group [ECE/HBP/2015/3]. On sustain-
[ECE/EX/16]. It also considered the report of the Team able urban development, the Committee endorsed
of Specialists on Public-Private Partnerships (tos-ppp) the unece/itu Smart Sustainable City Indicators
on its sixth (2014) session [ECE/CECI/PPP/2014/2]; [ECE/HBP/2015/4] and recommended developing Smart
process for developing international ppp standards Sustainable City Standards and further activities on
[ECE/CECI/2015/7]; and the future intergovernmental the preparation of smart sustainable city profiles, with
status of tos - ppp [ECE/CECI/2015/3]. The Com- a possible amendment once the sdg indicators were
mittee decided to approve the process for developing approved. The Committee also adopted the draft
international standards in ppps, the template for programme of work of the Working Party on Land
project proposals, the template for ppp sectors, and Administration for 2016–2017 [ECE/HBP/2015/5];
the Intellectual Property Rights Policy governing the the revised guidelines for the preparation of ece
development and use of the ppp standards, as elabo- country profiles on housing and land management
rated by tos - ppp [ECE/CECI/2015/7]. [ECE/HBP/2015/6 & Corr.1]; the programme of work of
488 Part Three: Economic and social questions

the housing and land management (hlm) component work on measuring human capital [ECE/CES/2015/40].
of the Housing, Land Management and Population It also adopted the ece Statistical Programme for
subprogramme for 2016–2017 [ECE/HBP/2015/7]; and 2015 [ECE/CES/2015/15] and the Programme of Work
the draft Strategic Framework 2018–2019 for the hlm for 2016–2017 [ECE/CES/2015/16].
component of the Housing, Land Management and
Population subprogramme [ECE/HBP/2015/8].
Latin America and the Caribbean
Statistics
The sixty-third plenary session of the Conference of The Economic Commission for Latin America
European Statistics (Geneva, 15–17 June) [ECE/CES/89] and the Caribbean (eclac) did not meet in 2015. The
discussed matters arising from the ece sixty-sixth Commission’s thirty-sixth session was scheduled to be
(2015) session [ECE/CES/2015/1] and the forty-sixth held in 2016. Eclac activities in 2015 were described
session of the United Nations Statistical Commission in its biennial report [LC/G.2664(SES.36/7)].
[E/2015/24-E/CN.3/2015/40]. The session considered Membership. The eclac Committee of the Whole,
the response by official statistics to the sdgs, in- at its thirtieth session (New York, 19–20 March), rec-
cluding monitoring of the sdgs at the national level ommended that the Economic and Social Council ap-
[ECE/CES/2015/19–24, 24/Add.1, 31–32 & 44] and coopera- prove the admission of Norway as a member of eclac
tion in monitoring the sdgs at the regional and global and authorize the amendment of paragraph 3(a) of the
levels [ECE/CES/2015/33–36]. It adopted a declaration on Commission’s terms of reference to include Norway’s
the role of national statistical offices in measuring and name after that of the Netherlands [res. 692 (PLEN.30)].
monitoring the sdgs [ECE/CES/89/Add.1] and agreed to
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
launch work on a road map for the development of
official statistics for monitoring the sdgs in the ece On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social
region. The session considered the modernization of Council, on the recommendation of eclac [E/2015/15/
statistical production and services and managing for Add.1], adopted resolution 2015/29 (Admission of
efficiency [ECE/CES/2015/12, 43; ECE/CES/2015/26–28, Norway as a member of the Economic Commission
30, 37–39; ECE/CES/2015/25, 29, 41–42] and noted that for Latin America and the Caribbean) without vote
the key challenges in modernizing official statistics [agenda item 15].
were finding the right organizational structures to
develop dynamic capabilities and effectively commu- Economic trends
nicating modernization activities. It concluded that
there were many ways to increase access to and re- According to the report entitled “Economic situa-
usability of data and that it would be necessary to tion and outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean
enhance the skills and knowledge of staff in those for the period 2015–2016” [E/2016/19], in 2015, the
areas, including through the exchange of experience. region as a whole experienced its worst growth slow-
The session discussed reports, guidelines and rec- down since 2009, albeit to varying degrees among the
ommendations prepared under the umbrella of the individual countries. Regional gross domestic product
Conference and endorsed the Guide to Measuring (gdp) shrank by 0.5 per cent, which translated into a
Global Production [ECE/CES/2015/2 & Add.1], Guidelines 1.6 per cent downturn in per capita gdp. That out-
on Statistical Business Registers [ECE/CES/2015/3 & come was attributable largely to unfavourable exter-
Add.1], Conference of European Statisticians Recom- nal conditions brought about by weak global growth
mendations for the 2020 Censuses of Population and and even weaker global trade resulting from a slower
Housing [ECE/CES/2015/6 & Add.1] and Handbook on Chinese economy, a continued decline in commodity
Measuring Quality of Employment [ECE/CES/2015/4 & prices and high volatility in the international financial
Add.1, 2]. Regarding the coordination of international markets. Domestic factors played a significant role
statistical work in the ece region, the session en- in the diversity exhibited by the economic perfor-
dorsed the outcomes of a series of in-depth reviews mance of the individual countries, while overall this
[ECE/CES/2015/7] that were conducted on population performance differed sharply by subregion with the
projections [ECE/CES/2015/8 & Add.1]; measuring ex- countries located in the south of the region faring
treme events and disasters [ECE/CES/2015/9 & Add.1]; worse than those in the north.
process-oriented approach to statistical production Despite narrowing in nominal terms, the region’s
[ECE/CES/2015/10 & Add.1]; and labour mobility and current account deficit as a percentage of gdp widened
globalization [ECE/CES/2015/11 & Add.1]. Regarding to 3.3 per cent in 2015, owing to the reduction in
the programme of work of the ece Statistics sub- regional gdp measured in dollars. As uncertainty and
programme, the session considered “What is the volatility prevailed in the financial markets through-
value of official statistics and how do we commu- out the year, the financial flows received by the region
nicate that value?” [ECE/CES/2015/5] and progress of in 2015 were not sufficient to cover the balance-of-
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 489

payments current account deficit, and international global economy, integration and regional coopera-
reserves had to be drawn down to bridge the gap. In tion; production and innovation; macroeconomic
spite of weak external demand, net exports had a pos- policies and growth; financing for development; social
itive impact on growth due to low import volumes. development and equality; mainstreaming the gender
By contrast, domestic demand made a negative con- perspective in regional development; population and
tribution to gdp growth as both private consumption development; sustainable development and human
and gross fixed capital formation contracted. Like the settlements; natural resources and infrastructure;
economic activity overall, the various components planning of public administration; statistics; subre-
of aggregate demand were sharply differentiated by gional activities in Central America, Cuba, the Do-
subregion. In terms of gdp growth, South America minican Republic, Haiti and Mexico; subregional
performed the worst (a contraction of 1.7 per cent) activities in the Caribbean; and support for regional
and Central America the best (an expansion of and subregional integration and cooperation processes
4.4 per cent). and organizations.
Inflation rose on average, with patterns diverging
between the north and south of the region. Falling Global economy, integration and regional
energy and food prices in international markets helped cooperation
slow inflation in Central America, while currency de-
preciation drove inflation higher in South America. The eclac Division of International Trade and
With regard to employment, unlike the pattern in Integration focused on trade relations between Latin
2014, the fall in the employment rate pushed up the America and the Caribbean and the rest of the world,
unemployment rate in the region in 2015, while the particularly the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the
composition of employment deteriorated further. On United States, and intraregional trade. Other topics
average, real wages recorded a slight increase, reflect- included global trade negotiations, regional and global
ing the generally deteriorating employment condi- supply chains, regional integration, trade facilitation,
tions and the differentiated trends in inflation. dispute settlements, international cooperation, the
For the first time since 2009, all of the countries of role of small- and medium-sized enterprises in trade,
Latin America were running fiscal deficits, although the intersection between trade and climate change
fiscal revenue and spending levels were considerably and the provision of technical assistance and capacity-
higher in 2015. On average in 2015, the central govern- building activities.
ments posted a primary deficit of 1.1 per cent of gdp The 2015 edition of the flagship publication Latin
and an overall deficit (including public debt interest America and the Caribbean in the World Economy
payments) of 3.1 per cent of gdp. On the monetary examined issues of global relevance that were af-
and exchange rate front, changes in international con- fecting trade and integration in Latin America and
ditions, including falling prices for primary goods and the Caribbean, including the slowdown of global
mounting volatility in international financial mar- economic growth, megaregional negotiations, global
kets leading to sharp depreciations of some countries’ value chains, the role of China in the global economy,
currencies, together with trends in domestic prices, challenges facing intraregional trade, and trade
eroded the policy space available to some central banks facilitation.
and thus curtailed their options for action. A number In January, the Division organized an international
of countries made reforms to their financial systems seminar entitled “Trade, industrialization and green
to complement monetary and exchange rate policies. growth: exploring opportunities for cooperation be-
Against a backdrop of persistent weakness in the tween the Republic of Korea and Latin America”,
global economy, regional gdp for 2016 was projected which convened more than 15 senior officials, schol-
to contract by 0.6 per cent overall, even though the ars and experts from the Republic of Korea and Latin
performance of individual countries was expected to America to present and discuss Korean experiences
vary widely. related to the internationalization of the economy, the
The Economic and Social Council took note of the use of free economic zones and green growth strat-
document entitled “Situation and outlook for Latin egies. In April, the Division published a document
America and the Caribbean 2014–2015” [YUN 2014, on Economic relations between Latin America and the
p. 1144] on 22 July (decision 2015/251). Caribbean and the Republic of Korea: Advances and
opportunities, in advance of an official visit by Geung-
hye Park, President of the Republic of Korea, to sev-
Activities eral countries in the region.
An eclac report on the Commission’s work In May, the document Latin America and the
detailed the activities conducted
[LC/G.2664​(SES.36/7)] Caribbean and China: Towards a new era in economic
and progress made from January 2014 to December cooperation analysed the main features of the
2015 under its 14 subprogrammes: linkages with the international economic context for Latin America and
490 Part Three: Economic and social questions

the Caribbean and China, examined the progress of The fifth Ministerial Conference on the Informa-
the economic reforms under way in China and gave tion Society in Latin America and the Caribbean
an overview of the region’s trade and investment (Mexico City, Mexico, 5–7 August), organized by
relations with China. Prepared on the occasion of a the Government of Mexico and eclac in its role as
visit to eclac headquarters by Li Keqiang, Premier of technical secretariat of the elac process, led to the
China, the document also outlined the main compo- adoption of the Digital Agenda for Latin America
nents of the China-Community of Latin American and the Caribbean (elac2018). This regional agenda
and Caribbean States (celac) Cooperation Plan would serve as a key input for the global process of
2015–2019, which had been adopted by celac and reviewing outcomes and preparing a new agreement
China in January. within the framework of the World Summit on the
The Division continued to maintain and operate Information Society.
its two databases for the benefit of the general public. Eclac continued to use publications and events
The Integrated Database of Trade Disputes for Latin to strengthen the institutional knowledge and ca-
America and the Caribbean (idatd) remained a pacities of countries in the region; encourage inno-
unique database providing information on trade dis- vation in production and management processes; and
putes, including updated procedural and substantive remain the region’s reference for data and analysis
developments on disputes under the frameworks of on foreign direct investment. The capacities of over
the World Trade Organization, North American Free 30 government officials were improved through work-
Trade Agreement (nafta), the Andean Community, shops held in Ecuador on transforming the country’s
the Southern Common Market (mercosur), production structure, in Argentina on promoting
the Central American Common Market and the innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises
Caribbean Community (caricom). The Interactive (smes) and in Costa Rica on building ict indicators.
Graphic System for International Trade Data (sigci) In June, a training course on technology policy and
provided data on trade activity for 33 Latin American innovation was conducted with the participation of
and Caribbean countries, the original 15 member representatives from Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Pan-
countries of the European Union and other selected ama, Paraguay, Peru and the Plurinational State of
countries—mainly members of the Asia-Pacific Bolivia. Launched during the year was an updated
Economic Cooperation (apec). edition of the flagship Foreign Direct Investment in
Technical cooperation services to boost capacity Latin America and the Caribbean, which received
in relation to trade and sustainable development were substantial media coverage and interest from stake-
provided to 17 public and private institutions, includ- holders regarding its further use as a tool to improve
ing the Union of South American Nations (unasur), productivity. Over 10 publications were also launched
Institute of Applied Economic Research (ipea), Latin in areas such as sustainable innovation, icts, smes and
American Integration Association (aladi), mercosur, rural development.
Pacific Alliance, United Nations Conference on Eclac continued to support the region’s countries
Trade and Development (unctad), Organization for in relation to industrial and technology policy. The
Economic Cooperation and Development (oecd), Division provided technical assistance and advisory
Development Bank of Latin America (caf), Korea services on development strategies to the governments
International Cooperation Agency (koica) and Inter- of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico,
American Development Bank (idb). Panama, Saint Lucia and Uruguay. Of particular im-
portance was the comprehensive long-term technical
Production and innovation assistance to the Office of the Vice-President and four
ministries of Ecuador in designing and implementing
The eclac Division of Production, Productivity the National Strategy to Change the Production Ma-
and Management continued to work on structural trix. Building synergies with national and international
change and industrial policies in Latin America and organizations likewise played an important role in the
the Caribbean by focusing on strengthening the work of the Division. For example, a collaboration with
capacity of governments to formulate policies and oecd and the European Union enabled the Division to
strategies to transform the production structure with carry out its activities regarding economic and sectoral
a focus on the most innovative sectors. In the Political analysis, and policies to foster smes. The Division also
Declaration of Belén, resulting from the third celac worked during the 2014–2015 biennium with agencies
Summit of Heads of State and Government (Belén, of the UN system, such as fao and the United Nations
Costa Rica, 28–29 January), the 33 countries of the Industrial Development Organization (unido), and
Community adopted the celac Plan for Food and international agencies outside the UN system, such
Nutrition Security and the Eradication of Hunger as the Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and
2025 and acknowledged the support provided in its Pacific States (cariforum), Inter-American Institute
formulation by eclac and other partners such as the for Cooperation on Agriculture (iica), oecd, and the
Food and Agriculture Organization (fao) and aladi. Paris School of Economics, on preparing publications
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 491

that served as a basis for the policy recommenda- No. 1739 of 2014), Ecuador (Ley Orgánica de Incen-
tions delivered to governments through its technical tivos a la Producción y Prevención del Fraude Fiscal
assistance programmes. of 2014), Peru (Law 30296 of 2014), Panama (Law
No. 27 of 2015) and Chile, which introduced a major
Macroeconomic policies and growth progressive tax reform (Law No. 20.780 of 2014).
The Division also implemented extrabudgetary
Work under the eclac macroeconomic policies and
projects related to fiscal and labour market policies
growth subprogramme aimed to increase awareness
and managed a Development Account project on
and understanding among policymakers and other
labour market policies entitled “Strengthening the
stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean
capacities of Latin America and Asia to develop
of current and emerging macroeconomic issues in a
and improve labour training systems and to protect
highly volatile environment. Efforts focused on gen-
workers against unemployment”. The project, which
erating timely and relevant economic analyses and
policy suggestions that were disseminated through was carried out in conjunction with the Economic
flagship and other non-recurrent publications. In Commission for Asia and the Pacific (escap), focused
particular, the Economic Development Division of on unemployment protection and training. As a result
eclac proposed the expansion of countercyclical of this work, five papers were published in the Mac-
macroeconomic policies and greater regional integra- roeconomía del Desarrollo series on unemployment
tion as policy responses that could serve to reactivate protection schemes in general and on the character-
domestic demand with a focus on investment, en- istics, options, and advantages and disadvantages of
hancing productivity and competitiveness, and diver- unemployment insurance in Mexico.
sifying the productive structure and export basket of
the region’s countries. Financing for development
The Division published its flagship Economic Sur- One of the aims under the eclac financing
vey of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2015, which for development subprogramme was to improve
examined the external and internal factors influenc- the capacity of Latin American and Caribbean
ing the economic slowdown and highlighted some of policymakers to formulate and implement financial
the challenges facing macroeconomic policymakers, policies on generating and allocating domestic
particularly the need to boost investment as both a resources and mobilizing foreign resources
central pillar of economic recovery and as an engine for development. To that end, the Economic
of growth in the medium and long term. The Division Development Division continued to carry out
also produced the 2015 Preliminary Overview of the training and technical cooperation services during
Economies of Latin American and the Caribbean, which the 2014–2015 biennium. Four workshops were held
focused on the economic activities of the region, in Costa Rica and Guatemala to familiarize national
domestic prices, employment and wages, the external officials with the structural gap approach and with
sector and macroeconomic policies, while providing the analytical framework of development diagnos-
an overview of the international context and an out- tics, designed to identify, quantify and prioritize
look for the following year. The third edition of the development gaps at the national level and to inform
Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean policy proposals to overcome them. The Division also
2015 was also produced under the subprogramme undertook technical assistance missions to Costa Rica
and provided an updated overview of public debt and and Guatemala to provide guidance and advice on the
fiscal space in the region. The Division’s publications, identification, evaluation and measurement of struc-
which were widely disseminated, fostered debate on tural development gaps that represented major long-
the issues they raised and contributed to strength- term obstacles to economic and social development.
ening the capacity of institutions to design and imple- Such efforts assisted countries in identifying coopera-
ment policies and tools to promote long-term growth. tion needs and development priorities, and consulta-
Expert meetings—in particular the long-running tions were under way regarding a similar project in El
Regional Seminar on Fiscal Policy—created forums Salvador in 2016. As a result of consultations between
for discussing and transmitting the subprogramme’s the Division and the Ministry of Finance of Curaçao,
messages to Member State policymakers and other the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten,
regional and international stakeholders. The Division institutional investors and development institutions,
held five expert meetings during the 2014–2015 bien- among others, the Government of Curaçao was in
nium covering topics such as fiscal policy, investment, the process of setting up a new development bank.
volatility and growth, and labour market policies. The Division also supported celac with respect to
During the 2014–2015 biennium, five countries countercyclical balance-of-payments liquidity, to the
enacted measures in line with eclac recommenda- unasur Working Group on Financial Integration in
tions in the area of tax progressivity and the taxa- the area of infrastructure financing, and to the South
tion of wealth and capital income: Colombia (Law American Economy and Finance Council (csef).
492 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Division contributed substantially to prep- analysis. In the context of the Regional Conference,
aration for the third International Conference on Fi- the Division also prepared the document Inclusive
nancing for Development (see p. 458) by providing social development: The next generation of policies for
technical assistance to the countries of the region and overcoming poverty and reducing inequality in Latin
organizing the Regional Consultation on Financing America and the Caribbean, which reviewed progress
for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and challenges in the areas of poverty and inequal-
(Santiago, Chile, 12–13 March), which helped to ity, emphasized the importance of institutions for
shape and inform the positions of Latin American social development and made recommendations for
and Caribbean countries on the 2030 Agenda and its strengthening social development policies.
financing dimension. The views of eclac on financ- Eclac continued to promote public policies for
ing for development were reflected in the document equality and the need for a comprehensive approach
Financing for development in Latin America and the to social protection systems in the region. Its research
Caribbean: A strategic analysis from a middle-income on emerging social issues helped increase the knowl-
country perspective, which was prepared in advance edge and capacity of governmental entities and
of the Regional Consultation and served as an input stakeholders. In addition to its flagship document
for the third International Conference. The Division Social Panorama of Latin America, eclac published
also participated in the first High-level Meeting of a book in November entitled Towards universal social
the Global Partnership for Effective Development protection: Latin American pathways and policy tools.
Cooperation (Mexico City, 15–16 April), particularly With regard to youth, a joint study conducted by
in the session focused on increasing the efficiency and eclac and the Ibero-American Youth Organization
maximizing the impact of development cooperation (oij) concluded that public spending on youth was
in middle-income countries. 50 per cent lower than on other social groups and em-
phasized the importance of investment in youth as a
Social development and equality driver of development. Eclac partnered with regional
actors on a number of other initiatives, including the
In 2015, the Social Development Division sup- preparation of a book analysing the social inclusion of
ported poverty eradication and reduced inequality in youth in the region; several publications related to the
the region by using approaches based on human rights situation in Central America; the Youth Observatory
and long-term policy recommendations on expanding for Latin America and the Caribbean, which would
and combining contributory and non-contributory serve as an online platform for information on youth
social protection schemes, improving labour market and social inclusion in the region; and a toolkit on
conditions and regulations, and improving sectoral designing policies to promote the social inclusion of
policies on health and education. The objectives of youth. Training workshops were held at the national
the first session of the Regional Conference on Social and regional levels on the use of the toolkit.
Development in Latin America and the Caribbean
(Lima, Peru, 2–4 November)—a subsidiary body
Mainstreaming gender in regional
of eclac established during its thirty-fifth (2014)
development
session [YUN 2014, p. 1147] —included promoting
the development of national policies on social The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
development and addressing inequality and structural Development, the Beijing+20 process and the eclac
gaps. The Regional Conference adopted Resolution equality agenda afforded opportunities throughout
1(I), which was based on core elements of the Com- the year for the Division for Gender Affairs to pro-
mission’s development approach, including the con- mote a regional gender equality agenda with a rights-
cept of equality and rights; emphasized cooperation based approach, focusing on women’s autonomy and
between eclac and the countries of Latin America women’s economic autonomy in particular, as ex-
and the Caribbean in the field of social development; pressed in the Santo Domingo Consensus adopted
and recognized that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable at the twelfth session of the Regional Conference on
Development offered an opportunity for all countries Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in
in the region to make progress towards eliminating October 2013. Coordination between the Regional
poverty and reducing inequality. The Conference res- Conference on Women and other subsidiary bodies
olution represented a strategic document to set further was strengthened by the dialogue maintained under
priorities and directions of work, such as maintain- the gender subprogramme. The adoption of the
ing and systematically updating the databases on classification of time-use activities in Latin America
non-contributory social protection programmes and and the Caribbean (cautal) at the eighth meeting of
on youth and social inclusion in Latin America and the Statistical Conference of the Americas of eclac
the Caribbean, supporting the countries of the re- (Quito, Ecuador, 17–19 November) allowed for the
gion in strengthening their public policy evaluation harmonization of time-use surveys with a gender
systems and deepening multidimensional poverty approach among the countries of the region and rep-
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 493

resented an important step forward in measuring un- and Development (Mexico City, 6–9 October 2015)
paid work and time use. resulted in an agreement between the countries of
During the year, eclac published a Regional the region on the Operational guide for implementa-
Review and Appraisal of implementation of the Beijing tion and follow-up of the Montevideo Consensus on
Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of Population and Development.
the Twenty-Third Special Session of the General Assembly Some activities under the subprogramme enhanced
(2000) in Latin American and Caribbean countries. the institutional presence of eclac in Latin America
Based on information provided by countries, the and the Caribbean and other regions of the world.
review described the main progress in the region be- These included the preparation of a study on indige-
tween 1995 and 2015 towards implementing the Bei- nous peoples in Latin America within the framework
jing Declaration and Platform for Action [YUN 1995, of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples; the
p. 1170] in response to the recommendations in the final provision of technical support to the working group re-
document of the twenty-third special session of the sponsible for drafting the Inter-American Convention
General Assembly (2000) for the regional and global on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons,
reviews that would take place in 2015, on the twen- adopted on 15 June by the General Assembly of the
tieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference Organization of American States; the organization of
on Women (Beijing+20). A subregional report on the training workshops on redatam software in Latin
Caribbean was also considered in the preparation America and the Caribbean and in other continents,
of the review, including data from country gender including Africa and Asia; and the publication, in
assessments and poverty assessments prepared by the June, of the 100th issue of Notas de Población, the
Caribbean Development Bank and information pro- longest-running publication in the field of population
vided by the Caribbean Community (caricom). studies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
With the support of the eclac - aecid Technical During the year, the celade -Population Division
Cooperation Programme 2014–2015, the Division of eclac continued to strengthen its relationship
for Gender Affairs continued its capacity-building with the region’s countries by providing technical
activities for gender equality and better governance assistance on an array of population-related sub-
within the framework of the Gender Equality Obser- jects. This assistance covered a wide geographi-
vatory for Latin America and the Caribbean. In the cal area within and beyond Latin America and the
previous five years, the Observatory had established a Caribbean and focused mainly on ageing; the impact
vast statistical repository that had been integrated into of demographic changes on development; indigenous
the cepalstat database, the Commission’s statistical peoples and Afro-descendent populations; internal
portal. The gender indicators measured by cepalstat and international migration; and population estimates
had been accessed 303,687 times during the 2014– and projections. The Division also worked in conjunc-
2015 biennium, and there had been over 355,000 tion with Latin American and Caribbean countries to
document downloads from the Observatory’s website evaluate past censuses and support preparations for
since its creation (around 10,000 per month in 2015). those due to be conducted in the near future.
Regarding demographic and population studies,
Population and development the celade -Population Division regularly received
The Latin American and Caribbean Demographic requests from member countries for guidance on col-
Centre (celade)-Population Division of eclac con- lecting, analysing, disseminating and utilizing cen-
tinued to promote population issues and secure their sus, survey and civil registration data. The Division
inclusion in the development policies and programmes produced 24 publications during the 2014–2015 bi-
of Latin American and Caribbean countries, notably ennium on population and demography issues. The
through the implementation of the 2013 Monte- Division also updated its demographic databases:
video Consensus on Population and Development depualc (on spatial distribution and urbanization),
[YUN 2013, p. 730]. Under this subprogramme, efforts mialc (on internal migration), imila (on international
were made to analyse past, present and future trends migration) and piaalc (on indigenous peoples and
in the context of persistent social, economic and ter- Afro-descendants), which served as data sources for
ritorial inequalities in the region, with a view to en- countries in the region. The population estimates and
hancing the ability of national institutions to monitor projections web page was updated with ageing indica-
those trends and address population and development tors for the period 1950–2100, based on the 2014 re-
issues. The first and second meetings of the Presiding lease of population estimates and projections. Lastly,
Officers of the Regional Conference on Population a new regional database on maternity (maternilac)
and Development in Latin America and the was launched to provide a comparative overview of
Caribbean (Santiago, Chile, 12–14 November 2014 all of the region’s countries, using 2010 census data
and 24–26 June 2015, respectively) and the second referring to current levels of adolescent motherhood
session of the Regional Conference on Population (including girls under 15) and its relationship with
494 Part Three: Economic and social questions

socioeconomic inequality and the key processes in the Technical assistance provided to Chile, Ecuador and
transition to adulthood, such as completion of formal Mexico led to the introduction of policy measures and
education, the formation of couples and households, reforms in those countries that were in line with eclac
and entry into the labour market. That database recommendations on climate change and related en-
had been recently extended to include all Caribbean vironmental matters. In Brazil, Chile, Colombia and
countries with data available on the topic. Peru, environmental performance reviews were car-
ried out in conjunction with the Organisation for
Sustainable development and human Economic Co-operation and Development (oecd).
The reviews assessed the progress of those countries
settlements
in environmental matters in the context of sustain-
The activities of the eclac sustainable development able development and produced recommendations
and human settlements subprogramme focused on for improving environmental performance and fos-
the interrelationships between economic growth, tering green growth. The methodology included a
environmental protection, urban development and peer review by environmental experts from oecd
social equity. They were implemented by the three countries. In July, the National Council for Climate
units of the Sustainable Development and Human Change and the Clean Development Mechanism
Settlements Division, which focused on the econom- of the Dominican Republic requested support from
ics of climate change, public policies for sustainable eclac in relation to its intended nationally deter-
development, and human settlements, respectively. mined contributions (indcs). As a result of this
The meetings of the Chief Negotiators on Climate technical assistance, the Dominican Republic defined
Change in Latin America and the Caribbean provided its indcs and communicated them to the secretariat
an opportunity to explore the region’s environmental of the United Nations Framework Convention on
challenges and prepare a common position in advance Climate Change (unfccc). The Division also dis-
of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the cussed follow-up steps with its counterpart regarding
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention the assessment of policies and instruments for meeting
on Climate Change (see p. 515). Two of the meet- its indc commitments in the most effective and effi-
ings of the Chief Negotiators—in June and Novem- cient way.
ber—were organized jointly with the United Nations Eclac collaborated with unep, the Organisation
Environment Programme (unep). Celac member of Eastern Caribbean States (oecs) and the World
countries subsequently adopted a common position Resources Institute (wri) to organize a regional
and presented that stance at the Paris Conference, meeting on access rights and sustainable development
which took place in December and adopted the Paris in the Caribbean (Rodney’s Bay, Saint Lucia, 24–
Agreement. The occasion marked the first time that 26 August), which was complemented by a workshop
the countries of the region had agreed on a common on enhancing access to information on climate change,
position on climate change. natural disasters and coastal vulnerability. These
There was progress on the regional process related activities allowed Caribbean stakeholders to review
to Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment the progress made on the implementation of rights of
and Development [YUN 2012, p. 809] and on access to access to environmental information, participation and
information, participation and justice in environ- justice enshrined in Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration
mental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean. on Environment and Development. They also allowed
Antigua and Barbuda became the twentieth signatory the stakeholders to identify the challenges faced by
country to the Declaration on the Application of Prin- countries in preparation for the second meeting of
ciple 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and the negotiating committee of the regional agreement
Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. on access to information, participation and justice
in environmental matters in Latin America and the
The Division prepared for the United Nations Caribbean (Panama City, Panama, 27–29 October).
Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban
Development (Habitat III), scheduled to be held in
Quito in 2016. In an effort to coordinate the regional Natural resources and infrastructure
report for Habitat III, the Division, in collaboration The Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division
with UN-Habitat, prepared a position paper entitled examined global issues related to sustainable energy,
Desarrollo urbano en América Latina y el Caribe: dile- governance of natural resources, infrastructure gaps
mas y perspectivas, to be used as a starting point for and the challenge of integrated and sustainable policies
discussions on urban issues in the region. for logistics and mobility. The global economic and
The Division provided technical support on energy context required a new paradigm of economic
climate change adaptation, urban development, sec- and technological development, which included such
toral impacts of climate change, environmental taxa- concepts as smart grids, sustainable cities and intelli-
tion and the strengthening of institutional capacities. gent transport systems. These concepts posed major
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 495

challenges to industrial and technological restructur- In February, eclac, together with idb and undp,
ing. In that regard, new methodological proposals was designated part of the UN regional hub to
and regional initiatives were generated under the sub- coordinate activities under the Secretary-General’s
programme, such as the high-level energy efficiency Sustainable Energy for All initiative. A series of
policy dialogues and the Energy Efficiency Indicators activities was organized to coordinate, provide and
Database (biee), which was gathering data for 20 monitor universal access to energy, eliminate energy
countries of the region. poverty and foster sustainable development in the
The activities of the Division included studies, countries of the region.
workshops and conferences on the governance of
natural resources to discuss a new vision to capture Public administration
revenues from natural resources and use those rents to
bring about a structural change. In partnership with The activities of the Latin American and Caribbean
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, eclac or- Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ilpes)—
ganized the high-level round table “Towards a vision the eclac public administration division—were shaped
on natural resource governance for equality in Latin around coordination between levels of government,
America and the Caribbean” (Santiago, Chile, 19 Jan- monitoring and evaluating public programmes,
uary), which brought together ministers and undersec- open government practices, and foresight studies
retaries from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican and building visions for the future. The work car-
Republic, Ecuador, Norway, Peru, Uruguay and Ven- ried out under the subprogramme in 2014–2015 re-
ezuela and experts from international institutions such vealed a growing demand for services in connection
as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development with training, workshops, seminars, studies and
Bank (idb), the Extractive Industries Transparency technical advice. The Regional Council for Planning
Initiative and the World Economic Forum to exam- of ilpes continued to consolidate its role as a political
ine Norway’s experiences in social and political com- forum for national planning authorities to exchange
pacts that harnessed the benefits of exploiting natural practices, find synergies and optimize resources for
resources. The Government representatives who par- intergovernmental efforts to strengthen development
ticipated in the high-level round table requested that and public management in the region.
eclac continue working on a common vision for a Ilpes conducted a study entitled “The state of the
compact on natural resources governance, which art and challenges of planning for development in
would be one of the main challenges facing the sub- Latin America and the Caribbean”, which was sub-
programme in the years to come. mitted to Member States at the fifteenth meeting of
the Regional Council for Planning (Yachay, Ecuador,
Another important event was the meeting of 19 November) and would be published in 2016 as part
experts on the formulation of water policies in the of the eclac book series. More than 20 titles had been
context of the post-2015 development agenda, held published under the subprogramme as part of the
at eclac headquarters (Santiago, Chile, 14 July). Public Management and the Territorial Development
Countries inside and outside the region discussed series, including the 2015 edition of the biennial Pan-
new and recently reformed water legislation. Some orama del Desarrollo Territorial, which focused on the
150 government officials and experts were in attend- territorial dynamics of development and the planning
ance, while over 30 more joined via a live webstream. processes involved, and aimed to stimulate discussion
The Division carried out national capacity-building on national policies and regional cooperation to pro-
workshops for representatives from the public and mote sustainable and balanced territorial development.
private sectors and academia to consider the principles, Ilpes helped create the Ibero-American Futurists
objectives and long-term sustainability of national Network at a meeting in Santo Domingo in February
transport policies, and increase their understanding of and participated regularly in events held by futurist
the role of logistics and mobility in achieving sustain- organizations and networks, which helped to enrich
able development. Workshops took place in Colombia, the services ilpes provided to countries of the region
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, in support of their efforts to build foresight capacity.
Nicaragua and Panama. In addition, ilpes organized and promoted meetings
The document Energy efficiency and mobility: A and discussions with the Network of National Public
roadmap towards a greener economy in Latin America Investment Systems of Latin America (snip), the Latin
and the Caribbean provided recommendations for American network of national policymakers with a fo-
improving and expanding the portfolios of national cus on regional development, and the Latin American
energy efficiency policies in the transport sector. Those and Caribbean Network of Development Planning
recommendations, together with eclac technical (redeplan). Ilpes also conducted a survey to explore
assistance, led to some countries of the region adopt- possible trajectories of the development gaps in the re-
ing new policy measures to increase the energy effi- gion towards 2030. Some 1,300 respondents provided
ciency of their transport sectors. information that would be used to build a collective
496 Part Three: Economic and social questions

vision of regional long-term planning, as requested by was the culmination of efforts made during the 2014–
the Regional Council for Planning. 2015 biennium on several crucial aspects of statistical
Some 100 training activities were conducted dur- development. The Conference adopted the Strategic
ing the 2014–2015 biennium, including courses, sem- Plan 2015–2025, as well as operational guidelines
inars and workshops. About 4,400 persons partici- for the Conference and a new strategic structure of
pated in these activities, mostly officials from national its working groups for the biennium 2016–2017.
and subnational governments of the countries of the The meeting provided an opportunity for national
region, split almost evenly along gender lines. New statistical offices to share information, including
topics were introduced or consolidated in the courses, through a seminar entitled “The data revolution
such as foresight for development, citizen participation and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
and a gender-based approach in planning and public challenges and opportunities for national statistical
policy; public leadership for development with institutes”.
equality; and open government and multilevel gover- The Statistics Division continued to provide
nance policies. In conjunction with the Sustainable research and technical assistance to countries in the
Development and Human Settlements Division and region, covering different aspects of economic, envi-
the Division for Gender Affairs, ilpes offered new ronmental and social statistics. Highlights were the
distance-learning courses on climate change and production of infographics and a regional follow-up
gender issues. The courses were opened up to a wider report on the implementation of the Millennium
range of students, including representatives of non- Development Goals (mdgs), the analysis and meas-
governmental organizations, civil society, citizens’ urement of multidimensional poverty, the provision of
associations and the trade union movement. technical support in the implementation of the System
During the year, ilpes worked on strengthening of National Accounts 2008, assistance in the implemen-
research, technical cooperation and training in the field tation and analysis of household surveys and support
of foresight planning for development, in particular in in updating income poverty measurements. Technical
Ecuador and Peru. Ilpes worked with the National assistance missions were carried out to support the im-
Secretariat of Planning and Development (senplades) plementation of national accounts and satellite accounts
of Ecuador to build institutional development fore- (including environmental economic accounts) in Bra-
sight capacities. In the first phase, 30 officials from zil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Ec-
senplades were trained using a blended teaching tech- uador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua,
nique of face-to-face and distance learning. Between Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. Technical missions on
December 2014 and April 2015, ilpes used the same the measurement of prices were carried out in Argen-
methodology when working with the National Centre tina, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Pan-
for Strategic Planning (ceplan) of Peru, again to build ama, Peru and Venezuela. Technical missions to im-
institutional development foresight capacities. A sim- prove the design of household surveys were provided
ilar undertaking had been requested by the Technical to Bolivia, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Secretariat of the Presidency for Planning from El Sal- El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay,
vador and was under way in 2015. Uruguay and Venezuela. Eclac also contributed to
national initiatives for defining new poverty measures,
Statistics either monetary or multidimensional, in Brazil, Chile,
Costa Rica, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Following the adoption in September of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development (see p. 396), the In the area of dissemination, the focus was on
demand for better, more and new statistics increased strengthening cepalstat, the Commission’s main
in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. statistical portal, through automated access to data
The 2030 Agenda, along with its new goals and in- under the open data approach, as well as through
dicators, emphasized some specific limitations and infographics and other capabilities. A thorough revi-
information gaps that persisted in some of the re- sion of the harmonized household income survey was
gion’s important development areas, including envi- undertaken, and the results were expected to become
ronmental and gender statistics. In order to address available during the 2016–2017 biennium.
those limitations and gaps, national statistical offices
and agencies recognized the need to coordinate their Subregional activities
regional and international efforts more closely, and
the Statistics Division continued to strengthen the Central America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
role of the Statistical Conference of the Americas— Haiti and Mexico
an eclac subsidiary body—as the primary forum for In 2015, the subregional headquarters in Mexico—
statistical discussion and coordination in the region. which served the needs of the Central American sub-
The eighth meeting of the Statistical Conference region, together with Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
of the Americas (Quito, Ecuador, 17–19 November) Haiti and Mexico—continued to focus its efforts on
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 497

and implement targeted activities in the main areas ence of the mdgs. Data-gathering and evidence-based
of economic development, social development, energy, decision-making were considered crucial for setting
international trade and integration, agricultural realistic targets. Eclac also convened the Sympo-
development and climate change. Technical assistance sium on sdgs for the Caribbean (Port of Spain, 24–
on fiscal and monetary policies, national planning 25 June), which identified a subset of priority goals
systems, and integration was provided to Costa Rica, related to the development needs of the Caribbean
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nic- and facilitated reflection on appropriate indicators for
aragua. Eclac also strengthened its relations with assessment, monitoring and evaluation.
academic institutions, including the National Auton- Prior to the September adoption by UN
omous University of Mexico (unam), el Colegio de Member States of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
México, the University of the Americas and the Poly- Development (see p. 396), the subregional headquar-
technic University of Tlaxcala, as well as governments ters prepared a document entitled “The Caribbean
of the subregion in the analysis of macroeconomic and the post-2015 development agenda”, which con-
conditions and prospects in selected areas. tended that the process of defining and implementing
Further efforts were made to encourage the central the post-2015 development agenda presented a major
banks of Central America and Mexico and the re- opportunity for Caribbean countries to reverse dec-
spective regulatory bodies and authorities of the ades of lagging economic performance and make the
financial sectors to launch an initiative to examine transition to balanced, holistic, and people-centred
and assess the micro- and macroeconomic implica- growth and development. The document noted
tions of the adoption of the Basel III criteria in the that the mdgs, while valuable in promoting gains
subregion. That initiative, involving collaboration with in poverty reduction, health, education, nutrition
the Association of Supervisors of Banks of the Amer- and maternal well-being, had not been tailored to
icas (asba), would continue into the next biennium. the growth and development needs of the subregion.
Technical cooperation services were also provided to It also highlighted that the scaling up of the mdg
the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico on matters relat- framework would result in a post-2015 development
ing to economic policy and productivity. Those efforts agenda anchored in sdgs that could promoting struc-
resulted in the adoption by Congress of an amendment tural change, competitiveness and output gains while
to the Constitution providing for new legislation to advancing social development and meeting environ-
promote productivity and competitiveness. mental concerns.
In response to requests from Caribbean Member
Caribbean States, the subregional headquarters also continued to
assume responsibility for disaster recovery, particularly
During the year, the eclac subregional headquar-
through damage and loss assessment and resilience-
ters for the Caribbean—based in Port of Spain, Trin-
building for the subregion. In November, with the
idad and Tobago—contributed directly to advancing
support of the Inter-American Development Bank
the sustainable development process in the countries
(idb) and the Pan American Health Organization
of the Caribbean subregion and supported the shap-
(paho), eclac led the evaluation of the damage and
ing of their response to the mandates established in
losses caused by Hurricane Joaquin in the Bahamas.
the major global and regional development platforms.
Some 200 public officials from 10 Asian, Caribbean,
Eclac responded to the most urgent development im-
Central and South American countries received
peratives identified by individual Member States with
training in the use of the updated Damage and Loss
technical and advisory services and by undertaking
Assessment (dala) methodology. At the community
research to guide appropriate policy intervention.
level, efforts focused on raising awareness of the
The result was increased capacity among countries
need to plan for disaster mitigation. These included
to address their sustainable development challenges,
a campaign targeting hundreds of schoolchildren in
as evidenced by the acknowledgement of eclac four cities of the region.
policy advice for actions by Member States on issues
such as praedial larceny, energy efficiency and the
transformation of the manufacturing sector. Support for regional and subregional
integration
Eclac commissioned a study on the Caribbean re-
gion’s response to the post-2015 development agenda During the year, the Office of the Secretary of
and held an expert group meeting (Port of Spain, the Commission provided technical and substan-
Trinidad and Tobago, 27 March) to discuss proposals tive inputs to regional and subregional integration
for the sustainable development goals (sdgs). It was organizations in support of consensus-building on
agreed that the Caribbean should look at the process social, economic and sustainable development issues
from a holistic and comprehensive view and focus on and facilitated dialogue between the Latin American
prioritizing subregional targets and indicators, taking and Caribbean region and extraregional actors,
into consideration the lessons learned from the experi- such as Europe, China and the Republic of Korea.
498 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Office channelled communications between ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
eclac and regional and subregional integration bod- On 22 July [meeting 54], the Economic and Social
ies; responded to external requests; coordinated the Council, on the recommendation of escwa [E/2015/15/
collection and systematization of information, stud- Add.2], adopted resolution 2015/32 (Admission of
ies and technical reports; planned technical assistance Mauritania to membership in the Economic and
missions; and generated guidelines for the formula- Social Commission for Western Asia) without vote
tion and implementation of plans and strategies. [agenda item 15].
The Office supported the Summit of Heads of
State and Government of the Community of Latin Economic trends
American and Caribbean States (celac), including
the Third (2015) celac Summit (San José, Costa The summary of the Survey of Economic and Social
Rica, 28–29 January), through the production of Developments in the Economic and Social Commission
five documents on public policies for equality, liter- for Western Asia Region, 2015–2016 [E/2016/20] stated
acy, financial architecture and governance of natural that the average growth rate of the gross domestic
resources and on the socioeconomic outlook for the product (gdp) of the Arab region in real terms was
region. Of those studies, two were published by estimated at 0.9 per cent in 2015, unchanged com-
eclac: Natural resources: Status and trends towards a pared with 2014. The economies of the countries of
regional development agenda in Latin America and the the Gulf Cooperation Council (gcc), which had led
Caribbean and the Economic and Social Panorama of the region’s growth in the preceding years, slowed in
the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 2015, reflecting weak domestic demand expansions.
2015. In the context of the European Union- celac The oil price decline since mid-2014 had negatively
Summit (Brussels, Belgium, 10–11 June), the Office influenced Arab economies, combined with other
contributed substantively to the second European negative factors such as spreading armed conflicts in
Union- celac Academic Summit, held a few days the region. Gcc countries also faced weaker business
earlier (Brussels, Belgium, 8–9 June), and to the sev- confidence and challenges concerning the direction
enth Italy-Latin American and Caribbean Conference of their economic diversification strategies. A series
(Milan, Italy, 12–13 June). of reform measures, including subsidy reforms, indi-
South-South cooperation remained an impor- cated that serious efforts were being made in terms
tant issue for Latin America and the Caribbean. The of policy to cope with the fall in oil prices. The lower
Office complemented the efforts of other regional oil prices did not benefit energy-importing Arab
institutions in responding to the need to monitor the countries as much as expected. Import bills went
outcomes of South-South cooperation, specifically down in those countries, but nominal export reve-
with regard to the identification of indicators and nues also declined in most countries owing to de-
measurement methodologies. Certain academic and clines in export unit prices, reflecting weak demand
governmental efforts were realized during the year, abroad. In addition, security incidents in the region
including a seminar entitled “Analysis of the status of had a negative impact on the tourism sector and
proposals for measurement of South-South coopera- services exports. Balance-of-payments conditions
tion” (Santiago, 16–17 December). tightened in Arab economies to various extents.
While gcc countries sustained domestic demand
expansion without balance-of-payments constraints,
other Arab countries, in particular Egypt, the Sudan,
Western Asia the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen, were
subjected to more severe balance-of-payments condi-
The Economic and Social Commission for Western tions. The tighter balance-of-payments constraints in
Asia (escwa) did not meet in 2015, in accordance with those countries restricted domestic demand expan-
its 2005 decision to hold its biennial sessions in even sion and lowered living standards. Armed conflicts
years [YUN 2005, p. 1120]. The Commission’s twenty- in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen forced a significant
ninth session was scheduled to be held in 2016. number of Arab labourers out of the job market,
Escwa activities during the year were described while the stagnating economic situation in the region
in its 2015 Annual Report [E/ESCWA/OES/2016/1] and failed to create sufficient employment opportunities.
biennial report covering the 2014–2015 programme As a result, the movements of refugees and migrants
of work [E/ESCWA/29/4(Part VI)]. across the Mediterranean to Europe reached an un-
Membership. Escwa, at its fifth special session precedented level in 2015.
(Amman, Jordan, 8 June) [E/2015/41-E/ESCWA/S-5/ On 22 July (decision 2015/251), the Economic
Report], welcomed the request of Mauritania for and Social Council took note of the summary of the
membership of the Commission and recommended Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the
that the Economic and Social Council approve that Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Re-
request [res. 322 (S-V)]. gion, 2014–2015 [YUN 2014, p. 1154].
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 499

Activities social integration, social protection, the provision of

adequate social services and employment generation.
Escwa activities in its 2014–2015 work programme Escwa contributed to the formulation of the inclu-
[E/ESCWA/29/4(Part IV)] were organized under its sive and gender-sensitive National Development Plan
seven subprogrammes: integrated management of 2014–2016 in Palestine. A national dialogue was
natural resources for sustainable development; social held on integrated social policies in the Sudan, with
development; economic development and integra- the support of escwa. The number of new policies,
tion; information and communication technology programmes and measures that were aimed at ex-
for regional integration; statistics for evidence-based panding social protection, improving the provision of
policymaking; advancement of women; and conflict social services and generating employment increased
mitigation and development. from four in 2013 to six in 2015, and escwa contrib-
uted to the adoption of 24 policies and programmes
Integrated management of natural resources aimed at ensuring the integration of key sociodemo-
for sustainable development graphic groups in national development by 2015, with
the adoption of a national youth policy in the United
In 2015, escwa continued to work with Arab Arab Emirates and the integration of new population
countries to achieve integrated and sustainable manage­ priority areas in the national development plans of
ment of their natural resources through strengthened Jordan (family planning and technical education),
regional cooperation and policy coordination. In a Morocco (policies for the inclusion of older persons)
December report entitled “”Analysis of energy policy and the Sudan (migration policies).
trends in the Arab region” [E/ESCWA/SDPD/2015/5], Escwa worked on enhancing the participation
escwa provided recommendations for more effective of civil society and other stakeholders in public
policies and greater regional cooperation on energy policy formulation, implementation and monitoring.
security and sustainable energy. Escwa advocacy work The number of instances in which civil society
on energy and sustainable development included a organizations engaged, with the support of escwa,
workshop during the International Beirut Energy in discussions on development priorities increased
Forum on “Energy security and regional cooperation in from 10 in 2013 to 15 in 2015. Civil society repre-
the Arab region” (Beirut, Lebanon, 10 September), and sentatives participated in regional consultations on
publications such as Regional cooperation and energy the 2030 Agenda and the Arab High-level Forum on
security in the Arab region [E/ESCWA/SDPD/2015/4]. In Sustainable Development, and in social justice policy
its reports, escwa examined the repercussions of fall- dialogues following the twenty-eighth (2014) escwa
ing oil prices on sustainable development, the need for session. The number of committees and joint ventures
improved energy access in rural areas, the adoption between representatives of Governments, civil society
of energy efficiency measures and the importance of organizations and other stakeholders involved in
renewable energy sources, as well as the provision of social policymaking increased from 14 in 2013 to 17
energy solutions to countries in conflict. in 2015, meeting the biennium target. Government
Other activities included a tour of India for and civil society representatives formed national
policymakers from six Arab countries to learn about committees of practice in Iraq and Yemen, institu-
the promotion of renewable energy technologies tionalizing participatory processes in their countries.
in rural areas, the fifth regional workshop on the Escwa and the League of Arab States also worked on
draft legal framework for shared water resources in the establishment of a network of reform specialists,
the Arab region (Cairo, Egypt, 28–29 April), and activists and government officials from selected Arab
intergovernmental expert discussions on 23 May on countries to enhance participation and partnerships
a draft convention on shared water resources in the in the management of political transitions.
Arab region. Two other key publications produced In terms of research and technical advice, a report
in 2015 were the escwa Water Development Report 6: on inclusive social development [E/ESCWA/SDD/2015/2]
The Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus in the Arab highlighted progress in the region on social inclusion,
Region [E/ESCWA/SDPD/2015/2] and the Population and the Social Development Bulletin: Social Protection
and Development Report Issue No. 7: Overcoming as a Tool for Justice examined the mutually reinforc-
Population Vulnerability to Water Scarcity in the Arab ing relationship between social protection and social
Region [E/ESCWA/SDD/2015/4], which addressed the justice. Escwa continued mapping and analysing
sustainable management of scarce water resources. social protection programmes in Member States,
including by looking at social services challenges in-
Social development country. In 2015, country profiles were produced on
Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Escwa also
During the year, escwa continued to work on organized a regional workshop to introduce and test
strengthening the capacity of Member States to de- a new Toolkit for Enhancing Participation and En-
velop a rights-based social policy that promoted gagement in Social Protection Policy Processes (Bei-
500 Part Three: Economic and social questions

rut, Lebanon, 27–30 July), which brought together escwa Committee on Transport (Rabat, Morocco,
Government officials from Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, 27–28 January) highlighted the importance of the
Morocco and Tunisia, and a regional expert from full implementation of the international roads and
Yemen. Furthermore, escwa conducted research on railways agreements in the Arab Mashreq, which
the role of civil society in disability policymaking and would be expanded and renamed so as to cover new
started a capacity-building project in Morocco to de- escwa members in the Maghreb. The sixteenth
velop tools to implement the Convention on the Rights session of the Committee on Transport (Cairo, Egypt,
of Persons with Disabilities. In conjunction with the 23–24 November) concluded with a consensus on ex-
International Organization for Migration, escwa also panding those agreements and the Memorandum of
produced the 2015 Situation Report on International Understanding on Maritime Transport Cooperation
Migration: Migration, Displacement and Development in the Arab Mashreq to include the Arab Maghreb
in a Changing Arab Region [E/ESCWA/SDD/2015/1], States that had joined escwa.
which stressed the need for a rights-based approach Escwa assisted Member States with negotiations
to migration and a development-oriented response on free trade agreements, such as the Accord de libre
to protracted refugee and displaced population échange complet et approfondi (aleca), which Tuni-
movements. sia was discussing with the European Union and on
which escwa conducted a technical advisory mission
Economic development and integration to Tunis in 2015. Escwa also provided advice on the
role of global and regional integration in the economic
The objective of escwa in this subprogramme was transformation of Member States, trade barriers and
to strengthen the capacity of Member States to de- policies for boosting exports. In that context, escwa
velop equitable socioeconomic conditions through published Trade Logistics in the Arab Region: Chal-
pro-poor growth policies focused on employment lenges and Policy Options [E/ESCWA/EDID/2015/1],
generation and inclusive financial policies. Escwa which looked at the relationship between efficient
continued to follow-up on the regional implementa- trade logistics and trade and economic performance.
tion of outcomes of the 2002 Monterrey Consensus
[YUN 2002, p. 953] and the 2008 Doha Conference
on Financing for Development [YUN 2008, p. 1069]. It ICT for regional integration
assisted Member States in mobilizing international In this subprogramme, escwa worked towards en-
resources and increasing financial and technical co- hancing the capacity of Member States to benefit from
operation for development. During the 2014–2015 knowledge-based economies for sustainable economic
biennium, escwa organized nine workshops on growth and poverty alleviation. During the year,
investment dispute settlement, double taxation avoid- escwa facilitated regional discussions on challenges
ance, and workers’ remittances, during which more and opportunities in the field of information and
than 180 government officials from Egypt, Lebanon, communications technology (ict). Escwa organized
Morocco, the Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen benefited the seventh meeting of the Consultative Committee
from the training activities and were helped in their on Scientific and Technological Development and
preparations for the third International Conference Technological Innovation (Amman, Jordan, 20 May),
on Financing for Development (see p. 458), namely in which focused on the role of technology in achieving
reaching a unified Arab position on the subject. the sdgs and the priorities of the Arab region in that
Escwa assisted Member States in coordinating regard, as well as an expert group meeting on Innova-
their social and economic policies and ensuring the tion and Technology for Advancing the Knowledge-
implementation of regional economic agreements to based Economy in the Arab Region (Amman,
increase the potential for intraregional integration. 3–4 June). The seventh issue of the Regional Profile of
To that end, escwa focused on three main areas: the Information Society in the Arab Region 2003–2015
infrastructure and transport logistics; trade policies; [E/ESCWA/TDD/2015/3] demonstrated the progress
and macroeconomic convergence and finance. On made in moving towards an information society in
23 November, escwa launched the report entitled the Arab region and its importance in relation to the
Assessing Arab Economic Integration: Towards the Arab 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Customs Union [E/ESCWA/EDID/2015/4], which pro- Escwa also worked to enhance the coordination
vided a quantitative analysis of economic integration of Member State policies in the realm of digital and
efforts in the region, based on a composite system of technology literacy. It carried out a project in selected
indexes on trade, foreign direct investments and re- Member States on “Establishing National Technology
mittances, and made recommendations on furthering Development and Transfer Systems”, with the aim
those efforts. of enhancing and promoting national innovation
Research continued on the links between transport systems by updating related policies and setting
and infrastructure efficiency, and economic growth. up national technology transfer offices. The offices
Documents presented to the fifteenth session of the would facilitate partnerships between local univer-
Chapter V: Regional economic and social activities 501

sities, research institutions, the industry, the public In cooperation with the League of Arab States and
sector and civic society. The project brought together UN-Women, escwa organized a series of expert group
science and technology research councils from Egypt, meetings to build capacity in drafting national reports
Lebanon, Oman, Morocco and Tunisia, and would be on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and
extended to other Arab countries. Platform for Action [YUN 1995, p. 1170] 20 years later
(Beijing+20). Those meetings also served as an op-
Statistics portunity to discuss emerging priorities for women
in the Arab region. The Arab High-level Conference
During the year, escwa continued to improve the on Progress Achieved in the Implementation of the
provision of statistical data on Member States and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action after
enhance the capacity of Member States in the field of 20 Years (Cairo, Egypt, 2–3 February) took place
statistics in line with the Fundamental Principles of under the theme “Towards Justice and Equality for
Official Statistics. Escwa simplified its data collection Women in the Arab Region”. Participants looked at
questionnaires and intensified follow-up in cases of how countries in the region could translate the Bei-
non-response. Data comprehensiveness was improved jing Declaration and Platform of Action into national
in the 2014–2015 biennium with the gradual intro- legislation. The ensuing Arab Declaration Towards
duction of estimations to account for missing data. Justice and Equality for Women in the Arab Region
A central data portal was created to widen dissemi- was the first such agreement to be adopted by the Arab
nation. The number of queries remained stable after States. Escwa subsequently released a study on the
an initial increase during the period 2012–2013, and subject, entitled Against Wind and Tides: A Review of
escwa was focused on turning the portal into a qual- the Status of Women and Gender Equality in the Arab
ity database on the Arab region. Region (Beijing+20) [E/ESCWA/ECW/2015/3].
Escwa worked to strengthen the regional statistical Escwa worked to enhance the capacity of Member
system in support of regional integration, with ac- States in combating gender-based violence through the
tive coordination among stakeholders, including enactment of legislation and development of national
regional and international organizations, and more action plans. In partnership with the United Nations
active participation by Member States. Joint work Population Fund (unfpa), an expert group meeting
between escwa and the Arab Institute for Training was organized to discuss child marriage in humanita-
and Research in Statistics led to better coordinated rian settings. It led to the 2015 publication of a study
statistical capacity-building activities in the region. entitled Child Marriage in Humanitarian Settings in
Working with other partners as well, resources were the Arab Region: Dynamics, Challenges and Policy Op-
combined to better implement international statistical tions [E/ESCWA/ECW/2015/2]. A training workshop held
standards and new methodologies, and improve in Egypt discussed legislation to protect women and
statistical surveys and the dissemination of official girls from all forms of violence. A toolkit for service
statistics in the region. provision entitled “Addressing gender-based violence
in the Arab region” was developed jointly with the
Advancement of women Center of Arab Women for Training and Research
(cawtar).
In 2015, escwa continued working on the
advancement of women’s rights in the Arab region, Conflict mitigation and development
including by enhancing the capacity of Member
States to adopt gender-sensitive policies, legislation Conflicts in the region resulted in catastrophic loss
and budgets. During the year, Bahrain and Saudi of life, severe disruption of livelihoods and the dis-
Arabia passed legislation to combat domestic violence placement of more than 26 million people, including
and on protection from physical, psychological and more than 16 million internally displaced persons,
sexual harm, respectively. Escwa conducted a mission more than 5 million Palestinian refugees assisted
to Lebanon to hold a workshop on enhancing wom- under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations
en’s political participation through gender-sensitive Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees of the
electoral laws and quota systems (Beirut, Lebanon, Near East (unrwa) and 5 million refugees fleeing the
28–29 May) and provided advisory services to the region registered by the United Nations High Com-
Sudan on updating the National Policy and Strategy missioner for Refugees (unhcr). Conflict compro-
on Women’s Empowerment and the National Strategy mised the ability of people to lead a dignified life, un-
on Family Development. Following the lead of Iraq dermined opportunities for sustainable development,
in 2014, Palestine endorsed a national action plan eroded institutions and shattered social cohesion and
in 2015 to implement Security Council resolution the rule of law. In Syria, after five years of war and
1325(2000) on women, peace and security [YUN 2000, more than a quarter of a million deaths, decades of
p. 1113], and the Sudan expressed an interest in adopt- advances in terms of education, health, nutrition and
ing a national strategy on that resolution. livelihood indicators were partially or completely lost.
502 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Research by escwa focused on the short- and the UN Inter-Agency Working Group on ldcs and
long-term impacts of conflict on development in provided recommendations to the annual report of
areas such as income, education, health, governance, the Secretary-General on the implementation of the
unemployment, access to water and sanitation, and Istanbul Programme of Action.
women’s opportunities for economic participation. In In the area of the protection of women in situations
Trends and Impacts Issue No. 4: Protracted Conflict and of conflict, escwa contributed to a series of research
Development in the Arab Region [E/ESCWA/ECRI/2015/2], projects and expert group meetings during the year,
a quantitative model using a wide range of indicators focusing in particular on the social and economic situ-
was employed to assess the cost of conflict and its ation of Palestinian women and girls. Escwa provided
impact on human development. Some of the research Member States with a training manual on the imple-
was carried out in partnership with experts from the mentation of Security Council resolution 1325(2000)
Peace Research Institute Oslo (prio). on women, peace and security and conducted
Escwa focused on the particular vulnerabilities awareness-raising activities on the issue for government
of conflict-affected least developed countries (ldcs) officials, religious leaders and media professionals.
in the Arab region and monitored progress on the Escwa also worked with the Palestinian Central
Istanbul Programme of Action [YUN 2011, p. 826] for Bureau of Statistics (pcbs) to develop a statistical house-
the previous four years, including the compounded hold survey on the socioeconomic impact of the 2014
impact of external stresses, such as oil price volatil- Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip. During the
ity, climate change and spillover from conflicts in year, escwa provided technical support for the survey
neighbouring countries. National strategies designed design and methodology and questionnaire contents.
to cope with such external stresses required support The survey, aimed at the Palestinian authorities as well
from the international community, and escwa worked as donor and development actors, would be conducted
at the global level to advocate for the needs of Arab annually and would be instrumental in supporting
ldcs. Escwa also established key partnerships through research and macroeconomic simulations.
Chapter VI

Energy, natural resources and geospatial information

In 2015, the conservation, development and tion of the Economic and Social Council. In October,
use of energy and natural resources along with the the Twentieth United Nations Regional Cartographic
development and promotion of global geospatial Conference for Asia and the Pacific adopted resolu-
information remained the focus of several United tions on a geodetic reference frame; disaster risk
Nations bodies in 2015. The International Atomic management; regional spatial data infrastructure; and
Energy Agency, in addition to its work on the non- cadastre and land management.
proliferation of nuclear weapons, continued to assist
its member States in applying nuclear technology in
areas such as energy security, human health and food
security, water resources and the environment. The
Energy and natural resources
Agency organized major meetings and events in the
course of the year, including its first International Energy
Conference on Computer Security in a Nuclear
World, which took place in June and highlighted that Nuclear energy
computer security was an essential element in nuclear International Atomic Energy Agency
security to guard against increasingly sophisticated
As set forth in its 2015 annual report [GC(60)/9], the
online threats in a digitally dependent and intercon-
International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea) continued
nected environment.
to focus—in addition to its work in strengthening global
In the context of the United Nations Decade of nuclear verification and non-proliferation efforts (see
Sustainable Energy for All (2014–2024), the second part one, Chapter VII)—on supporting its member
Sustainable Energy for All Forum took place in May States in the use of nuclear science and technology to
at UN Headquarters, under the theme of “Financ- achieve their development goals and address global
ing sustainable energy for all”. The Forum featured challenges in meeting growing energy needs, protect-
the first-ever Global Energy Ministerial Dialogue and ing the environment and sustainably improving food
the launch of the second Global Tracking Framework security and human health. The fifty-ninth session of
and the global campaign on energy for women and the iaea General Conference (Vienna, 14–18 Sep-
children’s health. tember) [GC(59)/RES/DEC(2015)] adopted resolutions on
The year marked the end of the International Decade measures to strengthen international cooperation in
for Action, “Water for Life” (2005–2015). UN-Water nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety; nuclear
spearheaded events and publications to review pro- security; strengthening the Agency’s technical coopera-
gress achieved in the implementation of the Decade, tion activities; strengthening the Agency’s activities re-
including a high-level interactive dialogue in March lated to nuclear science, technology and applications;
to discuss best practices and lessons learned that were strengthening the effectiveness and improving the ef-
relevant for sustainable development. Highlights of ficiency of Agency safeguards; implementation of the
the Decade included achievement of the Millennium Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
Development Goal target on drinking water; recog- safeguards agreement between the Agency and the
nition of the human right to water and sanitation; Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; and applica-
and greater global exposure of transboundary water tion of iaea safeguards in the Middle East. Among
issues generated during the International Year of Water other matters, the Conference also approved the appli-
Cooperation 2013. cations of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, and Turk-
In February, the General Assembly adopted a reso- menistan for membership of the Agency; decided on
lution on a global geodetic reference frame for sustain- appropriations for the operational (€353,967,788) and
able development, which aimed to enable multilateral capital (€8,032,000) portions of the Agency’s Regular
cooperation in geodesy, including through the open Budget for 2016; decided on the allocation of voluntary
sharing of geospatial data, further capacity-building contributions (€84,456,000) to the Agency’s Technical
in developing countries and the establishment of Cooperation programme for 2016; and approved the
international standards and conventions. In August, level (€15,210,000) of the Agency’s Working Capital
the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Fund for 2016.
Information Management held its fifth session and In July [A/70/219], the Secretary-General transmit-
adopted 13 decisions that were brought to the atten- ted to the General Assembly the iaea annual report

503
504 Part Three: Economic and social questions

for the calendar year 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1160], of which In nuclear sciences and applications, the Agency
the Assembly took note on 17 November by resolu- delivered an extensive technological animal health
tion 70/10 (see p. 506). package to member States in Africa affected by the
Ebola virus disease to detect and respond to out-
Activities breaks of the disease at the animal–human interface.
The Agency also supported the application of sterile
According to the 2015 iaea annual report, at the insect technique to control the Mediterranean fruit
end of the year, there were 441 nuclear power reac- fly in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean
tors in operation around the world, making for a total during the year. After a large outbreak was detected
nuclear energy-generating capacity of 382.9 gigawatts- in the Dominican Republic, importers of Domini-
electric. During 2015, 10 new reactors were connected can horticultural products closed their markets, lead-
to the grid, the highest number since 1993; seven re- ing to major economic losses. The country’s Minis-
actors were permanently shut down; and construction try of Agriculture launched an emergency response
started on seven reactors, bringing the total number of programme in early 2015, with iaea, the Food and
reactors under construction around the world to 67. Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
The Agency organized major meetings on nuclear and other partners providing technical assistance.
technology in the course of the year, including the As a result, the expanding outbreak was contained
International Conference on the Management of Spent during the year; an eradication campaign was under
Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors: An Integrated way, involving the release of sterile male insects to
Approach to the Back End of the Fuel Cycle (Vienna, completely eliminate the pest. The Renovation of the
15–19 June), which highlighted the need for an Nuclear Applications Laboratories (ReNuAL) project
integrated approach to the back end of the fuel cycle, made substantial progress in 2015, with equipment
especially in the areas of processing, storage, transport procured to improve the capabilities of four of the
and disposal, as well as the need to adopt a holistic Agency laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria. In 2015
view of spent fuel management. The International the Agency also focused on research, training, pro-
Conference on Research Reactors: Safe Management tocol development and analytical services aimed at
and Effective Utilization (Vienna, 16–20 November) expanding the use of groundwater age dating with
concluded that operators should ensure the sustain- isotopes to map water resources, including by hosting
ability of research reactors through proper strategic the fourteenth International Symposium on Isotope
planning, integrate Agency safety standards and Hydrology: Revisiting Foundations and Exploring
nuclear security guidance into their operations and in- Frontiers. The Agency hosted the 2015 Scientific
crease the use of networking to learn from their peers. Forum on “Atoms in Industry: Radiation Technology
The Agency continued to provide energy assessment for Development” during the fifty-ninth session of its
services, which helped countries evaluate how differ- General Conference. The forum highlighted how ra-
ent technologies, including nuclear power, could help diation can be used to kill germs to sterilize medical
them meet their energy needs. Iaea built capacity equipment, produce more effective vaccines and make
among its member States for conducting Nuclear tissue grafts safe for transplants. Also showcased was
Energy System Assessments (nesas) according to the the use of radiation technologies in the treatment of
methodology developed by its International Project pollution, such as industrial pollutants and flue gas.
on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles Iaea continued to strengthen the nuclear safety
(inpro). In 2015, a nesa was initiated in Malaysia and and security framework globally through building
assessments were under way in Indonesia, Romania member State capabilities and conducting national
and Ukraine. To improve support to some 30 member and international programmes and activities. Dur-
States that were considering or planning a nuclear ing the year, the Agency published four reports in
power programme, iaea reviewed and published the connection with the iaea Action Plan on Nuclear
lessons learned from the first six years of Integrated Safety, and in September, the Director General’s
Nuclear Infrastructure Review (inir) missions. In report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident [YUN 2011,
2015, inir missions were conducted to Kenya, Mo- p. 587] was released, along with five technical volumes.
rocco and Nigeria. The Agency’s largest database, The Agency conducted Integrated Regulatory Review
the International Nuclear Information System (inis), Service (irrs) missions to enable member States with
grew to almost 3.9 million records, with 1.9 million and without nuclear power plants to evaluate the ef-
document downloads in 2015. Membership in the fectiveness of their national safety regulatory bodies.
International Nuclear Library Network, coordinated In 2015, eight irrs missions were conducted to Ar-
by the iaea Library, increased to 55 partners, up from menia, Croatia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland,
52 in 2014. The Agency’s databases of nuclear, atomic Malta and the United Republic of Tanzania, as well
and molecular data received more than two million as four follow-up missions—to Finland, Slovakia,
hits per month in 2015, and almost 260,000 datasets Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. Four irrs
and documents were downloaded in that time period. preparatory missions were conducted to member States
Chapter VI: Energy, natural resources and geospatial information 505

with nuclear power plants (Bulgaria, Finland, Japan, all aspects of nuclear security. The Agency also held its
Sweden), and five irrs preparatory missions were con- first International Conference on Computer Security
ducted to member States without operating nuclear in a Nuclear World: Expert Discussion and Exchange
power plants (Belarus, Guatemala, Ireland, Lithuania, (Vienna, 1–5 June), with the participation of around
United Republic of Tanzania). In 2015, the Agency 700 experts from 92 member States and 17 regional
also carried out six Operational Safety Review Team and international organizations. Participant experts
(osart) missions, to Canada, France, Japan, Pakistan, concluded that computer security was an essential ele-
the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom; two ment in nuclear security to guard against increasingly
osart follow-up missions, to France and the United sophisticated online threats in a digitally dependent
States of America; and one corporate osart follow-up and interconnected environment.
mission, to the Czech Republic. The Agency hosted In Africa, the iaea technical cooperation pro­
the International Conference on Operational Safety gramme supported 45 member States, including 26
(Vienna, 23–26 June) to seek further opportunities to least developed countries, in the use of nuclear and
improve operational safety worldwide. The conference isotopic techniques for sustainable development.
highlighted the role of osart missions in promoting Through capacity-building and training, technology
the application of the Agency’s safety standards transfer and expert advice and services, iaea sup-
and identified challenges with regard to corporate ported health-related improvements through in-
management of safety; leadership and safety culture; creased access to radiation medicine services and in-
operational experience; and long-term operation of creased capacities to assess nutrition programmes and
nuclear power plants. The International Conference detect emerging zoonotic diseases. Food security was
on Global Emergency Preparedness and Response enhanced through increased and more reliable crop
(Vienna, 19–23 October) discussed challenges and production, improved animal health and livestock
identified priorities for further improving readiness to production, and improved capabilities for livestock
respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies. disease diagnosis and treatment. Environmental sus-
The Fifth Review Meeting of the Contracting tainability was enhanced through improved water
Parties to the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent resource management, and there was expanded use
Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive of nuclear applications in industry and research.
Waste Management (Vienna, 11–22 May) dis- The programme also enhanced legal and regulatory
cussed the progress made since the Fourth (2012) frameworks, strengthened radiation protection, built
Review Meeting [YUN 2012, p. 504], with regard to competence in radiation safety and strengthened the
the management of disused sealed sources; the safety management of radioactive waste.
implications of very long storage periods and delayed In Asia and the Pacific, iaea membership grew
disposal of spent fuel and radioactive waste; and with the accession of a number of small island de-
international cooperation in finding solutions for the veloping States from the Pacific region, which in-
long-term management and disposal of different types creased demand for technical cooperation support.
of radioactive waste and spent fuel. The Convention The Agency assisted those new member States in
on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Dam- the formulation of their first Country Programme
age (csc), which was adopted on 12 September 1997 Frameworks, which identified national development
at the same time as the Protocol to Amend the Vienna priorities where nuclear applications could play a role
Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, and potentially contribute to the achievement of the
entered into force on 15 April 2015. sustainable development goals (see p. 396). Health and
The Agency continued to contribute to global nutrition—in particular addressing malnutrition and
efforts to secure nuclear facilities and to ensure the non-communicable diseases, including cancer—and
security of radioactive material in use, storage or food and agriculture were important areas for member
transport. Throughout the year, iaea supported States in the region of Asia and the Pacific. National
States, upon request, in their efforts to meet their technical cooperation programmes provided support
national responsibilities and international obligations in the use of isotopic techniques to assess body com-
through its implementation of the Nuclear Security position and in the fields of diagnostic medicine, ra-
Plan 2014–2017. The Agency also encouraged and diotherapy and nuclear medicine. Assistance provided
assisted States to adhere to relevant international by the Agency also helped member States enhance
instruments; continued efforts aimed at completing crop resilience and productivity, and establish qual-
international guidance in the iaea Nuclear Security ity assessment and control mechanisms for enhanced
Series; and built on the progress made during previous food security.
years to help States sustain and further improve their In Europe, the technical cooperation programme
national nuclear security regimes. In the course of continued to focus on human health; radioactive
the year, the Agency conducted 108 training courses waste management and environment restoration;
and workshops (23 regional or international, and 85 nuclear power; and nuclear and radiation safety. Proj-
national), at which 2,315 participants were trained in ects related to radiation and nuclear safety received
506 Part Three: Economic and social questions

around 50 per cent of the total budget for regional the institutional and accountability arrangements of
cooperation. the Sustainable Energy for All initiative [YUN 2011,
In Latin America and the Caribbean, the priority p. 966]. The report underlined the need for enhanced
thematic areas were health and nutrition, followed international cooperation and strengthened UN
by nuclear safety, water and the environment, and system coherence on energy in support of the imple-
food and agriculture. There was an emphasis on us- mentation of sustainable development goal 7 (Ensure
ing nuclear techniques for the early diagnosis and access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and mod-
treatment of illnesses such as sarcopenia and cancer, ern energy for all), as adopted in September by the
and on applying the sterile insect technique to control Assembly as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
transboundary pests, such as the New World screw Development (see p. 396).
worm and the Mediterranean fruit fly. There was also Activities in support of the Decade included the
a focus during the year on enhancing governmental second Sustainable Energy for All Forum (New
and regulatory safety infrastructure and strength- York, 17–21 May) on the theme “Financing sustain-
ening regional capacities for radiation emergency able energy for all”, which featured the first-ever
preparedness and response. Global Energy Ministerial Dialogue and the launch
Overall in 2015, approximately €77.2 million was of the second Global Tracking Framework and the
disbursed to 135 countries or territories, of which 35 global campaign on energy for women and children’s
were least developed countries. health. The report noted that the overall coordina-
On 17 November [A/70/PV.55], the Director General tion and organization of the activities of the Decade
of iaea presented the Agency’s 2014 annual report were spearheaded by the Special Representative of
[YUN 2014, p. 1160] to the Assembly.
the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All,
with the support of the wider UN system and UN-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Energy, which was conducting regional workshops on
capacity development for mainstreaming the energy-
On 17 November [meeting 56], the General related sustainable development goals, targets and in-
Assembly adopted resolution 70/10 [draft: A/70/L.8 & dicators into national statistical programmes. In the
Add.1] (Report of the International Atomic Energy
course of the year, the Special Representative worked
Agency) by recorded vote (99-0-10) [agenda item 87]. towards putting in place long-term institutional struc-
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/10: tures for the Sustainable Energy for All initiative, in-
In favour: Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bah- cluding the establishment of an international not-for-
rain, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, profit organization by actors external to the United
Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Nations—the Sustainable Energy for All Partnership,
Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, to be headquartered in Austria. A network of thematic
Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece,
and regional hubs for the Sustainable Energy for All
Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, initiative had been established within nine existing
Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Ka- institutions around the world. The hubs offered best
zakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, practices and leadership capacities in their respective
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mon- areas in order to help countries implement sdg 7 and
golia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New other energy objectives.
Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama,
Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, The report addressed issues related to advo-
Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi cacy, stakeholder mobilization, implementation,
Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, monitoring and system-wide coordination for accel-
Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, erating actions in support of sdg 7 and the Decade.
Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam.
The growth in the use of renewable energy had con-
Against: None. tinued to accelerate, but much greater resources were
Abstaining: Bolivia, Chad, Cuba, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, required. In particular, to double the global rate of
Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Republic of Tanzania, improvement in energy efficiency, a quadrupling of
Venezuela, Zimbabwe. current energy efficiency investment was needed—
from approximately $130 billion in 2012 to an an-
New and renewable sources of energy nual average of $560 billion until 2030. In terms of
opportunities, the 2015 report of the Finance Com-
Sustainable Energy for All mittee of the Sustainable Energy for All initiative’s
In an October report to the General Assembly Advisory Board had identified four broad investment
on the United Nations Decade of Sustainable themes that could help to mobilize $120 billion in
Energy for All (2014–2024) [A/70/422], submitted in incremental annual investment by 2020: green-bond
response to resolution 69/225 [YUN 2014, p. 1163], the market development; structures that use de-risking
Secretary-General described efforts to coordinate the instruments of development finance institutions to
activities of the Decade within the UN system and mobilize private capital; insurance products that focus
Chapter VI: Energy, natural resources and geospatial information 507

on removing specific risks; and aggregation structures The year 2015 marked the end of the International
that focus on bundling and pooling approaches for Decade for Action, “Water for Life” (2005–2015). UN-
small-scale opportunities. The report noted that un- Water spearheaded events and publications to review
locking existing opportunities required an investment progress achieved in the implementation of the Dec-
in capacity-building and the transfer of state-of-the- ade, including a high-level interactive dialogue (New
art knowledge and technologies to countries with York, 30 March) convened by the General Assembly
less capacity to adopt sustainable energy solutions. President to discuss best practices and lessons learned
Access to clean technologies remained constrained by that were relevant for sustainable development. High-
existing regulations and incentives in many places, by lights of the Decade included the achievement of the
the technical and commercial capacity of institutions drinking water mdg target; the recognition of the
and companies, and by a shortage of relevant skills. human right to water and sanitation; and the greater
The report concluded that during its first four years, global exposure of transboundary water issues gener-
the Sustainable Energy for All initiative had contrib- ated during the International Year of Water Coopera-
uted to putting in place a global framework for imple- tion 2013. Dialogue panellists noted that lessons
mentation of sdg 7, yet dialogues on energy were highly learned during the Decade included recognition of
fragmented, and there was no truly global dialogue the cross-cutting character of water management to
platform that could bring together all Member States sustainable development; the need for better quan-
and other stakeholders in an inclusive manner. The tifiable and clearer indicators within the framework
Secretary-General recommended that Member States of the Sustainable Development Agenda; and the im-
consider the best format and forum in which global portance of disaggregated data. Additional messages
energy ministers should meet, as an inclusive, global, of importance were the human-rights-based approach
high-level dialogue platform on energy to track pro- to water and sanitation, and the need for increased
gress and shape the global discourse on action towards investment in water. Other major events were the fifth
achieving sdg 7. The UN system would continue to and final UN-Water Annual International Zaragoza
support Member States in their implementation of Conference (Zaragoza, Spain, 15–17 January); the
sdg 7 by strengthening coordination, coherence and opening of the “Water for Life” photographic exhi-
synergies in the area of energy, including through the bition and presentation of the “Water for Life” Best
Special Representative and UN-Energy. Practices Awards (New York, 30 March); and the
High-level International Conference on the Imple-
mentation of the International Decade for Action
Natural resources “Water for Life”, 2005–2015 (Dushanbe, Tajikistan,
Water resources 9–11 June), which convened to plan for continued
progress on achieving the internationally agreed
UN-Water water-related goals.
The 2015 annual report issued by UN-Water high- UN-Water coordinated two annual global cam-
lighted the adoption in September by the General paigns in 2015: World Water Day (22 March) and
Assembly of sustainable development goal 6 (Ensure World Toilet Day (19 November). Through a dedi-
availability and sustainable management of water cated website, media engagement and high-level
and sanitation for all), as part of the 2030 Agenda events, the World Water Day campaign raised aware-
for Sustainable Development (see p. 396). The report ness and contributed to a policy dialogue focusing
noted that sdg 6 expanded significantly upon the on the interlinkages between water and sustainable
commitments of the Millennium Development Goal development. For World Toilet Day, UN-Water
(mdg) era (2000–2015), which focused on access to helped raise the profile of sanitation-related issues by
improved water and sanitation and sustainable water coordinating events at the UN offices in Geneva and
withdrawal. Sdg 6 also included water quality and at the UN Headquarters in New York, which were
wastewater management; water use and scarcity; combined with social media and public engagement
integrated water resources management, including activities led by UN-Water members. The event in
transboundary cooperation; and water-related ecosys- New York, which included the participation of the
tems. Targets and indicators would measure and track UN Deputy Secretary-General and the President of
global progress on water and sanitation through to the the General Assembly, was also the launch of a new
2030 deadline, and UN-Water and its project partners report entitled “Improving Nutrition Outcomes with
started work during the year on developing the post- Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Practical Solu-
2015 global monitoring framework. Pilot testing of tions for Policies and Programmes”.
the draft monitoring methodologies would take place Communication. By a letter dated 26 August
in 2016—across a group of countries representing all [A/C.2/70/5], Tajikistan transmitted to the Secretary-
regions of the world and income groups—followed by General the outcome documents of the High-level
global implementation in 2017. International Conference on the Implementation of
508 Part Three: Economic and social questions

the International Decade for Action “Water for Life”, ferent times and locations. A common global geodetic
2005–2015 (Dushanbe, 9–11 June). reference frame would enable multilateral cooperation
in geodesy, including through the open sharing of ge-
ospatial data, further capacity-building in developing
Geospatial information countries and the establishment of international
standards and conventions. The resolution noted
the establishment of a working group by the Com-
Global geospatial information management mittee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information
Committee report. The Committee of Experts Management to develop a road map for delivering the
on Global Geospatial Information Management global geodetic reference frame and urged Member
held its fifth session (New York, 5–7 August) States to implement open sharing of geodetic data to
[E/2015/46-E/C.20/2015/17], during which it adopted contribute to the global reference frame.
13 decisions on a global geodetic reference frame; GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
activities related to sustainable development and the
post 2015 development agenda; determination of On 26 February [meeting 80], the General Assembly
global fundamental geospatial data themes; integra- adopted resolution 69/266 [draft: A/69/L.53 & Add.1]
tion of geospatial, statistical and other information; (A global geodetic reference frame for sustainable
application of geospatial information related to land development) without vote [agenda item 9].
administration and management; trends in national Committee of Experts. On 5 August
institutional arrangements in geospatial information [E/2015/46-E/C.20/2015/17 (dec. 5/102)], the Committee
management; legal and policy frameworks, including of Experts on Global Geospatial Information
issues related to authoritative data; implementation Management took note of the activities carried out
and adoption of standards for the global geospatial by the working group on the global geodetic reference
information community; development of a statement frame, including for planning and developing the
of shared guiding principles for geospatial information road map by gathering inputs from Member States
management; coordination of UN activities related to on key elements affecting the sustainability of the
geospatial information management; knowledge base global geodetic reference frame, such as the need to
for geospatial information management; contribu- address the imbalance in the distribution of geodetic
tion of regional committees and thematic groups to infrastructure globally, in particular between the
the global geospatial agenda; and programme review North and the South. The Committee of Experts
of the work of the Committee of Experts on Global requested the working group to continue its efforts and
Geospatial Information Management during the to report back to its next session on its progress towards
2011–2015 period. The Committee also decided to delivering the road map.
recommend to the Economic and Social Council the
adoption of the draft provisional agenda for its sixth UN Regional Cartographic Conference
(2016) session, to be held at UN Headquarters in New for Asia and the Pacific
York from 3 to 5 August 2016.
The Twentieth United Nations Regional Car-
Capacity-building in geodesy for sustainable tographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (Jeju
development Island, Republic of Korea, 6–9 October) [E/CONF.104/9]
took place in accordance with Economic and Social
On 26 February [A/69/PV.80], the General Assembly Council decision 2014/252 [YUN 2014, p. 1169]. The
considered a draft resolution entitled “A global geo- Conference was attended by 125 representatives from
detic reference frame for sustainable development”, 27 countries and 10 specialized agencies as well as
which stemmed from texts previously adopted by international scientific organizations and other en-
the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial tities. The Conference adopted resolutions on the
Information Management and by the Economic and geodetic reference frame; disaster risk management;
Social Council [YUN 2014, p. 1167]. The resolution regional spatial data infrastructure; cadastre and land
aimed to leverage the importance of a globally coor- management; and strengthening the subsidiary ma-
dinated approach to geodesy based on the premise of chinery of the Economic and Social Council in the
equitably measuring the location, shape, rotation and area of geospatial information. It also recommended
gravitational field of the planet. As the planet revolved to the Council that the twenty-first (2018) United
in constant motion, a point of reference was needed, Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia
and geodesy provided that through a stable coordinate and the Pacific be convened only if it remained on the
reference frame to relate measurements taken at dif- UN calendar of conferences and meetings.
Chapter VII

Environment and human settlements

In 2015, the United Nations continued its work in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to pro-
protecting the environment and improving the living vide a special report in 2018 on the impacts of global
conditions of people residing in cities through legally warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and re-
binding instruments and the activities of the United lated global greenhouse gas emission pathways.
Nations Environment Programme (unep) and the In October, the twelfth session of the Conference
United Nations Human Settlements Programme of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to
(UN-Habitat). Combat Desertification adopted 35 decisions and
The year marked a turning point for the envi- one resolution, including the Ankara Declaration,
ronmental agenda of the United Nations through which dealt with how businesses could contribute to
the adoption of landmark global agreements on the transformation of economies to achieve land deg-
sustainable development, climate change, disaster radation neutrality. The twelfth session also adopted
risk reduction and financing for development, the a set of progress indicators to assess trends in land
contents of which contributed to the elaboration of cover, land productivity and carbon stocks that could
the sustainable development goals and the integra- be used by parties for reporting to the three Rio Con-
tion of environmental sustainability and social equity ventions.
with economic progress. As the authoritative voice The twenty-fifth session of the UN-Habitat Gov-
for the environment, unep—through its work on erning Council, in April, adopted seven resolutions
climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem approving international guidelines on urban and ter-
management, environmental governance, chemicals ritorial planning; increasing the efficiency of country-
and waste, sustainable consumption and production, level operations by strengthening national ownership
and keeping the environment under review—helped and capacity; and highlighting the contribution of
outline a way forward in the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- UN-Habitat to the post-2015 development agenda.
able Development that focused on both developed On governance reform, the Council strengthened the
and developing parts of the world. linkages between the normative and operational work
The eleventh session of the United Nations Forum of UN-Habitat and established a working group on
on Forests, convened in May, focused on strength- programme and budget. The Preparatory Committee
ening and extending the international arrangement for the United Nations Conference on Housing and
on forests, means of implementation for sustain- Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) held
able forest management, forest law enforcement and its second session, and the secretary-general of the
governance at all levels, and enhanced cooperation Conference reported on work to be carried out until
and policy and programme coordination. The Forum the opening of the Conference in 2016. The Council
recommended to the Economic and Social Council welcomed the decisions of the Preparatory Committee,
the adoption of a resolution on the “International urged Member States to finalize their national reports
arrangement on forests beyond 2015”, which the for Habitat III and encouraged participation in the
Council adopted in July. In doing so, the Council Conference by all levels of government and other
decided to extend the timeline of the global objec- stakeholders. In December, the General Assembly
tives on forests to 2030, in line with the post-2015 adopted a resolution approving the rules of proce-
development agenda, and to rename the non-legally dure and reiterating that Habitat III should produce
binding instrument on all types of forests the “United a forward-looking and action-oriented outcome docu-
Nations forest instrument”. In December, the General ment to reinvigorate global support for housing and
Assembly adopted those modifications. sustainable urban development and the New Urban
The Conference of the Parties to the United Agenda.
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
at its twenty-first session in December, adopted the
Paris Agreement, which aimed to strengthen the Environment
global response to the threat of climate change in the
context of sustainable development. The Agreement UN Environment Programme
invited all parties to communicate to the secretariat
their intended nationally determined contributions The year 2015 marked a turning point for the en-
towards achieving the Convention and invited the vironmental agenda with the adoption of landmark

509
510 Part Three: Economic and social questions

agreements: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Devel- did not convene in 2015. The second session of the
opment (see p. 396); the Paris Agreement, adopted Environment Assembly would take place in 2016.
at the twenty-first Conference of the Parties to the By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Assembly decided that the election of the Executive
Change (unfccc) (see p. 515); the Sendai Framework Director of unep would remain for consideration dur-
for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted at the third ing its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction; and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, Programme areas
adopted at the third International Conference on Fi- Climate change
nancing for Development (see p. 458). As the authori-
tative voice of the environment, the United Nations In its work on combating climate change, unep
Environment Programme (unep) outlined a way focused on climate resilience, low-emission growth,
forward in the 2030 Agenda that focused on sustain- and the United Nations Collaborative Programme on
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest
ability in both developed and developing parts of the
Degradation in Developing Countries, including
world. Unep contributed to the Paris Conference and
the role of conservation, sustainable management
the Paris Agreement by assisting 36 countries to de-
of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks
velop and complete their Intended Nationally Deter-
(redd+). Regarding climate resilience, unep enabled
mined Contributions (indcs); mobilizing institutional 20 countries to implement ecosystem-based and other
investors under the Portfolio Decarbonization Coali- adaptation approaches in the previous two years, with
tion, who committed to decarbonizing $600 billion 10 countries incorporating those approaches in key
of assets under management; helping to facilitate over sectoral and development plans. Financing for the im-
$10 billion in pledges to the Africa Renewable Energy plementation of such plans, however, lagged behind
Initiative; supporting 97 countries with the inclusion the needs. Unep helped countries access existing fi-
of adaptation components in their indcs; partnering nancing and increase the availability of microfinance
with the presidency of the Conference of the Parties for adaptation, and supported 10 countries with their
on the launch of the Global Alliance for Buildings and process of accreditation to the Adaptation Fund. Total
Construction, hosted by unep; assisting countries in bilateral and multilateral financing for climate change
making linkages between climate science and policy; adaptation in developing countries in 2014 was esti-
and partnering in the engagement of non-state actors, mated at $18.4 billion, representing an 8–9 per cent
who were crucial to delivering emissions reductions. increase over the previous five years, but it remained
During the year, unep worked in the areas of far short of what would be needed by 2030.
climate change, disasters and conflicts, ecosystem The unep Emissions Gap Report 2015, a key docu-
management, environmental governance, chemicals ment in the Paris Conference negotiations, assessed
and waste, resource efficiency and sustainable 119 indcs submitted to unfccc and compared the re-
consumption and production, and keeping the sulting emissions levels projected for 2030 with what
environment under review by promoting evidence- science had determined was required to be on track
based decision-making through integrated knowl- towards the agreed target of a global average tempera-
edge. Environmental sustainability as a driver of ture increase below 2°C by 2100. The report noted
development and human well-being remained a key that enhanced energy efficiency in buildings, indus-
focus of the work of unep, with initiatives such as try and transport, and increased renewable energy
the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity and were critical to closing the gap, as they accounted for
the Project for Ecosystem Services (ProEcoServ), 40 per cent of global energy use. Unep worked with
both of which focused on mainstreaming the values its partners and governments to assist 31 countries
of biodiversity and ecosystem services into policy- and in implementing initiatives to improve energy effi-
decision-making at all levels. In collaboration with ciency or invest in renewables, exceeding the target
partners, unep led the way in conserving and expand- of 20 countries set for December 2015. Major unep
ing forest cover, the sound management of chemicals, partnership initiatives on climate change included
embedding sustainable consumption and production The 1 Gigaton Coalition, the Portfolio Decarboniza-
at all levels of society, and in assisting nations in tion Coalition, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition,
adapting to climate change. Unep continued to work and the Climate Technology Centre and Network.
closely with other UN bodies, governments at all The UN Collaborative Initiative on Reducing Emis-
levels, intergovernmental organizations, civil society sions from Forest Degradation in Developing Countries
and the private sector to drive the process of change (un- redd), a programme jointly implemented by the
towards a sustainable future. Food and Agriculture Organization (fao) and the
In accordance with United Nations Environment United Nations Development Programme (undp),
Assembly decision 1/2 [YUN 2014, p. 1171], the scaled up support to 64 countries to assist in their read-
Environment Assembly, which met biennially, iness for the expanded redd+ approach, which was an
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 511

increase from 48 in December 2013. Twenty-six of the Management Group (emg) (New York, 21 and 24 Sep-
64 countries had national programmes, 13 developed tember) [EMG/SOM.21] consisted of a technical segment
or adopted national redd+ strategies in 2014–2015, and a senior officials segment, including two high-
and 20 began the process of developing, adopting or level panel discussions on the follow-up of the envi-
implementing national redd+ strategies, exceeding ronmental dimensions of the 2030 Agenda and the
the unep target of 15 countries by December 2015. role of emg in that context. The UN system, through
emg, was developing system-wide strategies on the
Environmental governance environment to enhance coherence, with the aim of
In its work on environmental governance, unep developing a framework to align agencies’ respective
focused on three areas: coherence and synergy in the strategies on the environmental dimensions of the
multilateral system on the handling of environmental 2030 Agenda.
issues; law and institutions for the implementation Human Rights Council action. On 26 March
of internationally agreed environmental goals; and [A/70/53 (res. 28/11)] (see p. 347), the Council requested
mainstreaming the environment into development the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
processes. for Human Rights to collaborate with UN pro-
Unep efforts in the previous two years had resulted grammes, agencies and funds, in particular unep, with
in greater coherence in the way the UN system and a view to facilitating the exchange of knowledge on
multilateral environmental agreements handled envi- human rights obligations related to the enjoyment of a
ronmental issues. In the context of the 2030 Agenda, safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The
Governments agreed on the need for an integrated Council also invited States to consider the report of the
approach that required environmental issues to be ad- Independent Expert [A/HRC/28/61] when fulfilling their
dressed as part of a wider agenda for change. During human rights obligations related to the enjoyment of a
the same time frame, unep supported 11 countries in safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and
undertaking new legal and institutional measures to to share good practices in that regard when reporting
improve the implementation of internationally agreed to the UN human rights system.
environmental goals. Partnerships with regional and In response to Human Rights Council resolu-
global organizations, such as the Organization of tion 28/11, the Special Rapporteur on the issue of
American States and Globe International, helped to human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment
scale up the work of unep on law, leading to the up- of a safe, clean, health and sustainable environment
take of the concept of environmental rule of law in submitted a December report [A/HRC/31/53] describing
regional contexts and to more systemic approaches to possible methods of implementation of human rights
the engagement of parliamentarians. Unep achieved obligations relating to the enjoyment of a healthy
its target number of initiatives and partnerships with environment (see p. 347). Those methods included
major groups and stakeholders in support of the better dissemination of information about the human
development and implementation of national and rights norms related to the environment; capacity-
international environmental law. At the international building; protection of the rights of those most vulner-
level, it convened processes to promote effective trans- able; and strengthening cooperation between actors.
boundary freshwater governance, the concept of en-
vironmental rule of law, and Access to Information, Sustainable consumption and production
Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environ- In its work on resource efficiency and sustainable
mental Matters (Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration) consumption and production, unep focused on the
to enhance the capacities of government stakeholders. creation of enabling policy environments, the adop-
On mainstreaming environmental sustainability, 15 tion of sustainable production practices in key sectors
countries finalized their United Nations Development across global supply chains, and support for the ability
Assistance Frameworks during the year, incorporating of countries, businesses, civil society and individuals
the principles of environmental sustainability. The to make informed choices about sustainable lifestyles
Poverty-Environment Initiative, operated by unep in and consumption. With unep support, 140 countries,
collaboration with undp, resulted in the integration institutions and businesses across the sectors of
of environment objectives into 21 policies, plans and building and construction, food and agriculture,
processes focused on poverty reduction over the prior finance and tourism improved their management
two years. Furthermore, eight regional and subregional practices or strategies on sustainable production and
intergovernmental fora incorporated the principles of consumption practices in global supply chains. Unep
environmental sustainability into their 2014–2015 ses- also supported 20 countries on sustainable public
sions, promoting the uptake of global environmental procurement, six of which developed or implemented
priorities at regional and national levels. action plans in close coordination with the 10-year
Environment Management Group. The twenty- framework of programmes on sustainable consump-
first meeting of the senior officials of the Environment tion and production patterns [YUN 2012, p. 1016].
512 Part Three: Economic and social questions

In response to General Assembly resolutions of the Platform; communications and stakeholder

67/203 [YUN 2012, p. 811], 68/210 [YUN 2013, p. 787] and engagement; and institutional arrangements, par-
69/214 [YUN 2014, p. 948], the Secretary-General sub- ticularly the collaborative partnership arrangement
mitted a March report [E/2015/56] reviewing progress between fao, undp, unep and the United Nations
on the 10-year framework of programmes on sustain- Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
able consumption and production patterns. Four (unesco). The session had before it corresponding
out of six 10-year framework programmes had been documents on those and related issues [IPBES/3/2,
developed and launched, the framework trust fund IPBES/3/3, IPBES/3/INF/1, IPBES/3/4, IPBES/3/INF/3, IP-
to support sustainable consumption and production BES/3/INF/2, IPBES/3/INF/4, IPBES/3/INF/7, IPBES/3/5,
policies and initiatives in developing countries and IPBES/3/INF/8, IPBES/3/6/Add.1–6, IPBES/3/INF/17, IP-
economies in transition had been operationalized, BES/3/7, IPBES/3/INF/18, IPBES/3/8, IPBES/3/10, IPBES/3/2/
and the first global meeting of the 10-year framework Add.1/Rev.1, IPBES/3/INF/13, IPBES/3/11, IPBES/3/INF/15,
of programmes on sustainable consumption and IPBES/3/16, IPBES/3/12, IPBES/3/INF/11, IPBES/3/13, IP-
production patterns was held in New York on 14 and BES/3/14, IPBES/3/15, IPBES/3/INF/9, IPBES/3/16, IPBES/3/
15 May. The Secretary-General’s report was consid- INF/10, IPBES/3/17, IPBES/3/INF/14]. The plenary adopted
ered during the year by the high-level political forum decisions on the work programme for the period
on sustainable development (see p. 393). 2014–2018; financial and budgetary arrangements;
rules and procedures for the operation of the Platform;
Environment under review and communication, stakeholder engagement and
To keep the environment under review, unep strategic partnerships. The plenary Chair expressed
worked towards bridging the gap between the pro- satisfaction at the progress made on the 18 deliverables
ducers and users of environmental information, of the work programme and the number of experts
better linking science to policy. Its work centred who contributed their time and expertise, but noted
on assessment through facilitating global, regional that a further $19 million was needed to fully imple-
and national policymaking from environmental ment the Platform’s initial work programme.
information made available on open platforms; early
warning through enabling better policy planning that Subsidiary body
incorporated information on emerging environmental In 2015, the Committee of Permanent Represent-
issues; and information management through en- atives to unep—open to representatives of all UN
hancing the capacity of countries to generate, access, Member States and members of specialized agencies—
analyse and communicate environmental information held meetings on 31 March [UNEP/CPR/131/2] and
and knowledge. 16 June [UNEP/CPR/132/2]. The Committee discussed,
The online reporting tool unep Live continued among other subjects, preparations for the sixth
to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of Global Environment Outlook report and the Com-
keeping the world environment situation under mittee’s contribution to preparations for the second
review. Designed to support assessments by provid- (2016) session of the United Nations Environment
ing global, regional and national data and knowledge, Assembly.
unep Live included data flows from 192 countries,
listed global environmental reporting obligations for Governance, work programme and budget
each country, and hosted a sustainable development
goal portal and nine Communities of Practice with Board of Auditors report
over 1,500 members. Near real-time data and maps In June [A/70/5/Add.7], the Board of Auditors trans-
in unep Live covered themes such as air quality, sea- mitted to the General Assembly its report and the
level rise, resource efficiency indicators, the Antarctic financial report and audited financial statements of
ozone hole, marine plastics and threatened species. unep for the year ended 31 December 2014. The
Production of the sixth Global Environment Outlook report showed total income of $697.5 million and
report would also benefit from the data flows available expenditure of $544.6 million, resulting in a surplus
through unep Live. of $152.9 million. Total assets amounted to $1,543.3
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on million, comprising current assets of $1,208.1 million
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. The third and non-current assets of $335.2 million. Total lia-
session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy bilities amounted to $406.7 million, resulting in net
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services assets of $1,136.3 million. In conducting its audit, the
(ipbes) [IPBES/3/18] took place in Bonn, Germany from Board did not find significant errors, but it found some
12 to 17 January. The session discussed the report of deficiencies in the areas of cost-effective management
the Executive Secretary on the implementation of of core business services, programme and project
the work programme 2014–2018; the initial work management, financial management and reporting,
programme of the Platform; financial and budgetary and procurement and contract management. The
arrangements; rules and procedures for the operation Board highlighted its key findings and made recom-
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 513

mendations related to the lack of an adequate interface period of Montevideo Programme IV and towards
between the Programme Information Management 2020 included addressing enforcement in respect of
System and the Integrated Management Information environmental offences by using a holistic approach,
System; terminal evaluations that were not under- from prevention and detection to sanctions and reme-
taken for 38 completed projects; and the need to diation through developing and strengthening laws to
account for or recover long-outstanding advances provide administrative, civil and criminal sanctions
to project-implementing partners in cases where in- for environmentally harmful activities; and address-
tended activities were not delivered. ing the drivers of environmental offences and crimes
By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General by considering their relationship with money laun-
Assembly decided that the unep financial report and dering, the financing of drug trafficking, terrorism,
audited financial statements, and the report of the human trafficking and corruption and focusing on
Board of Auditors, would remain for consideration appropriate levels of enforcement.
during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
Cooperation with UN Scientific Committee
Additional reports on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
Other reports of the Executive Director submitted The General Assembly, in resolution 70/81 of
during the year to the United Nations Environment 9 December (see p. 285), requested unep to continue
Assembly for consideration at its second (2016) session to support the work of the United Nations Scientific
reviewed progress in the implementation of resolutions Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and
that were adopted at the first (2014) session of the the dissemination of its findings to the Assembly, the
Assembly on the illegal trade in wildlife [UNEP/EA.2/6/ scientific community and the public. The Assembly
Add.1], the science-policy interface [UNEP/EA.2/6/Add.2] encouraged unep to continue to maintain appropriate
and chemicals and waste [UNEP/EA.2/6/Add.3]. funding for the Scientific Committee and encouraged
Member States to make voluntary contributions to
Other matters the unep general trust fund established to support the
Committee’s work.
Environmental law
The meeting of senior government officials ex- Illegal trade in wildlife
pert in environmental law on the midterm review On 30 July, the General Assembly, by resolu-
of the fourth Programme for the Development and tion 69/314 (see p. 639), welcomed United Nations
Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Environment Assembly resolution 1/3 [YUN 2014,
Programme IV) (Montevideo, Uruguay, 7–11 Sep- p. 1172] on the illegal trade in wildlife, and urged
tember) [UNEP/Env.Law/MTV4/MR/1/5] convened stake- Member States to take steps at the national level to
holders to contribute further to the development of prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in
the midterm review of the Montevideo Programme wildlife, on both the supply and demand sides, and
IV [YUN 2008, p. 1174] and to recommend priority to adopt measures to prevent and counter the problem
areas in the field of environmental law for action of crimes that impact the environment, such as illicit
by the international law community and unep. The trafficking in wildlife and wildlife products.
meeting discussed the implementation and effec-
tiveness of Montevideo Programme IV [UNEP/Env. Global Environment Facility
Law/MTV4/MR/1/2 & Add.1]; emerging and important
issues in the field of environmental law, in particular The Global Environment Facility (gef) united
in the programme areas of Montevideo Programme 183 member Governments in partnership with
IV [UNEP/Env.Law/MTV4/MR/1/3]; and priority areas international institutions, non-governmental
for action in the field of environmental law for the organizations (ngos) and the private sector to ad-
period up to 2020, bearing in mind Montevideo dress environmental issues. The gef partnership
Programme IV [UNEP/Env.Law/MTV4/MR/1/4]. A draft- comprised, among others, unep, undp, the World
ing group made up of representatives from 10 countries Bank, fao, the United Nations Industrial Develop-
and open to participation by other interested parties ment Organization, the African Development Bank,
prepared draft recommendations and conclusions the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for
from the meeting for consideration and adoption by Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American
the representatives in plenary. Included in the recom- Development Bank and the International Fund for
mendations was that the further implementation of Agricultural Development. Gef served as the financial
Montevideo Programme IV, in addition to address- mechanism for the 1992 Convention on Biological
ing emerging issues, should be undertaken against Diversity [YUN 1992, p. 683], the 1992 United Nations
the backdrop of developments in the international Framework Convention on Climate Change (unfccc)
community to advance sustainable development. [ibid., p. 681], the 1994 United Nations Convention to
Possible priorities for action during the remaining Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experi-
514 Part Three: Economic and social questions

encing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Par- Gef reported [FCCC/SBI/2015/INF.4] to the forty-
ticularly in Africa (unccd) [YUN 1994, p. 944], and the second (2015) session of the unfccc Subsidiary Body
2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic for Implementation on progress made in carrying
Pollutants [YUN 2001, p. 971]. out the Poznan Strategic Programme on Technology
Annual Performance Report. The gef Annual Transfer. The report reviewed relevant unfccc guid-
Performance Report 2015 provided an overview of the ance; implementation of the Poznan Strategic and
performance of gef activities and processes, key factors Long-Term Programmes on Technology Transfer;
affecting performance, and the quality of monitoring and gef consultation with regional technology trans-
and evaluation systems within the partnership. The fer centres and the Climate Technology Centre and
2015 report covered a cohort of 159 recently com- Network.
pleted projects that accounted for $728 million in gef In its report [FCCC/CP/2015/4 & Add.1] to the twenty-
funding and $3.3 billion in realized co-financing. The first (2015) session of the unfccc Conference of the
report found that 75 per cent of projects in the cohort Parties (see p. 515), gef described its responses to the
had satisfactory outcomes, and 74 per cent of cohort guidance provided by the Conference at its twenti-
funding was associated with projects with outcome rat- eth (2014) session [YUN 2014, p. 1181] and to the con-
ings in the satisfactory range. Sixty-seven per cent of clusions of the forty-first (2014) and forty-second
projects in the cohort, and 70 per cent of the associ- (2015) sessions of the unfccc Subsidiary Body for
ated funding had sustainability ratings of moderately Implementation. Gef also described its initiatives and
likely or higher. The quality of implementation ratings achievements between 2014 and 2015 in the areas of
remained steady at 77 per cent, but a lower percentage climate change mitigation and adaptation, technology
of the project cohort rated in the satisfactory range on transfer, and enabling activities and capacity building.
the quality of execution (72 per cent). The report found
The fourth session of the International Conference
that 55 per cent of the projects rated in the satisfactory
on Chemicals Management on Activities Support-
range for monitoring and evaluation (m&e) design and
ing the Implementation of the Strategic Approach
52 per cent for m&e during implementation, and that
to International Chemicals Management (saicm)
co-financing requirements were fully met in 54 per cent
(Geneva, 28 September–2 October) had before it a
of projects. The report included a matrix summarizing
note [SAICM/ICCM.4/INF/8] by the gef secretariat on
the performance of gef agencies on six parameters,
its activities in support of the implementation of the
including quality of implementation, co-financing, ef-
Strategic Approach. Saicm priorities had received $10
ficiency and m&e. During the gef-6 (2014–2018) pro-
million during the gef - 5 (2010–2014) programming
gramming period, focal tracking tools were leaner and
cycle, specifically for e-waste, lead in paint, and
better aligned with the focal area results framework
chemicals in products, and in the gef - 6 (2014–2018)
indicators, but the total number of indicators being
programming cycle, the chemicals and waste focal
tracked at the gef-portfolio level remained high. It was
area received increased funding, at $554 million, $13
therefore recommended that gef reassess its approach
million of which was allocated to saicm.
to tracking tools for the gef - 7 (2018–2022) pro-
gramming period, and, with regard to its biodiversity The twelfth session of the Conference of the Parties
tracking tools in particular, that it assess the extent to to unccd (Ankara, Turkey, 12–23 October) (see
which the burden imposed by those tools was justified p. 516) had before it a note [ICCD/COP(12)/18] by the
by their utility, while also considering other alterna- gef secretariat containing proposed amendments to
tives, such as the geographic information system and the memorandum of understanding between unccd
remote-sensing-based approach to monitoring changes and the gef, submitted in response to decision 11/
in biodiversity conditions. COP.10 of the eleventh (2013) session of the unccd
In a January note [UNEP/POPS/COP.7/23] to the Conference of the Parties [YUN 2013, p. 1001]. Partici-
seventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties to pants of the twelfth session were invited to consider
the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic the draft amended memorandum of understanding
Pollutants (Geneva, 4–15 May) (see p. 519), gef sum- and to take appropriate action.
marized activities conducted between 2012 and 2014 The fourteenth session of the unccd Committee
in relation to the implementation of the Stockholm for the Review of the Implementation of the
Convention. It emphasized how gef had applied the Convention (Ankara, 13–22 October) (see p. 517)
guidance received from the Conference of the Parties considered the report [ICCD/CRIC(14)/5] by gef on
and included details on the wider work of gef on its strategies, programmes and projects for financing
chemicals. The note was to be considered in conjunc- the agreed incremental costs of activities concern-
tion with the full report [UNEP/POPS/COP.7/INF/33], as ing desertification. The report provided information
well as an earlier note by the gef secretariat [UNEP/ on gef activities in sustainable land management
POPS/COP.7/22] on the effectiveness of the implementa- as they related to the gef Land Degradation Focal
tion of the memorandum of understanding between Area, specifically desertification and deforestation,
the Conference of the Parties and the gef Council. for the period from July 2013 to June 2015. The
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 515

report also provided details on progress made in re- Conference of parties. The twenty-first session
sponding to decisions on gef collaboration made at of the Conference of the Parties to unfccc (Paris,
the eleventh (2013) session of the unccd Conference 30 November–13 December) [FCCC/CP/2015/10 &
of the Parties. Add.1, 2, 3] adopted 23 decisions. The Paris Conference
had the highest level of participation of all UN
International conventions climate change conferences to date. Its main outcome
and mechanisms was the adoption of the Paris Agreement, which con-
tained a structure of provisions that allowed parties to
In response to resolutions 69/220 [YUN 2014, strengthen the global response to the threat of climate
p. 1182],69/221 [ibid., p. 1183] and 69/222 [ibid., p. 1186], change in the context of sustainable development and
the Secretary-General, in a July note [A/70/230], trans- efforts to eradicate poverty. The elements of the Paris
mitted reports submitted by the secretariats of the Agreement included a long-term goal of limiting the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate global temperature increase to well below 2°C, while
Change (see below); the United Nations Convention pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C; a global
to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Expe- peaking of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve those
riencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Par- temperature goals as soon as possible; and mitigation,
ticularly in Africa (see p. 516); and the Convention on namely by the establishment of binding commitments
Biological Diversity (see p. 517)—collectively known by all parties to prepare, communicate and maintain
as the “Rio Conventions”. successive intended nationally determined contribu-
tions (indcs) and to pursue domestic measures to
Convention on climate change achieve them.
The decisions adopted by the Conference con-
As at 31 December, 196 States and the European cerned, among other topics, the Warsaw Interna­
Union (eu) were parties to the United Nations tional Mechanism for Loss and Damage associ-
Framework Convention on Climate Change (unfccc), ated with Climate Change Impacts; the reports to
which opened for signature in 1992 [YUN 1992, p. 681] the Conference of the Adaptation Committee, the
and entered into force in 1994 [YUN 1994, p. 938]. The Standing Committee on Finance, the Green Climate
State of Palestine acceded during the year. Fund, and the Global Environment Facility; national
At year’s end, 191 States and the eu were parties adaptation plans; long-term climate finance; the
to the Kyoto Protocol to the Convention [YUN 1997, reporting of financial information by Parties in-
p. 1048], which entered into force in 2005 [YUN 2005, cluded in Annex I to the Convention; the forum
p. 1146]. There were 29 parties to the 2006 amendment and work programme on the impact of the imple-
to annex B of the Protocol [YUN 2006, p. 1220], which mentation of response measures; enhancing climate
had not yet entered into force. technology development and transfer through the
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/220 Technology Mechanism; linkages between the
[YUN 2014, p. 1182], the Secretary-General, in his July Technology Mechanism and the Financial Mecha-
note [A/70/230], transmitted to the Assembly the report nism of the Convention; capacity-building under the
of the unfccc Executive Secretary on the outcomes Convention; terms of reference for the intermediate
of the twentieth session of the Conference of the review of the Doha work programme on Article 6
Parties to the Convention [YUN 2014, p. 1181] and the of the Convention; alternative policy approaches;
tenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving extension of the mandate of the Least Developed
as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol Countries Expert Group; technical review in 2016 of
[ibid.], both of which took place in Lima, Peru from greenhouse gas inventories from Parties included in
1–14 December 2014. A main outcome of the Lima Annex I to the Convention; the programme budget
Conference was the Lima Call for Climate Action to for the biennium 2016–2017; and dates and venues
further advance the Durban Platform for Enhanced of future sessions.
Action towards achieving a global agreement in 2015, The Conference of the Parties had before it a syn-
which included an annex with elements of a draft thesis report [FCCC/CP/2015/7] by the secretariat on the
negotiating text. The Conference also made further aggregate effect of the 119 intended nationally deter-
progress on the Warsaw International Mechanism for mined contributions communicated by 147 Parties by
Loss and Damage associated with Climate Change 1 October 2015. It provided estimates of the aggregate
Impacts, including agreement on the workplan and greenhouse gas emission levels in 2025 and 2030 re-
on the composition of its executive committee. As a sulting from the implementation of those contribu-
result of pledges made during the Lima Conference tions, and identified trends that indicated opportu-
for the capitalization of the Green Climate Fund and nities for enhanced action to address climate change
the Adaptation Fund, the Fund’s initial capitalization in the longer term. It also synthesized information
goal of $10 billion was exceeded and the Adaptation related to the adaptation component of the contribu-
Fund was much closer to its $90 million goal. tions communicated by 100 Parties.
516 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Meeting of Protocol parties. The eleventh In his July note on the implementation of UN
session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the environmental conventions [A/70/230], the Secretary-
Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol [FCCC/ General, pursuant to resolution 69/221 [YUN 2014,
KP/CMP/2015/8 & Add.1, 2], held concurrently with the p. 1183], transmitted to the General Assembly the
twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties report of the Convention secretariat. The report re-
to unfccc, adopted 12 decisions. The Conference of viewed the preparations for the twelfth session of the
the Parties considered the status report presented by Conference of the Parties (see below); the findings of
the unfccc Deputy Executive Secretary on the in- the fourth special session of the Committee on Science
struments of acceptance received by the Depositary and Technology; and the outcomes of the thirteenth
in respect of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Pro- session of the Committee for the Review of the Im-
tocol, who noted that the Doha Amendment required plementation of the Convention (see p. 517). It also
an additional 89 instruments of acceptance to en- covered follow-up to the United Nations Conference
ter into force.The Conference of the Parties adopted on Sustainable Development in the context of the
decisions concerning, among others, the report of post-2015 development agenda, particularly on
the Adaptation Fund Board; the clean development issues related to desertification, land degradation and
mechanism; the implementation of Article 6 of the drought; global observance of the 2015 World Day
Kyoto Protocol; methodology for the collection of to Combat Desertification and Drought; collabora-
international transaction log fees in the biennium tion with gef; partnerships with other UN entities;
2016–2017; capacity-building under the Kyoto Pro- and observations and possible action by the General
tocol; technical review in 2016 of greenhouse gas Assembly, including those related to the nexus be-
inventories and initial reports for the second com- tween issues of desertification, land degradation and
mitment period from Parties included in Annex I to drought and global policy challenges, such as food
the Convention that were also Parties to the Kyoto security, poverty, climate adaptation and mitigation,
Protocol; and the programme budget for the bien- and political instability in affected regions.
nium 2016–2017. Conference of parties. The twelfth session of the
Subsidiary bodies. During the year, the Sub- Conference of the Parties to unccd (Ankara, Turkey,
sidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice 12–23 October) [ICCD/COP(12)/20 & Add.1] adopted
held its forty-second (Bonn, Germany, 1–11 June) 35 decisions and one resolution, among which were
[FCCC/SBSTA/2015/2 & Add.1, 2] and forty-third (Paris, decisions on the special segment on boosting stake-
1–4 December) [FCCC/SBSTA/2015/5] sessions. The holder engagement in the implementation of the
Subsidiary Body for Implementation also held its Convention, the Ankara Initiative and the Ankara
forty-second (Bonn, 1–11 June) [FCCC/SBI/2015/10 & Declaration, which dealt with how businesses could
Add.1] and forty-third (Paris, 1–4 December) [FCCC/
contribute to the transformation of economies to
SBI/2015/22] sessions.
achieve land degradation neutrality. The twelfth
session also adopted a set of progress indicators to
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION assess trends in land cover, land productivity and car-
bon stocks that could be used by parties for reporting
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, to the three Rio Conventions, and encouraged further
on the recommendation of the Second (Economic work by the secretariat on the harmonization of indi-
and Financial) Committee [A/70/472/Add.4], adopted cators and reporting procedures.
resolution 70/205 (Protection of global climate Subsidiary bodies. The fourth special session
for present and future generations of humankind) of the Committee on Science and Technology (cst)
without vote [agenda item 20 (d)]. (Cancun, Mexico, 9–12 March) [ICCD/CST(S-4)/3]
By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General considered the contributions of science, technology
Assembly decided that sustainable development, in- and traditional knowledge and practices towards
cluding protection of the global climate for present combating desertification, land degradation and
and future generations of humankind, would remain drought for poverty reduction and sustainable de-
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) velopment. The session focused on the following: the
session. diagnosis of constraints, namely, the vulnerability of
agro-ecosystems and populations in affected regions;
Convention to combat desertification the identification of responses in the form of land-
based approaches to adaptation and knowledge trans-
As at 31 December, 194 States and the eu were fer; and monitoring and assessment, including how to
parties to the 1994 United Nations Convention to evaluate the effectiveness of adaptation interventions.
Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experi- The Committee also discussed progress made in the
encing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Par- provision of scientific advice on the topic, “Explore the
ticularly in Africa (unccd) [YUN 1994, p. 944], which options to achieve land degradation neutrality in the
entered into force in 1996 [YUN 1996, p. 958]. context of sustainable development”, which would be
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 517

considered further at its twelfth session (see below), in Parties to the Convention [ibid., p. 1185]; the seventh
order to generate recommendations. (2014) meeting of the Conference of the Parties serv-
The twelfth session of the Committee on Science ing as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena
and Technology (Ankara, 13–16 October), convened Protocol on Biosafety [ibid, p. 1186]; and the first (2014)
during the twelfth session of the unccd Conference Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the
of the Parties, discussed the cst work programme Parties to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic
for the next biennium, and the linking of scientific Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Ben-
knowledge with decision-making. It also considered efits Arising from Their Utilization to the Convention
a report [ICCD/COP(12)/CST/2] on the outcomes and [ibid.]. The report also provided information on the
policy-oriented recommendations from the unccd Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on
Third Scientific Conference (9–12 March, Cancun), Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on
which took place in conjunction with the fourth Biosafety, and progress made in the implementation
special session of cst (see p. 516). of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and
the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
The thirteenth session of the Committee for the [YUN 2010, p. 683], including difficulties encountered
Review of the Implementation of the Convention in the process of implementation. As follow-up to the
(Bonn, 25–27 March) [ICCD/CRIC(13)/9 & Corr.1] United Nations Conference on Sustainable Devel-
considered the assessment of implementation of the opment [YUN 2012, p. 780], the secretariat promoted
Convention; undertook a review of financial support; a number of activities, including commemorative
and took stock of the formulation, revision and im- events organized at the national level to mark the
plementation of action programmes in view of the International Day for Biodiversity on 22 May.
post-2015 sustainable development framework. The
fourteenth session of the Committee (Ankara, 13– Subsidiary body. During the year, the Subsid-
22 October) considered the effective implementation iary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technologi-
of the Convention at the national, subregional and cal Advice held its nineteenth meeting (Montreal,
regional levels; best practices in the implementation of Canada, 2–5 November) [UNEP/CBD/COP/13/4], at
the Convention; and the unccd reporting and review which it adopted eight recommendations related to
process in view of the post-2015 development agenda. the implications of the findings of the fourth edi-
tion of the Global Biodiversity Outlook and related
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION reports; climate-related geoengineering; the role of
international organizations in supporting the achieve-
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, ment of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets; the work of the
on the recommendation of the Second Committee Subsidiary Body in the light of the 2014–2018 Work
[A/70/472/Add.5], adopted resolution 70/206 (Imple- Programme of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy
mentation of the United Nations Convention to Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services;
Combat Desertification in Those Countries Expe- and, in regard to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity
riencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, 2011–2020, key scientific and technical needs related
Particularly in Africa) without vote [agenda item 20 (e)]. to its implementation, and tools to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of policy instruments for its implementation.
Convention on Biological Diversity
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
As at 31 December, 195 States and the eu were On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
parties to the 1992 Convention on Biological on the recommendation of the Second Committee
Diversity [YUN 1992, p. 683], which entered into force [A/70/472/Add.6], adopted resolution 70/207 (Im-
in 1993 [YUN 1993, p. 810]. Andorra and the State of plementation of the Convention on Biological
Palestine acceded to the Convention during the year. Diversity and its contribution to sustainable de-
At year’s end, the number of parties to the Carta- velopment) without vote [agenda item 20 (f )].
gena Protocol on Biosafety, which was adopted in
2000 [YUN 2000, p. 973] and entered into force in Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol
2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1051], rose to 169 States and the
eu. Côte d’Ivoire and the State of Palestine acceded As at 31 December, 196 States and the eu were
to the Convention during the year. parties to the 1985 Vienna Convention for the
In his July note [A/70/230] on the implementation Protection of the Ozone Layer [YUN 1985, p. 804],
of UN environmental conventions, the Secretary- which entered into force in 1988 [YUN 1988, p. 810].
General transmitted to the General Assembly the The number of parties to the Montreal Protocol on
report of the secretariat of the Convention, submitted Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which was
in accordance with resolution 69/222 [YUN 2014, adopted in 1987 [YUN 1987, p. 686], included 196 States
p. 1186]. The report described the outcomes of the and the eu. Parties to the 1990 Amendment to the
twelfth (2014) meeting of the Conference of the Protocol [YUN 1990, p. 522] numbered 196 States and
518 Part Three: Economic and social questions

the eu. Parties to the 1992 Amendment [YUN 1992, gen oxides or their transboundary fluxes (1988); the
p. 684] numbered 196 States and the eu. Parties to the control of volatile organic compounds or their trans-
1997 Amendment [YUN 1997, p. 1049] numbered 196 boundary fluxes (1991); the further reduction of sul-
States and the eu. Parties to the 1999 Amendment phur emissions (1994); heavy metals (1998); persistent
[YUN 1999, p. 986] numbered 196 States and the eu. organic pollutants (1998); and the abatement of acidifi-
Meeting of Protocol parties. The twenty- cation, eutrophication and ground-level ozone (1999).
seventh meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Pro- Amendments to the protocol on persistent organic
tocol (Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1–5 November) pollutants were adopted in 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 1018].
[UNEP/OzL.Pro.27/13] adopted 18 decisions, concern- The thirty-fourth session of the Executive
ing, among other topics, the Dubai pathway on hydro- Body for the Convention (Geneva, 18 December)
fluorocarbons (hfcs), which mandated and outlined [ECE/EB.AIR/133 & Corr.1, 2 & Add.1] discussed mat-
the continuation of work on the feasibility and ways ters arising from meetings of the United Nations
of managing hfcs; an essential-use exemption for Economic Commission for Europe, the meetings of
laboratory and analytical uses of carbon tetrachloride the subsidiary bodies of the Convention and other
for 2016 in China; critical-use exemptions for methyl related meetings; and the 2016–2017 workplan and
bromide for 2016 and 2017; response to the report by financial requirements for the implementation of the
the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel on Convention.
information on alternatives to ozone-depleting sub- Subsidiary body. During the year, the Implemen-
stances; issues related to the phase-out of hydrochlor- tation Committee under the Convention on Long-
ofluorocarbons; potential areas of focus for the 2018 range Transboundary Air Pollution held its thirty-fifth
quadrennial reports of the Scientific Assessment Panel, (Budapest, Hungary, 27–29 May) session. It submitted
the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel and the a progress report [ECE/EB.AIR/2015/2], which contained
Technology and Economic Assessment Panel; inves- information on the Committee’s 2015 activities with
tigation of carbon tetrachloride discrepancies; avoid- regard to the compliance of States parties with their
ing the unwanted import of products and equipment emission reduction and reporting obligations under
containing or relying on hydrochlorofluorocarbons; the Convention and its protocols, and the work car-
data and information provided by the parties to the ried out at the Committee’s thirty-fifth session.
Montreal Protocol in accordance with Article 7; and
the membership or continuation of work of the Im- Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
plementation Committee, the Executive Committee
of the Multilateral Fund, the Scientific Assessment The annual joint meeting to enhance cooperation
Panel, the Environmental Effects Assessment Panel, and coordination between the regional centres under
and the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel the Basel and Stockholm Conventions (Geneva,
and its technical options committees. 4–7 October) focused on the strategy for strength-
Subsidiary bodies. During the year, the Open- ening the regional centres of the Conventions, includ-
ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal ing by raising their visibility; the importance of the
Protocol held its thirty-fifth (Bangkok, Thailand, sound management of chemicals and chemicals leg-
22–24 April) [UNEP/OzL.Pro/WG.1/35/6], thirty- islation through cooperation with technical partners;
sixth (Paris, 20–24 July) [UNEP/OzL.Pro/WG.1/36/7] and the collection of feedback on the draft strategy
and resumed thirty-sixth (Dubai, 29–30 Octo- for the further development and operation of the joint
ber) [UNEP/OzL.Pro/WG.1/Resumed.36/3] meetings; clearing-house mechanism for the Basel, Rotterdam
and the Implementation Committee under the and Stockholm Conventions, which aimed at improv-
Non-Compliance Procedure for the Montreal Proto- ing regional information-sharing relevant to their im-
col held its fifty-fourth (Paris, 27–28 July) [UNEP/OzL. plementation.
Pro/ImpCom/54/4] and fifty-fifth (Dubai, 28 October)
[UNEP/OzL.Pro/ImpCom/55/4] meetings.
Basel Convention
As at 31 December, 182 States and the eu were
Convention on air pollution parties to the 1989 Basel Convention on the Control
of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes
As at 31 December, the number of parties to the and their Disposal [YUN 1989, p. 420], which entered
1979 Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air into force in 1992 [YUN 1992, p. 685]. Myanmar and
Pollution [YUN 1979, p. 710], which entered into force the State of Palestine became parties during the year.
in 1983 [YUN 1983, p. 645], remained at 50 States and The 1995 Amendment to the Convention [YUN 1995,
the eu. Eight protocols to the Convention dealt with p. 1333], not yet in force, had been ratified, accepted
the programme for monitoring and evaluation of or approved by 85 parties, with El Salvador, Jamaica,
pollutants in Europe (1984); the reduction of sulphur the Niger, Peru and Seychelles becoming parties dur-
emissions or their transboundary fluxes by at least ing the year. The number of parties to the 1999 Basel
30 per cent (1985); the control of emissions of nitro- Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 519

resulting from Transboundary Movement of Hazard- tane sulfonyl fluoride and their related chemicals; and
ous Wastes and Their Disposal [YUN 1999, p. 998], not effective participation in the work of the Committee.
yet in force, remained at 11.
Conference of parties. The twelfth meeting of the Rotterdam Convention
Conference of the Parties to the Convention (Geneva, As at 31 December, 153 States and the eu were
4–15 May) [UNEP/CHW.12/27 & Corr.1] adopted 25 de- parties to the 1998 Rotterdam Convention on the
cisions, including those on the road map for action Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Haz-
on the implementation of the Cartagena Declaration; ardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International
technical guidelines on the environmentally sound Trade [YUN 1998, p. 997], which entered into force in
management of wastes consisting of, containing or 2004 [YUN 2004, p. 1063].
contaminated with persistent organic pollutants and Conference of parties. The seventh meeting of
mercury; technical guidelines on the transboundary the Conference of Parties to the Convention (Geneva,
movements of electrical and electronic waste; national 4–15 May) [UNEP/FAO/RC/COP.7/21] adopted 15 deci-
reporting; the Committee for Administering the sions concerning, among other topics, procedures and
Mechanism for Promoting Implementation and Com- mechanisms on compliance with the Convention;
pliance of the Basel Convention; national legislation, technical assistance; implementation of the integrated
notifications, enforcement of the Convention and approach to financing; international cooperation and
efforts to combat illegal traffic; technical assistance; coordination; enhancing cooperation and coordination
Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres among the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conven-
for training and technology transfer; the Partnership tions; the clearing-house mechanism for information
for Action on Computing Equipment; the environ- exchange; and the programme of work and budget for
mentally sound dismantling of ships; and international the Convention for the biennium 2016–2017.
cooperation and coordination.
Subsidiary body. During the year, the Chemical
Review Committee held its eleventh meeting (Rome,
Stockholm Convention
26–28 October) [UNEP/FAO/RC/CRC.11/9]. It adopted
As at 31 December, 177 States and the eu were four decisions concerning short-chained chlorinated
parties to the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persis­ paraffins; tributyltin compounds; carbofuran; and
tent Organic Pollutants [YUN 2001, p. 971], which en- carbosulfan.
tered into force in 2004 [YUN 2004, p. 1066].
Conference of parties. The seventh meeting Synergies
of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention The Conferences of the Parties of the Basel, Rot-
(Geneva, 4–15 May) [UNEP/POPS/COP.7/36] adopted terdam and Stockholm Conventions established a
33 decisions concerning, among other topics, exemp- “synergies process” that involved a series of decisions
tions; guidelines on best available techniques and to strengthen the coordinated implementation of the
provisional guidance on best environmental prac- Conventions at the national, regional and global levels
tices; measures to reduce or eliminate releases from through coherent policy guidance; greater efficiency
wastes; implementation plans; the operation of the in providing support to Parties to the Conventions;
Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee; reducing administrative burdens; and maximizing
technical assistance; Stockholm Convention regional the use of resources. In 2015, the Conferences of the
and subregional centres for capacity-building and the Parties held consecutive ordinary meetings that in-
transfer of technology; assessment of funding needs; cluded joint sessions on joint issues. The Conferences of
the effectiveness of the implementation of the memo- the Parties took six identical decisions on international
randum of understanding between the Conference cooperation and coordination; implementation of the
of the Parties and the Council of gef; implementa- integrated approach to financing; enhancing coopera-
tion of the integrated approach to financing; and the tion and coordination among the three Conventions;
programme of work and budget for the Stockholm the clearing-house mechanism for information ex-
Convention for the biennium 2016–2017. change; from science to action; and the venue and date
Subsidiary body. During the year, the Persistent of the next meetings of the three Conferences of the
Organic Pollutants Review Committee held its elev- Parties. Harmonized decisions in various areas were
enth meeting (Rome, Italy, 19–23 October) [UNEP/ adopted, including on technical assistance, regional
POPS/POPRC.11/10 & Add.1, 2]. It adopted seven deci- centres, the memorandums of understanding between
sions concerning decabromodiphenyl ether; dicofol; the Conferences of the Parties and unep/fao and the
short-chained chlorinated paraffins; pentadecafluor- programmes of work and budgets of the three Conven-
ooctanoic acid (pfoa, perfluorooctanoic acid), its salts tions, including 17 joint activities. The Conferences
and pfoa - related compounds; unintentional releases of the Parties adopted the terms of reference for the
of hexachlorobutadiene; guidance on alternatives to review of the synergies arrangements to take place at
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts, perfluorooc- their 2017 ordinary meetings.
520 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Environmental topics unff Trust Fund [E/CN.18/2015/8], a discussion paper

submitted by the major groups on the future of the
The atmosphere international arrangement on forests [E/CN.18/2015/6/
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Add.1], an information document on the Collabora-
tive Partnership on Forests Framework 2013 and
In 2015, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate 2014 [E/CN.18/2015/7], and the reports of the first
Change (ipcc) held its forty-first (Nairobi, 24– [E/CN.18/2015/10] and second [E/CN.18/2015/11] meet-
27 February) and forty-second (Dubrovnik, Croatia, ings of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Ad Hoc
5–8 October) sessions. At its forty-first session, the Expert Group on the International Arrangement
Panel adopted decisions related to procedural mat- on Forests.
ters, namely the procedures for the election of the
ipcc Bureau and any task force bureau; the ipcc trust Communications. Unff had before it, at its
fund and programme and budget; future work of eleventh session, a 6 January letter from China
ipcc; principles to guide ipcc engagement on poten- [E/CN.18/2015/9] transmitting information on a
tial studies of the ipcc process; workshops and special workshop to examine options for strengthening the
reports; communication and outreach activities; and international arrangement on forests (Beijing, 29–
implementation of the ipcc error protocol. 31 October 2014); a note verbale dated 23 March
2015 from Switzerland [E/CN.18/2015/12] transmit-
At its forty-second session, the Panel adopted de- ting the final report on a country-led initiative on
cisions on the ipcc trust fund and programme and governing forest landscapes; and a note verbale dated
budget; the programme of work of the Task Force on 30 March 2015 from Nepal [E/CN.18/2015/13] transmit-
Greenhouse Gas Inventories; electronic voting in re- ting the summary of a workshop held in support of
lation to ipcc Elections Procedures; elections of the unff on sustainable forest management (Kathmandu,
ipcc Bureau and Task Force Bureau for the Sixth
Nepal, 2–6 March 2015).
Assessment Report cycle; and implementation of the
error protocol. High-level segment. At the high-level segment
of the eleventh session (New York, 13–14 May),
two round tables focused on the integration of for-
Terrestrial ecosystems ests in the post-2015 development agenda; and on
Forests renewed commitments to the implementation of the
international arrangement on forests beyond 2015.
UN Forum on Forests The high-level dialogue with the heads of the member
The United Nations Forum on Forests (unff), at organizations of the Collaborative Partnership on
its eleventh session (New York, 4–15 May) [E/2015/42 & Forests addressed collective action for sustainable
Corr.1], focused on the theme “The future international forest management; the centrality of forests to the
arrangement on forests we want”. Unff recommended Convention on Biological Diversity and the Aichi
to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of Biodiversity Targets; sustained funding mechanisms
its draft resolution on the international arrangement to support projects of the Collaborative Partnership
on forests beyond 2015. Annexed to the report of the on Forests; and the relevance of forests to the sustain-
session were summaries of the multi-stakeholder dia- able development agenda, the need to incorporate
logue, the ministerial high-level segment and round ta- forests into national development programmes, and
bles, and the high-level dialogue with the heads of the the importance of developing partnerships with those
member organizations of the Collaborative Partnership outside the forest sector.
on Forests, the heads of regional organizations and Unff recommended to the Economic and Social
representatives of major groups. The Forum had be- Council the adoption of a draft decision on the
fore it reports of the Secretary-General on the review ministerial declaration of the high-level segment of
of the effectiveness of the international arrange- the eleventh session of unff on the international ar-
ment on forests and consideration of all future op- rangement on “The forests we want: beyond 2015”.
tions [E/CN.18/2015/2]; reviewing progress towards
the achievement of the global objectives on forests On 22 July, the Economic and Social Council took
and the implementation of the non-legally binding note of the ministerial declaration of the high-level
instrument on all types of forests [E/CN.18/2015/3]; segment (decision 2015/254) and the report of the
the means of implementation for sustainable forest unff eleventh session (decision 2015/255).
management and forest law enforcement and gover-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
nance [E/CN.18/2015/4]; and enhanced coopera-
tion and policy and programme coordination and On 22 July [meeting 55], the Economic and Social
regional and subregional inputs [E/CN.18/2015/5]. Council adopted resolution 2015/33 [draft: E/2015/42
It also had before it notes by the secretariat on the & Corr.1] (International arrangement on forests be-
multi-stakeholder dialogue [E/CN.18/2015/6] and the yond 2015) without vote [agenda item 18 (k)].
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 521

United Nations forest instrument. The Eco- Other matters

nomic and Social Council, in resolution 2015/33
(see p. 520), decided to extend the timeline of the Environment and sustainable development
global objectives on forests to 2030, in line with the By resolution 70/1 (see p. 396) of 25 September
post-2015 development agenda, and to rename the on “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for
non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests Sustainable Development”, the General Assembly es-
the “United Nations forest instrument”; and recom- tablished a number of goals with indicators related
mended to the General Assembly that it adopt the to making cities and human settlements inclusive,
modifications during its seventieth session by Decem- safe, resilient and sustainable (Goal 11); taking ur-
ber 2015. It also urged Member States to utilize the gent action to combat climate change and its impacts’
non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests (Goal 13); and protecting, restoring and promoting
as an integrated framework for national action and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
international cooperation for implementing sustain- managing forests, combating desertification, and
able forest management and forest-related aspects of halting and reversing land degradation and halting
the post-2015 development agenda. biodiversity loss (Goal 15). It further acknowledged
that the United Nations Framework Convention
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
on Climate Change was the primary international,
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second response to climate change.
Committee [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/199
(United Nations forest instrument) without vote
Oil slick in Lebanon
[agenda item 20].
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/212
International Day of Forests [YUN 2014, p. 1194], the Secretary-General submitted
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 67/200 an August report [A/70/291] reviewing progress in the
[YUN 2012, p. 1012], the Secretary-General submitted a
implementation of resolutions 61/194 [YUN 2006,
report [A/70/214] on the activities of 75 Member States p. 1215], 62/188 [YUN 2007, p. 1053], 63/211 [YUN 2008,
in support of the International Day of Forests since p. 1150], 64/195 [YUN 2009, p. 1011], 65/147 [YUN 2010,
its first observance on 21 March 2013. The report also p. 1015], 66/192 [YUN 2011, p. 991], 67/201 [YUN 2012,
highlighted initiatives of the unff secretariat, includ- p. 1017], 68/206 [YUN 2013, p. 1010] and 69/212 on the
ing in collaboration with members of the Collabora- oil slick on Lebanese shores that resulted from the
tive Partnership on Forests and UN entities. destruction by the Israeli Air Force of oil storage tanks
in Lebanon following the outbreak of hostilities be-
By decision 70/542 of 22 December, the General tween Israel and the paramilitary group Hizbullah in
Assembly took note of the report of the Secretary- 2006 [YUN 2006, p. 574]. Some 15,000 tons of fuel oil
General on the International Day of Forests. were released into the Mediterranean Sea, contami-
nating about 150 kilometres of coastline in Lebanon
Sand and dust storms and the Syrian Arab Republic. The report discussed
In December [A/70/PV.81], during its consideration actions taken to address the impacts of the spill and to
of the report [A/70/472] of the Second Committee on measure and quantify the environmental damage sus-
the item of “Sustainable development”, the General tained by Lebanon, which amounted to $856.4 mil-
Assembly took action on the draft resolution enti- lion in 2014. The Secretary-General urged Member
tled “Combating sand and dust storms”, in which it States, international organizations, international and
invited Member States and all other relevant stake- regional financial institutions, ngos and the private
holders to cooperate on combating dust and sand- sector to intensify their support for Lebanon, par-
storms through improved implementation of sustain- ticularly for recovery and rehabilitation activities on
able land-management practices, and requested the the Lebanese coast. He encouraged the international
Secretary-General to circulate to the Assembly at its donor community to make contributions to the
seventy-first (2016) session the report entitled “Global Eastern Mediterranean Oil Spill Restoration Trust
assessment of sand and dust storms”, which was being Fund, hosted by the Lebanon Recovery Fund.
prepared by unep.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second Committee
on the recommendation of the Second Committee [A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/194 (Oil slick on
[A/70/472], adopted resolution 70/195 (Combating Lebanese shores) by recorded vote (171-6-3) [agenda
sand and dust storms) without vote [agenda item 20]. item 20].
522 Part Three: Economic and social questions

RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/194: between customary law and nature; and a shift in
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Anti- the living and behaving of humankind towards sus-
gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, tainability in production and consumption systems
Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,
Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
and processes.
Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Central African
Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, on the recommendation of the Second Committee
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic
[A/70/472/Add.7], adopted resolution 70/208 (Har-
of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, mony with Nature) without vote [agenda item 20 (g)].
Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General
Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Assembly decided that the item on harmony with na-
Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ire-
land, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Ku-
ture in the context of sustainable development would
wait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, remain for consideration during its resumed seventi-
Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, eth (2016) session.
Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,
Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia,
Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Sustainable tourism
Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, The General Assembly, in resolution 70/196 of
Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philip-
pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic 22 December (see p. 401), recognized the need to
of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and support sustainable tourism activities and capacity-
Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, building efforts in Central America that promoted
San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sin- environmental awareness; conserve and protect the
gapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South environment; respect wildlife, flora, biodiversity, eco-
Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,
Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thai-
systems and cultural diversity; and improve the wel-
land, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor- fare and livelihoods of local communities by support-
Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, ing their local economies and the human and natural
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United environment as a whole. The Assembly also welcomed
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Ven- the efforts of the World Tourism Organization, unep,
ezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe. the United Nations Conference on Trade and Devel-
Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
United States.
opment, unesco and the Conference of the Parties
Abstaining: Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Tonga. to the Convention on Biological Diversity to promote
sustainable tourism worldwide.
Harmony with nature
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/224 Human settlements
[YUN 2014, p. 1196], the Secretary-General submitted
an August report [A/70/268] that reflected the main
issues discussed during the fifth interactive dialogue UN-Habitat
on harmony with nature (New York, 27 April 2015), Governing Council
convened by the Assembly in commemoration of
International Mother Earth Day [YUN 2009, p. 1037]. The twenty-fifth session of the Governing Council
Participants of the dialogue examined the harmony of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
with nature paradigm and how it could contribute to (UN-Habitat) was held in Nairobi, from 17 to 23 April
the achievement of the sustainable development goals [A/70/8]. Summaries by the President of the Council of
(sdgs), and the persistence of anthropocentric think- the high-level general debate on UN-Habitat activities
ing, centred exclusively on people, despite the real- and the dialogue on the special theme for the session—
ization that unsustainable patterns of consumption the contribution of UN-Habitat to the post-2015 devel-
and production could lead to ecosystem deteriora- opment agenda in order to promote sustainable urban
tion, soil erosion, desertification, climate change, loss development and human settlements —were annexed
of biodiversity and ocean acidification. The report to the proceedings of the session [HSP/GC/25/6]. The
focused on the relationship between humanity and Committee of the Whole, established by the Council,
nature and explored ways to achieve the sdgs, includ- held five meetings to consider the agenda items as-
ing by addressing climate change in the post-2015 signed to it. The Council adopted seven resolutions;
development agenda. It also discussed links between and decided to amend rule 19 of the rules of proce-
modern science and traditional ecological knowl- dure in accordance with rule 69 [A/70/8 (dec. 25/1)] and
edge; protecting the Earth by achieving ecological approved the provisional agenda of its twenty-sixth
balance; reciprocity as a principle of the relationship (2017) session [A/70/8 (dec. 25/2)].
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 523

Subsidiary body work on the sdg indicators through the inter-agency

The twenty-fifth session of the Council had before and expert group under the Statistical Commission. It
it a January report [HSP/GC/25/3] on the work of the requested the Executive Director to develop tools and
Committee of Permanent Representatives since the disseminate good practices to promote urban-rural
twenty-fourth (2013) session of the Council [YUN 2013, linkages through investment in market towns and in-
p. 1013], covering the Committee’s forty-ninth, fiftieth
termediate cities by integrating regional and territorial
and fifty-first regular meetings (19 June, 18 Septem- planning to strengthen development corridors. It also
ber, 4 December 2013, respectively); and its fifty- requested the Executive Director to support Member
second, fifty-third, fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth regular States to plan and manage sustainable urbanization
meetings (19 March, 18 June, 27 August, 3 December in order to address existing and emerging challenges,
2014, respectively). Addenda to the report included including a response to climate change.
draft resolutions prepared by the Committee [HSP/
GC/25/3/Add.1] and a note by the secretariat transmit- International guidelines on urban planning
ting the report of the Committee on its fifty-sixth The Governing Council [A/70/8 (res. 25/6)], hav-
regular meeting (8 April 2015) as part of its work for ing considered the report [HSP/GC/25/2/Add.6] of the
the period 2013–2015 [HSP/GC/25/3/Add.2]. Executive Director highlighting progress in developing
the international guidelines on urban and territorial
Programme areas planning, approved the guidelines on urban and ter-
The Governing Council had before it a Febru- ritorial planning set out in section II of that report as a
ary report by the Executive Director [HSP/GC/25/2 & valuable guide that may be used towards the achieve-
Add.1–6] on activities undertaken by UN-Habitat in ment of sustainable development. The Council encour-
response to the resolutions adopted by the Council at aged Member States to consider urban and territorial
its twenty-fourth session [YUN 2013, p. 1013]. The report planning principles outlined in the guidelines while
highlighted that UN-Habitat expanded its concept to developing, reviewing and implementing their national
address the needs of urbanization in all types and sizes urban policies and urban and territorial planning
of human settlements, as well as completed its reform frameworks. It also requested the Executive Director
programme and programmatic realignment. to develop partnerships with other UN bodies, regional
UN-Habitat/UNEP cooperation. The Gov- economic commissions, development banks, Member
erning Council also had before it the joint progress States, local authorities, international professional asso-
report on cooperation between UN-Habitat and unep ciations and ngos and other Habitat Agenda partners,
for the period 2013–2014 [HSP/GC/25/2/Add.4]. The to support the adaptation and use of the guidelines to
agencies had identified synergies in their work in rela- local, national and regional circumstances, including
tion to resilient, resource-efficient cities, sustainable through capacity and tool development.
transport and mobility, and waste and wastewater. In
addition to other forms of cooperation at the local, National ownership and operational capacity
national, regional and global levels, UN-Habitat and The Council [A/70/8 (res. 25/2)] requested the
unep strengthened their complementarity through Executive Director to work closely with Member States,
the Joint Operation and Coordination Group, which the Secretariat and the United Nations Development
was mandated to coordinate the Greener Cities Group to fully implement the most recent resolution
Partnership and was the primary vehicle for oversee- on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review in the
ing the implementation of joint activities. programme of work of UN-Habitat, with a view to
increasing the efficiency of operational activities at the
Sustainable urbanization and human settlements country level. It requested the Executive Director to
The Governing Council [A/70/8 (res. 25/1)], taking strengthen interlinkages between the operational and
note of the report of the Executive Director on the normative work of UN-Habitat to increase its capacity
special theme and sub-themes for the twenty-fifth to provide evidence-based expertise for policy design
session of the Council [HSP/GC/25/4], encouraged and implementation. The Council also requested the
Member States to consider the role that sustainable Executive Director to work with national Govern-
urbanization and human settlements could play as ments and UN country teams to incorporate the work
drivers of sustainable development in their national of UN-Habitat into the United Nations Development
and subnational development plans and requested the Assistance Framework model, or equivalent, and to
Executive Director to provide support in the develop- engage with the “One United Nations” initiative; and
ment and implementation of their urban policies to to strengthen capacity-building activities in order to
manage the continuum of human settlements. The support the achievement of sustainable urban devel-
Council requested the Executive Director to main- opment in accordance with the 2014–2019 strategic
stream urbanization and human settlement issues in plan in the light of its potential contribution to the
the post-2015 development agenda and contribute to post-2015 development agenda.
524 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Habitat III 2018–2019 for approval by the Council at its twenty-

Having before it the report of the Executive sixth (2017) session.
Director on progress made in the preparations for the With a view to achieving in full the results ex-
United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustain- pected from the implementation of the strategic plan
able Urban Development (Habitat III) [HSP/GC/25/2/ for 2014–2019, the Council [A/70/8 (res. 25/4)] requested
Add.3], the Council [A/70/8 (res. 25/5)] welcomed the the Executive Director to further develop and
decision on preparations for Habitat III adopted by strengthen the linkages between the normative work
the Preparatory Committee for the Conference at its and operational activities of UN-Habitat; ensure the
second session (see p. 526), urged Member States to development of programmes and projects that used
expedite and finalize their national reports for the an integrated approach to sustainable urbanization
Conference and encouraged the participation of all and human settlements and promoted urban-rural
levels of government and other stakeholders. The linkages; and continue the work for the prevention of
Council also encouraged Member States to establish urban violence and crime and for the enhancement of
and support broad-based national Habitat commit- urban safety by creating an inter-agency collaborative
tees to facilitate the coordination of Habitat Agenda framework on safer cities.
partners, major groups and other stakeholders in
the areas of sustainable urbanization and human Governance
settlements in the national context; to follow up on The Executive Director submitted for the consid-
the implementation of the New Urban Agenda; and eration of the Council during its twenty-fifth session
to fulfil other roles as recommended by Habitat III. a report [HSP/GC/25/2/Add.1] on the review of the gover-
It requested the Executive Director to promote the nance structure of UN-Habitat, with the expectation
participation of and contributions by major groups that the Council would agree on a way forward on
and other stakeholders at all stages of the Habitat III the issue of governance reform. The secretariat also
process through the use of, among others, national circulated a report [HSP/GC/25/INF/2] on governance
urban forums, national urban campaigns, regional options, originally submitted to the Council at its
urban forums, regional consultation mechanisms and twenty-fourth (2013) session.
the World Urban Campaign and its initiatives. Recognizing the need for greater oversight of the
programme of work of UN-Habitat, the Council
Governance, work programme and budget [A/70/8 (res. 25/7)] decided to strengthen its oversight
Strategic plan for 2014–2019 and work programme role and that of the Committee of Permanent Repre-
and budget for 2016–2017 sentatives by requesting the Committee to establish a
On 23 April, the Governing Council [A/70/8 working group on programme and budget, consisting
took note of the progress made in the im-
(res. 25/3)] of three representatives of each regional group. The
plementation of the strategic plan for 2014–2019 Council also decided on the tasks to be performed
[HSP/GC/25/2/Add.2] and the report of the Office of by the working group; identified the documents to
Internal Oversight Services on the evaluation of be provided by the Executive Director to the working
UN-Habitat and its recommendations [E/AC.51/2015/2]. group in support of its work; requested the Executive
Having considered the proposed work programme Director to implement the recommendations and
and budget for the United Nations Habitat and guidance provided by the working group; and decided
Human Settlements Foundation for the biennium to review the implementation of the resolution at its
2016–2017 [HSP/GC/25/5] and the recommendations twenty-sixth (2017) session.
set forth in the report of the Advisory Committee
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions [HSP/ Additional reports
GC/25/5/Add.1], the Council approved the proposed Other reports by the Executive Director sub-
work programme and budget. It also approved the mitted to the Governing Council for consideration
general purpose budget of $45,617,500, endorsed the during its twenty-fifth session included a report [HSP/
special purpose budget of $101,297,500 for the bien- GC/25/2/Add.2] on the seventh session of the World
nium, and noted an estimated technical cooperation Urban Forum [YUN 2014, p. 1201], and a report on co-
funding of $312,909,000. It requested the Executive operation with agencies and organizations within the
Director to consult the Committee of Permanent UN system, intergovernmental organizations outside
Representatives during the preparation of the results- the UN system and ngos [HSP/GC/25/2/Add.5]. The
based strategic framework and work programme and secretariat submitted to the Council notes on the sev-
budget documents for the biennium 2018–2019, and enth session of the World Urban Form [HSP/GC/25/
to ensure that the two documents were aligned with INF/3]; the UN-Habitat Global Activities Report 2015
the strategic plan for 2014–2019. It further requested [HSP/GC/25/INF/4]; the annual report of the Executive
the Executive Director to submit a streamlined Director for 2013 on the implementation of the
programme of work and budget for the biennium medium-term strategic and institutional plan 2008–
Chapter VII: Environment and human settlements 525

2013 [HSP/GC/25/INF/5]; and the status of voluntary 69/226 [YUN 2014, p. 1202] described the activities of
contributions to the United Nations Habitat and UN-Habitat over the previous 12 months in imple-
Human Settlements Foundation as at 31 March 2015 menting the Habitat Agenda [YUN 1996, p. 994], adopted
[HSP/GC/25/INF/6]. by the 1996 United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) [ibid., p. 992], and the strength-
Board of Auditors report ening of UN-Habitat. The report summarized the
outcomes of the twenty-fifth session of the Governing
In June [A/70/5/Add.9], the Board of Auditors trans- Council (see p. 522), particularly in relation to the re-
mitted to the General Assembly its report on the form of the governance of UN-Habitat and its work
UN-Habitat financial statements for the year ended programme and budget for the biennium 2014–2015.
31 December 2014. Total revenue amounted to It also provided a description of significant programme
$205.44 million, while total expenses were $194.02 activities carried out during the reporting period, and
million, resulting in a surplus of revenue over expenses of progress made in the preparations for the United
of $11.42 million for the year. UN-Habitat net as- Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable
sets at the end of the year were $323.23 million, re- Urban Development (Habitat III).
flecting an increase of $7.07 million (or 2.2 per cent) On the basis of the work of the UN-Habitat
from the opening balance of $316.16 million as at Committee of Permanent Representatives, the Gov-
1 January 2014. The overall financial position con- erning Council adopted a resolution on UN-Habitat
firmed that UN-Habitat remained financially sound governance reform (see p. 524), through which it de-
and that there were sufficient assets to meet liabilities. cided to strengthen its oversight role and that of the
UN-Habitat adopted the International Public Sector Committee, and requested the Committee to estab-
Accounting Standards (ipsas) in 2014, which meant lish a working group on programme and budget.
significant changes to its accounting policies, includ- Regarding financial developments, projections for
ing the preparation of financial statements on an an- the biennium 2014–2015 for non-earmarked and ear-
nual basis, compared with the biennial requirements marked income remained at $62.5 million and $283
of UN systems accounting standards. The Board million, respectively. As at 31 May 2015, $50 million
commended UN-Habitat for its successful first-time (or 80 per cent of the projection) had been received in
implementation of ipsas, but noted deficiencies in non-earmarked income and confirmed pledges, while
the presentation of its financial statements, particu- $240.2 million (or 85 per cent of the projection) had
larly in the recognition and valuation of assets and been received in earmarked income.
liabilities. Other areas with scope for improvement UN-Habitat continued to support key processes
were programme and project management, budget shaping the post-2015 development agenda and the
implementation, results-based management and assets sustainable development goals (sdgs). That included
management. UN-Habitat also needed to strengthen providing information to Governments, UN system
the oversight and monitoring of field-level activities. organizations and other stakeholders on the role of
The Board recommended that UN-Habitat identify urbanization in sustainable development; partici-
in advance of the execution phase the risks that might pating in the work of the United Nations System Task
affect project implementation in order to minimize the Team on the post-2015 development agenda and its
negative effects of delays for the societies involved; and, working group on indicators; and taking part in the
with respect to experts in the field offices, to plan the Open Working Group of the General Assembly on
recruitment process to ensure that staffing is timely sdgs. The report concluded with recommendations
and adequate for improved project performance. It also for Member States with respect to UN-Habitat work
recommended that UN-Habitat make the assessment on urbanization and human settlements.
of its achievements more meaningful by collaborating,
as needed, with the country office to ensure that an- Coordinated implementation of Habitat Agenda
nual workplans were aligned with performance indica- In a May report [E/2015/72] submitted in response
tors, targets and baseline data. to Economic and Social Council resolution 2014/30
By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General [YUN 2014, p. 1200], the Secretary-General described the
Assembly decided that the UN-Habitat financial activities undertaken by UN-Habitat in cooperation
report and audited financial statements, and the report with other UN system agencies and organizations in
of the Board of Auditors, would remain for considera- the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda
tion during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. at the global, regional and national levels. Activities
at the global level included preparatory activities for
Follow-up to the 1996 UN Conference on Habitat III; UN-Habitat chairmanship of the High-
Human Settlements (Habitat II) level Committee on Programmes working group on a
new UN urban agenda; expansion of the World Urban
A July report [A/70/210] submitted by the Secretary- Campaign; support to the post-2015 sdg process on
General in response to General Assembly resolution the role of urbanization in sustainable development;
526 Part Three: Economic and social questions

participation in processes under unfccc; collabora- ing of the Conference in 2016. Representatives from
tion on the integration segment of the Economic and UN-Habitat and unep presented 22 issue papers pro-
Social Council, which focused on sustainable urbani- duced by UN system bodies on six areas for the New
zation; and preparations for the World Humanitarian Urban Agenda: social cohesion and equity—liveable
Summit, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2016, in cities; spatial development; urban frameworks; urban
particular by leading consultative processes on urban economy; urban ecology and environment; and urban
issues. Activities at the regional level focused on housing and basic services.
regional ministerial conferences and cooperation with The Preparatory Committee [res. 1/2015] took note
regional financial institutions. Thematic activities at of the proposed thematic areas, the issue papers being
the national and subnational levels focused on urban developed and the policy units to be established in the
legislation, land and governance; urban planning and context of the preparations for its third (2016) session.
design; urban economy and municipal finance; urban The Committee requested the Secretary-General of
basic services; housing and slum upgrading; urban the Conference to make all possible efforts to publish
disaster risk reduction and rehabilitation; research and all issue papers on the Conference website by 31 May
capacity development in the field of sustainable urban 2015, and called upon States to support the work of
development; and urbanization in relation to gender the policy units, including by nominating technical
mainstreaming and the empowerment of women. experts to compose them, with a view to facilitating
The report recommended that Member States con- the elaboration of policy recommendations that may
tinue to give appropriate consideration to the role of contribute to the work of the Bureau of the Preparatory
urbanization in sustainable development in their dis- Committee in preparing the draft outcome document
cussions on the post-2015 development agenda and of the Conference. The Preparatory Committee also
sdgs; adopt integrated approaches that engaged all key adopted decisions on the accreditation of ngos and
stakeholders and levels of subnational government; other major groups to Habitat III and its preparatory
ensure the alignment of ideas on cities and human process; the dates and venue of its third session and
settlements across the current consultations on major the dates of the Conference; and discussion by the
global issues; establish or strengthen national urban General Assembly of the most appropriate way to ad-
policies; and make use of the international guidelines vance negotiations on the outstanding issues in the
on urban and territorial planning (see p. 523). preparations for Habitat III.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 22 July [meeting 55], the Economic and Social On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
Council adopted resolution 2015/34 [draft: E/2015/L.17] on the recommendation of the Second Committee
(Human settlements) without vote [agenda item 18 (d)]. [A/70/473], adopted resolution 70/210 (Implemen-
tation of the outcome of the United Nations
Preparations for Habitat III Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
In accordance with General Assembly resolutions and strengthening of the United Nations Human
67/216 [YUN 2012, p. 1025] and 69/226 [YUN 2014, Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)) without
p. 1202], the Preparatory Committee for the United vote [agenda item 21].
Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General
Urban Development (Habitat III) held its second Assembly decided that the item of the implementation
session from 14 to 16 April in Nairobi [A/CONF.226/ of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on
PC.2/6]. The Secretary-General of the Conference re- Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of
ported on the activities of the secretariat in preparation the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
for the Conference and provided a briefing on work (UN-Habitat) would remain for consideration during
to be carried out between April 2015 and the open- its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
Chapter VIII

Population

In 2015, world population reached 7.3 billion, twice [E/2015/25 (dec. 2015/102)] of the report of the Secretary-
the number of people that were on the planet in 1969. General on “Programme implementation and progress
During the year, the United Nations Population Fund of work in the field of population in 2014: Population
(unfpa) continued its work in reproductive health, Division, Department of Economic and Social
hiv/aids, adolescent and youth needs, humanita- Affairs” (see p. 528) and of a Secretariat note on the
rian assistance and partnership brokering. Unfpa draft programme of work of the Population Division
supported critical maternal health interventions for the biennium 2016–2017 [E/CN.9/2015/CRP.1].
in 39 countries with the highest levels of maternal The Commission also had before it three reports of
death and illness, including through strengthening the Secretary-General [E/CN.9/2015/3–5] (see below)
midwifery and emergency obstetric and newborn and 20 statements submitted by non-governmental
care; and continued responding to humanitarian organizations (ngos) in consultative status with the
crises, including emergency sexual and reproductive Economic and Social Council [E/CN.9/2015/NGO/1–20].
health needs of women in Vanuatu in the aftermath The Commission held general debates on national ex-
of Cyclone Pam, in Nepal after a devastating earth- perience in population matters: realizing the future we
quake and aftershocks, and in Myanmar after floods want—integrating population issues into sustainable
caused by Cyclone Komen and other natural disasters. development, including in the post-2015 development
The Fund’s total revenue decreased to $992.8 mil- agenda; and the contribution of population and devel-
lion from $1025.1 million in 2014 and programme ex- opment issues to the theme of the annual ministerial
penditure decreased to $977.4 million from $1002.1 review of the Economic and Social Council (see p. 403).
million in 2014. It also adopted for its forty-ninth (2016) session the
During the year, the Commission on Population theme “Strengthening the demographic evidence base
and Development considered the special theme for the post-2015 development agenda” and postponed
“Realizing the future we want: integrating population the decision on the theme for its fiftieth (2017) session
issues into sustainable development, including in the until its forty-ninth session [E/2015/25 (dec. 2015/101)].
post-2015 development agenda”. Reports of Secretary-General. In a February
report [E/CN.9/2015/3], the Secretary-General provided
The Population Division of the Department of
an overview of demographic changes that were pro-
Economic and Social Affairs organized the Thirteenth
jected to occur over the forthcoming 15 years and
Coordination Meeting on International Migration in
discussed their implications for efforts to achieve
February. It continued to analyse and report on world
sustainable development. World population reached
demographic trends and policies, making its findings
7.3 billion in 2015, twice the number of people
available in publications and on the Internet.
that were on the planet in 1969. The report showed
that the greatest challenge was to adjust to a global
population of 8.4 billion people in 2030 eager to
Population and Development achieve higher standards of living, while minimiz-
ing the negative impact of human activity on the
environment. It was projected that an additional 2.1
Further implementation billion babies would be born worldwide; about 2 bil-
of the Programme of Action lion children would reach school age; the number of
Commission on Population and Development women of reproductive age would increase to 2.0 bil-
lion; older persons, aged 60 or over, would make up
The Commission on Population and Development, an increasing proportion of the global population; all
at its forty-eighth session (New York, 11 April 2014 of the 1.1 billion increase in population would take
and 13–17 April 2015) [E/2015/25], considered as its place in urban areas; and that in the next 15 years
special theme: “Realizing the future we want: integrat- the number of international migrants would increase
ing population issues into sustainable development, in- by 30 million people. The Secretary-General stated
cluding in the post-2015 development agenda”. that efforts had to be scaled up to maintain levels of
The Commission considered the report [E/CN.9/2015/2] school enrolment, and that achieving gender equality
of its Bureau on its five intersessional meetings (New and the empowerment of women would require
York, 12 September, 6 November and 9 December eliminating all forms of violence and discrimination
2014, 13 January and 10 March 2015) and took note against women, promoting female education, and en-

527
528 Part Three: Economic and social questions

suring women’s access to means of family planning had to be an integral part of development planning
and to the labour market, social security and political and poverty reduction strategies. The Secretary-
process. Responding to urban growth presented an General pointed out that increased efforts to mobilize
opportunity to implement an urban development financial resources were necessary to address unfin-
agenda that would make cities and human settlements ished work of the icpd.
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. To ensure In January [E/CN.9/2015/6], the Secretary-General
the well-being of all migrants, sufficient legal chan- issued a report reviewing progress made by the
nels for safe and orderly migration had to be created. Population Division of the Department of Eco-
The report concluded that the further implementa- nomic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat in im-
tion of the Programme of Action of the International plementing its programme of work in the field of
Conference on Population and Development (icpd) population in 2014. It covered the activities of the
[YUN 1994, p. 955], as well as the achievement of the
Division on the analysis of fertility, population
sustainable development goals (sdgs), would depend
policies and international migration; preparation of
on forging new and stronger partnerships. There was
world population estimates and projections; analysis
a need for the international community to ensure
of mortality; interrelations between population and
access to resources for growing numbers of people,
eradicate poverty, move away from unsustainable pat- development; and monitoring and dissemination of
terns of consumption and production and safeguard population information. The report also covered other
the environment. major activities carried out by the Division, including
the substantive servicing of intergovernmental bod-
In January, the Secretary-General submitted
ies, the preparation of parliamentary documentation
a report [E/CN.9/2015/4] on the monitoring of
and technical publications, the organization of expert
population programmes, focusing on integrating
population issues into sustainable development, in- meetings and the dissemination of results, mainly
cluding in the post-2015 development agenda, which through the Internet.
highlighted the experiences of Member States in ad- On 22 July, the Economic and Social Council,
dressing population issues that were central to defin- by decision 2015/253, took note of the report of the
ing and implementing a post-2015 vision for sustain- Commission on its forty-eighth session and approved
able development. In particular, the report focused the provisional agenda for the forty-ninth (2016)
on mobility and urbanization of populations; time- session.
bound opportunity to enable demographic divi- Also on 22 July, the Council decided that at its
dends; centrality of sexual and reproductive health forty-ninth session, the Commission should review
and rights for sustainable development; and potential the functioning of its methods of work, with a view
for reaping returns on population data. The report to further enhancing the impact of its work of the
concluded that the transformational post-2015 de- Commission and its contribution to the Economic
velopment agenda envisaged by Member States and Social Council; and to request the Secretariat to
required a comprehensive approach to issues such prepare a note for consideration by the Commission
as peace and security, poverty and weak health at its forty-ninth session on ways and means to
and other public systems, together with increasing achieve those objectives (decision 2015/252).
population mobility and unplanned, under-serviced
urbanization. Sustained and deepened investments Expert group meeting. To contribute to the
to ensure the dignity, human rights, good health preparations and deliberations on the themes of the
of all persons, together with effective participation, Commission’s 2015 and 2016 sessions, the Population
partnership and data systems, would provide a pow- Division convened an expert group meeting on “The
erful, people-centred foundation for sustainable de- post-2015 era: Implications for the global research
velopment. agenda on population and development” (New York,
In accordance with a request made by the 10 April) [ESA/P/WP/239] to review gaps and priorities
Commission at its twenty-eighth session [YUN 1995, in demographic research to support the implemen-
p. 1103] and General Assembly resolutions 49/128 tation of the post-2015 development agenda, and to
[YUN 1994, p. 963] and 50/124 [YUN 1995, p. 1094], assist the international community in identifying a
the Secretary-General submitted a January report global, policy-relevant research agenda on population
[E/CN.9/2015/5] on the flow of financial resources for as- and development. Common themes from the discus-
sisting in the implementation of the icpd Programme sions included the paucity of data that was undermin-
of Action. Despite modest increases in donor assist- ing efforts to conduct policy-relevant research and
ance, funding levels were below the amounts neces- was required to inform the post-2015 development
sary to fully implement the Programme of Action. As agenda; the need for capacity building and training,
the international community charted a course for the including on dissemination and use of research and
post-2015 era, population dynamics and reproductive evidence; and the process of data collection, data shar-
health were central to sustainable development and ing and collaboration with all stakeholders.
Chapter VIII: Population 529

management on the rights, dignity and well-being of

International migration the migrant; promoting the universal recognition
and development of the development impact of migration in public
policies; and engaging relevant stakeholders in
By resolution 70/147 of 17 December (see p. 314), strengthening the linkages between migration and
the General Assembly called upon States to pro- development.
mote and protect the human rights of all migrants,
especially those of women and children; and to ad-
dress international migration through international, United Nations Population Fund
regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue. It
further welcomed the consideration afforded to the Activities
issues of migration, development and human rights
in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (see Executive Board. The Executive Board of the
p. 396); and requested Governments and international United Nations Development Programme (undp),
organizations to take appropriate measures to give due the United Nations Population Fund (unfpa) and the
consideration to the declaration of the High-level Di- United Nations Office for Project Services (unops)
alogue on International Migration and Development held their first regular session (26–30 January), an-
[YUN 2013, p. 1025]. nual session (1–12 June) and second regular session
Thirteenth Meeting on International Migration (1–4 September) [E/2015/35] in New York.
and Development. In response to Assembly resolu- On 24 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/10)], the Executive
tion 58/208 [YUN 2003, p. 1087], the UN Population Board took note of the documents contained in
Division of the Department of Economic and Social the unfpa Executive Director’s report for 2014
Affairs organized the Thirteenth Coordination [DP/FPA/2015/5 (Part I, Part I/Add.1 & Part II)] [YUN 2014,
Meeting on International Migration (New York, p. 1213]. It requested the Executive Director to make
12–13 February) [ESA/P/WP/240]. The meeting was further improvements in the next annual report by
attended by more than 150 participants, including referring to the theories of change document accom-
representatives of Member States, observers, agencies, panying the strategic plan, making use of evaluation
funds and programmes of the UN system, offices of findings and including more details on the imple-
the UN Secretariat, and regional commissions as well mentation of the quadrennial comprehensive policy
as ngos active in the field of international migration. review of UN operational activities for development,
It further considered the progress of UN system lessons learned and actions taken in response.
agencies, and other intergovernmental and ngos in By decision 2015/219 of 29 June, the Economic
integrating migration into the post-2015 develop- and Social Council took note of the report of the
ment agenda, including ways to leverage migration Executive Board of undep/unfpa/unops on its work
within the renewed framework on financing for de- in 2014.
velopment; the activities to follow-up and implement Reports of Executive Director. In accordance
the Declaration of the 2013 High-level Dialogue on with Executive Board decision 2013/31 [YUN 2013,
International Migration and Development [YUN 2013, p. 852], the unfpa Executive Director submitted a
p. 1025]; and the eight-point agenda for action of the report [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I)], which contained the
Secretary-General presented in his report to the midterm review of and progress report on the unfpa
High-level Dialogue [ibid., p. 1024]. strategic plan 2014–2017. The report assessed the
By resolution 70/1 (see p. 396), the General changing development environment and the valid-
Assembly adopted the outcome document of the ity of the strategic plan; reviewed progress of the im-
United Nations summit for the adoption of the post- plementation of the plan in the first two years; and
2015 development agenda (New York, 25–27 Sep- proposed necessary adjustments. It further addressed
tember), entitled “Transforming our world: the progress achieved in implementing Assembly reso-
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. The lution 67/226 [YUN 2012, p. 859] on the quadrennial
2030 Agenda included the sdgs, covering target to comprehensive policy review of operational activities
reduce transaction costs of migrant remittances and for development of the UN system.
eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than The report found that, of the 15 development out-
5 per cent to less than 3 per cent by 2030. puts, unfpa fully achieved midterm targets for nine
Global Forum. The eighth Global Forum on outputs and achieved targets by 60–99 per cent for
Migration and Development (Istanbul, Turkey, five outputs. Only one output showed an achievement
14–16 October) was organized under the theme of less than 60 per cent. With regard to organizational
“Strengthening Partnerships: Human Mobility for effectiveness and efficiency, unfpa demonstrated
Sustainable Development”. The thematic agenda of equally good results. With respect to global and
the Forum aimed at enhancing the focus of migration regional interventions, 87 per cent of outputs were
530 Part Three: Economic and social questions

fully achieved; 13 per cent achieved 60–99 per cent; and communications policies and practices in the
and no output achieved less than 60 per cent. UN system [JIU/REP/2015/4]; review of activities and
The review concluded that the unfpa strategic plan resources devoted to address climate change in the
2014–2017 had positioned the organization well in UN system organizations [JIU/REP/2015/5]; and review
supporting Member States, and that unfpa was well of the organizational ombudsman services across the
aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- UN system [JIU/REP/2015/6]. Out of 40 recommen-
able Development (see p. 396) and with the findings dations made in 2015, 20 were relevant to unfpa,
of the icpd Beyond 2014 review [YUN 2014, p. 1206]. of which 17 recommendations were directed to the
Its work was relevant to all sdgs, directly through Executive Board and three to the legislative organs.
Goal 3, with its inclusion of universal access to sexual Recommendations relevant to unfpa issued by jiu in
and reproductive health-care services, maternal health 2014 had been implemented or were being pursued,
and ending the aids epidemic; Goal 5, with targets however, seven recommendation were not accepted
to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, or under consideration by unfpa.
eliminate gender-based violence and harmful prac- State of World Population report. The Fund’s
tices, and ensure universal access to sexual and repro- State of World Population 2015 report [Sales E.15.III.H.1],
ductive health and reproductive rights; Goal 10, which entitled “Shelter from the storm: a transformative
addressed inequalities and discrimination, including agenda for women and girls in a crisis-prone world”,
for migrants; Goal 16, ensuring the participation of called for action to meet the needs of women and girls
women and girls in decision-making and their safety displaced by conflict or uprooted by disaster and to
from violence; and Goal 17, which promoted strong ensure their rights.
data systems and partnerships with civil society.
The review confirmed the strategic focus of unfpa Development results
and that the strategic plan had strengthened the or-
Access to integrated SRH services. In 2014–
ganization’s focus and priorities, enabling it to achieve
2015, the outcome indicators for increasing the avail-
results in development and in organizational effective-
ability and use of sexual and reproductive health
ness and efficiency. It proposed minor adjustments to
(srh) services showed mostly positive trends. Births
better align the strategic plan with the 2030 Agenda
attended by skilled providers and the availability at
during the remaining period of the plan (2016–2017),
service-delivery points of life-saving medicines from
and enable unfpa to respond to the changing develop- the priority list of the World Health Organization
ment environment. (who) increased. The number of countries that ex-
An addendum [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)] pro- panded their budget allocations and the commitment
vided a statistical and financial review for 2015. It of regional bodies to srh services grew. Annual in-
showed that from 2014 to 2015, total unfpa revenue creases of 3.2 per cent and 1.7 per cent in contracep-
had declined by 3.2 per cent from $1,025.1 million to tive prevalence were reported in East and Southern
$992.8 million. While that decrease was attributable Africa and in West and Central Africa, respectively;
to regular resources, which declined by 15 per cent however, contraceptive use and condom use among
from $523.4 million to $444.8 million, it had been people with more than one partner hardly changed.
partially offset by an increase in revenue from other At the output level, targets regarding family planning
resources, which grew by 9.2 per cent from $501.7 and maternal health services were fully achieved; and
million to $548.0 million. Total expenses amounted targets for national functional logistical management
to $977.4 million. Unfpa ended 2015 with $794.4 information systems, demand generation for family
million in reserves and fund balances and managed planning, national midwifery workforce policies, ma-
to close the year in good financial health. ternal death surveillance systems and fistula repair sur-
JIU recommendations. In accordance with geries were also met. The target for using emergency
General Assembly resolution 59/267 [YUN 2004, obstetric and neonatal care assessments to inform
p. 1372], the Executive Director reported [DP/FPA/​ maternal and newborn health services was not met,
2016/2 (Part II)] on unfpa management responses to partly because of financial constraints. Unfpa reached
the recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit 10.6 million women and girls with srh services and
(jiu). Jiu issued six reports in 2015 that were relevant gender-based violence services. By 2015, 57 priority
to unfpa: evaluation of mainstreaming of full and countries had the capacity to implement the min-
productive employment and decent work by UN imum initial service package, and 59 countries had
system organizations [JIU/REP/2015/1]; recommenda- humanitarian contingency plans that included srh
tions to the General Assembly for the determination and services for survivors of gender-based violence.
of parameters for a comprehensive review of UN Unfpa enhanced its leadership role and affirmed its
system support for small island developing States global position in humanitarian work.
[JIU/REP/2015/2]; cooperation among the UN regional Development policies for adolescents. Progress
commissions [JIU/REP/2015/3]; public information was witnessed in integrating adolescent and youth
Chapter VIII: Population 531

priorities into development frameworks, includ- Seventy-three per cent of the countries that experi-
ing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development enced humanitarian crises received technical assist-
(see p. 396), and in the Framework of Actions for ance from unfpa to use population data to support
the follow-up to the icpd Programme of Action Be- needs assessments, exceeding the midterm target of
yond 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1206]. The Security Council 70 per cent. Forty-two countries (versus the target of
adopted resolution 2250(2015) on youth, peace and 66) had conducted a population situation analysis.
security (see p. 39). The number of countries with laws Capacity-building in other data analysis aspects was
that enabled youth to exercise their rights and fulfil on track: targets were met regarding the capacity to
their needs for srh services increased to 89, exceeding analyse and use disaggregated data on adolescents,
the strategic plan midterm target of 78. Ninety-four and the capacity to disaggregate gender-based violence
countries, versus a midterm target of 93 countries, data. Main challenges in the population and develop-
had platforms that advocated prioritizing adolescent ment area included capacity development; reliable and
and youth issues into national policies and plans. timely data for policymaking; and adequate human
Unfpa advocated allowing adolescents and youth to and financial resources to effectively address grow-
have access to srh counselling and hiv services in 56 ing demands for analyses of population data. A les-
countries, narrowly missing the midterm target of 59. son learned was that the population situation analysis
It continued to provide technical support to countries required more support.
to implement sexuality education programmes in
accordance with international standards. The number Country and intercountry programmes
of countries with aligned curricula increased from 39
in 2013 to 73, matching the midterm target. Unfpa In 2015, total unfpa expenses on country pro-
prioritized adolescent and marginalized girls through grammes, global and regional interventions and other
the Action for Adolescent Girls Initiative, which had programme activities decreased by 2.6 per cent, from
equipped 15 countries with technical knowhow to $820.2 million in 2014 to $798.6 million in 2015.
focus adolescent and youth policies and programmes Institutional budget expenses amounted to $140.3
on young, at-risk female populations. Fifty countries million ($139.5 million in 2014), which was equiva-
(from a target of 52) had implemented health, social lent to 14.4 per cent of total expenses for the year.
and economic asset-building programmes that helped Approximately $631.1 million, or 79 per cent of total
adolescent girls at risk of child marriage. expenses was spent by unfpa in the field.
Gender equality and reproductive rights. Trends Eastern and Southern Africa. Programme and
in gender equality steadily progressed. At the national institutional budget expenses for unfpa programmes
level, the number of countries with a budget allocation in Eastern and Southern Africa totalled $201.2 mil-
for a gender equality action plan integrating repro- lion in 2015, which accounted for 21.5 per cent of
ductive rights increased to 71, exceeding the expected the total programmes and institutional budget
number of 62. Unfpa supported national systems for [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)].
tracking and reporting on the implementation of re- On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], at its first reg-
productive rights recommendations and obligations. ular session, the Executive Board approved the country
Fifty-four countries had functional tracking systems, programme document for Madagascar [DP/FPA/CPD/
however, unfpa did not meet the target of 66 countries, MDG/7].
due to budget cuts and changes in priorities. With re- The Executive Board [dec. 2015/15], at its annual
gard to gender-based violence and harmful practices, session in June, took note of the one-year extensions
unfpa continued to implement the unfpa - unicef of the country programmes for Somalia (2016) and
joint programme on female genital mutilation/cut- the United Republic of Tanzania (1 July 2015–30 June
ting, which focused on 17 countries. By 2015, all of 2016) [DP/FPA/2015/9]; and reviewed and approved,
those countries had policies to denounce female genital in accordance with its decision 2014/7 [YUN 2014,
mutilation, 13 of them had criminalized this practice, p. 1311], the country programme document for Uganda
and 2,920 communities in those countries declared [DP/FPA/CPD/UGA/8].
the abandonment of female genital mutilation, ex- At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the
ceeding the target of 2,000. Challenges experienced Executive Board reviewed and approved the country
in gender equality work included inadequate capacity programme documents for Swaziland [DP/FPA/CPD/
in countries, suboptimal use of existing data to inform SWZ/6], Zambia [DP/FPA/CPD/ZMB/8] and Zimba-
policy, and poor follow-up on policy implementation. bwe [DP/FPA/CPD/ZWE/7]. It further took note of
Population dynamics. Unfpa produced and sup- the six-month extension of the country programme
ported the generation of evidence-based research and for Ethiopia and the first one-year extension of the
analysis to support the incorporation of population country programme for Mozambique [DP/FPA/2015/14].
dynamics into national, regional and global devel- Western and Central Africa. Programme and
opment frameworks; and supported 30 countries institutional budget expenses for unfpa programmes
in conducting demographic dividend analyses. in Western and Central Africa totalled $161.7 mil-
532 Part Three: Economic and social questions

lion in 2015, which accounted for 17.2 per cent of On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], the Executive
the total programmes and institutional budget Board approved the nine-month extension of the
[DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)]. country programme for Colombia [DP/FPA/2015/4].
On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], the Executive At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the
Board approved the country programme document Executive Board reviewed and approved the country
for Mali [DP/FPA/CPD/MLI/7]. programme documents for Colombia [DP/FPA/
COL/6], El Salvador [DP/FPA/CPD/SLV/8] and Panama
At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the [DP/FPA/CPD/PAN/3], and took note of the first one-
Executive Board reviewed and approved the country year extension of the country programme for Brazil
programme document for Guinea-Bissau [DP/FPA/CPD/ [DP/FPA/20154/14].
GNB/6] and approved the second, one-year extension of
the country programme for Côte d’Ivoire. It further Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Programme
and institutional budget expenses for unfpa pro-
took note of the first one-year extensions of the country
grammes totalled $32.6 million in 2015, which ac-
programme for Burkina Faso [DP/FPA/2015/14].
counted for 3.5 per cent of the total programmes and
Arab States. Programme and institutional budget institutional budget [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)].
expenses for unfpa programmes in Arab states to- At its annual session [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/15)], the
talled $111.9 million in 2015, which accounted for Executive Board reviewed and approved the country
11.9 per cent of the total programmes and institutional programme documents for Armenia [DP/DCP/ARM/3]
budget [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)]. and Turkmenistan [DP/DCP/TKM/2].
On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], the Executive At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the
Board took note of the first one-year extensions of the Executive Board reviewed and approved the country
country programme for Iraq [DP/FPA/2015/4]. programme documents for Azerbaijan [DP/FPA/CPD/
In June [dec. 2015/15], the Executive Board took note AZE/4], Belarus [DP/FPA/CPD/BLR/2], Georgia [DP/FPA/
of the one-year extension of the country programme CPD/GEO/3], Kazakhstan [DP/FPA/CPD/KAZ/4], Serbia
for Yemen, and approved the second one-year extension [DP/FPA/CPD/SRB/1], including the results and resources
of the country programme for Lebanon (2016) and the framework for Kosovo [DP/FPA/CPD/SRB/1/Add.1], Ta-
fourth one-year extension of the country programme jikistan [DP/FPA/CPD/TJK/4], the former Yugoslav
for the Syrian Arab Republic (2015) [DP/FPA/2015/9]. Republic of Macedonia [DP/FPA/CPD/MKD/1], Turkey
[DP/FPA/CPD/TUR/6] and Uzbekistan [DP/FPA/CPD/
Asia and the Pacific. Programme and institutional UZB/4], and took note of the first one-year extensions of
budget expenses for unfpa programmes in Asia and the country programmes for Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine
the Pacific totalled $145.8 million in 2015, which ac- [DP/FPA/2015/14].
counted for 15.5 per cent of the total programmes and Global programme. Programme and institutional
institutional budget [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)]. budget expenses for unfpa programmes for its global
At its first regular session [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/6)], activities totalled $227.4 million in 2015, which ac-
the Executive Board approved the two-year extension counted for 24.2 per cent of the total programmes and
of the country programme for Myanmar and took institutional budget [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)].
note of the first one-year extension of the country
programme for the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Financial and management questions
[DP/FPA/2015/4].
Financing
In June [dec. 2015/15], the Executive Board approved
the two-year extension of the country programme for Unfpa total revenue was $992.8 million, a $32.3
Papua New Guinea (2016–2017) [DP/FPA/2015/9]. million (3.2 per cent) decrease over the 2014 figure of
$1,025.1 million [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)]. The rev-
At its second regular session [dec. 2015/22], the enue from regular resources was $398.2 million and
Executive Board reviewed and approved the country the gross contribution of other resources was $581.3
programme documents for Cambodia [DP/FPA/ million, summing up total gross contributions of
CPD/KHM/5], China [DP/FPA/CPD/CHN/8], Indone- $979.5 million. Total expenses were $977.4 million.
sia [DP/FPA/CPD/IDN/9] and Maldives [DP/FPA/CPD/
At its first regular session [E/2015/35], the Executive
MDV/6], and took note of the first one-year extension
Board had before it a report on scaling up unfpa
of the country programme for the Democratic Peoples’ humanitarian response funding [DP/FPA/2015/2].
Republic of Korea [DP/FPA/2015/14]. Unfpa sought to provide more funding to countries
Latin America and the Caribbean. Programme experiencing emergencies and to scale up its response
and institutional budget expenses for unfpa pro- while awaiting dedicated donor funding. It proposed
grammes totalled $57.5 million in 2015, which ac- to increase the annual allocation of the emergency
counted for 6.1 per cent of the total programmes and fund from regular resources, from the current limit
institutional budget [DP/FPA/2016/2 (Part I/Add.1)]. of $5 million to $10 million; requested the Board
Chapter VIII: Population 533

to grant the Executive Director the authority to in- were undertaken jointly with other organizations
crease this amount by a maximum of 20 per cent in a of the UN system. An addendum to the report
given year; and proposed to establish a humanitarian [DP/FPA/2015/7/Add.1] provided the annual report of
response reserve for $10 million, as a one-time alloca- the unfpa Audit Advisory Committee, pursuant to
tion from regular resources. Executive Board decision 2008/37 [YUN 2008, p. 1193].
On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/3)], the Executive On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/13)], the Executive
Board took note of the report; approved an annual Board took note of the report and its addendum, re-
allocation of $10 million of regular resources for the called its decision 2015/5 (see above), where unfpa
emergency fund, reflecting an increase of $5 million was requested to inform the Executive Board of the
from the previously approved level; authorized the organization’s plans to improve internal audit cover-
Executive Director of unfpa to increase the emergency age, and requested unfpa to consider those plans,
fund by up to $2 million in a given year; and ap- including with regard to strengthening investigation
proved a one-time allocation of $10 million of regular capacity, in the revised integrated budget to be pre-
resources for the establishment of the humanitarian sented to the Executive Board in 2016.
response reserve. The Executive Board also requested The Executive Director submitted to the Executive
unfpa to report on the status of the reserve and on Board a December report [DP/FPA/2016/1] on unfpa
the use of the emergency fund in its annual financial follow-up to recommendations by the UN Board of
statements, and to report at the first regular session of Auditors for 2014 [A/70/5/Add.8]. The Board of Audi-
2017 on its humanitarian response funding. tors made 10 new recommendations for 2014, com-
pared to 11 for 2013. As at October 2015, seven had
Audit and oversight been implemented and 3 in progress. The Board also
On 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/2)], the Executive noted that twelve of the 22 recommendations made
Board took note of and approved the report of the during the previous financial periods were fully
Executive Director on the unfpa revised oversight implemented (55 per cent) and ten (45 per cent) were
policy [DP/FPA/2015/1]. It also requested unfpa to con- under implementation. The ten outstanding recom-
tinue to monitor its implementation and to conduct mendations were pending approval of certain policies
periodic reviews of its relevance and applicability and the implementation of new policies, structure and
with respect to the safeguarding and strengthening of tools in field offices. There was scope for improvement
unfpa management oversight functions and to report in some areas, specifically internal control systems;
to the Executive Board at its annual session in 2017 accountability; the decentralization of operations; and
with proposals to make further improvements. results-based programme management.
Also on 30 January [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/5)], the
Executive Board took note of the unfpa report on Evaluation
the status of implementation of the recommendations In accordance with the revised evaluation
of the Board of Auditors for 2013 [YUN 2014, p. 1216]. policy of unfpa [YUN 2013, p. 1031], the independent
It requested unfpa to inform the Executive Board Evaluation Office submitted its annual report for
of the organization’s plans to improve its internal 2014 [DP/FPA/2015/6]. The report presented progress
audit coverage; and encouraged unfpa to continue to made by the evaluation function, specifically in rela-
strengthen the capacity of its offices at country, subre- tion to the transitional biennial budgeted evaluation
gional and regional levels, particularly with regard to plan 2014–2015 against key performance indica-
operational improvement, internal controls, oversight tors, highlighted progress in strengthening internal
and risk management. evaluation capacity, and outlined unfpa engagement
In response to Executive Board decisions 2011/23 to contribute to strengthening national evaluation ca-
[YUN 2011, p. 1010] and 2013/24 [YUN 2013, p. 1031], the pacities. The report further presented lessons learned
Director of the unfpa Division for Oversight Services from corporate evaluations finalized in 2014 and set
in April reported on internal audit and oversight out how the Evaluation Office contributed to joint
activities in 2014 [DP/FPA/2015/7]. The report con- evaluation efforts within the United Nations and
tained information on the overall audit assessment of global communities of practice. It highlighted the
the risk exposure of unfpa; significant issues revealed main challenges and prospects for evaluation at unfpa
through internal audit and investigation activities of and presented a number of recommendations.
the Office of Audit and Investigation Services (oais); On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/11)], the Executive
investigations, including cases of fraud and actions Board took note of the report and the evaluation
taken; the review of internal audit recommendations workplan for 2015, including amendments to the
issued in 2010–2014 and their implementation status; transitional biennial budgeted evaluation plan for
and the disclosure of internal audit reports. Through- 2014–2015, as well as the management response. It
out the year, oais worked on 22 internal audit en- encouraged unfpa to strengthen its evaluation func-
gagements; one was in an advisory capacity and two tion by implementing the recommendations presented
534 Part Three: Economic and social questions

in the evaluation report and to ensure that the level comprehensive policy review of operational activities
of human and financial resources was commensurate for development of the UN system that unfpa under-
with the appropriate level of evaluation coverage and took with the Executive Board in 2014, and two in-
the necessary alignment with the unfpa strategic formal consultations held with the Board on 13 May
plan, 2014–2017, and its business model. and 4 June. It provided a road map that described
Also in accordance with the revised evaluation the financing landscape at the time; key opportuni-
policy of unfpa [YUN 2013, p. 1031] and with Assembly ties and required actions for unfpa to secure existing
resolution 67/226 [YUN 2012, p. 859], the quadrennial funding and attract additional funding from a di-
budgeted evaluation for 2016–2019 [DP/FPA/2015/12] verse donor base; and partnerships and new channels
presented the strategic approach to planning and that unfpa was exploring in securing such funding.
coverage and detailed proposed corporate and On 4 September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/18)], the
programme-level evaluations for unfpa, together with Executive Board took note of the report and the
information on resources, expected budget, key risks updated integrated resource plan for 2014–2017
and reporting arrangements. [DP/FPA/2015/CRP.4] and welcomed the unfpa resource
On 3 September [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/19)], the mobilization strategy and its objectives. It encouraged
Executive Board welcomed the proposal to move from unfpa to mobilize regular resources while continuing
a biennial to a quadrennial budgeted evaluation plan to mobilize supplementary resources for its thematic
for 2016–2019; noted the need to maintain a balance funds and programmes; encouraged all Member States
between accountability and learning, with a clear to increase their contributions to regular resources;
focus on utility; encouraged the Evaluation Office and requested unfpa to engage in informal dialogues
to further engage in joint or system-wide evaluation with Member States to ensure an ongoing discussion,
initiatives; and approved the quadrennial budgeted exchange of information and analysis of funding
evaluation plan for 2016–2019. issues and options, and to submit an analysis of the
predictability, flexibility and alignment of resources
Ethics Office provided for the implementation of the strategic plan
The Executive Board had before it a March report 2014–2017, including funding gaps and their implica-
[DP/FPA/2015/8] of the unfpa Ethics Office, which was tions for the Integrated Results Framework.
issued in response to Executive Board decision 2010/17
[YUN 2010, p. 1061]. The report reviewed the Office’s Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
activities in 2014, described trends in the mandated A June report [DP/2015/31–DP/FPA/2015/13] prepared
areas of its work, and provided an assessment of the jointly by undp and unfpa addressed the implemen-
actions taken and progress made in addressing the key tation of the decisions and recommendations of the
recommendations that were made to management in Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint United
the 2013 annual report [YUN 2013, p. 1031]. Nations Programme on hiv/aids (unaids). Issues of
On 9 June [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/14)], the Executive particular relevance included the aids response in the
Board welcomed the report of the unfpa Ethics Office post-2015 development agenda; intellectual property
and urged unfpa management to continue its efforts and hiv commodity security; and thematic segments
to allocate sufficient resources to the ethics function. on social protection and people who used drugs. The
report stated that redoubling efforts to reduce ineq-
Other financial and administrative issues uity, confront stigma and discrimination, and ensure
At its second regular session [E/2015/35], the the human rights of all people, would be critical to
Executive Board had before it a report [DP/FPA/2015/10] ending the aids epidemic. There was strong global
on contributions by Member States and others to consensus on the proposed target of ending the aids
unfpa and revenue projections for 2015 and future epidemic by 2030. By fully implementing the fast-
years, which was submitted in response its deci- track approach of the unaids strategy, undp and
sions 99/5 [YUN 1999, p. 1031] and 2000/9 [YUN 2000, unfpa could avert nearly 28 million new hiv infec-
p. 1005]. The purpose of the report was to promote tions and 21 million aids - related deaths by 2030.
dialogue between unfpa and its Executive Board on At its second regular session [E/2015/35 (dec. 2015/22)],
the overall resource situation of the Fund, while con- the Executive Board took note of the report.
tinuing to address the important goal of increasing
regular resources and achieving a stable, predictable United Nations Population Award
and diversified resource base. The Executive Board
also had before it a report on unfpa resource mobil- The 2015 United Nations Population Award
ization strategy [DP/FPA/2015/11], which responded to was presented to Thoraya Ahmed Obaid of Saudi
Executive Board decision 2014/25 [YUN 2014, p. 1217]. Arabia in the individual category and the African
The report reflected discussions, informal briefings Population and Health Research Center of Kenya in
and formal deliberations related to the quadrennial the institutional category.
Chapter VIII: Population 535

The Award was established by Assembly resolution a comprehensive and up-to-date inventory of primary
36/201 [YUN 1981, p. 792], to be presented annually empirical data for the estimation of adult and child
to individuals and institutions, or any combination mortality at the national level; and a wallchart enti-
thereof, for the most outstanding contributions to in- tled World Mortality 2015, in which key indicators of
creasing awareness of population questions and to their mortality at the global, regional and country levels
solutions. In July, the Secretary-General transmitted were presented.
to the Assembly the report [A/70/140] of the unfpa In the field of international migration, the
Executive Director on the UN Population Award. Population Division issued a new set of global migrant
stock estimates disaggregated by age and sex and by
country of birth or citizenship. Trends in International
Other population activities Migrant Stock: The 2015 Revision provided the latest
estimates of the international migrant stock for 232
UN Population Division countries and areas since 1990. The global stock of
international migrants reached 244 million in mid-
The Secretary-General’s report [E/CN.9/2016/7] on 2015, an increase of 41 per cent compared with
programme implementation and progress of work of 2000. The Division also produced two briefs on
the UN Population Division in 2015 described the trends in international migration and on integrating
Division’s activities on the analysis of fertility, health migration into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable De-
and mortality and international migration; prep- velopment (see p. 396); and continued to build the
aration of world population estimates and projections; Global Migration Database, which included over
monitoring of population policies; analysis of the in- 4,900 data tables for over 90 per cent of countries
terrelations between population and development; and areas worldwide by the end of the year. Pursu-
support for intergovernmental processes, including ant to Assembly resolution 58/208 [YUN 2003, p. 1087],
the preparation of reports of the Secretary-General the Division convened the thirteenth coordination
and other parliamentary documents, organization of meeting on international migration (see p. 529).
expert group meetings and monitoring of interna- In the area of world population estimates and
tionally agreed development goals; dissemination of projections, the Population Division issued World
population information and data; and technical co- Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, which stated
operation activities. that the world’s population numbered 7.3 billion in
In the area of fertility and family planning, the mid-2015 and was projected to increase to 9.7 billion
Population Division issued World Contraceptive Use by 2050. Globally, life expectancy at birth rose by
2015, a comprehensive data set on family planning three years between the period 2000–2005 and the
indicators; and annual estimates and projections of period 2010–2015 or from 67 to 70 years, with Africa
family planning indicators for the period 1970–2030, experiencing the greatest increases. The Division also
which informed the final report of the Secretary- released a report containing a detailed analysis of the
General on global progress on the Millennium De- results of the 2014 revision of World Urbanization
velopment Goals (mdgs) (see p. 402) and provided Prospects [YUN 2014, p. 1219].
key evidence on the degree to which the demand for Regarding population policies, the Population
family planning was being met. A concise analysis Division continued implementation of the Elev-
of family planning was presented in the Trends in enth United Nations Inquiry among Governments on
Contraceptive Use Worldwide 2015, highlighting in- Population and Development, a series begun by the
dicators of family planning in 2015 and projections Division in 1963, which recorded government views
to 2030. World Fertility Data 2015 provided up-to- and policies on key aspects of population and develop-
date information on total fertility, age-specific fertility ment and provided a tool for documenting how such
rates and the mean age at childbearing; and in World views and policies had changed over the last half cen-
Marriage Data 2015, data from around 1970 through tury. As at 31 December, Inquiry responses had been
2014 for more than 220 countries or areas were pre- received from 63 Governments. The Division further
sented on four key indicators: distributions by marital made progress toward the forthcoming 2015 revision
status of men and women, numbers of currently mar- of the World Population Policies Database, which pro-
ried men and women, numbers of ever-married men vided up-to-date information on government views,
and women, and the mean age at marriage. policies and programme measures on population-
With respect to health and mortality, the related topics for all 193 Member States, two observer
Population Division worked on World Mortality 2015: States and two non-member States of the United
Highlights, containing an overview of trends in mor- Nations. The Global Abortion Policies project was
tality key indicators at the global level for develop- initiated by the Division in collaboration with the
ment groups and major geographic areas. It further Department of Reproductive Health and Research of
issued an online dataset containing tables from World the World Health Organization, with the goal to de-
Mortality Report 2015; Mortality Data Inventory 2015, velop an interactive, open-access database and reposi-
536 Part Three: Economic and social questions

tory of abortion laws and policies for all countries of eighth session of the Commission on Population and
the world. The Division, together with the East-West Development (see p. 527); on programme implemen-
Centre, organized an expert group meeting on “Policy tation and progress of work in the field of population
responses to low fertility” (New York, 2–3 November) in 2014 (see p. 528); and on the special theme for
to discuss policy approaches and options in countries the forty-ninth (2016) session of the Commission:
facing low fertility and population ageing; and hosted, “Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the
jointly with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of post-2015 development agenda”. In accordance with
Korea to the United Nations, a briefing for Member Economic and Social Council decision 2015/252 (see
States on “Policy responses to low fertility”. p. 528), the Division engaged in a broad consultation
In the field of population and development, the process with Member States, relevant UN entities and
Population Division published World Population international organizations and civil society on vari-
Ageing 2015: Highlights, which provided a summary ous issues. The Division convened an expert panel on
of global trends in population ageing, sociodemo- integrating population issues into sustainable develop-
graphic characteristics of the older population and ment, including in the post-2015 development agenda
demographic drivers of trends in the number and (22 January); and expert group meetings on strength-
share of older persons. It noted that, globally, the ening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015
number of people aged 60 or over was projected to development agenda (5–6 October) and on the post-
grow from 901 million in 2015 to more than 1.4 bil- 2015 era: implications for the global research agenda
lion in 2030 and more than 2 billion by 2050. That on population and development (10 April), all in New
population age group was the fastest growing group York. The Division further made regular technical
and was increasingly concentrated in the developing contributions to global monitoring of the mdgs and
world. The full report with the same title also included provided technical assessments for the Inter-agency
analyses of linkages between population ageing and and Expert Groups on mdg and sdg indicators.
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Rec- With regard to the dissemination of population
ognizing the importance of the growing number of information and data, the Division continued to up-
older persons in Africa, the Division published the date and expand its website in order to provide access
Directory of Research on Ageing in Africa: 2004–2015, to timely population information for government offi-
which provided an updated inventory of research cials, researchers in academia or the private sector, and
activities on ageing in the region carried out since civil society; and had actively engaged in promoting
2004. On the occasion of the high-level event of the content through social media channels.
General Assembly marking the twentieth anniver- In the area of technical cooperation, the Division
sary of the World Programme of Action for Youth participated in a regional workshop on estimating
(see p. 541), the Division published a brief on “Youth maternal mortality from census data (Bangkok, Thai-
population trends and sustainable development”; and land, 4–7 May); organized a regional workshop on
in connection with the agreement adopted during the the theme “Strengthening the collection and use of
meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United international migration data for development” (Da-
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change kar, Senegal, September) in collaboration with the
(see p. 515), produced a wallchart entitled “Population, Statistics Division of the Department of Economic
Consumption and the Environment 2015”. Two ad- and Social Affairs and the African Institute for Eco-
ditional reports in the area of population and develop- nomic Development and Planning; and organized
ment entitled “Population 2030: demographic challenges a workshop, in collaboration with the Economic
and opportunities for sustainable development planning” Commission for Africa and as part of the Develop-
and “Population ageing, intergenerational transfers and ment Account project, entitled “Strengthening capaci-
demographic dividend in Ecuador” were also published. ties of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa to
With respect to support for intergovernmental effectively produce and use population estimates and
processes, the Population Division prepared the reports projections in policy-making for sustainable develop-
of the Secretary-General on the theme for the forty- ment” (Addis Ababa, 5–9 October).
Chapter IX

Social policy, cultural development

and human resources development
In 2015, the United Nations continued to promote in Amman, Jordan, focused on the state of youth and
social, cultural and human resources development, peace, youth movements and the inclusion of young
and to implement related programmes of action, in- women in peace processes. In December, the Security
cluding on the situation of ageing persons, persons Council and the General Assembly adopted resolu-
with disabilities, youth and the family. tions on youth, urging Member States, UN entities
The Commission for Social Development held and all relevant actors to increase youth involvement
its fifty-third regular session in February under the and representation in relevant decision-making pro-
priority theme “Rethinking and strengthening social cesses and monitoring, including in the design and
development in the contemporary world”. It recom- implementation of policies, programmes and peace
mended several draft resolutions for adoption by agreements.
the Economic and Social Council, including on the To promote a culture of peace, the General
modalities for the third review and appraisal of the Assembly convened a high-level thematic debate on
Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, “Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation: Fostering
2002, which endorsed the timeline for that review Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent
and decided it would be held in 2018; and on the Extremism”; adopted a resolution reaffirming support
rights of persons with disabilities, which welcomed for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in
the appointment by the Human Rights Council of fostering understanding among civilizations, cultures,
the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with religions and beliefs, and encouraging the Alliance to
disabilities and decided to hold a multi-stakeholder continue assisting Member States in their efforts to
panel in 2016 to explore how UN mechanisms and reaffirm the value of diversity based on respect for
entities could strengthen the mainstreaming of dis- human rights; and held a High-level Forum on the
ability issues in the post-2015 development agenda Culture of Peace, which focused on the “Promotion
and to consider the possibility of establishing another of the Culture of Peace in the context of the Post-
monitoring mechanism on disability. The Council 2015 sustainable development agenda” and the “Role
adopted the resolutions in June. of media in the promotion of the Culture of Peace”. In
The Open-ended Working Group on Ageing December, the Secretary-General submitted a report
held its sixth session in July, focusing on how greater on a “Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism”,
protection of the human rights of older persons could and the General Assembly urged all Member States to
be reached through the better and more efficient increase their understanding of the drivers of violent
implementation of existing instruments and mecha- extremism and unite against it in all its forms and
nisms, and the identification of proposals to address manifestations.
gaps at the international level in the implementa- On culture and development, the Assembly reaf-
tion of those frameworks. In December, the General firmed the role of culture as an enabler of sustain-
Assembly adopted a resolution on measures to en- able development; decided to consider the contri-
hance the promotion and protection of the human bution of culture to sustainable development in the
rights and dignity of older persons, which encouraged follow-up and review framework of the 2030 Agenda
Member States to contribute to the work of the Open- for Sustainable Development; and requested the
ended Working Group by presenting measures, such Secretary-General to ensure that UN country teams
as best practices, lessons learned and possible content continued to integrate and mainstream culture into
for a multilateral legal instrument. their programming, in consultation with national
On youth, several events were held to encourage authorities, when assisting countries in pursuit of
the accelerated development and implementation of their development objectives.
youth policies and to promote structured and sustain- On 24 July, the inaugural United Nations Nelson
able youth participation in the work of the United Rolihlahla Mandela Prize for dedicated service to hu-
Nations. A Security Council ministerial open debate manity was awarded to Dr. Helena Ndume (Namibia)
addressed the Role of Youth in Countering Violent and Mr. Jorge Fernando Branco Sampaio (Portugal).
Extremism and Promoting Peace; a High-level Event In the field of human resources development, the
of the General Assembly marked the twentieth anni- United Nations University (unu) opened the unu
versary of the World Programme of Action for Youth; Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Gover-
and the Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security nance in Guimarães, Portugal, and the unu Institute

537
538 Part Three: Economic and social questions

in Macau, China, was reconstituted in 2015 as the On 17 December, the General Assembly took note
unu Institute on Computing and Society. The United of the report of the Secretary-General on implementa-
Nations System Staff College established the Knowl- tion of the outcome of the World Summit for Social
edge Centre for Sustainable Development in Bonn, Development and of the twenty-fourth special session
to respond to the learning, training and knowledge of the General Assembly (decision 70/530).
management needs of UN staff and partners in the
context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Devel- Commission for Social Development
opment and the Paris Agreement under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Commission for Social Development, at its
fifty-third regular session (New York, 4–13 February)
[E/2015/26-E/CN.5/2015/9 & Corr.1], discussed the priority
theme “Rethinking and strengthening social develop-
Social policy ment in the contemporary world”, and reviewed UN
programmes of action on the situation of social groups
Social development and the social dimensions of the New Partnership
for Africa’s Development (nepad) (see p. 446). It
Follow-up to 1995 World Summit convened two panel discussions, one on the priority
and General Assembly special session theme and the other on the contributions of social
On 22 July [A/70/173], pursuant to General Assembly development to the transition from the Millennium
resolution 69/143 [YUN 2014, p. 1221], the Secretary- Development Goals (mdgs) to the sustainable devel-
General submitted to the General Assembly a report opment goals (sdgs). The Commission also convened
on the implementation of the outcome of the World a commemorative event for the twentieth anniversary
of the World Summit for Social Development, which
Summit for Social Development [YUN 1995, p. 1113]
included an interactive panel discussion on the theme
and the twenty-fourth special session of the General
“Social development: from Copenhagen to the post-
Assembly [YUN 2000, p. 1012]. He reviewed discussions
2015 development agenda”.
held by the Commission for Social Development at
its fifty-third session (see below), with a focus on the For the consideration of its priority theme, the
priority theme “Rethinking and strengthening social Commission had before it a report [E/CN.5/2015/3] of
development in the contemporary world”. the Secretary-General on rethinking and strength-
ening social development in the contemporary
The report highlighted progress made, as well as world, submitted in response to Economic and Social
the challenges encountered, in implementing the Co- Council resolution 2014/3 [YUN 2014, p. 1227]. The
penhagen Declaration on Social Development and report assessed progress made in fulfilling the vision
the Programme of Action of the World Summit for of the World Summit for Social Development but also
Social Development, focusing on its three main ob- showed that, 20 years later, the core commitments to
jectives: the eradication of poverty; the promotion of poverty eradication, full employment and social inte-
employment and decent work for all; and social inte- gration remained largely unfulfilled, given that pro-
gration. It addressed the special needs of Africa and gress had been unequal and fragmented. It discussed
the least developed countries and progress made in strategies to strengthen the social dimension of sustain-
the implementation of programmes related to social able development and proposed avenues for action by
groups, and examined some specific areas in which the Commission. It concluded that the post-2015 de-
social development could contribute to achieving so- velopment agenda should be guided by the principle of
cially, economically and environmentally sustainable social justice and generate commitment to the major
development. transformations required to strengthen the social pil-
The Secretary-General recommended that Member lar, including by promoting the inclusion of all individ-
States renew their commitments to advance social uals in economic, social and political life. The agenda
development through greater implementation of the should provide guidance on the process or means to
Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, achieve its goals and promote global commitments in
within the context of the post-2015 sustainable devel- a way that would open policy space at the national level
opment agenda, and that the specific needs of vulner- for countries to determine their own approaches. The
able and disadvantaged social groups and individuals Commission should promote accountability for en-
be fully reflected in that agenda. Governments should suring that implementation and monitoring processes
address the interlinkages among the social, economic were participatory, and no target or goal should be
and environmental dimensions of sustainable devel- considered to have been met in the absence of progress
opment; and the role of the Commission for Social among any poor or marginalized group.
Development should be strengthened as a potential For its consideration of emerging issues, the
venue for following up the social dimensions of the Commission had before it a note [E/CN.5/2015/6] by the
sustainable development goals (sdgs). Secretariat that examined key areas in which social
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 539

development could contribute to the transition from were vulnerable or marginalized. The report gave an
the mdgs to the sdgs. The report presented an over- overview of regional approaches to social integration
view of the concept of social sustainability and dis- and presented national efforts aimed at promoting the
cussed how social policies could drive the transition civic, social, economic and political participation of
to sustainable development by focusing on investment persons belonging to groups or in situations in which
in human capacity; the transition to a green economy; they were vulnerable or marginalized. Specific forms
and knowledge and new technology. of participation included economic participation
The Commission adopted three draft resolutions through employment; participation in policy design
that were recommended for adoption by the Economic and service provision; participation of youth, older
and Social Council, on the following subjects: social persons and persons with disabilities; and access to
dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s De- services and social protection, as well as involvement
velopment, in which the Commission called upon in urban planning and budgeting. The report dis-
Member States, UN organizations and relevant cussed national efforts aimed at reducing inequalities
stakeholders to make concerted efforts to promote through non-discrimination, poverty reduction and
social development in Africa; modalities for the third education and institutional arrangements conducive
review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan to social inclusion and social integration. It also re-
of Action on Ageing, 2002, in which the Commission viewed the activities of the UN system in support of
endorsed the timeline and modalities for carrying out social integration. It concluded with recommenda-
the third review and appraisal of the Plan of Action tions for Governments for advancing inclusive socie-
and decided that the global review would be held in ties as part of the post-2015 development agenda.
2018; and promoting the rights of persons with disa-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
bilities and strengthening the mainstreaming of disa-
bility in the post-2015 development agenda, in which On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
the Commission decided to hold a multi-stakeholder on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Human-
panel discussion during the fifty-fourth (2016) session itarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/481], adopted
of the Commission, with a view to further elabo- resolution 70/126 (Promoting social integra-
rating the ways in which existing UN mechanisms tion through social inclusion) without vote [agenda
and entities could contribute to strengthening the item 28 (b)].
mainstreaming of disability, to enhance awareness
and cooperation at all levels on implementation of Cooperatives in social development
the post-2015 development agenda and to consider
the possibility and modalities of another monitoring In response to resolution 68/133 [YUN 2013,
mechanism. The Commission also adopted a resolu- p. 1046], the Secretary-General submitted a July report
tion on policies and programmes involving youth, [A/70/161] on cooperatives in social development. The
which was brought to the attention of the Council. report highlighted the potential of cooperatives to con-
In that resolution, the Commission encouraged tribute to achieving the sdgs and reaffirmed the role
Member States to ensure a coherent and mutually re- of cooperatives as sustainable and successful business
inforcing approach while implementing all relevant enterprises that contributed directly to employment
agreed frameworks, including the World Programme generation, poverty eradication, equality, social inclu-
of Action for Youth and the post-2015 development sion and people’s empowerment. It also presented the
agenda. main challenges facing cooperatives and the activities
On 8 June, the Economic and Social Council took of the UN system and its partners in promoting co-
note of the report of the Commission on its fifty-third operatives. It concluded with policy recommendations
session and approved the provisional agenda and doc- for the further advancement of cooperatives, which
umentation for the fifty-fourth (2016) session of the included integrating cooperative values, principles
Commission (decision 2015/212). and business models into school curricula and other
forms of educational programming; taking action to
improve existing legislation or pass new laws to enable
Social integration the growth of cooperatives; and supporting the devel-
In response to General Assembly resolution 68/131 opment and harmonization of data on cooperatives
[YUN 2013, p. 1043], the Secretary-General submitted and the promotion and dissemination of evidence-
a report [A/70/179] on promoting social integration based research on cooperative enterprises.
through social inclusion, which built on the findings
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
of the previous reports on social integration and pro-
vided an account of national efforts and the initia- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
tives of the UN system aimed at promoting the civic, on the recommendation of the Third Committee
social, economic and political participation of persons [A/70/481], adopted resolution 70/128 (Cooperatives
belonging to groups or in situations in which they in social development) without vote [agenda item 28 (b)].
540 Part Three: Economic and social questions

UN Research Institute for Social Development ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION

In February, the Commission for Social Devel- On 8 June [meeting 32], the Economic and Social
opment had before it a note [E/CN.5/2015/7] by the Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
Secretary-General transmitting the report of the for Social Development [E/2015/26], adopted resolution
Board of the United Nations Research Institute for 2015/5 (Modalities for the third review and ap-
Social Development (unrisd) on the work of the praisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action
Institute during 2013 and 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1232]. on Ageing, 2002) without vote [agenda item 19 (b)].
UNRISD Board membership. The Commission Open-ended Working Group on Ageing
also had before it a note by the Secretary-General on
the nomination of members of the unrisd Board The Open-ended Working Group on Ageing,
[E/CN.5/2015/8]. By decision 2015/213 of 8 June, the established by General Assembly resolution 65/182
Economic and Social Council, on the recommen- [YUN 2010, p. 1194], held its sixth working session (New
dation of the Commission [E/2015/26-E/CN.5/2015/9 York, 14–16 July) [A/AC.278/2015/2], which consisted
(dec. 53/101)], confirmed the nomination of three can- of three panel discussions on policy developments
didates for Board membership. and initiatives concerning the human rights of older
persons; legislative and legal developments and chal-
lenges in the human rights of older persons; and older
Ageing persons persons and human rights in the post-2015 develop-
Implementation of Madrid International ment agenda. The session also featured a presentation
Plan of Action by the independent expert on the enjoyment of all
human rights by older persons, and an interactive
Pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolu- discussion on the topic “Follow-up to resolution
tion 2014/7 [YUN 2014, p. 1232], the Secretary-General 69/146: Proposals and measures, best practices and
submitted a report [E/CN.5/2015/4] to the Commission lessons learned that will contribute to promoting and
for Social Development that provided an overview of protecting the rights and dignity of older persons”.
the modalities for the first and second reviews and The session dedicated a portion of its meetings to an
appraisals of the Madrid Plan of Action, as conducted interactive dialogue with civil society.
by the Commission in 2007–2008 [YUN 2007, p. 1232] During the session, some delegations stressed
and 2012–2013 [YUN 2012, p. 1054]. The report sum- that greater protection of the human rights of older
marized the views of Member States and observers persons could be reached through the better and more
on a possible theme or themes and modalities of the efficient implementation of existing instruments and
third review and appraisal, to be held in 2017–2018, mechanisms, including the Madrid International Plan
as well as inputs from other stakeholders, including of Action on Ageing, 2002, while other delegations,
civil society and focal points on ageing in regional organizations of civil society and several panellists
commissions. It also presented options for modalities emphasized that the goal of greater protection could
and a proposed timeline for the third review and ap- only be reached through a specific international legal
praisal process. instrument encompassing all human rights of older
The feedback received by the Secretariat for the persons. Proposals identified by the Working Group
report, as well as the experience of the first two five- to address gaps in the implementation of existing
year review and appraisal processes, indicated that frameworks and mechanisms included the following:
each region had its own priorities in relation to the incorporation of the issue of the human rights of older
modalities and the focus of the review and appraisal persons into the respective mandates of treaty bodies;
processes, which were often based on post-Madrid consideration of issues related to the human rights of
regional plans of action. For the third cycle, the report older people in the mandates of the special procedures
proposed the option of focusing on the process of the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council; use by
review and appraisal, rather than agreeing on a par- Member States of the universal periodic review to ad-
ticular theme. Such an option would serve to advance dress issues related to ageing; systematic inclusion of
the social inclusion and participation of older persons targets and indicators related to older people by the
and the original intent of the bottom-up approach for funds and programmes of the UN system and special-
the review and appraisal process. ized agencies; inclusion by Member States of language
Commission action. On 13 Februar y related to the rights of older persons in resolutions
[E/2015/26-E/CN.5/2015/9], the Commission for Social and documents of various intergovernmental bodies;
Development recommended a draft resolution for highlighting the rights of older persons in the post-
adoption by the Economic and Social Council on 2015 development agenda; and that a comprehensive
the modalities for the third review and appraisal of compilation of all applicable legal instruments be
the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, conducted by the Office of the United Nations High
2002 (see below). Commissioner for Human Rights.
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 541

On 17 December (resolution 70/164), the General With regard to the targets and indicators of the sdgs,
Assembly adopted a resolution on measures to en- it was of critical importance that reference be made
hance the promotion and protection of the human to the measurement of the situation of persons with
rights and dignity of older persons (see p. 356), which disabilities, so that progress made and obstacles faced
encouraged Member States to contribute to the work in realizing development goals for persons with disa-
of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing by bilities could be monitored effectively.
presenting measures, such as best practices, lessons Commission action. On 13 Februar y
learned and possible content for a multilateral legal [E/2015/26-E/CN.5/2015/9], the Commission recom-
instrument, to enable it to fulfil its existing mandate. mended a draft resolution for adoption by the
Economic and Social Council on promoting the rights
Follow-up to Second World Assembly of persons with disabilities and strengthening the
on Ageing (2002) mainstreaming of disability in the post-2015 devel-
opment agenda, in which the Commission welcomed
In response to General Assembly resolution the appointment by the Human Rights Council of
69/146 [YUN 2014, p. 1236], the Secretary-General the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with
submitted a July report [A/70/185] on the follow-up disabilities [YUN 2014, p. 884], it also decided to hold
to the International Year of Older Persons: Second a multi-stakeholder panel discussion during its fifty-
World Assembly on Ageing. The report provided an fourth (2016) session, with a view to further elabo-
analysis of how the existing agenda for ageing and rating the ways in which existing mechanisms and
older persons fits within the framework of the post- entities within the UN system could contribute to
2015 development agenda, including the sustainable strengthening the mainstreaming of disability, en-
development goals. It focused on six issues of direct hancing awareness and cooperation at all levels on the
relevance to the post-2015 development agenda from implementation of the post-2015 development agenda
an older person’s perspective: poverty, health, gender and to consider the possibility and modalities of an-
equality, employment and decent work, inclusive other monitoring mechanism (see below).
cities and environmental emergencies. The report
also provided information on recent developments on ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
ageing from the regional commissions and concluded On 8 June [meeting 32], the Economic and Social
with recommendations for ensuring that older persons Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
would not be left behind in the implementation of the for Social Development [E/2015/26], adopted resolu-
post-2015 development agenda. tion 2015/4 (Promoting the rights of persons with
On 17 December, the General Assembly took disabilities and strengthening the mainstreaming
note of the report of the Secretary-General (decision of disability in the post-2015 development agenda)
70/530). without vote [agenda item 19 (b)].

Persons with disabilities Youth

Equalization of opportunities World Programme of Action for Youth
Pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolu- Report of Secretary-General. In response to
tion 2014/6 [YUN 2014, p. 1240], the Secretary-General General Assembly resolution 68/130 [YUN 2013,
submitted to the fifty-third session of the Commission p. 1059], the Secretary-General submitted a July
for Social Development a note [E/CN.5/2015/5] trans- report [A/70/156] on ways to promote effective struc-
mitting the annual report of the Commission’s Special tured and sustainable youth participation, which
Rapporteur on disability Shuaib Chalklen (South highlighted activities in the development of policies
Africa). The report [YUN 2014, p. 1239] described the and programmes for youth and efforts towards
Special Rapporteur’s activities from November 2013 their monitoring and evaluation. The report cov-
to October 2014, covering topics including the im- ered initiatives by Member States and UN entities
plementation of the Standard Rules on the Equali- to enhance the situation of youth in the areas of
zation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities education, employment, health, violence and con-
[YUN 1993, p. 977]; synergy between the Standard Rules flict, discrimination and gender equality, youth
and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with participation and intergenerational relations. In
Disabilities [YUN 2006, p. 785]; promoting awareness- Member States, there had been a particular focus on
raising and implementation of the Convention on education and employment as central to the devel-
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Standard opment of youth and youth-related policies, and a
Rules and other international instruments; and main- number of Member States had developed or were in
streaming disability-inclusive commitments within the process of developing a specific national youth
the post-2015 international development agenda. policy. Through country, regional and global of-
542 Part Three: Economic and social questions

fices, UN entities provided technical assistance and gust), attended by nearly 600 participants, includ-
support to governments in the development and revi- ing 200 young people representing 80 nationalities,
sion of national youth policies, and there was greater discussed a range of topics focused on the state of
attention on youth via the development and imple- youth and peace; youth movements; and inclusion
mentation of the United Nations System-wide Action of young women in peace processes. Main outcomes
Plan on Youth [YUN 2013, p. 1058]. UN entities had from the Global Forum included the Amman Youth
used momentum under the Action Plan on Youth Declaration, which described young people’s com-
to develop or enhance entity-specific youth strategies mitment to forging peaceful societies and presented a
aimed at better including youth in their processes and common vision and road map towards a strengthened
activities. These included the United Nations Devel- policy framework to support youth in transforming
opment Programme Youth Strategy 2014–2017, the conflict; a growing coalition of youth networks to
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural collaborate on youth, peace and security efforts;
Organization Operational Strategy on Youth 2014– an expanded evidence base to demonstrate young
2021, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of people’s effective contribution to peacebuilding and
the United Nations (fao) corporate youth strategy conflict prevention and transformation; and social
and the fao strategic framework on rural youth. media tools, such as #youth4peace and the “I De-
To address the issue of young people affected by clare” Campaign, designed to promote and commu-
terrorism and incitement, on 23 April 2015, Jordan, nicate the efforts of the young people in the expanded
in its presidency of the Security Council, convened evidence base. The Amman Youth Declaration in-
a Security Council ministerial open debate on the cluded a call for the United Nations to establish a
Role of Youth in Countering Violent Extremism global policy framework on youth in conflict and
and Promoting Peace. Further to that debate, Jordan post-conflict scenarios, and suggested a UN Security
organized the Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Council resolution on Youth, Peace and Security as
Security (see below), with the support of a number the preferred outcome (see below).
of UN offices, including the Office of the Secretary- On 9 December, by resolution 2250(2015) (see
General’s Envoy on Youth. Initiatives conducted dur- p. 39), the Security Council urged Member States to
ing the year to encourage youth policies included the consider ways to increase the inclusive representation
High-level Event of the General Assembly marking of youth in decision-making at all levels and called
the twentieth anniversary of the World Programme of on all relevant actors, including when negotiating
Action for Youth (New York, 29 May), and the Youth and implementing peace agreements, to take into
Now campaign, led by the Office of the Secretary- account the participation and views of youth, recog-
General’s Envoy on Youth and the Department of nizing that their marginalization was detrimental to
Economic and Social Affairs, together with the Inter- building sustainable peace in all societies.
Agency Network on Youth Development, which World Youth Report 2015. The 2015 World
aimed to increase implementation of the World Youth Report on Youth Civic Engagement explored the
Programme of Action for Youth on the occasion of participation of young people in economic, political
its twentieth anniversary. and community life. It stated that in all three of those
The Secretary-General recommended that areas, the full engagement of young people in society
Member States, UN entities and civil society en- relied on the active commitment of governments.
sure the participation of young people and their It was only through meaningful involvement and
organizations in inclusive and representative decision- partnership, inclusive policies and decision-making
making processes at all levels, including national and processes, that solutions to some of the key problems
regional youth councils; develop, implement and experienced by young people could be developed.
monitor national policies and programmes in support To that effect, the respective roles of young people,
of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the policymakers and the institutions through which
sdgs that accounted for the needs of young people; they worked should be clearly defined. While young
and exchange experience, knowledge and expertise in people needed to play a central role in addressing
youth policy and coordination between and among issues that affect them, they could not tackle the
governments, youth-led organizations and struc- multitude of challenges alone, particularly in the
tures, the private sector and UN entities, at the local, economic and employment area.
national and international levels.
On 17 December, the General Assembly took GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
note of the report of the Secretary-General on ways On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
to promote effective structured and sustainable youth on the recommendation of the Third Committee
participation (decision 70/530). [A/70/481], adopted resolution 70/127 (Policies and
Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security. programmes involving youth) without vote [agenda
The Global Forum (Amman, Jordan, 21–22 Au- item 28 (b)].
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 543

Family
Cultural development
Follow-up to the International Year
of the Family and its twentieth anniversary Culture of peace
Report of Secretary-General. In November Follow-up to Declaration and Programme
[A/71/61-E/2016/7], pursuant to General Assembly reso-
of Action on a Culture of Peace
lution 69/144 [YUN 2014, p. 1247], the Secretary-General
submitted a report to the General Assembly and to In September [A/70/373], pursuant to General
the Economic and Social Council on the implementa- Assembly resolutions 69/139 [YUN 2014, p. 1249] and
tion of the objectives of the International Year of the 69/140 [ibid., p. 1251], the Secretary-General submitted
Family [YUN 1994, p. 1144] and its follow-up processes. a report to the General Assembly on the promotion of
The report highlighted initiatives in that regard at the a culture of peace and interreligious and intercultural
national and international levels and focused on the dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace,
further development of family policy in the context which outlined the main activities carried out by the
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It UN system in support of peace and dialogue.
recalled the objectives of the International Year of the The Secretary-General highlighted the work of the
Family, which included promoting knowledge of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
economic, social and demographic processes affecting Organization (unesco), which played a twofold
families and their members, with attention given to role: at the global level, to catalyse and coordinate
the rights and responsibilities of all family members; initiatives and lend support to the international
strengthening national institutions to formulate, im- community; and at the national level, to establish
plement and monitor policies in respect of families; targeted and intersectoral programming. Follow-
and stimulating efforts to respond to problems affect- ing the General Assembly’s endorsement of the
ing families. Action Plan for the International Decade for the
The Secretary-General observed that at the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013–2022) [YUN 2014,
national level, adopting a family policy focus had ad- p. 1251], unesco scaled up its activities, guided by
vanced efforts by Member States to reduce poverty the four broad priority areas of the action plan and
and hunger while contributing to promoting the in cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders, in-
rights of women and children, including through cluding member States, National Commissions for
better work-family balance and intergenerational unesco, UN agencies, goodwill ambassadors and
solidarity. Family policies and programmes had the unesco artists for peace, unesco Chairs and associ-
potential to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable ated schools, clubs and centres, academic institutions
Development in terms of ensuring healthy lives and and civil society at large. The two global unesco
promoting well-being for people of all ages. Policies priorities—Africa and gender equality—had under-
promoting children’s health had to involve families as pinned its activities in supporting a culture of peace
primary caregivers responsible for their development, and the International Decade. Promoting a culture
and such policies should promote safe and stable of peace and non-violence was identified as a flagship
family environments and positive parenting. Achiev- programme of the operational strategy for the Africa
ing the goal of gender equality and the empowerment priority for 2014–2021. Regional initiatives were in-
of women and girls started within families through troduced, such as the African Initiative on Education
the equal treatment of boys and girls, the fair sharing for Peace and Development through Interfaith and
of care and other household responsibilities and the Intercultural Dialogue, launched in Cotonou, Benin,
valuing of unpaid work, which was overwhelmingly in May 2015 (see p. 545), and a pan-African forum
done by women. Gender equality, in addition, had on the theme “African youth and the challenge of the
to be secured in access to justice through fair family promotion of a culture of peace in Africa”. The forum
laws, including a fair recognition of shared parent- also served to launch the “Youth and Culture of Peace”
ing rights and responsibilities. The Secretary-General network, which was the platform for an international
recommended that Member States implement family- prize for youth organizations and for strengthening
oriented policies and programmes as part of the partnerships between unesco and the Whitaker Peace
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and revise and Development Initiative. Unesco worked to boost
family laws as nationally appropriate to ensure equal gender equality and women’s empowerment through
access to justice for women. targeted and joint programming and inter-agency
On 17 December (decision 70/530), the General collaboration. It worked with the United Nations
Assembly took note of the report [A/70/61-E/2015/3] Population Fund (unfpa) and the United Nations
of the Secretary-General on the celebration of the Development Programme (undp) in co-leading post-
twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the 2015 dialogues on culture and development, in which
Family in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1245]. gender equality was one of the six sub-themes.
544 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Secretary-General detailed UN system ternal health. As a result of unfpa efforts towards the
activities in support of the culture of peace and di- elimination of female genital mutilation, in Kenya,
alogue in the areas of promoting inclusive societies; cultural and religious leaders made public declarations
countering terrorism and violent extremism; protect- on the abandonment of female genital mutilation, and
ing the environment; and promoting a rights-based more than 5,000 girls underwent alternative rites of
approach to peace and intercultural dialogue. For passage and were being encouraged to go to school.
example, unesco, undp and the United Nations In Somalia, unfpa trained up to 3,130 female lawyers
Children’s Fund (unicef) partnered in implementing and religious leaders as champions of abandoning of all
the Peacebuilding Fund project entitled “Dialogue forms of female genital mutilation. Unhcr explored
for the future: promoting coexistence and diversity practical ways in which faith-based organizations
in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, to enhance spaces could help it protect and assist refugees, asylum
for dialogue based on trust and respect and create seekers and the internally displaced. Those efforts
stronger synergies between the Government and civil included launching new guidance for its staff, in a
society. On the occasion of the first conference of document entitled “Partnership note on faith-based
the project, in April 2015, a dialogue platform was organizations, local faith communities, and faith
launched, and a dialogue platform declaration was leaders”, and a survey that compiled 50 good-practice
signed by the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina examples of activities undertaken in partnership with
and the United Nations Resident Coordinator. The faith actors. In 2015, undp adopted guidelines on en-
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate gaging with faith-based organizations and religious
conducted a national workshop in Kenya in January leaders as part of the action plan of the 2012 undp
2015, stressing the need for enhanced dialogue among Strategy on Civil Society and Civil Engagement. The
religions and cultures in the context of countering guidelines derived inspiration from faith teachings
violent extremism. In Darfur, the United Nations and were structured around the principles of seeking
Environment Programme demonstrated that dia- impartiality and transparency, building trust and mu-
logue on the issue of water could act as the basis for tual respect and finding common ground. Unicef
rebuilding a relationship of trust between actors and worked with the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia
the local government, as reflected in the report Re- to mobilize religious leaders from the Christian
lationships and resources: environmental governance and Muslim faiths to ensure that they had accurate
for peacebuilding and resilient livelihoods in Sudan. information about Ebola transmission, response and
The Office of the United Nations High Commis- recovery to impart to their communities. The Joint
sioner for Human Rights (unhcr) organized several United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS partnered
events in the Middle East and North Africa region with the World Health Organization to develop new,
to strengthen the implementation of the Rabat Plan culturally sensitive practices for the burial of actual or
of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, suspected Ebola victims to eliminate risky behaviour
racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement associated with high levels of transmission of Ebola. In
to discrimination, hostility or violence. Those events Zimbabwe, UN-Women worked with World Vision
served as a springboard for civil society organizations towards changing religious perceptions and doctrines
from the region to generate their own initiatives. that perpetuated violence against women, and the
The Secretary-General also reported on the in- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (unodc)
creased cooperation between UN entities, faith-based worked with faith leaders in raising awareness regard-
organizations and religious leaders. In its capacity ing human trafficking and in supporting its victims.
as the convenor and Chair of the United Nations In April 2015, the Special Adviser on the Prevention
Inter-Agency Task Force on Engaging Faith-based of Genocide, in cooperation with the King Abdullah
Organizations for the Millennium Development Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious
Goals [YUN 2000, p. 49], unfpa continued to facilitate and Intercultural Dialogue and the Government of
UN system-wide staff trainings on religion, devel- Morocco, organized the first of a series of forums with
opment and humanitarian work under the auspices religious leaders in Fez, Morocco. It brought together
of the United Nations System Staff College. For 26 representatives of religions and beliefs and resulted
example, in Morocco, unfpa supported the Rabita in a plan of action for religious leaders to prevent in-
Mohammadia des Ouléma in adapting a toolkit and citement to violence that could lead to atrocity crimes.
organizing training of trainers, targeting 70 religious The Secretary-General concluded his report with rec-
leaders across the country who, in turn, trained 550 ommendations, including increased resources and
local male and female religious leaders. Unfpa mo- capacity-building initiatives to prevent and address
bilized faith-based leaders from 13 countries in East conflicts; reinforced strategic communication at the
and Southern Africa to strengthen interfaith commit- UN-system level to make more visible the results of
ments to sexual and reproductive health programming work being done to prevent violent identity-based
and to work with men and boys towards transforming conflict; and innovative measures to get the message
social norms in support of gender equality and ma- across around the world and notably to young people.
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 545

Communication. On 4 June [A/69/927], Benin featured high-level statements and interactive panel
transmitted to the Secretary-General the Manifesto discussions with faith leaders on community engage-
on Education for Peace and Development through ment aimed at countering violent extremism. It also
Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue, which was focused on the role of faith leaders in promoting tol-
adopted at the Symposium for the launching of the erance for diversity, freedom of expression and human
African Initiative on Education for Peace and De- rights. The debate generated a number of recommen-
velopment through Interfaith and Intercultural Di- dations and initiatives, including from the Secretary-
alogue (Cotonou, Benin, 26–28 May), held under General, who noted that he would be forwarding a
the patronage of unesco, with the support of the comprehensive United Nations Action Plan on pre-
United Nations, the African Union, the Economic venting violent extremism to the General Assembly
Community of West African States, the West African later in the year (see below).
Economic and Monetary Union, the Council of Communication. By a letter dated 16 October
the Entente, the International Organization of la [A/70/440], the Islamic Republic of Iran submitted a
Francophonie and others. report on the implementation of General Assembly
On 3 December [meeting 66], the General Assembly resolution 68/127 [YUN 2013, p. 1070], entitled “A world
adopted resolution 70/19 [draft: A/70/L.20 & Add.1] against violence and violent extremism”.
(Promotion of interreligious and intercultural di-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
alogue, understanding and cooperation for peace)
without vote [agenda item 16]. On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly
adopted resolution 70/109 [draft: A/70/L.21 & Add.1]
High-level Forum (A world against violence and violent extremism)
On 9 September, the General Assembly convened without vote [agenda item 16].
a High-level Forum on “Culture of Peace”, which Report of Secretary-General. On 24 December
focused on the “Promotion of the Culture of Peace in [A/70/674], the Secretary-General submitted a report
the context of the Post-2015 sustainable development on a “Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism”,
agenda” and the “Role of media in the promotion of which discussed the impact of violent extremism
the Culture of Peace”. Forum participants noted the on collective efforts towards maintaining peace and
increase of acts of violence around the world, empha- security, fostering sustainable development, protecting
sized the need to promote a worldwide culture of tol- human rights, promoting the rule of law and taking
erance and reconciliation, and, in that regard, high- humanitarian action. More research—both qualitative
lighted the important role of community and religious and quantitative—was required on the drivers of vio-
leaders as well as the media. Overall, the participants lent extremism, but the conditions conducive to and
underlined that peace required equitable societies, in- the structural context of violent extremism pointed to
clusive education and tangible actions on the ground. the lack of socioeconomic opportunities; marginali-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
zation and discrimination; poor governance, violations
of human rights and the rule of law; prolonged and
On 3 December [meeting 66], the General Assembly unresolved conflicts; and radicalization in prisons. Al-
adopted resolution 70/20 [draft: A/70/L.24 & Add.1] though the conditions conducive to violent extremism
(Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of affected entire populations, only a small number of
Action on a Culture of Peace) without vote [agenda individuals were actually radicalized and turned to
item 16]. violence. Factors that played a key role in the exploita-
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General tion of those conditions and the transformation of
Assembly decided that the item on the culture of ideas and grievances into violent action could include
peace would remain for consideration during its re- individual backgrounds and motivations; collective
sumed seventieth (2016) session. grievances and victimization; distortion and misuse
of beliefs, political ideologies and ethnic and cultural
A world against violence and violent extremism differences; and the existence of family and social net-
High-level thematic debate. On 21–22 April works or a charismatic leader or political entrepreneur.
at UN Headquarters in New York, the General To prevent and reduce the space for violent extrem-
Assembly convened a high-level thematic debate on ism while addressing the immediate peace and security
“Promoting Tolerance and Reconciliation: Fostering challenges through ongoing counter-terrorism meas-
Peaceful, Inclusive Societies and Countering Violent ures, the Secretary-General put forward recommen-
Extremism”. The first day provided Member States dations for Member States to consider. Those included
with the opportunity to discuss practical strategies to setting a policy framework for preventing violent ex-
foster peaceful, inclusive societies and to counter the tremism at the global, national and regional levels and
threat of radicalization and violent extremism, while mobilizing and adjusting resources to also address
the second day was centred on interfaith dialogue and the drivers of violent extremism; developing national
546 Part Three: Economic and social questions

plans of action and regional strategies that sustain and the statute of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla
promote dialogue between warring parties, to avoid a Mandela Prize. The proposed statute specified the aim
situation of persistent unresolved conflict; strength- of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
ening and promoting good governance, human rights Prize and set out criteria and procedures for the Prize,
norms and standards and the rule of law to create an the nomination of candidates and the Committee
enabling environment for civil society and reduce the charged with selecting the recipients of the Prize. In
appeal of violent extremism; engaging communities particular, the Prize would be presented once every
to deprive violent extremists of support; empowering five years as a tribute to the outstanding achievements
youth to take up causes of peace, pluralism and mu- and contributions of two individuals (one female and
tual respect; empowering women’s participation, as one male), not to be selected from the same geographic
societies for which gender equality indicators were region, and it would be presented by the Secretary-
higher were less vulnerable to violent extremism; en- General at an award ceremony that should be part
suring that every child receives a quality education, of the commemoration by the General Assembly
skills development and employment facilitation, as of Nelson Mandela International Day (18 July) at
part of the struggle against poverty and social margi- UN Headquarters. In April, the General Assembly
nalization; and fighting back against violent extrem- adopted the statute of the United Nations Nelson Ro-
ism through strategic communications, the Internet lihlahla Mandela Prize (see below).
and social media. The Secretary-General noted his
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
instruction to UN entities to redouble their efforts in
coordinating with Member States to adapt existing On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly
programmes to target the drivers of violent extrem- adopted resolution 69/269 [draft: A/69/L.55] (Statute
ism and introduce new initiatives to close potential of the United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
gaps. That meant adopting an All-of-UN approach Prize) without vote [agenda item 115].
to supporting national, regional and global efforts
to prevent violent extremism through the United On 24 July 2015, the inaugural United Nations
Nations Chief Executives Board for Coordination, as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize was awarded to Dr.
well as through existing UN inter-agency bodies and Helena Ndume (Namibia) and Mr. Jorge Fernando
the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force Branco Sampaio (Portugal).
and its entities; integrating the prevention of violent
extremism into the activities of UN peacekeeping Alliance of Civilizations
operations and special political missions in accordance On 6 July [A/69/PV.98], the General Assembly con-
with their mandates, as well as into the activities of sidered a draft resolution entitled “United Nations
UN country teams; strengthening early and effective Alliance of Civilizations”.
action through the Human Rights Up Front initiative
to prevent or respond to large-scale violations of GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
international human rights law or international hu- On 6 July [meeting 98], the General Assembly
manitarian law, at both the policy and the opera- adopted resolution 69/312 [draft: A/69/L.76 & Add.1]
tional levels; developing a standing United Nations (United Nations Alliance of Civilizations) without
prevention of violent extremism platform to direct vote [agenda item 14].
implementation of the Plan of Action; and support-
ing Governments seeking to develop and implement Report of High Representative. The eighth
education programmes that promoted civic education, annual report [A/70/963] on the Alliance of Civili-
soft skills, critical thinking, digital literacy, tolerance zations highlighted its activities from July 2014 to
and respect for diversity. The Secretary-General noted December 2015. In accordance with the strategic
the rapid expansion of violent extremist ideologies in review document for 2013–2018, the programming
different parts of the world, facilitated by the techno- of the Alliance focused on four pillars—youth,
logical revolution. The Plan of Action was the basis education, media and migration—with the purpose
for a comprehensive approach to that fast evolving, of promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue,
multidimensional challenge. He appealed for the understanding and cooperation among people and
international community to unite, harmonize their communities around the world. As at 31 December
actions and pursue inclusive approaches in the face of 2015, the Alliance numbered 118 Member States, the
division, intolerance and hatred. State of Palestine and 26 international organizations.
The Alliance continued to promote the use of
United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize regional and national approaches to advance its goals.
In March [A/69/826], pursuant to resolution During the reporting period, the Alliance led two
68/275 [YUN 2014, p. 1253], the Advisory Committee editions of the Fellowship programme. In 2015, the
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions consid- activities of the fellowship programme were built
ered the programme budget implications regarding around the themes of “Migration and integration”
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 547

for the participants from the Middle East and North The year 2015 had witnessed significant policy
Africa travelling to Europe and the United States and changes in Sport for Development and Peace, which
“Youth development” for their Western counterparts had assisted in the further consolidation of that
travelling to Egypt, Morocco and Qatar. For the first field, providing policymakers and practitioners with
time since the launch of the Fellowship programme strengthened frameworks for sustainable advance-
in 2010, the two cohorts had the opportunity to meet ments. Policy developments included the adoption
with one another in Sarajevo, a city at the historical and recognition of sport’s role as an enabler of sustain-
crossroads between the East and the West. The goal able development in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
of the meeting was to encourage immediate dialogue Development, the Olympic Truce Resolution for the
between the Fellows of both groups. Alliance proj- 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games (see be-
ects also included the PLURAL+ youth video festival, low), and the proclamation of the International Day of
which served as a platform for young people’s videos Sport for Development and Peace [YUN 2013, p. 1073].
on migration, diversity and social exclusion. In 2015, At the grass-roots level, the unosdp Youth Lead-
238 videos from 63 countries were received and 25 ership Programme entered into its fourth year and
videos received awards. PLURAL+ award-winning expanded to an extra continent in 2015 (South
videos were streamed over 1 million times through America). A record six Youth Leadership Camps were
different Internet platforms and were shown on vari- held in 2015, and the Office continued to recruit
ous other platforms across the world, including broad- participants from all over the world. With over 500
casts in Latin America and Europe and screenings in alumni from more than 70 countries, the Programme
Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, France, continued to have a multiplier effect with a wider
India, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, the Republic of Korea, outreach to disadvantaged communities. The Office
Serbia, Spain, Turkey and the United States. continued efforts to promote sport as an efficient tool
By the end of 2015, a total of 31 organizations for peaceful dialogue and to initiate positive social
had received the Intercultural Innovation Award, change. The Special Adviser considered sporting
which was given to innovative and sustainable proj- events to be more than competitions; they were also
ects around the world that encouraged dialogue, pro- platforms for social interaction and ideals such as re-
moted intercultural understanding and contributed spect, fair play, integrity and solidarity. The Office had
to prosperity and peace. In addition to a monetary been developing peace projects in the Korean Penin-
prize, the Alliance provided technical support to the sula in line with events such as the Gwangu Univise-
awardees, including training and capacity-building rade 2015 and Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games
programmes, customized support and mentoring, 2018. That cooperation had resulted in the establish-
recognition, visibility and membership. One year ment of youth-oriented programmes and provided a
after winning the Award, the number of countries platform for inter-Korean and international exchange.
impacted by the work of the awarded organizations The Table Tennis for NepALL project—an example
increased by 151 per cent (from 39 to 98), and the of collaboration between the Republic of Korea and
beneficiaries increased to over a million. the International Table Tennis Federation—demon-
On funding, the overall situation remained sta- strated how sport could be used to facilitate the inclu-
ble but inadequate, and the High Representative sion of persons with disabilities in Nepal, where peo-
noted that the development of an effective replen- ple were still suffering from the earthquake of April
ishment mechanism for the Voluntary Trust Fund 2015. In terms of funding and grants management,
of the Alliance remained an important and ongoing unosdp also supported projects in Haiti, Palestine,
challenge. Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tanzania and Ukraine that mo-
bilized the power of sport to achieve positive change
Sport for development and peace in the fields of development and peacebuilding.
The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on To celebrate the second International Day of Sport
Sport for Development and Peace, with the assistance for Development and Peace, unosdp, in cooperation
of the United Nations Office on Sport for Develop- with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General
ment and Peace (unosdp), continued to lead UN and the International Olympic Committee, organ-
system efforts to promote sport as a tool for attain- ized a high-level event on “United Action Towards
ing the sustainable development goals within the Sustainable Development for All Through Sport” on
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; encour- 15 April at UN Headquarters.
age dialogue, collaboration and partnerships between
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the United Nations, Member States and other stake-
holders around Sport for Development and Peace; and On 26 October [meeting 39], the General Assembly
represent the Secretary-General and the UN system adopted resolution 70/4 [draft: A/70/L.3 & Add.1]
at global sporting events and other strategically im- (Building a peaceful and better world through sport
portant forums. and the Olympic ideal) without vote [agenda item 12].
548 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Cultural property In Iraq, unesco raised awareness among local

communities of the risk of illicit trafficking in Iraqi
Return of cultural property cultural property through television broadcasts, and
On 12 February, by resolution 2199(2015) (see a cartoon was produced in Arabic to raise awareness
p. 52), the Security Council acknowledged that the among young Iraqis of the importance of preserving
looting, smuggling and trafficking of cultural heritage their cultural heritage. For Africa, the Caribbean,
items were among the sources of income of terrorist East Asia and South-East Asia, unesco released
individuals, groups, undertakings and entities; con- video clips entitled “Heritage is identity: don’t steal
demned the destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq it”, which targeted tourists who were likely to be
and Syria; decided that Member States had to take confronted with proposals to buy illicit cultural
appropriate steps to prevent the trade in Iraqi and property while travelling. A video clip for Syria
Syrian cultural property and other items of archae- drew attention to the situation in-country and the
ological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and reli- need to preserve its heritage for future generations;
gious importance illegally removed from Iraq since a regional campaign in the Maghreb aimed at both
6 August 1990 and from Syria since 15 March 2011, local communities and tourists; and campaigns to
including by prohibiting cross-border trade in such combat illicit trafficking in cultural property were
items; and called upon unesco, the International rolled out at the regional level in South America
Criminal Police Organization (interpol) and other and at the national level in Peru. With support from
international organizations to assist in the implemen- interpol, unesco published a new cultural heritage
tation of that prohibition. On 6 July 2015, unesco protection handbook on the topic of securing her-
sent a report to the Analytical Support and Sanctions itage of religious interest; and since 2012, training
Monitoring Team [YUN 2004, p. 331] regarding the im- workshops had been organized in 26 countries,
plementation of resolution 2199(2015) at the national with the participation of some 1,000 experts from
level. It contained an evaluation of measures already 132 countries.
taken and included unesco efforts to strengthen the Cooperation with intergovernmental and non-
impact of the resolution, proposals for improving its governmental organizations increased. On 1 April
implementation and information on seized Iraqi and 2015, a high-level meeting was convened by the
Syrian artefacts. Director-General to plan the implementation of
Report of Director-General. In September Security Council resolution 2199(2015) (see p. 52).
[A/70/365], the Secretary-General transmitted the Key unesco partners including interpol, unodc
unesco Director-General’s report on the return or and the World Customs Organization agreed to step
restitution of cultural property to the countries of or- up their cooperation and information exchange to
igin, in accordance with General Assembly resolution improve the protection of the cultural heritage of
67/80 [YUN 2012, p. 1072]. The report summarized the Iraq and the Syria. Unesco also cooperated with
activities undertaken by unesco in combating illicit the European Union, the art market and a number
trafficking in cultural property and promoting its re- of internationally renowned museums, including
turn to the countries of origin or restitution in the case the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, in support of
of illicit appropriation, since the previous report was cultural property protection. An agreement between
submitted in 2012 [ibid.]. The report noted that over unesco and that museum was launched in May
the past several years, the escalation of violence and the to reduce trafficking in Iraqi and Syrian cultural
destruction of cultural heritage in times of conflict, as property through the implementation of awareness-
well as the role of illicit trafficking in cultural objects raising activities for the general public in art market
in financing terrorism and violent extremism in Iraq countries, close collaboration and information ex-
and the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular, had led to change and cooperation on training and capacity-
a significant strengthening of all existing mechanisms building. Emergency activities during the reporting
and to an important mobilization of the international period included heritage protection in Iraq, Libya,
community. The legal and practical tools developed by Mali, Syria and Yemen, and a number of joint initi-
unesco and its partners to facilitate and improve the atives, coordination mechanisms and international
implementation of the Convention on the Means of measures—public declarations and statements, a
Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export conference, a resolution and a road map—focused
and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (1970 on the protection of Syrian and Iraqi cultural herit-
unesco Convention) had been widely promoted since age in particular (see p. 634).
2012. Those tools included the unesco Database of
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
National Cultural Heritage Laws; Model Provisions
on State Ownership of Undiscovered Cultural Ob- On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly
jects; Basic measures concerning cultural items offered adopted resolution 70/76 (Return or restitution
for sale on the Internet; and the Model export certifi- of cultural property to the countries of origin)
cate for cultural objects. [A/70/L.28 & Add.1] without vote [agenda item 10].
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 549

Culture and sustainable development in priority-setting and policymaking; and science,

technology and innovation. It noted that human
On 22 December [A/70/PV.81], the General resources development strategies that ensured all tiers
Assembly considered a draft resolution entitled “Cul- of society had access to education, health services and
ture and sustainable development” in the context of its employment would enable people to improve their
deliberations on globalization and interdependence. lives and, in turn, contribute to overcoming poverty
The resolution (see below) reaffirmed the role of cul- and inequality. Policies that invested in youth and
ture as an enabler of sustainable development; decided provided them with the training necessary to be-
to consider the contribution of culture to sustainable come productive members of the workforce would
development in the follow-up and review framework be required to achieve sdg 4 (quality education) and
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (see sdg 8 (decent work and economic growth). At the
p. 396); and requested the Secretary-General to en- same time, the world was experiencing a growing
sure that UN country teams continued to integrate ageing population and it was immediately neces-
and mainstream culture into their programming, in sary to engage in forward planning to cater for that
consultation with national authorities, when assisting demographic, including by strengthening and retool-
countries in pursuit of their development objectives. ing health systems and human resources development
to meet the needs of people throughout their lives.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
The report noted the importance of engaging civil
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly, society and the business community in achieving the
on the recommendation of the Second Committee goals of the new agenda, and that science, technology
[A/70/474/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/214 (Culture and innovation could play a vital role by creating em-
and sustainable development) without vote [agenda ployment, enhancing the delivery of public services,
item 22 (c)]. improving access to knowledge and education and
empowering marginalized sections of society.
The report concluded that a skilled, educated,
Human resources development healthy, capable, productive and flexible workforce,
equipped with knowledge of sustainable develop-
ment, was the foundation for countries to achieve
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/228 the 2030 Agenda. It recommended the alignment of
[YUN 2013, p. 1079], the Secretary-General submitted human resources development with national sustain-
an August report [A/70/293] on human resources de- able development strategies. At the national level, it
velopment, which addressed the role and importance suggested the alignment of education and training
of human resources development in the achievement systems with labour market needs; refined school
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and curricula and skills training programmes to meet the
the sustainable development goals (sdgs). It discussed requirements of the 2030 Agenda; further integra-
the integration of human resources development strat- tion of human resources development into emerging
egies for implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the sectors, particularly information and communications
measurement of progress; new avenues for advancing technology for development; and the introduction of
the objectives of human resources development in set- measures to reduce youth unemployment, including
ting that agenda; and recommendations for further through incentives for recruitment and retainment,
human resources development policies in support of a employment assistance, technical and vocational
unified development agenda. Particular attention was training and the promotion of youth entrepreneur-
paid to the interlinkages between human resources ship. At the international level, the report suggested
development and several of the sdgs, including those that donors dedicate official development assistance to
focused on healthy lives and well-being; education human resources development and consider the ways
and lifelong learning; growth, employment and work; in which sectoral aid could better support human
and action to combat climate change. The report em- resources development requirements; greater public-
phasized the role of human resources development in private partnerships for human resources develop-
national sustainable development strategies, and un- ment, particularly for employment creation for youth
derscored the need for broad human resources devel- and women; and better efforts to integrate migrant
opment approaches that were sensitive to the specific labour, including by lowering remittance costs to
needs of vulnerable populations and integrated into maximize the benefits of migration.
strategic areas such as population, health, nutrition,
education and training, science and technology and GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
employment. On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
The report addressed global development chal- on the recommendation of the Second Committee
lenges in the areas of poverty and inequality; [A/70/476/Add.3], adopted resolution 70/220 (Human
demographic changes; stakeholder participation resources development) without vote [agenda item 24 (c)].
550 Part Three: Economic and social questions

United Nations research On 9 June (decision 2015/215), the Economic

and training institutes and Social Council took note of the Secretary-
General’s report [A/70/79-E/2015/70] on consultations
In response to Economic and Social Council res- on research, training and library services.
olution 2013/45 [YUN 2013, p. 1082], the Secretary-
General submitted an April report [A/70/79-E/2015/70]
on ongoing consultations between the UN entities University for Peace
dedicated to research, training and library services Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 64/83
on ways to enhance coherence and synergies. The [YUN 2009, p. 1111], the Secretary-General submitted
report noted that the emergence of a new post-2015 an August report [A/70/288] on the University for
development agenda and a rapidly evolving global Peace, which reviewed key developments of the Costa
context made access to knowledge and information Rica-based University during the period 2012–2015
for key actors more essential than ever. Many entities and highlighted its opportunities for growth and
in the UN system were involved in the production, challenges. The report covered the commemoration
management and dissemination of knowledge, includ- of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the University;
ing the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, the Library of the institutional changes; the Rodrigo Carazo campus;
United Nations Office at Geneva, the United Nations academic reform; subsidiary centres and affiliated
Institute for Training and Research, the United institutions; international relations; relations with
Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research UN bodies; community relations; financial situa-
Institute, the United Nations Research Institute for tion; and the development strategy 2015–2020. The
Social Development and the United Nations System University was in the process of reinventing and re-
Staff College. Each of the entities involved in the newing its activities within the context of both its
consultations served as a crucial component of knowl- thirty-fifth anniversary and the seventieth anniver-
edge services—the research entities generated original sary of the United Nations. One of the most signif-
findings; the libraries organized and disseminated icant changes pertained to the process of academic
information; and the learning and training entities reform to align the University’s activities with those
shared knowledge and helped to build the capacity prioritized by the United Nations. The University
of key actors. The overall objective of the consulta- was implementing nearly a dozen joint academic
tions between the entities was to enhance voluntary programmes with high-level universities in various
collaboration for their mutual benefit, while leaving parts of the world. More than 1,600 alumni of the
unchanged their existing legal status, mandates and University, who originated from almost every UN
governance structures. The entities would be invited Member State, were working for peace in every re-
to collaborate through various voluntary arrangements gion of the world.
tailored to the specific needs of their respective learn-
ing/training, research, and library service knowledge The report noted that the international context de-
areas. Those arrangements included an advisory group manded an expansion of training and educating for
on learning and training; voluntary research networks; peace, especially with regard to the emergence of open
and a libraries board. The report acknowledged that and increasingly complex conflicts, interrelations be-
effective collaboration in those three areas of knowl- tween local, national, regional and global spheres and
edge and information services required facilitation and strong links between politics and criminal activity.
support at the highest level. For the University to carry out its mission and suc-
The Secretary-General concluded by stating that cessfully transform itself in order to have a greater
if the United Nations was to address the complex impact on future generations of world leaders, it was
challenges of the twenty-first century successfully, essential to have the explicit and consistent support
the three important knowledge and learning areas all of UN Member States. The Secretary-General rec-
needed to be deployed coherently. Generating, man- ommended that the General Assembly augment the
aging and disseminating knowledge and information capacity of the University by providing resources
were distinct yet interrelated processes. He therefore through assessed budgetary contributions for a lim-
proposed the establishment of an internal knowledge ited period of five years, until the transformation was
and learning steering committee that would build on accomplished and extrabudgetary resources became
the work of a former research and training coordina- available.
tion committee and provide a forum through which
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the complementarities and linkages of the three areas
could be maximized to better meet the needs of their On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly,
clients and stakeholders. The new committee would on the recommendation of the Fourth (Special
operate under the guidance of the Secretary-General Political and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/492],
and focus on concrete initiatives for enhanced results adopted resolution 70/79 (University for Peace)
through collaboration between the members. without vote [agenda item 50].
Chapter IX: Social policy, cultural development and human resources development 551

United Nations University 2030 Agenda. Through several projects, unu con-
tributed to the World Conference on Disaster Risk
In 2015, the Council of the United Nations Reduction (drr) in Sendai, Japan, in March, and to
University (unu) convened its sixty-third (Paris, the development of the Sendai Framework for drr
5–6 May) and sixty-fourth (Tokyo, 30 November 2015–2030, adopted at that conference. The official
and 1 December) sessions, at which it considered on- opening of the unu Operating Unit on Policy-Driven
going and new institutional development initiatives; Electronic Governance in Guimarães, Portugal, was
the appointment of new Council members to take held on 24 April, and the unu Institute in Macau,
office from 2016; and the 2014–2015 financial over- China, was reconstituted in 2015 as the unu Institute
view of the University and the academic programme on Computing and Society.
and budget estimates for the 2016–2017 biennium.
The Council also endorsed proposed amendments to Unu was financed solely by voluntary contribu-
the unu Personnel Statute and Policy; offered recom- tions—from host governments of the University in-
mendations on unu inputs into the sdg process; and stitutes as well as foundations, agencies, international
discussed four broad and interlinked issues (gover- organizations and other sources—and by investment
nance, migration, urbanization and water) where unu income derived from the unu Endowment Fund.
research had the potential to provide policymakers In the 2014–2015 biennium, unu income totalled
with practical insights based on scientific analysis. $139.2 million: core income of $81.6 million and
special programmes contribution (spc) income of
In September, unu celebrated 40 years of $57.7 million. Total expenditure for the period was
operation. The year also marked the inception of the $99.8 million: core expenditures of $63.2 million
unu Strategic Plan 2015–2019, which rested on three and spc expenditures of $36.6 million. The result was
pillars—strengthened management, sustainable a surplus for the biennium of $18.4 million for the
growth and streamlined partnerships—and called core budget and $21.1 million for spc funds. Of this,
for unu expertise and resources to be focused on $12.8 million of the core surplus was incorporated
topics that were of particular relevance to the United into the 2016–2017 budget to finance multi-year
Nations and its Member States, and for unu research research projects, and the rest reinvested into the unu
findings and researchers to be more visible and acces- Endowment Fund or held in a UN cash pool. The spc
sible to policymakers and other stakeholders. Mov- surplus was rolled over to the next year(s) to finance
ing forward, unu emphasis on postgraduate degree ongoing programme activities.
programmes would be less pronounced and prefer-
ence would be given to doctoral-level programmes, On 9 June (decision 2015/215), the Economic
towards ensuring that the University’s education and Social Council took note of the report [E/2015/7]
of the Council of the United Nations University cov-
efforts reinforced its research activities and more
ering the major activities and achievements of unu in
effectively contributed to capacity-building in devel-
2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1258].
oping countries.
During the year, the unu system worked on 205
UN Institute for Training and Research
projects, of which 106 were conducted primarily in
developing countries. The system had 236 fellowship In February, the Secretary-General submitted a
recipients, of which 78 per cent were from developing report [E/2015/12] on the United Nations Institute
countries and 47 per cent were female. In 2015, unu for Training and Research (unitar), in which he
researchers published 37 books, 85 chapters in edited stated that unitar had commenced a new, four-year
volumes, 255 articles in peer-reviewed journals and strategic framework (2014–2017) with planned results
102 other articles, 14 special journal issues, 34 policy organized under five programme areas: strengthening
briefs, 41 research and technical briefs, 280 working multilateralism; promoting economic development
and discussion papers, as well as numerous proceed- and social inclusion; advancing environmental sus-
ings and conference papers, website articles and other tainability and green growth; promoting sustainable
publications. In total, more than 4,700 publica- peace; and improving resilience and humanitarian
tions—including 300 publications from 2015—were assistance. Results from 2014 were encouraging, with
available via “unu Collections”, an online repository the Institute having provided learning, training and
offering open access to unu academic publications related knowledge-sharing services to some 31,000
and reports. Unu convened over 500 events during individuals across all Member States, representing an
the year, including specialized workshops and confer- increase of 22 per cent compared with the figures for
ences and public seminars, symposiums and lectures. 2013. Those outputs were achieved through the de-
Unu workshops and seminars held in March, livery of some 500 events, 60 per cent of which were
May, October and November brought together re- designed around specific learning objectives.
searchers from the unu system to discuss how to The Institute launched several new initiatives,
maximize the impact of unu work on the sdgs, and including a delegate briefing series on the post-2015
the challenges and opportunities of implementing the development agenda, a large open online course on
552 Part Three: Economic and social questions

climate change, an e-course on child soldiers and a ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
high-level seminar gathering the sitting, outgoing On 9 June [meeting 33], the Economic and Social
and incoming representatives of African States on the Council adopted resolution 2015/9 [draft: E/2015/L.10]
Security Council. The Institute also achieved results (United Nations System Staff College in Turin, It-
in functional areas such as programme performance aly) without vote [agenda item 20].
monitoring, quality assurance, partnership-building
and visual identity. Some 80 per cent of the Institute’s Report of Secretary-General. In response to
beneficiaries had participated in events organized in General Assembly resolution 60/214 [YUN 2005,
partnership with other entities, including other UN p. 1527], the Secretary-General, in a subsequent report
system agencies, which accounted for 26 per cent [E/2017/52] to the Economic and Social Council, de-
of partnerships; universities and other academic scribed the achievements of the UN System Staff
institutions; non-governmental organizations; and College in 2015. Those included establishment of the
the private sector. Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development in
The financial situation of unitar reflected sta- Bonn, with the support of the Government of Ger-
bility and modest growth. Total income for the many, to respond to the learning, training and knowl-
biennium ending 31 December 2013 was $43.3 edge management needs of UN staff and partners in
million, marking an increase of $1.2 million, or the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable De-
2.9 per cent, compared with $42.1 million for the velopment and the Paris Agreement under the UN
biennium ending 31 December 2011. The Institute Framework Convention on Climate Change. The
had made progress in reversing the declining trend portfolio of the new Centre built not only on existing
of non-earmarked contributions to the General expertise within the College, but also on the sustain-
Fund with support from the Government of Algeria. able development knowledge present in the Bonn-based
The Secretary-General recommended that Member UN entities, academic institutions and think tanks. As
States take note of the Institute’s increase in bene- the first College campus away from Turin, the Centre
ficiaries since 2013, and that the Institute continue provided a new and cost-effective location to deliver
its efforts to respond to learning and other capacity other regular courses. The United Nations Laboratory
needs in accordance with its mandate and with its for Organizational Change and Knowledge was also
2014–2017 strategic framework. He also recom- established in 2015 to provide a set of learning interven-
mended that unitar further strengthen the quality tions and advisory services designed to promote a cul-
of its training services and that Member States pro- ture of change and innovation across the UN system.
vide full support to unitar, including the necessary Other achievements during the year were the signing
non-earmarked funding that would allow it to meet of an agreement with the UN Secretariat establishing
its core requirements. the College’s United Nations Leaders Programme as
On 9 June (decision 2015/215), the Economic and the dedicated leadership development programme for
Social Council took note of the Secretary-General’s all Secretariat staff at the Director level; and the launch
report [E/2015/12] on the UN Institute for Training of a course on leadership, women and the United
and Research. Nations to offer opportunities for mid- to senior- level
female staff from across the system to develop leader-
ship skills while networking and knowledge-sharing.
United Nations System Staff College
Efforts to design new learning products and diversify
On 9 June [E/2015/SR.33], the Economic and Social the College’s offerings continued. In that respect, the
Council considered the report [E/2015/54] of the Executive Master in Management of International
Secretary-General on the United Nations System Staff Organizations—developed with Bocconi University in
College covering the activities and achievements of the Milan, Italy, and the International Training Centre of
College during the biennium 2013–2014 [YUN 2014, the International Labour Organization—was launched
p. 1259]. On the same date, the Council considered a in September 2015 with 22 students and became the
draft resolution entitled “United Nations System Staff first College programme to lead to an accredited grad-
College in Turin, Italy”. uate degree from a leading university.
Chapter X

Women

In 2015, United Nations efforts to advance the status ings and recommendations from a global study on
of women worldwide continued to be guided by the the implementation of Security Council resolution
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted 1325(2000).
at the Fourth (1995) World Conference on Women, Recognizing that women and girls played a critical
and the outcome of the General Assembly’s twenty- role in science and technology communities and that
third (2000) special session (Beijing+5), which re- their participation should be strengthened, in Decem-
viewed progress in their implementation. ber, the General Assembly proclaimed 11 February of
During the year, the United Nations Entity for each year the International Day of Women and Girls
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in Science.
(UN-Women) advocated for gender equality and wom-
en’s empowerment at all stages leading to the adoption
of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, result-
ing in a stand-alone sustainable development goal
Follow-up to the Fourth World
(sdg) on achieving gender equality and empowering Conference and Beijing+5
all women and girls (sdg 5) as well as gender-sensitive
targets in 11 other goals. To mark the twentieth an- During 2015, the Commission on the Status of
niversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women Women [YUN 1946–47, p. 529], the Economic and
and the launch of the 2030 Agenda, UN-Women or- Social Council and the General Assembly considered
ganized in September the first-ever meeting of Heads follow-up to the 1995 Fourth World Conference on
of State and Government on gender equality: the Women, particularly the implementation of the Bei-
Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and jing Declaration and Platform for Action [YUN 1995,
Women’s Empowerment. A record 167 national re- p. 1170] and the political declaration and further ac-
views were conducted on the occasion of the 20-year tions and initiatives to implement both instruments
review of the Beijing Platform for Action. adopted at the twenty-third (2000) special session
The Commission on the Status of Women, at its of the Assembly (Beijing+5) by resolution S/23-2
fifty-ninth session, held four ministerial round tables [YUN 2000, p. 1084]. The Declaration had reaffirmed
and nine panel discussions, with the aim of giving a the commitment of Governments to the goals and ob-
strong impetus to the accelerated implementation of jectives of the Fourth World Conference and to the
the Platform for Action. The Commission adopted a implementation of 12 critical areas of concern out-
political declaration on the occasion of the twenti- lined in the Platform for Action: women and poverty;
eth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference, in education and training of women; women and health;
which Ministers and representatives of Governments violence against women; women and armed conflict;
pledged to take further concrete action to ensure the women and the economy; women in power and
full, effective and accelerated implementation of the decision-making; institutional mechanisms for the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and advancement of women; human rights of women;
the outcome documents of the twenty-third special women and the media; women and the environment;
session of the General Assembly. The Commission and the girl child. The issue of mainstreaming a
recommended to the Economic and Social Council gender perspective into UN policies and programmes
the adoption of a draft resolution on the situation continued to be addressed.
of and assistance to Palestinian women, which the Report of Secretary-General. In response to
Council adopted in June. General Assembly resolution 69/151 [YUN 2014, p. 1264],
The General Assembly adopted resolutions on the the Secretary-General, in a July report [A/70/180], re-
follow-up to the Fourth World Conference and the viewed the follow-up to and implementation of the
full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the
Platform for Action and the outcome of Beijing+5; outcome of the twenty-third special session of the As-
women in development; improvement of the sit- sembly. The report focused on the extent to which
uation of women and girls in rural areas; violence gender perspectives were reflected in selected UN
against women migrant workers; sexual violence and intergovernmental processes and provided a quantita-
armed conflict; and the girl child. In September, the tive and qualitative assessment of progress achieved and
Secretary-General submitted a report on his find- remaining gaps. It demonstrated the expansion of the

553
554 Part Three: Economic and social questions

work of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality work, investing in infrastructure and services, and re-
and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) in distributing care work.
support of normative intergovernmental processes. The Secretary-General encouraged Member States
The analysis concluded that while intergovern­ to incorporate gender in macroeconomic analysis and
mental bodies continued to reflect gender per- the design of policy responses, and to expand the
spectives in their work, progress remained uneven goals of macroeconomic policy to promote sustainable
among different bodies. References to gender issues development, gender equality and human rights. Fur-
in resolutions often remained brief and were sel- thermore, he encouraged the UN system and other
dom reflected in certain areas of work, namely in international organizations to incorporate gender
resolutions dealing with disarmament and related perspectives into macroeconomic policy analysis; de-
international security questions, political issues and velop and implement policies and programmes to pro-
decolonization, administrative and budgetary mat- mote women’s access to decent employment oppor-
ters, and international legal matters. tunities; and to develop and implement policies and
The Secretary-General recommended, among other programmes to support women’s entrepreneurship.
measures, that the General Assembly reiterate its call GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
upon all intergovernmental bodies of the UN system
to fully mainstream a gender perspective into all issues On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
under their consideration and within their mandates. on the recommendation of the Second (Economic and
Financial) Committee [A/70/476/Add.2], adopted reso-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION lution 70/219 (Women in development) without
vote [agenda item 24 (b)].
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General As-
sembly, on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Women in science
Humanitarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/482],
adopted resolution 70/133 (Follow-up to the Fourth In December [A/70/PV.81], during its consideration
World Conference on Women and full implemen- of the report [A/70/474/Add.2] of the Second Com-
tation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform mittee on the item of “Science and technology for
for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third development”, the General Assembly took action on a
special session of the General Assembly) without draft resolution entitled “International Day of Women
vote [agenda item 29 (b)]. and Girls in Science”, and proclaimed 11 February of
each year the International Day of Women and Girls
in Science. The Assembly requested the Secretary-
Critical areas of concern General to bring the resolution to the attention of
all Member States, the UN system and civil society
Women and poverty organizations for appropriate observance.
Women in development
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/227
[YUN 2013, p. 1092], the Secretary-General submitted an On 22 December [meeting 81], the General As-
August report [A/70/256] on women in development, sembly, on the recommendation of the Second Com-
which focused on the issues of formulating a gender- mittee [A/70/474/Add.2], adopted resolution 70/212
responsive macroeconomic framework, ensuring (International Day of Women and Girls in Science)
decent work for women, fostering women’s entrepre- without vote [agenda item 22 (b)].
neurship, providing social protection to women and
supporting the recognition, reduction and redistribu- Women in rural areas
tion of unpaid care work by women. The report re- Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/139
viewed measures taken by Governments and support [YUN 2013, p. 1097], the Secretary-General submitted a
provided by the UN system to address those issues. July report [A/70/204] on the improvement of the situ-
The Secretary-General noted that the slow global ation of women in rural areas, which reviewed efforts
economic recovery resulted in jobless growth, which by Member States, UN entities and other actors to
had to be addressed by refocusing macroeconomic empower rural women.
objectives on job creation and gender equality. Policy The report noted that rural women and girls con-
measures, such as skill development, active labour tinued to face persistent structural constraints that
market policies and the adequate provision of social prevented them from fully participating in socio-
protection, were needed to remove barriers to wom- economic and political life and contributing to the
en’s entry into the labour market. Designing policies improvement of their circumstances. They often had
that promoted gender equality required examining limited access to land and other productive resources,
paid and unpaid work, including prioritizing public and faced more difficulties than men in gaining access
expenditures that lessened the burden of unpaid care to public services, social protection, decent employ-
Chapter X: Women 555

ment opportunities and local and national markets Council and the Commission on the Status of
and institutions. Furthermore, rural women and girls Women a December report [A/HRC/32/3-E/CN.6/2016/8]
were the most affected by malnutrition and hunger. of UN-Women on the 2015 activities of the United
Regarding progress towards achieving the Millennium Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Elimi-
Development Goals (mdgs), rural women scored low- nate Violence against Women. As at December 2015,
est compared with women in urban areas, and with the Trust Fund supported 111 initiatives involving
rural and urban men. civil society organizations, governments and United
Although Member States and UN entities had Nations country teams in 76 countries and territories,
taken measures to improve the situation of rural with grants totalling $57 million. In 2015, the Trust
women, the majority still lived in difficult condi- Fund almost doubled its grant-giving portfolio, to
tions. More robust gender-responsive approaches and $14 million.
greater investment in rural development and rural In 2015, the Trust Fund received 1,715 applica-
women were needed in the post-2015 framework. The tions, from 119 countries and territories. The total
Secretary-General encouraged Member States to take funding requested was more than $662 million. The
action on existing commitments to rural development Fund awarded $12.86 million in new grants to 33 in-
and rural women’s empowerment and human rights; itiatives in 29 countries and territories. In terms of
integrate gender perspectives into national rural and grant value, 28 per cent of the funds allocated went
agricultural development plans and programmes; and to programmes in Africa; 22 per cent to Asia and the
ensure rural women’s full and equal rights to land and Pacific; 20 per cent to Europe and Central Asia; 12 per
inheritance. He encouraged the UN system and other cent to Latin America and the Caribbean; 10 per cent
international organizations to support Member States to the Arab States and North Africa; and 8 per cent
to design and implement effective, sustainable and to cross-regional programmes. Grants amounting
gender-responsive rural and agricultural development to some 8 per cent of the total ($1.1 million) were
policies and programmes; recognize, reduce and re- awarded in the form of small grants, predominantly
distribute women’s and girls’ unpaid care work in to smaller women’s organizations.
rural areas; and develop and implement policies and
programmes to promote women’s access to decent Violence against women migrant workers
work opportunities. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/137
[YUN 2013, p. 1102], the Secretary-General submitted a
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION July report [A/70/205] on measures taken by 21 Member
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General As- States and three UN entities, over the two-year period
sembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- from July 2013 to June 2015, to address violence against
mittee [A/70/482], adopted resolution 70/132 (Im- migrant workers in the household, the workplace and
provement of the situation of women and girls in the public sphere. Member States highlighted a range of
rural areas) without vote [agenda item 29 (a)]. measures taken to combat violence and discrimination
against women migrant workers, including efforts to
adhere to the provisions of international instruments,
Violence against women enhance national legislation, improve policies, collect
Report of Special Rapporteur. On 29 July, data, undertake research, put in place preventive and
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/147 protection measures to assist victims of violence, and
[YUN 2014, p. 1278], the Secretary-General transmitted
establish bilateral and multilateral cooperation. States
to the Assembly the report [A/70/209] of the Special also provided information on safe migration initia-
Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and tives and anti-trafficking policies and programmes.
consequences. The Special Rapporteur reviewed the The Secretary-General noted that since the 2013
legally binding provisions, implementing mechanisms report [YUN 2013, p. 1101], the number of States parties
and relevant jurisprudence regarding violence against to relevant international instruments had increased,
women in the African, European and inter-American including to the International Labour Organization
human rights systems. She highlighted that a legally (ilo) Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189).
binding framework on violence against women and Initiatives of UN entities and the International
girls within the UN system was essential for the Organization for Migration in support of national
regional systems to reinforce universal human rights efforts included supporting the increased availability
standards. of data on migrant women and children through the
establishment of observatories and data-collection pro-
By decision 70/531 of 17 December, the General cesses; collaborating with national authorities to ensure
Assembly took note of the report. laws and policies addressed protection, assistance and
Trust Fund activities. In response to General prevention of violence against women migrant workers
Assembly resolution 50/166 [YUN 1995, p. 1188], the and trafficked women migrants; and supporting advo-
Secretary-General transmitted to the Human Rights cacy, awareness-raising and capacity-building efforts.
556 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The report concluded that States had taken invited the Secretary-General to commission a global
national, regional and global action to tackle violence study on the implementation of resolution 1325(2000)
and discrimination against women migrant work- [YUN 2000, p. 1113], the Secretary-General submitted
ers and responded to the increasingly complex and a September report [S/2015/716] on women and peace
mixed migration flows. Key gaps, however, persisted and security. The report contained findings and rec-
in the development of targeted measures to tackle ommendations from the global study, which were
discrimination and violence against them; the avail- informed by regional consultations, country visits,
ability of systematic collection and dissemination direct inputs from actors, research and data analysis.
of disaggregated data, including sex-disaggregated It also included an update on annual progress towards
data, on violence against migrant workers; research the implementation of resolution 1325(2000). The
and analysis to inform and evaluate policies and report focused on nine broad areas: women’s leader-
programmes; the provision of information on access ship for peace; inclusive and peaceful societies in the
to justice to women migrant workers, including on aftermath of conflict; protection and promotion of the
existing challenges and efforts to improve such access; rights and leadership of women and girls in human-
and more systematic reporting on the results and itarian settings; access to justice for women; conflict
impact of laws and policies. prevention; peace in an increasingly militarized world;
The Secretary-General recommended, among other countering violent extremism; the role of key actors in
measures, that States continue to ratify and implement addressing obstacles to implementation; and the role
relevant international instruments, with a special fo- of the Security Council.
cus on the ilo Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 The Secretary-General noted that the similari-
(No. 189) and the associated Recommendation ties between findings of the global study and other
(No. 201); ensure that national laws protected women key UN reports and consultations were striking, as
migrant workers, including domestic workers; and the peace and security context was characterized by
seek to address the pull factors for women’s irregular violations of human rights and humanitarian law,
migration, including the need to resolve care deficits complex drivers of conflict, involvement of a growing
in labour importing countries. He also called on the number of non-State armed actors, new technologies
UN system and related entities to continue their efforts and transnational connections were changing the na-
to strengthen partnerships with all stakeholders that ture of warfare. The challenges underlined the need
supported women migrant workers. for a stronger focus on prevention, more holistic and
consistent approaches and mechanisms that placed
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION human rights at the core of security, protection,
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General As- political, humanitarian, peacebuilding and socioeco-
sembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com- nomic development work. Participants in regional
mittee [A/70/482], adopted resolution 70/130 (Vio- and country consultations on the global study called
lence against women migrant workers) without vote for an end to increased militarization and for added
[agenda item 29 (a)]. investment in political solutions to conflict. The
strongest message to emerge from the study was the
Crime prevention and criminal justice responses impact of women’s participation on all areas of peace
to violence against women and security, whereby new evidence demonstrated
that the inclusion of women led to more sustain-
On 21 July, by resolution 2015/21 (see p. 642), able peace and enhanced prevention efforts. The
the Economic and Social Council recommended to Secretary-General observed that the evidence proved
the General Assembly the adoption of the resolution that women’s meaningful participation increased the
on taking action against gender-related killing of effectiveness of humanitarian assistance, the credibil-
women and girls. ity and quality of peacekeeping, the pace of economic
On 17 December, the General Assembly, in reso- recovery in post-conflict settings and the sustain-
lution 70/176 (see p. 642), urged Member States to ability of peace agreements.
take measures to prevent, investigate, prosecute and The Secretary-General set out five key areas
punish acts of violence against women and girls, in for action by all stakeholders: bringing women’s
particular, gender-related killing, in accordance with participation and leadership to the core of peace and
national laws, and to act at all levels to end impunity security efforts, including adopting targeted meas-
for those responsible for committing the crimes. ures to remove obstacles and incentivize the mean-
ingful participation and decision-making of women
Women and armed conflict in peace and security; protecting the human rights of
women and girls during and after conflict, especially
Women, peace and security in the context of new and emerging threats; ensur-
Pursuant to Security Council resolution ing gender-responsive planning and accountability
2122(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 1109], in which the Council for results; strengthening gender architecture and
Chapter X: Women 557

technical expertise; and financing the women and Protection Advisers in the field made a tangible con-
peace and security agenda, including adopting spe- tribution to improving the quality of information and
cific targets and monitoring progress. analysis received. The report also provided an update
Security Council consideration. On 13 Octo- on the efforts of the UN system, including through
ber [S/PV.7533], the Council considered the Secretary- the work of the inter-agency network United Nations
General’s report (see p. 556) and a concept note sub- Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, and on
mitted by Spain [S/2015/749] on the “High-level review the technical assistance provided by the UN Team
of Security Council resolution 1325(2000): from of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence
rhetoric to effective results”. Addressing the Council, in Conflict, and made recommendations on how to
the Secretary-General noted that one common theme enhance efforts to combat that crime.
emerged among the three major reviews of UN The report identified emerging concerns regard-
peace operations, the peacebuilding architecture, ing sexual violence as it related to international peace
and women and peace and security: reforms had to and security, including the underreporting of sexual
include gender equality and women’s leadership as violence during and in the wake of conflict; sexual vi-
central components and must be grounded in human olence against adolescent girls, including incidents of
rights. The UN-Women Executive Director high- rape, sexual slavery and forced marriage; displaced ci-
lighted the key finding of the global study, noting vilians fleeing their homes and sexual violence perpe-
that the meaningful inclusion of women might be the trated by State actors or armed groups associated with
greatest and most underutilized tool for successfully the State. Across the contexts examined in the report,
building peace. In presenting the Secretary-General’s conflict-related sexual violence took place against a
report, she described several markers of progress, as backdrop of structural gender-based discrimination,
well as areas of concern and stagnation, including including in formal and informal systems of law, and
political will, financing, accountability, attitudinal the exclusion of women from political life. Efforts
and institutional barriers. She further noted that the to prevent conflict, foster equality and build gender-
global study’s findings showed the benefit of investing responsive institutions were central to eradicating the
in preventive action and early warning rather than scourge of sexual violence.
retaliatory action. She stressed incentivizing Member The report further discussed the trend of sexual vi-
States to transform their security forces by increasing olence employed as a tactic of terror by radical groups.
the number of women in leadership positions; taking The patterns highlighted in the report demonstrated
strong action against violators; building the status that sexual violence was linked with the strategic ob-
of human rights defenders; and investing to prevent jectives, ideology and funding of extremist groups. The
conflict. Secretary-General stated that countering extremism
and the flow of funds and fighters to extremist groups
SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
had to include efforts to empower women and address
On 13 October [meeting 7533], the Security Council the spectrum of crimes of sexual violence propagated
unanimously adopted resolution 2242(2015). The by extremist groups. Deeper engagement by and con-
draft [S/2015/774] was submitted by 72 Member States. sultation with the community was required, including
with traditional and religious leaders.
Communication. In a letter [S/2015/832] dated The Secretary-General underscored the need to
30 October, the Permanent Representative of Spain to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment
the United Nations submitted to the Security Council to address the root causes of conflict-related sexual
a document containing the commitments made by violence, transform harmful social norms and coun-
Member States, an observer State and regional ter the rise of extremism. He urged the Council to
organizations during the open debate of the high-level recognize that sexual violence could also constitute
review by the Security Council of the implementation a tactic of terror and accordingly, align efforts to
of resolution 1325(2000). prevent and address sexual violence with efforts to
prevent violent extremism; fully integrate the issue of
Sexual violence and armed conflict conflict-related sexual violence into the work of the
In response to Security Council resolution relevant Council sanctions committees; continue to
2106(2013) [YUN 2013, p. 1112], the Secretary-General employ means to influence parties to conflict to com-
submitted a March report [S/2015/203] on conflict- ply with international law; give due consideration to
related sexual violence, covering the period from the risk factors and warning signs of sexual violence
January to December 2014. Based on cases docu- in its monitoring of the security situation in conflict-
mented by UN peacekeeping and political missions affected countries; and use its field visits to focus at-
and country teams, the report highlighted actions tention on conflict-related sexual violence concerns.
taken and challenges faced by States in 19 conflict He encouraged Member States, donors and regional
and post-conflict situations to protect civilians from organizations to, among others, support the delivery of
sexual violence. The increased presence of Women’s multisectoral assistance for survivors of sexual violence;
558 Part Three: Economic and social questions

support the United Nations to engage in dialogue with cesses provided opportunities to accelerate implemen-
State and non-State parties to elicit and comply with tation and to ensure that gender equality, women’s
commitments to prevent and address conflict-related rights and women’s empowerment were featured
sexual violence; and continue to emphasize the central prominently in the new development agenda. The
role of civil society. He further urged Member States Action Plan facilitated more effective engagement
to draw upon the expertise of the Team of Experts with and across entities and revitalized a system-wide
(see p. 557) and to support the efforts of the United network that promoted leadership, coherence and dy-
Nations Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict namic action. At the country level, UN country teams
and its Multi-Partner Trust Fund. made progress in mainstreaming gender in common
programming processes. Despite progress achieved,
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION more needed to be done to address gaps and chal-
On 19 June [meeting 96], the General Assembly lenges, such as resource mobilization, and activity
adopted resolution 69/293 [draft: A/69/L.75 & Add.1] monitoring and data collection methods.
(International Day for the Elimination of Sexual The Secretary-General recommended that the
Violence in Conflict) without vote [agenda item 32]. Economic and Social Council call upon the UN
system to redouble efforts to implement the Action
Institutional mechanisms Plan to ensure full compliance by all UN entities;
for the advancement of women intensify investments to address critical areas of the
Action Plan; and continue to align gender equality
Mainstreaming a gender perspective programming with national priorities across sectors.
in the UN system
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
In response to Economic and Social Council resolu-
tion 2014/2 [YUN 2014, p. 1290], the Secretary-General, On 10 June [meeting 36], the Economic and
in an April report [E/2015/58], reviewed progress in im- Social Council adopted resolution 2015/12 [draft:
plementing the United Nations System-wide Action E/2015/L.11] (Mainstreaming a gender perspective
Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of into all policies and programmes in the United
Women, including of entity-specific remedial action Nations system) without vote [agenda item 12 (c)].
plans, lessons learned and next steps, and in main-
streaming gender equality in common programming Human rights of women
processes of the United Nations at the country level
through the United Nations Development Assistance Palestinian women
Framework and other planning frameworks. It also In accordance with Economic and Social Council
included recommendations for further progress for resolution 2014/1 [YUN 2014, p. 562], a report of the
consideration by the Council. Secretary-General [E/CN.6/2015/5] reviewed the situ-
Reporting by 62 entities, including the Secretariat ation of and assistance to Palestinian women from
and its offices and departments, of the United Nations October 2013 to September 2014 (see p. 215).
system showed that the Action Plan catalysed progress On 10 June, the Council took action on the situa-
in gender mainstreaming and the overall proportion tion of and assistance to Palestinian women in reso-
of ratings in the meets and exceeds requirements cat- lution 2015/13 (see p. 216).
egories increased from 31 per cent in 2012 to 51 per
cent in 2014. During the same period, the indicators of Trafficking in women and girls
gender-responsive auditing, knowledge generation and Report of Special Rapporteur. Pursuant to
communication and strategic planning increased by Human Rights Council resolution 26/8 [YUN 2014,
32 per centage points or more. Of all reporting entities, p. 874], the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in
59 per cent had met or exceeded the requirements for persons, especially women and children, submitted a
the gender policy indicator in 2014, an increase from March report [A/HRC/29/38 & Add.1–2] to the Council,
48 per cent in 2013. Specialized entities continued to which contained a thematic analysis of her vision of
outperform other entity types, whereby they had all her mandate. The report examined main trends and
met or exceeded requirements on six performance in- challenges of trafficking in persons, namely the link
dicators in 2014. Of the funds and programmes, 61 per between trafficking in persons and economic trends;
cent met or exceeded requirements categories during trafficking and mixed migration flows; trafficking and
the same year. The Action Plan reporting showed conflicts; the protection of children on the move; a
steady improvement, with approximately 66 per cent gendered perspective of trafficking; and trafficking
of remedial action plans qualifying as satisfactory or and social inclusion. It also described the approach
better in 2014, compared with 62 per cent in 2013. and methodology in which she intended to prevent
In the area of gender equality and gender main- and combat trafficking in persons. It included the con-
streaming, a confluence of intergovernmental pro- duct of country visits and the production of country
Chapter X: Women 559

reports, the development of thematic expertise and countries. A major campaign had been launched to
checklists to shape international standards, the pro- promote ratification of the 2014 ilo Protocol to the
motion of clarity around trafficking and detailing the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 and the Forced
substantive content of key trafficking issues. Labour (Supplementary Measures) Recommendation
Pursuant to the same Human Rights Council reso- (No. 203), which gave renewed impetus to protection
lution 26/8, the Secretary-General transmitted to the of children subjected to forced labour.
General Assembly the report [A/70/260] of the Special The United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative
Rapporteur, which contained an account of her [YUN 2000, p. 1081], in partnership with the Global
activities since her appointment and with a thematic Partnership for Education, the United Nations
focus of due diligence and trafficking in persons. The Children’s Fund and national governments, was de-
report identified core components of due diligence veloping gender-responsive education sector plans
in six areas: the prevention of trafficking in persons; through nationally-led workshops in Eritrea, Guinea
the obligations to identify, assist and support vic- and Malawi. Other programmes included the United
tims; criminalization, investigation, prosecution and Nations Model Strategies and Practical Measures on
punishment; remedies; inter-State cooperation and the Elimination of Violence against Children in the
institutions; and due diligence of non-State actors, Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the
such as business enterprises. Together for Girls Initiative, the All In initiative, and
the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographics
The girl child Project.
Recommendations for future action made by the
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/146
[YUN 2013, p. 1120], an August report of the Secretary-
Secretary-General to promote the rights of the girl
General [A/70/267] reviewed international obligations child included: strengthening infrastructure and
and global commitments with respect to the girl child. services to address girls’ needs, access and rights;
It addressed progress and challenges in the areas of enforcing laws and implementing policies to remove
poverty; equity; education; health; nutrition; hiv and obstacles faced by girls and monitor accountability;
aids; protection from violence, abuse and exploitation; addressing gender inequality in education as a mat-
child participation; and human rights education. The ter of urgency; strengthening data collection, indi-
report emphasized policies and achievements on water, cators and use of evidence; and empowering girls to
sanitation and hygiene as they related to the girl child. participate meaningfully in shaping interventions
designed to benefit them. In order to enhance and
The report indicated that girls suffered dispro- expand those efforts, decisive governmental action
portionate harm from poor quality water supply and and broad support from development agencies, non-
sanitation facilities. Improving both access and qual- governmental organizations and civil society was re-
ity was a precondition for expanding girls’ right to quired and active engagement by girls, boys, women
education, health, security of person, dignity and rest and men was equally essential.
and leisure, in particular for girls living in poverty.
Still the precise situation faced by girls was unclear, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
given that inequalities regarding water, sanitation and
hygiene were not commonly assessed on gender but On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
rather on the basis of urban/rural and wealth differ- on the recommendation of the Third Committee
[A/70/485], adopted resolution 70/138 (The girl
entials. Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor
hygiene practices continued to be the leading causes child) without vote [agenda item 68 (a)].
of diarrhoea, pneumonia and undernutrition. Not-
withstanding the progress made in hygiene education
in some countries, attitudes, stereotypes and preju- UN Machinery
dices concerning menstruation remained a challenge
for adolescent girls. Filling the pronounced data gaps Convention on elimination
in gender-based inequalities in the water, sanitation
and hygiene sector was considered the first step in re- of discrimination against women
sponding to the needs of women and girls. As at 31 December, 189 States were parties to the
Among the achievements in promoting the rights 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of girls was the adoption by numerous States of laws, of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the
policies, action plans and strategies to address violence General Assembly in resolution 34/180 [YUN 1979,
against girls, including human trafficking, sexual vi- p. 895]. South Sudan acceded on 30 April. In addition,
olence and exploitation, female genital mutilation/ 70 parties had accepted the amendment to article
cutting and child marriage. The World Health 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention, in respect of the
Organization, with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, meeting time of the Committee on the Elimination of
had mapped laws on child marriage in 37 Asia-Pacific Discrimination against Women (cedaw), which was
560 Part Three: Economic and social questions

adopted by State parties in 1995 [YUN 1995, p. 1178]. session [dec.60/XI]; decided to update its General Rec-
In 2015, Sri Lanka accepted the amendment, which ommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against
would enter into force when accepted by a two-thirds women and to establish an open-ended working group
majority. for that purpose [dec.60/XII]; expanded the working
As at 31 December, the Optional Protocol to the group on women in conflict prevention, conflict and
Convention, which was adopted by the Assembly post-conflict situations [dec.60/XIII], working methods
in resolution 54/4 [YUN 1999, p. 1100] and entered [dec.60/XIV], rural women [dec.60/XV], gender-related
into force in 2000 [YUN 2000, p. 1123], had 106 State dimensions of disaster risk reduction and climate
parties. South Sudan ratified the Optional Protocol change [dec.60/XVI], and the right to education [dec.60/
on 30 April. XVII]; expanded the cedaw/UN-Women and cedaw/
Inter-Parliamentary Union working groups [dec.60/
In accordance with General Assembly resolution
XVIII & dec.60/XIX]; confirmed the co-focal points
68/138 [YUN 2013, p. 1127], the Secretary-General
on sexual and reproductive health and rights [dec.60/
submitted a July report [A/70/124] on the status of the
XX]; confirmed the gender and hiv/aids focal point
Convention, covering the period from 2 July 2013 to
[dec.60/XXI]; transformed its cedaw/Human Rights
1 July 2015.
Committee working group into a working group on
By decision 70/531 of 17 December, the General cooperation with other treaty bodies [dec.60/XXII]; and
Assembly took note of the report. transformed its focal points for cooperation with the
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights
CEDAW of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations into a
working group on cooperation with regional human
In 2015, the Committee on the Elimination of rights mechanisms [dec.60/XXIII].
Discrimination against Women (cedaw), established
in 1982 [YUN 1982, p. 1149] to monitor compliance On 21 July, by decision 2015/241, the Economic
with the 1979 Convention, held three regular sessions and Social Council took note of the Secretariat note
[E/2015/67] transmitting the results of the fifty-seventh
[A/70/38 & A/71/38].
[YUN 2014, p. 1298], fifty-eighth [ibid., p. 1299] and fifty-
Sixtieth session. At its sixtieth session (Geneva, ninth [ibid.] sessions of the Committee.
16 February–6 March) [A/70/38], cedaw adopted
concluding observations on the reports of Azerbaijan, On 17 December, by decision 70/531, the General
Denmark, Ecuador, Eritrea, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Assembly took note of the report of cedaw on its
Maldives and Tuvalu. Cedaw also considered a sixtieth session.
report of the International Labour Organization (ilo) Sixty-first session. At its sixty-first session
[CEDAW/C/60/2] and a report of the United Nations (Geneva, 6–24 July) [A/71/38], cedaw considered and
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization prepared conclusions observations on the reports of
(unesco) [CEDAW/C/60/3]. The Committee elected Bolivia, Croatia, Gambia, Namibia, Saint Vincent and
its chair [A/70/38 (dec.60/I)] and its remaining officers the Grenadines, Senegal, Spain and Viet Nam. The
[dec.60/II]; elected the members of the Working Group Committee also considered a note by the secretariat on
on Communications [dec.60/III] and of the Working ways and means of expediting the Committee’s work
Group on Inquiries [dec.60/IV]; decided to send an [CEDAW/C/61/2], a report of ilo [CEDAW/C/61/3] and
open letter to the lead author for the global study on a report of unesco [CEDAW/C/61/4]. The Committee
the implementation of Security Council resolution adopted general recommendation No. 33 (2015)
1325(2000) on women, peace and security [dec.60/V]; on women’s access to justice, by consensus [A/71/38
decided to adopt the guidance note on the construc- (dec.61/I)]. It took note of the Guidelines against In-
tive dialogue with the human rights treaty bodies timidation or Reprisals and the elements for the elab-
[dec.60/VI]; decided to adopt a framework for conclud- oration of and consultations on general comments or
ing observations [dec.60/VII]; decided to mandate its recommendations, both of which were endorsed by
Chair and Bureau to deal with cases of ill-treatment, the Chairs of the human rights treaty bodies at their
intimidation, harassment or other reprisals against twenty-seventh meeting (see p. 302) [dec.61/II & dec.61/
individuals as a consequence of their communicat- III]. The Committee decided that the growing number
ing or seeking to communicate with the Committee of individual communications registered for examina-
[dec.60/VIII]; decided that certain periodic reports of tion under article 2 of the Optional Protocol and the
State parties would be considered under the simplified backlog of cases ready for adoption were a cause of
reporting procedure [dec.60/IX]; and decided to hold a concern and decided to invite the Office of the United
half-day general discussion on gender-related dimen- Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
sions of disaster risk reduction and climate change urgently explore ways and means to address the sit-
during its sixty-third session [dec.60/X]. uation [dec.61/IV]. Cedaw also decided to request its
The Committee also confirmed the members of secretariat to send reminders to all State parties whose
the pre-sessional working group for the sixty-second reports were more than five years overdue [dec.61/V]; to
Chapter X: Women 561

send a final reminder to Antigua and Barbuda to sub- for its sixtieth (2016) session. In accordance with
mit its combined fourth to seventh periodic reports Economic and Social Council resolutions 2009/15
by 31 January 2016 [dec.61/VI]; to mandate its working [YUN 2009, p. 1155] and 2013/18 [YUN 2013, p. 1129],
group on the Convention and UN-Women to explore the Commission undertook a review and appraisal
ways and means to further develop and monitor in- of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and
dicators for target 5.1 of the sustainable development Platform for Action [YUN 1995, p. 1170] and the out-
goals in collaboration with UN-Women, and to re- comes of Beijing+5 [YUN 2000, p. 1084], including chal-
name the working group as the “working group on lenges that affected the implementation of the Platform
the Convention, UN-Women and the Sustainable for Action and the achievement of gender equality and
Development Goals” [dec.61/VII]; and to merge its fo- the empowerment of women. The Commission also
cal point on gender and hiv/aids and its focal point examined opportunities for strengthening gender
on sexual and reproductive rights into one, and to equality and the empowerment of women in the post-
confirm its co-focal points [dec.61/VIII]. 2015 development agenda through the integration of
Sixty-second session. At its sixty-second session a gender perspective.
(Geneva, 26 October–20 November) [A/71/38], cedaw The Commission adopted a political declaration
considered the reports of and adopted concluding ob- [E/2015/27 (res. 59/1)] on the occasion of the twentieth an-
servations on the reports of Lebanon, Liberia, Mad- niversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
agascar, Malawi, Portugal, the Russian Federation, [YUN 1995, p. 1168]. Ministers and representatives of
Slovakia, Slovenia, Timor-Leste, the United Arab Governments reaffirmed the Platform for Action,
Emirates and Uzbekistan. It also considered a report welcomed progress made and expressed concern that
of unesco [CEDAW/C/62/2] and adopted a statement progress had been slow and uneven, noting that no
on the refugee crisis and the protection of women country had fully achieved equality and empowerment
and girls [A/71/38 (dec.62/I)]. It decided to replace for women and girls 20 years after the Fourth World
the standard paragraph on the mdgs and the post- Conference on Women. They pledged to take further
2015 development framework in its concluding ob- concrete action to ensure the full, effective and accel-
servations with a new standard paragraph on the erated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [dec.62/ Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the
II], and to amend decisions 50/II [dec.62/III] and 52/ twenty-third (2000) special session of the General As-
VIII [dec.62/VI]. The Committee also decided that the sembly. The Commission held four ministerial round
length of concluding observations should not exceed tables and nine interactive panels on cross-cutting top-
6,000 words [dec.62/IV] and the length of written ics. The Chairs’ summaries of the round tables and
information from State parties on follow-up to con- panel discussions constituted an input to the annual
cluding observations must not exceed 4,000 words theme of the Economic and Social Council for 2015
[dec.62/V]. It further decided to request the Division and were also considered by the Commission.
of Conference Management of the United Nations The Commission also brought to the Council’s at-
Office at Geneva to prepare summary records with tention a decision [dec.59/101] by which it took note of
restricted distribution for the Committee’s closed ple- the report of the Executive Director of UN-Women
nary meetings, where activities under article 8 of the on normative aspects of the work of the Entity
Optional Protocol were being considered [dec.62/VII]. [E/CN.6/2015/2]; the report of the Secretary-General
on the review and appraisal of the implementation
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session
on the recommendation of the Third Committee of the General Assembly [E/CN.6/2015/3]; a note by the
[A/70/482], adopted resolution 70/131 (Convention Secretariat on the discussion guide for the ministerial
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrim­ination round tables to be held under the overall theme
against Women) without vote [agenda item 29 (a)]. “Priorities for future action to realize gender equality,
the empowerment of women and the human rights
Commission on the Status of Women of women and girls” [E/CN.6/2015/4]; a note by the
Secretary-General transmitting to the Commission
The Commission on the Status of Women, at its and to the Human Rights Council the report of
fifty-ninth session (New York, 9–20 March) [E/2015/27], UN-Women on the activities of the United Nations
recommended to the Economic and Social Council the Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Vi-
adoption of a draft resolution on the situation of and olence against Women [E/CN.6/2015/6-A/HRC/29/3];
assistance to Palestinian women (see p. 216); a draft a report of cedaw on its fifty-fifth, fifty-sixth
resolution on the Commission’s future organization and fifty-seventh sessions [A/69/38]; a note by the
and methods of work (see p. 562); and a draft decision Secretariat transmitting the results of the fifty-eighth
on the report of the Commission on its fifty-ninth and fifty-ninth sessions of cedaw [E/CN.6/2015/9];
session and provisional agenda and documentation a 2014 letter from the President of the Economic
562 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and Social Council to the Chair of the Commission women [E/CN.6/2015/R.1 & Add.1]. The Working Group
[E/CN.6/2015/7] [YUN 2014, p. 1300]; and a note by the considered 71 confidential communications received
Secretariat on the strengthening of the Economic and by UN-Women addressed to 48 States, and noted that
Social Council [E/CN.6/2015/8]. there were 22 replies from 16 Governments. No confi-
By decision 2015/218 of 10 June, the Economic dential communication had been received from other
and Social Council took note of the Commission’s UN bodies or specialized agencies.
report on its fifty-ninth session and approved the pro- The communications most frequently concerned
visional agenda and documentation for its sixtieth sexual violence against women and girls and other
(2016) session. forms of violence; serious and systemic violations of
Communication. In an 8 December letter their human rights and the rights of women human
[E/CN.6/2016/11] to the Commission Chair, the right defenders; abuse of power by law enforcement;
Economic and Social Council President outlined res- inadequate conditions for women in detention and
olutions and decisions adopted at the 2015 session of penitentiary system; violations of the right to health;
the Council that had relevance to functional commis- discrimination; ineffective implementation and/or
sions, calling for action by relevant UN bodies. enforcement of laws aimed at promoting and protect-
Other reports. Documents issued in 2015, ing women’s human rights; legislation and/or stereo-
to be addressed during the Commission’s 2016 typical practices that discriminated against women in
session, included reports of the Secretary-General various areas; and failure by States to combat stereo-
on women’s empowerment and the links to sustain- types concerning women.
able development [E/CN.6/2016/3]; review of the im- During its consideration of communications, the
plementation of the agreed conclusions from the Working Group expressed concern about violence
fifty-seventh (2014) session of the Commission against women and girls, including torture, targeted
[E/CN.6/2016/4]; women, the girl child and hiv and killings, rape and other forms of sexual violence, as
aids [E/CN.6/2016/9]; and proposals for priority themes well as harassment and detention of women human
for the Commission’s future sessions [E/CN.6/2016/10]. rights defenders; child and forced marriage, and their
There were also notes by the Secretariat on the results adverse effects on the rights of women and girls; vi-
of the sixty-first and sixty-second sessions of cedaw olations of the right of women to health; the persis-
[E/CN.6/2016/13]; and by the Secretary-General trans- tence of gender stereotypes; the continued existence of
mitting the report of UN-Women on the activities of legislation and/or practices that discriminated against
the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions women; discrimination and violence against vulnera-
to Eliminate Violence against Women in 2015 ble groups of women and girls; the persisting climate
[E/CN.6/2016/8]; as well as a report of the UN-Women of impunity and abuse of power; and the failure by
Executive Director on normative aspects of the work States to exercise due diligence to prevent all forms of
of the Entity [E/CN.6/2016/2]. discrimination and violence against women and girls.
The Working Group appreciated the cooperation
Future organization and working methods extended by the Governments in submitting replies
to communications received, and called upon oth-
The Commission on the Status of Women, at its ers to do so in the future. The Working Group was
fifty-ninth session (New York, 9–20 March) [E/2015/27] encouraged that some Governments had carried
(see p. 561), recommended to the Economic and Social out investigations into allegations, explained their
Council for approval a draft resolution on the future positions or taken measures, including improv-
organization and methods of the Commission’s work. ing enforcement of existing legislation, introducing
programmes and services to better protect and assist
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
women, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators of
On 8 June [meeting 32], the Economic and Social violence, and making efforts to guarantee the human
Council adopted resolution 2015/6 [draft: E/2015/27] rights of women.
(Future organization and methods of work of the
Commission on the Status of Women) without vote UN-Women
[agenda item 19 (a)].
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
Communications on the status of women and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women),
established by General Assembly resolution 64/289
At a closed meeting on 18 March [E/2015/27], the [YUN 2010, p. 1396], became fully operational in 2011
Commission considered the report of the Working [YUN 2011, p. 1093]. That resolution consolidated and
Group on Communications on the Status of Women transferred to the Entity the mandates and func-
[E/CN.6/2015/R.2] and a note by the Secretary-General tions of four former entities—the United Nations
transmitting the list of confidential communications Development Fund for Women, the Office of the
and replies by Governments concerning the status of Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement
Chapter X: Women 563

of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Executive Director of UN-Women on the strategic
Women, and the International Research and Training plan, 2014–2017 (see p. 564); on the report of the
Institute for the Advancement of Women—engaged Entity’s evaluation function, 2014 (see p. 564); and
in the field of gender equality and the empowerment on the report on internal audit and investigation
of women. In 2015, its work continued to be guided activities for the period from 1 January to 31 Decem-
by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ber 2014 (see p. 565). The session included a special
of Discrimination against Women [YUN 1979, p. 889], briefing on the operational response of UN-Women at
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action the country level. The Board also considered a report
[YUN 1995, p. 1170], Security Council resolution on the field visit of the Bureau of the Board to Viet
1325(2000) [YUN 2000, p. 1113] on women and peace Nam in December 2014.
and security, and the United Nations Millennium Second regular session. At its second regular
Declaration [YUN 2000, p. 49] and the Millennium session (New York, 15–16 September) [UNW/2015/12],
Development Goals. the Executive Board adopted the provisional agenda
To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Fourth and workplan for the second regular session; approved
World Conference on Women [YUN 1995, p. 1169], the report on its annual session (see above); approved
UN-Women and the Government of China co- the proposed provisional agenda and workplan for the
organized the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender first regular session of 2016; and discussed the draft
Equality and Women’s Empowerment (New York, annual workplan for 2016. The Board adopted two
27 September), held in conjunction with the United decisions: on the structured dialogue on financing
Nations Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 (see p. 566); and on the integrated budget for the bi-
development agenda (see p. 396). The meeting ennium 2016–2017, as contained in the compilation
brought together more than 70 world leaders to com- of decisions adopted by the Executive Board in 2015
mit to eliminating gaps in gender equality. It aimed (see p. 566). During the session, the following evalua-
to build support and renew political commitment for tions were presented: the meta-analysis of evaluations
the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and managed by the Entity in 2014, the evaluation of the
Platform for Action and galvanize implementation Entity’s normative support work and its linkages to
of sustainable development goal 5—Achieve gender operational activities, and the review of corporate
equality and empower all women and girls—and the gender equality evaluations in the UN system. The
gender-specific targets across the entire 2030 Agenda session included briefings on the UN-Women youth
for Sustainable Development. strategy and the operational response of UN-Women
at the country level.
Executive Board All six decisions adopted by the Executive Board
at its 2015 sessions were subsequently compiled in a
First regular session. At its first regular session September document [UNW/2015/11].
(New York, 9 February) [UNW/2015/3], the Executive
Board adopted the annotated provisional agenda Election of new members. In a 28 January note
and workplan for its first regular session of 2015 and [E/2015/9/Add.7] to the Economic and Social Council,
approved the report on its second regular session of the Secretary-General noted the 17 members of the
2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1302]. The Executive Board also Executive Board from Member States to be elected
approved the proposed provisional agenda and work- by the Council for a three-year term beginning on
plan for the annual session of 2015 (see below) and 1 January 2016 in accordance with resolution 2010/35
adopted the draft annual workplan for the year. The [YUN 2010, p. 1180].
Executive Board adopted a decision on the report of On 10 April, by decision 2015/201 C, the
the Global Evaluation Advisory Committee on the Economic and Social Council elected the 17 Member
external assessments of the evaluation function of States: Antigua and Barbuda, Comoros, Croatia, Ga-
the Entity (see p. 565). The session included briefings bon, Germany, Guyana, Iran, Liberia, Luxembourg,
on the work of UN-Women with men and boys and Namibia, Pakistan, Panama, Russian Federation,
the HeForShe campaign; the operational response of Samoa, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and United Arab
UN-Women to the Ebola crisis in West Africa; financ- Emirates.
ing the strategic plan, 2014–2017; and audit. The Council also elected Canada, Denmark, and
Annual session. At the annual session (New Spain for a term beginning on 1 January 2016 to re-
York, 30 June–2 July) [UNW/2015/7], the Executive place Portugal, Israel and Italy, respectively, who were
Board adopted the annotated provisional agenda and resigning from their seats effective 31 December 2015,
workplan for the annual session; approved the report in accordance with Council resolution 2010/35 of
on its first regular session (see above); and approved 25 October 2010. The Council further elected Neth-
the proposed provisional agenda and workplan for erlands, Norway and Sweden for a term beginning on
the second regular session (see below). The Board 1 January 2016 to replace United States, Denmark
adopted three decisions: on the progress report of the and Spain, respectively, who were resigning from
564 Part Three: Economic and social questions

their seats effective 31 December 2015, in accordance and participation in politics. UN-Women also worked
with paragraph 61 (a) of General Assembly resolution with policymakers, economic institutions and women
64/289 of 2 July 2010. in 76 countries to bridge the gap between rising
economic and social inequalities. The Entity provided
support to 80 countries in their efforts to end violence
Functional areas against women, as well as worked on women’s lead-
Operational activities ership in peace, security and humanitarian response
in 66 countries. UN-Women worked in support of
UN-Women strategic plan 2014–2017. In May, 73 countries to strengthen gender equality priorities
the Executive Director submitted to the Executive in their development plans and budgets.
Board the first report [UNW/2015/6] on progress made
in the implementation of the 2014–2017 strategic plan During the year, UN-Women engaged inter-
[YUN 2013, p. 1133], including operational activities
agency networks to promote coherence and con-
in 2014. The report contained information on how tributed to the work of the United Nations System
UN-Women had responded to the recommendations Chief Executives Board for Coordination and its three
of Assembly resolution 67/226 [YUN 2012, p. 859] on pillars. The Inter-Agency Network on Women and
the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of op- Gender Equality and the High-level Committee on
erational activities for development of the UN system. Programmes were also mobilized for the commem-
oration of the twentieth anniversary of the Beijing
Regarding its normative role, UN-Women’s exper- Declaration and Platform for Action. In 2014, 62 enti-
tise, knowledge base and alliances and partnerships ties and departments of the UN system reported pro-
facilitated progress of the expansion of the global gress in 14 of the 15 indicators of the United Nations
normative framework of the UN system. The Entity’s System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the
advocacy efforts and normative support contributed Empowerment of Women and 51 per cent of indi-
to the only comprehensive intergovernmental con- cators of the Action Plan were rated as meeting or
sideration of the situation of women and girls by the exceeding requirements, an increase from 31 per cent
Commission on the Status of Women regarding each in 2012. UN-Women offices supported more than
of the mdgs; the successful negotiations on gender 100 initiatives promoting South-South cooperation
equality at the sixty-ninth (2014) session of the General and triangular cooperation.
Assembly, which resulted in a further strengthened
The Entity also began implementing steps to
framework as regards ending violence against women
strengthen results-based management. UN-Women
and girls, eliminating female genital mutilation, and
core and non-core resources reached their high-
addressing trafficking in women and girls; and the
est level since the Entity’s establishment. The year
preparation for the third International Conference
2014 marked the first year since the establishment of
on Small Island Developing States. The Entity also
UN-Women that budget targets had been met, with
advocated to ensure that gender equality and the
final revenue from voluntary contributions at $163.7
empowerment of women remained central to the post-
million in regular resources and $159.2 million in
2015 development agenda by supporting the inclusion
other resources, resulting in $12.9 million in addi-
of a stand-alone goal and gender-sensitive targets. In
tional resources being received than budgeted.
2014 and early 2015, the review of the implementation
of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and On 2 July [UNW/2015/7 (dec. 2015/2)], the Executive
the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of Board took note of the report on the progress made on
its adoption were key priorities. UN-Women worked UN-Women’s strategic plan and requested the Entity
towards renewing the political impetus around gender to continue to improve its efficiency, effectiveness,
equality and women’s empowerment, strengthening transparency and accountability.
the advocacy and evidence base, enhancing social and
resource mobilization and building social and political Evaluation
movements, and revitalizing public engagement. In Report on evaluation function, 2014. In compli-
that regard 167 Member States submitted national ance with the UN-Women evaluation policy and the
reports on progress made. 2014–2017 strategic plan, the UN-Women Evaluation
In 2014, UN-Women delivered programme Office submitted its annual report [UNW/2015/5] on
support in 86 countries, with its country programmes the performance of its evaluation function; the contri-
incorporating a total of 513 country programme bution of UN-Women to the UN system-wide coor-
outcomes, supported by 1,072 planned outputs dination of gender-responsive evaluation and national
and 3,596 activities. UN-Women worked on the evaluation capacity development; and the 2015
reform and adoption of gender-responsive constitu- programme of work for the independent Evaluation
tions, legal frameworks and policies in 46 countries. Office.
In 42 countries, the Entity advocated for gender- In 2014, the independent Evaluation Office pre-
responsive measures to promote women’s leadership pared a comprehensive evaluation strategic plan
Chapter X: Women 565

to operationalize UN-Women’s evaluation policy and of the recommendation to incorporate a separate

[YUN 2012, p. 1122]. A global evaluation oversight budget line for evaluation activities to be considered
system was established by the independent Evaluation by the Executive Board in the integrated budget for
Office to provide transparent information on the 2016–2017. It requested the Entity to continue to
performance of the evaluation function. It contained strengthen its evaluation capacity, and to carry out an
eight key performance indicators: financial resources, internal review of the current evaluation policy and
human resources, coverage and types of evaluations, to report thereon within the framework of the annual
implementation rate of planned evaluations, quality report on the evaluation function, with the review to
of evaluation reports, submission rate of completed be considered by the Executive Board at its annual
evaluation reports to the Global Accountability and session for 2016.
Tracking of Evaluation Use system, management
response submission to the Global Accountability Administrative and budgetary matters
and Tracking of Evaluation Use system, and im-
plementation status of management response. The Board of Auditors report
report revealed that of the eight indicators, four were In its financial report and audited financial state-
achieved or on track, while the other four needed ments [A/70/5/Add.12] on UN-Women for the year
further improvement. Those key performance indica- ended 31 December 2014, the Board of Auditors
tors continued to be presented to senior management reported a total revenue of $332.9 million and total
at headquarters and field offices, highlighting areas expenses of $270.5 million, resulting in a surplus of
of strengths and issues that required immediate $62.4 million.
management attention. In addition, the independent
The Board noted that UN-Women had shown
Evaluation Office presented to the Executive Board
progress on financial reporting since it adopted the
two corporate evaluations: one on peace and security International Public Sector Accounting Standards in
and the other on the joint evaluation of joint gender 2012; it observed, however, that the Entity remained
programmes. underfunded compared with the agreed resource tar-
In 2014, UN-Women intensified its support on gets and start-up capital suggested by the Secretary-
system-wide coordination on gender responsive General.
evaluation in five areas: the United Nations Evaluation As at 31 December 2014, UN-Women had total as-
Group and regional UN evaluation groups; the UN sets of $427.3 million and total liabilities of $81.7 mil-
System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the lion. Of the total revenue of $332.9 million, voluntary
Empowerment of Women; independent system-wide contributions amounted to $322.8 million, equivalent
evaluation; supporting joint evaluations and United to 97 per cent of total revenue. UN-Women recorded
Nations Development Assistance Framework eval- a 17.2 per cent increase in voluntary contributions
uations; and the gender equality evaluation portal. compared with the previous year.
UN-Women also supported national and regional
The Board recommended that UN-Women iden-
gender-responsive evaluation capacities, including by
tify new and strengthen current sources of non-core
declaring 2015 as the International Year of Evaluation.
resources and modalities; expand and deepen contri-
On 2 July [UNW/2015/7 (dec. 2015/3)], the Executive butions from non-traditional donors, individual do-
Board took note of the report on the evaluation func- nors and UN-Women national committees; enhance
tion for 2014 and the programme of work for 2015 its accountability and monitoring of advances to im-
of the independent Evaluation Office, and requested plementing partners at the project level; and enhance
the Entity to continue to strengthen its evaluation its efforts in liquidating the outstanding advances
capacity. with such partners.
Report of Global Evaluation Advisory Com-
mittee. In February [UNW/2015/CRP.1], the Global Internal audit and investigation activities
Evaluation Advisory Committee presented its own In April, the UN-Women Audit Unit, estab-
overall assessment and recommendations to the lished in January 2012, of the Office of Audit and
UN-Women Executive Board. The Committee Investigations of the United Nations Development
concluded that UN-Women had a strong central Programme, submitted a report [UNW/2015/4] on the
evaluation function and emphasized the vital role Entity’s internal audit and investigation function for
evaluation played in bringing evidence and knowl- the year ended 31 December 2014. The report in-
edge to the normative, operational and coordination cluded information on the number, nature and out-
work of UN-Women. comes of investigation cases conducted during the
On 9 February [UNW/2015/3 (dec. 2015/1)], the year. The report of the Audit Advisory Committee of
Executive Board took note of the report of the Global UN-Women and the management response thereto
Evaluation Advisory Committee on the external were contained in the addendum [UNW/2015/4/Add.1]
assessments of the evaluation function of UN-Women, to the report.
566 Part Three: Economic and social questions

On 2 July [UNW/2015/7 (dec. 2015/4)], the Executive million for the institutional budget to support
Board took note of the two reports. organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

Biennial budget 2016–2017 Structured dialogue on financing

In a July report [UNW/2015/9], the Executive Board In July, UN-Women submitted a strategic brief
of UN-Women proposed an integrated budget with on resource mobilization [UNW/2015/10] pursuant to
projected voluntary contributions of $880 million for decision 2014/6 [YUN 2014, p. 1302] of the Executive
2016–2017 and requested an appropriation of $196.4 Board as part of its structured dialogue on the fi-
million (gross). The two-year integrated budget was nancing of the strategic plan, 2014–2017. It high-
aligned with the four-year strategic plan and comple- lighted the resources necessary to fully implement
mented funding from assessed contributions within the strategic plan and to achieve transformational
the regular budget. results for women and girls worldwide. It also outlined
ACABQ report. Also in July [UNW/2015/8], some of the risks of not achieving an adequate level
the Advisory Committee on Administrative and of funding and the steps that it had taken to progres-
Budgetary Questions (acabq) recommended approval sively reach that level by mobilizing both regular and
of the integrated budget estimates for UN-Women other resources.
for the 2016–2017 biennium and that the Executive On 16 September [UNW/2015/11 (dec. 2015/5)], the
Board approve an appropriation in the amount of Executive Board took note of the strategic brief, and
$189 million (gross), including $27 million for cost requested UN-Women to engage in informal dialogue
recovery for other resources. with Member States to ensure ongoing discussion, ex-
On 16 September [UNW/2015/11 (dec. 2015/6)], the change of information and analysis of funding issues
Executive Board took note of the details included in and options; submit an analysis of the predictability,
the integrated budget estimates, the related report of flexibility and alignment of resources provided for the
acabq and the related response [UNW/2015/CRP.15] implementation of the approved strategic plan; and
of UN-Women to the report of the Committee. It continue to respond to the evolving development op-
approved gross resources in the amount of $196.4 portunities to expand its partnerships.
Chapter XI

Children

In 2015, the United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef) 61/272 [YUN 2007, p. 1201], the Secretary-General sub-
continued working to protect the rights and improve mitted his thirteenth report on the follow-up to the
the well-being of every child, especially the most dis- Assembly’s twenty-seventh (2002) special session on
advantaged. Eleven of the 17 sustainable development children [YUN 2002, p. 1168]. He reviewed progress
goals—adopted in September to build on the achieved in realizing the commitments set out in the
Millennium Development Goals and guide global Declaration and Plan of Action from the session’s fi-
development efforts through 2030—were specifically nal document, “A world fit for children”, adopted in
relevant for the health and well-being of children and resolution S-27/2 [ibid., p. 1169], and highlighted gaps
adolescents. They also represented a renewed respon- in achievement and the strategic shifts necessary for
sibility for unicef to work with partners around the attaining unmet goals. The Secretary-General also
world to find new ways to meet the needs of children in reviewed progress in the four major areas of the Plan
the most difficult circumstances and to make the big- of Action: promoting healthy lives; providing quality
gest impact in the lives of the children at greatest risk. education; protecting against abuse, exploitation and
Unicef stepped up its response to both en- violence; and combating hiv/aids.
trenched and new challenges during the year. Its In the area of health, the Secretary-General noted
programme assistance expenditure totalled $4,768.4 that the global under-five mortality rate had declined
million and focused on seven outcome areas: health; by 50 per cent since 1990. Globally, the annual rate
education; water, sanitation and hygiene; child of reduction had more than tripled since the early
protection; nutrition; social inclusion; and hiv/aids. 1990s, and the accelerated progress had saved almost
Unicef responded to 310 humanitarian situations in 100 million children below the age of five over the
102 countries in 2015—an unprecedented number past two decades, including 24 million newborns.
and a 5 per cent increase over 2014—providing Yet that achievement was not sufficient to meet the
tens of millions of children with vaccinations; basic Millennium Development Goal target of a two-
education; psychosocial support; interventions to thirds reduction in under-five mortality between
prevent and respond to sexual violence; and support 1990 and 2015. Between 1990 and 2013, 223 million
for handwashing practices. In both humanitarian and children worldwide died before their fifth birthday.
non-humanitarian contexts, unicef focused on system Sub-Saharan Africa shouldered the greatest burden—​
strengthening so that communities could anticipate 1 in 11 children born in that region died before the
and absorb shocks in the event of disasters. age of five, which was nearly 15 times the average of
In February, the unicef Executive Board increased 1 in 159 children in high-income countries. Millions
the ceiling of the unicef Emergency Programme of children still lacked access to quality care, immu-
Fund to $75 million per annum, to improve the nizations and affordable life-saving commodities,
ability of unicef to provide an immediate, effective such as antibiotics, oral rehydration salts and drugs
and predictable response to the needs of children to treat malaria. In 2013, pneumonia, diarrhea and
and women affected by humanitarian emergencies. malaria accounted for approximately one third of
It also increased the authorized capitalization of the all under-five deaths, and pneumonia alone was re-
revolving fund of the Vaccine Independence Initiative sponsible for 13 per cent of under-five fatalities. The
to $100 million, and approved the utilization of the share of neonatal deaths in all deaths among children
fund to support the procurement of non-vaccine under the age of five had increased from 36 per cent
commodities, including for health, nutrition, water, in 1990 to 44 per cent in 2012. By the end of 2014,
sanitation and hygiene, and education supplies, and to 129 countries had achieved at least 90 per cent
support contracting arrangements for a secure supply national coverage for measles and diphtheria/teta-
or reduced prices of vaccines and other commodities. nus/pertussis immunization for children under one
year of age. Regarding polio, while the total number
of global polio cases had fallen from 416 in 2013 to
359 in 2014, with cases in Nigeria falling from 53
Follow-up to 2002 General Assembly in 2013 to 6 in 2014, insecurity had given rise to an
special session on children increase in cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Vari-
ous forms of undernutrition were persistent obstacles
In August [A/70/265], pursuant to General for the healthy development of children. Globally, in
Assembly resolutions 58/282 [YUN 2004, p. 1175] and 2013, one in four children under the age of five were

567
568 Part Three: Economic and social questions

stunted (too short for their age). Although stunted achieved the 2015 target of eliminating gender dis-
growth remained pervasive and challenging to over- parity in primary education, and 48 per cent of
come, progress was made. Between 2000 and 2013, countries in secondary education. Globally, the rate
the global prevalence of stunted growth declined from of completion of lower secondary education increased
33 per cent to 25 per cent, and the number of children by 66 per cent in low- and middle-income countries
affected fell from 199 million to 161 million. An esti- between 1990 and 2011. Most of the progress took
mated 51 million children under the age of five were place in East Asia and the Pacific, where rates dou-
wasted (low weight for height), and 17 million were bled to 99 per cent. In contrast, the completion rate
severely wasted. Vitamin A deficiency and anaemia was just 26 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. Gender
affected 190 million and 273 million children, re- disparity was particularly acute at the lower second-
spectively, impeding their growth and development. ary level, with only about 56 per cent of countries
Anaemia also afflicted 38 per cent of pregnant women expected to achieve gender parity in lower secondary
and 29 per cent of non-pregnant women. Its preva- education by 2015. A large proportion of children
lence was highest in sub-Saharan Africa and South with disabilities remained out of school, and the un-
Asia. To address those challenges, the global nutrition dercounting of children with disabilities was a major
community unified behind the Scaling Up Nutrition impediment to improving their access to education.
movement, which brought together Governments, UN agencies mounted a robust response to serve the
civil society, businesses and citizens to support na- millions of children who lost access to school because
tionally driven processes to reduce malnutrition. As of emergencies, including the 5 million kept out of
at 2014, 54 countries were members of the movement, the classroom by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
which concentrated on exclusive breastfeeding, food Unicef reached 8.6 million children in humanitarian
fortification, micronutrient supplementation and situations with formal and non-formal education. The
treatment of severe malnutrition. The United Nations Global Partnership for Education, a multi-stakeholder
Children’s Fund (unicef) continued to promote the partnership and funding platform that united Gov-
fortification of wheat flour with folic acid and iron ernments, donor entities, international organizations,
to help prevent birth defects and improve iron status civil society, teacher organizations, the private sector
among women of childbearing age. Home fortifica- and foundations to mobilize global and national
tion using micronutrient powders was a relatively new efforts towards the achievement of equitable, quality
solution and a promising tool to improve diet qual- education and learning for all, raised $2.1 billion at
ity among young children. Through integrated child its replenishment event in 2014. Governments prom-
health events, unicef also continued to assure high ised an additional $26 billion in domestic resources
coverage of vitamin A supplementation in developing to increase their education funding; and the United
countries; globally, 65 per cent of children aged from Nations Girls’ Education Initiative continued to
6 to 59 months were protected with the needed two contribute to advancing girls’ education and gender
annual doses of vitamin A in 2013. equality in education worldwide through policy advo-
In the area of education, nearly 58 million children cacy, knowledge sharing and communication.
of primary-school age were denied their right to basic Progress on protecting children from abuse, ex-
education, as were an additional 63 million children ploitation and violence continued to gain traction,
of lower secondary school age. Between 1999 and including through deliberations on the sustainable
2012, the number of children out of school world- development agenda. To coincide with the launch
wide declined by almost half from 106 million to of the second phase of the #ENDViolence against
58 million, but progress had stagnated significantly children initiative, unicef released two documents:
since 2012 and Millennium Development Goal 2 “Hidden in Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of vi-
(universal primary education) was missed by a wide olence against children”, which was the largest-ever
margin. Opportunities for children to access quality compilation of data on violence against children, and
education were impeded by poverty, demographic “Ending Violence against Children: Six strategies
pressures and disadvantages based on gender, socio- for action”. Efforts to support the strengthening of
economic status, disability, culture and traditions. child protection systems remained integral, and by
Early childhood development had become a concrete the end of 2014, 137 countries had worked to en-
part of the global development agenda, and access to hance those systems, compared with 104 in 2013.
preschool education remained a key strategy to facil- Corporal punishment had been prohibited in the
itate children’s entrance to school at the right age, to home in 44 countries, compared with 26 in 2013,
keep them in school and to ensure that they learn. and in 2014, unicef supported a range of interven-
Worldwide enrolment in pre-primary schooling rose tions to combat child labour in 55 countries, reach-
by 64 per cent from 1999 to 2012, and girls accounted ing nearly 4.5 million children. The United Nations
for 49 per cent of that increase. While gender dis- Population Fund (unfpa)/unicef Joint Programme
parity in primary education had been substantially on the Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/
reduced since 1999, only 69 per cent of countries Cutting entered its sixth year and was in the second
Chapter XI: Children 569

phase, covering 2014–2017. In 2014, over 23,000 often bypassed people who were very poor, lived in
girls and women in 17 countries received services as isolated rural areas, lived with disabilities, or were
a result of the programme, and 1,007 communities members of indigenous groups or other marginalized
across 13 countries declared their abandonment of the communities. Stakeholders called for those inequities
practice. Unicef responded to the protection needs to be addressed across the new development agenda
of children in 73 countries affected by armed con- and called for disaggregated data to monitor the pro-
flict and natural disasters, including three large-scale gress of different income and social groups.
(Level 3) emergencies. About 3.1 million children
received psychosocial support and access to child-
friendly spaces. More than 33,000 unaccompanied Promotion and protection
and separated children in 22 crisis-affected countries
were placed in alternative care, and almost 12,000 of the rights of children
were reunified with families or caregivers. Over
10,000 children were released by armed forces/armed At the request of the General Assembly [A/70/485],
groups, and more than 432,000 children, primarily the Third (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Com-
girls and women, received some form of multisectoral mittee considered the item on the promotion and
support services in relation to gender-based violence, protection of the rights of children. The Committee
exploitation and abuse across 35 countries. To address had before it a report of the Secretary-General on the
the needs of the growing number of young children follow-up to the outcome of the special session of the
living in emergency contexts, support for humanita- General Assembly on children [A/70/265]; a report of
rian programmes increased during the year. Those in- the Secretary-General on the girl child [A/70/267]; a
cluded the creation of an early childhood development report of the Secretary-General on the status of the
kit for young children and their caregivers in conflict Convention on the Rights of the Child [A/70/315]; a
and post conflict situations, which reached over 4 mil- report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-
lion children and helped provide a sense of safety and General for Children and Armed Conflict [A/70/162];
normalcy in those situations. the annual report of the Special Representative of
Approximately 3.1 million children under the age the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
of 15 were living with hiv at the end of 2013. From [A/70/289]; and a note by the Secretary-General trans-
2009–2013, new hiv infections among children were mitting the report of the Special Rapporteur on the
reduced by 40 per cent, which surpassed the achieve- sale of children, child prostitution and child pornog-
ments of the entire previous decade. Worldwide, more raphy [A/70/222]. At the end of the debate, the Com-
than 1 million new paediatric hiv infections had been mittee recommended that the General Assembly
averted since 2005 through programmes providing adopt two draft resolutions on the rights of the child
antiretroviral medicines for the prevention of mother- and on the girl child (see below).
to-child transmission. In 2012, unicef led advocacy The General Assembly, by resolution 70/137 of
efforts to offer preventative antiretroviral treatment to 17 December (see p. 300), urged States that had not
all pregnant and breastfeeding women living with hiv yet done so to accede to or ratify the Convention on
in 22 priority countries, and in 2013, 100,000 more the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols
pregnant women had received the treatment com- thereto and to implement them effectively and fully;
pared with the previous year. Despite that progress, at to take immediate measures to end child labour in all
the end of 2013 only 23 per cent of infected children its forms, and to promote education as a key strategy
were receiving antiretroviral therapy worldwide, com- in that regard; to consider ratifying both the Worst
pared with 38 per cent of infected adults; and aids re- Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182),
mained the leading cause of death among adolescents and the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138),
in Africa and second leading cause of death among of the International Labour Organization; and to
adolescents globally. In 2013 alone, aids claimed the take effective measures to prohibit, prevent and elim-
lives of 120,000 adolescents worldwide aged between inate all forms of violence against children, including
10 and 19. harmful practices in all situations. The Assembly also
The Secretary-General noted that the sustainable called upon States to prevent, prosecute and punish
development goals (sdgs)—building on the progress all forms of the sale and trafficking of children, in-
of the Millennium Development Goals (mdgs)— cluding child prostitution and pornography, with the
would guide global development efforts through aim of eradicating those practices; to protect children
2030 and that eleven of the 17 sdgs were especially affected by armed conflict; and to give full effect to
relevant for children. Genuine and lasting engage- the right to education for all children, including by
ment by children and young people—increasing their eliminating disparities in education related to gender,
participation in matters that affect their well-being— children with disabilities and children in vulnerable
was imperative for attaining sustainable results. A or marginalized situations. In resolution 70/138 of
major lesson from the mdg era was that progress had 17 December (see p. 559), concerning the girl child,
570 Part Three: Economic and social questions

the Assembly urged States to improve the situation Innovation for equity—as endorsed by unicef and
of girl children living in poverty and deprived of its partners—aimed to reach children not reached
adequate food and nutrition, water and sanitation by traditional approaches; addressed the needs of
services, healthcare, shelter and education. It stressed marginalized and vulnerable children and families;
the need for the full and urgent implementation of anchored its approach on children’s rights, so that all
the rights of the girl child as provided under various children and their families had an equal chance to en-
human rights instruments, including through erad- joy high-quality goods and services; engaged children,
icating all forms of discrimination against women young people and their communities as agents of
and girls; emphasizing quality education for the girl change; and stemmed from local social, cultural,
child; developing or reviewing programmes that economic, institutional and political circumstances
promoted gender equality and equal access to basic in that it was adaptable and scalable within specific
social services; ensuring that girls enjoyed the highest contexts, and sustainable within countries’ or com-
standard of health, including sexual and reproductive munities’ financial and environmental constraints. To
health; enacting, upholding and enforcing laws and mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Convention
policies aimed at preventing and ending child, early of the Rights of the Child, the report highlighted the
and forced marriage; taking all measures necessary work of young innovators who were reimagining the
to ensure the full enjoyment by girls with disabilities future, and included the largest contribution of essays
of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, on and stories from young people since unicef published
an equal basis with other children; formulating and the first State of the World’s Children in 1980. Those
reviewing national plans, programmes and strategies stories of the innovators centered around six themes:
to eliminate all forms of violence against women and engaging youth, sparking creativity, working with
girls; and creating an environment in which the well- communities, adapting solutions, reaching children,
being of the girl child was ensured, among others, by and rethinking structures. Unicef operations in 2015
supporting and participating in the realization of the were described in the unicef Annual Report 2015
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. and the annual report of the Executive Director on
performance and results for 2015, including a report
on implementation of the quadrennial comprehensive
policy review [E/ICEF/2016/6 & Add.1, 2].
United Nations Children’s Fund
Executive Board
In 2015, the United Nations Children’s Fund
(unicef) continued its work towards achieving the The Executive Board of unicef held its first reg-
Millennium Development Goals (mdgs) [YUN 2000, ular session (3–5 February), its annual session (16–
p. 41] and the goals set out by the General Assembly’s 18 June) and its second regular session (8–10 Septem-
2002 special session on Children [YUN 2002, p. 1168] ber), all in New York [E/2015/34/Rev.1], during which it
in the document “A world fit for children” [ibid., adopted 16 decisions.
p. 1169]. The work of unicef was also guided by the On 18 June [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/7)], the
1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted Executive Board took note of the annual report of the
by the Assembly in resolution 44/25 [YUN 1989, p. 560], unicef Executive Director covering 2014, including
and its Optional Protocols. In line with its Strategic implementation of the quadrennial comprehensive
Plan (2014–2017) [YUN 2013, p. 1141], unicef ad- policy review [E/ICEF/2015/5 & Add.1], and decided
dressed seven outcome areas: health; hiv/aids; water, to transmit the report to the Economic and Social
sanitation and hygiene; nutrition; education; child Council. The Executive Board also requested unicef
protection; and social inclusion. to link future annual reports of the Executive Director
The annual unicef flagship publication, The State to the Integrated Results and Resources Framework
of the World’s Children 2015: Reimagine the Future of the Strategic Plan (2014–2017) [YUN 2014, p. 1310];
advocated fresh thinking to address age-old prob- to introduce a scorecard, in consultation with mem-
lems that continued to affect the most disadvantaged bers of the Executive Board, on development and
children. The report highlighted how new ways of organizational performance; and to provide, in the
solving problems—often emerging from local com- Data Companion—issued in 2014 to accompany the
munities and young people themselves—could help annual report of the unicef Executive Director—
overcome the enduring inequities that prevented mil- data on the completion of key activities disaggregated
lions of children from surviving, thriving and mak- by various groups of countries.
ing the most of their potential. The report noted that On 10 September [dec. 2015/15], the Board adopted
for all children to have an equal chance at reaching the programme of work for its 2016 session.
their potential, innovation had to benefit not only The unicef Executive Director submitted an
those who could afford it, but also meet the needs annual report [E/ICEF/2016/6] on performance and
and advance the rights of those who had the least. results for 2015, including on implementation of
Chapter XI: Children 571

the quadrennial comprehensive policy review. The and the timely collection and dissemination of disag-
report incorporated both the annual report of the gregated data were likewise essential for the delivery of
Executive Director for 2015 and the midterm review high-quality services. He noted the importance of be-
of the unicef Strategic Plan (2014–2017) [YUN 2013, ing flexible to adapt unicef programming to diverse
p. 1141]. It highlighted the situation of children at the settings, and of the continued application of results-
2015 onset of the sdgs framework; results achieved based management principles to unicef work, while
by unicef and partners in the seven outcome areas strengthening systems for tracking performance at the
of the Strategic Plan and in organizational efficiency national level. Going forward, unicef would address
and effectiveness; key lessons learned for the remain- the remaining gaps from the mdgs while also pursu-
ing period of the Strategic Plan; and considerations ing partnerships across the UN system, the private
for the follow-up Strategic Plan in the context of sector and civil society to respond in an integrated
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It way to the challenges to child well-being highlighted
was accompanied by the revised results framework by the 2030 Agenda, including climate change, ur-
of the Strategic Plan [E/ICEF/2016/6/Add.2]; an ad- banization, displacement, the demographic transition
dendum on the implementation of the quadrennial and growing challenges in the second decade of life.
comprehensive policy review of operational activities
for development of the UN system [YUN 2012, p. 859], Programme policies
and achievements against the Integrated Results and
Resources Framework of the Strategic Plan (2014– Strategic plan (2014–2017)
2017) [E/ICEF/2016/6/Add.1]; a scorecard and data com- Financial estimates
panion; and a paper on lessons learned in the first two
years of the Strategic Plan. The Executive Board, at its second regular session
Under its mandate of concentrating on the children in September, had before it the four-year financial
in greatest need everywhere, unicef and its partners framework [E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.4] of the unicef Strategic
continued to achieve results for children in a wide va- Plan (2014–2017), in accordance with Executive
riety of settings. In 2015, 55 million children were Board decisions 2000/3 and 2013/20. Total revenue
vaccinated for diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus; 40 mil- was forecast to be $4.71 billion in 2015, a decline
lion people gained access to improved drinking water of 9 per cent from 2014. Revenue was projected to
sources and 18 million people to improved sanitation; decrease a further 9 per cent in 2016 compared to
3 million children were treated for severe acute mal- 2015. In 2017 and 2018, revenue was expected to
nutrition; 15 million children received learning mate- resume gradual growth. Total expenditures in 2015
rials; and 10 million births were registered. In 2015, were estimated at $5 billion, exceeding forecast reve-
unicef responded to 310 humanitarian situations nue by $291 million. Unicef recommended that the
in 102 countries—an unprecedented number and Executive Board approve the framework of planned
a 5 per cent increase over 2014—providing tens of financial estimates for 2015–2018 and approve the
millions of children with measles vaccinations; ba- preparation of programme expenditure submissions
sic education; psychosocial support; interventions to to the Executive Board of up to $725 million from
prevent and respond to sexual violence; and support regular resources in 2016, subject to the availability of
for handwashing practices. In both humanitarian resources and the continued validity of the financial
and non-humanitarian contexts, unicef focused on estimates.
strengthening systems so that communities could On 10 September [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/14)],
anticipate and absorb shocks in the event of disas- the Executive Board requested that unicef present
ters. The Executive Director reported that unicef a resource mobilization strategy, based on the 2014–
was focused on adapting its country, regional and 2017 unicef Strategic Plan, and the Integrated Results
global work to the new global accords reached in and Resources Framework, at the first regular session
2015, particularly the sdgs; the Sendai Framework of 2016; submit, within the context of the annual
for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030; and the reporting on funding and resource mobilization, an
Paris Agreement on climate change. He also high- analysis of the predictability, flexibility and alignment
lighted the need to increase the application of cross- of resources provided for the implementation of the
sectoral programming, including for early childhood Strategic Plan; and continue to widen its partnership
development (ecd) and adolescence, and through with the private sector, civil society organizations,
communication for development and public engage- philanthropic organizations, the general public,
ment and advocacy. In the area of ecd, for exam- multilateral organizations, international financial
ple, some 200 million children under five were not institutions, and global public-private alliances in a
achieving their full potential due to a combination transparent and coordinated manner. The Executive
of inadequate nutrition, poor health and the lack of Board approved the integrated resources framework of
a nurturing, safe environment. Innovations had pro- the planned financial estimates for 2015–2018 and the
vided promising pathways for narrowing equity gaps, preparation of programme expenditure submissions.
572 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Board also requested that unicef provide annual countries to prepare country programme documents,
updates on the progress of funding its reserves for staff and to present an analysis for the consideration of
liabilities. the Board on existing experience in high-income
On the same date [dec. 2015/16], the Board, recall- countries and in middle-income countries transition-
ing its 2014 decision [YUN 2014, p. 1311] to engage an- ing to high-income status as part of the preparation of
nually in a dialogue on the financing of the unicef the midterm review of the Strategic Plan.
Strategic Plan (2014–2017), noted that in addition to On 17 June [dec. 2015/8], at its annual session, the
the annual unicef Pledging Event, there was a United Executive Board approved the country programme
Nations Pledging Conference for Development documents for Armenia [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.7], Turk-
Activities of the UN funds and programmes—held menistan [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.8], Uganda [E/ICEF/2015/
in November every year—that more closely aligned P/L.10] and Zimbabwe [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.9], including
with UN system-wide coherence; and decided to dis- the aggregate indicative budgets for those country
continue to the annual unicef Pledging Event from programmes for the period from 2016 to 2020. The
2016 onwards. total budgets, including funds from both regular
and other resources, were $13,055,000 for Arme-
Programme matters nia; $10,000,000 for Turkmenistan; $316,149,000
Expenses by region. In 2015 [E/ICEF/2016/6/Add.1], for Uganda; and $598,000,000 for Zimbabwe. On
unicef direct programme expenses by region totalled the same date [dec. 2015/9], the Board took note of the
$4,768.4 million, of which $142.4 million went to Executive Director’s approval of the first one-year ex-
Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth tensions of the country programmes for Burkina Faso,
of Independent States; $318.1 million to East Asia and Mozambique, Somalia and Yemen [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.11];
the Pacific; $1,195.6 million to Eastern and South- and approved the one-year extension of the country
ern Africa; $153.4 million to Latin America and programme for Côte d’Ivoire, following a two-year
Caribbean; $991.8 million to Middle East and North extension, and the second one-year extensions of the
Africa; $480.3 million to South Asia; $1,341.1 mil- country programmes for Lebanon and Libya [ibid.].
lion to West and Central Africa; and $145.7 million On 9 September [dec. 2015/12], at its second reg-
to Headquarters. ular session, the Executive Board approved 20
Country programmes. On 5 February [E/2015/34/ country programme documents [E/ICEF/2015/P/
Rev.1 (dec. 2015/1)], at its first regular session, the L.13-E/ICEF/2015/P/L.32], including the respective ag-
Executive Board approved the country programme gregate indicative budgets for the period from 2016
documents for Madagascar [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.1] and to 2020. The total budgets for those countries, in-
Mali [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.2], including the aggregate in- cluding funds from both regular and other resources,
dicative budgets for those country programmes for were $13,954,000 for Algeria, $8,465,000 for Bela-
the period from March 2015 to December 2019. Sub- rus, $65,253,000 for Cambodia, $136,535,000 for
ject to availability, the total budgets, including both China, $59,867,500 for Colombia, $12,795,000 for
regular and other resources, were $197,815,000 for El Salvador, $27,708,000 for Georgia, $76,855,000
Madagascar and $328,410,000 for Mali. On the same for Guinea-Bissau, $146,022,000 for Indonesia,
date [dec. 2015/2], the Board took note of the Executive $16,485,000 for Kazakhstan, $39,020,000 for Malay-
Director’s approval of a one-year extension of the sia, $9,272,000 for Maldives, $8,270,000 for Panama,
country programmes for the Democratic People’s $21,451,000 for Serbia (and Kosovo [under Security
Republic of Korea and the Lao People’s Democratic Council resolution 1244 (1999)]), $19,775,000 for
Republic and a six-month extension of the country Swaziland, $37,335,000 for Tajikistan, $13,370,000
programme for Ethiopia, and approved a two-year for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
extension of the country programmes for Myanmar $54,785,000 for Turkey, $32,795,000 for Uzbekistan
and Papua New Guinea [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.13]. and $238,860,000 for Zambia.
Also on 5 February [dec. 2015/3], the Board took On 10 September [dec. 2015/13], the Board took note
note of the growing experience of unicef in working of the Executive Director’s approval of the two-month
in countries that had recently transitioned from extensions of the country programmes for Azerbaijan
middle- to high-income status [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.6], and and Uruguay [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.33/Rev.1]; and approved
noted that those countries often had significant pop- the two-month extensions of the country programmes
ulations of children who were still affected by mul- for Argentina and Iraq, following one-year exten-
tiple deprivations, and that some of those countries sions; and the two-month extension of the country
welcomed ongoing partnerships with unicef at the programme for the Syrian Arab Republic, following
country level. The Executive Board noted that those four consecutive one-year extensions [ibid.].
countries contributed significantly to developing in- Emergency Programme Fund. On 5 Febru-
novative approaches to the realization of child rights. ary [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/4)], at its first regular
It invited unicef to continue its work with relevant session, the Executive Board took note of the pro-
Chapter XI: Children 573

posal to increase the ceiling of the unicef Emergency more harmonized approach. The agencies concluded
Programme Fund [E/ICEF/2015/P/L.4]; took note of the by stressing the importance of creating the right en-
steps taken by unicef to build stronger links between abling environment for innovation that could cul-
humanitarian and development programming; and tivate a greater, more inclusive impact; establishing
approved an increase in the ceiling of the Emergency partnerships; and strengthening cooperation and
Programme Fund to $75 million per annum, to be sharing within the UN development system.
met through the allocation of regular resources, to
increase the ability of unicef to provide an imme- Gender equality
diate, effective and predictable response to the needs In response to Executive Board decision 2014/8
of children and women affected by humanitarian [YUN 2014, p. 1312], unicef reported [E/ICEF/2015/8]
emergencies. on progress in its work on gender equality and the
Vaccine Independence Initiative. Also on 5 Feb- empowerment of women and girls, and on imple-
ruary [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/5)], in response to a rec- mentation of its Gender Action Plan (2014–2017).
ommendation from the unicef Executive Director Programmatic work at the field level had advanced on
[E/ICEF/2015/P/L.5], the Executive Board approved all four of the targeted cross-sector gender priorities—
a five-year extension of the Vaccine Independence ending child marriage; advancing girls’ secondary
Initiative for the period 2016–2020, and amended education; promoting gender-responsive adolescent
the authorized capitalization of the underlying revolv- health; and addressing gender-based violence in emer-
ing fund to $100 million, subject to the availability gencies—with three-fourths of unicef - supported
of specific-purpose contributions. It also approved country programmes adopting at least one targeted
the utilization of the expanded underlying revolv- priority as a core part of their country programme.
ing fund to support the procurement of non-vaccine Progress in the area of child marriage in 2014 in-
commodities, including for health, nutrition, water, cluded greater focus, resources and national commit-
sanitation and hygiene, and education supplies, and ments to addressing the issue in over 40 countries.
to support contracting arrangements that result in a Increased attention to adolescent health and to gender
secure supply or reduced prices of vaccines and other issues in education beyond primary school enrolment,
commodities. and increased concern with gender-based violence in
the growing number of emergencies had also provided
Joint programming impetus to programming across multiple countries.
The joint meeting of the Executive Boards of The report covered the advancement of gender results
unicef, the United Nations Development Programme within each of the seven outcome areas of the unicef
(undp)/unfpa, the United Nations Office for Project Strategic Plan (2014–2017), and included updates
Services (unops), the United Nations Entity for on financial resources and expenditures using the
Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women Gender Action Plan (gap) results matrix, indicators
(UN-Women) and the World Food Programme (wfp) and performance benchmarks. Unicef was investing
(New York, 2 February) [E/2015/34/Rev.1] discussed les- in the required staffing, capacity and systems support
sons learned on scaling up innovation to reach people in for full gap implementation, as well as adapting its
need, and innovative approaches to programme design institutional framework to align with the United
and implementation to support the operationalization Nations System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality
of the post-2015 development agenda. and the Empowerment of Women (UN  - swap), en-
dorsed by the United Nations Chief Executives Board
The Secretary-General, who participated in the for Coordination in 2012 as a measure to increase
meeting for the first time, stressed the increasingly accountability and oversight for confirming gender
important role of regional bodies and the need to equality results across the UN system. In line with
strengthen skill sets and support to Member States UN - swap, unicef set a financial benchmark stipulat-
at the international level. He underlined that UN ing that by the end of 2017, 15 per cent of programme
funds, programmes and specialized agencies had to expenditures would be spent on advancing gender
be able to expand space for innovation and at times equality and the empowerment of girls and women.
allow for failure. The six agencies discussed the op-
portunities and challenges they faced in developing Field visits
and scaling up innovative ideas, processes and prod-
ucts, and Member States engaged in the session noted At its annual session in June [E/ICEF/2015/4/Rev.1],
that innovation was an area in which Governments the Executive Board had before it the reports of the
had to invest; links between innovation and results Executive Board field visits in 2015.
needed improvement; innovation could contribute Members of the unicef Executive Bureau vis-
more effective measurements of development; and ited Bangkok and Malaysia (27 March–3 April)
the post-2015 development agenda promised to be [UNICEF/2015/EB/3] to gain first-hand knowledge of
an area where UN organizations could develop a the work of unicef in the East Asia and Pacific re-
574 Part Three: Economic and social questions

gion and at the country level in Malaysia. The visit to worst in access to potable water and eighth worst in
the East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok access to sanitation. The SitAn and the mdg Survey
contextualized the operational scope of the region, also showed a clear decline in indicators in most
which included some of the fastest growing economies sectors since the start of the political crisis. For the
in the world, where one in four people were children new country programme cycle, unicef priorities and
and where unicef had 14 country offices covering 28 strategies were guided by the SitAn; lessons learned
countries. The regional office supported resource mo- from the past cycle; undaf outcomes; and the
bilization, programme development and increasingly priorities of central, regional and local governments
backstopped surge capacity for humanitarian crises. and non-governmental and other partners.
The visit to Malaysia was an opportunity to gain a A delegation comprised of the Executive Boards
deeper understanding of the unicef strategic relation- of undp/unfpa/unops, unicef, UN-Women and
ship with the Government and other partners in the wfp visited Jordan (24 April–2 May 2015) [DP/FPA/
country, as well as the issues and challenges facing OPS-ICEF-UNW-WFP/2015/CRP.1] for a first-hand view
children and women in Malaysia in the context of a of how those agencies were responding to the regional
country transitioning from middle- to high-income crisis and cooperating to support the resilience of host
status. The Bureau noted the importance of unicef communities in Jordan through ongoing development
support for the use of disaggregated data to inform programmes. With the conflict in Syria entering its
and shape national policy and budgeting decisions fifth year in 2015, the country and the region faced
that addressed child protection issues, such as violence significant humanitarian, environmental, security,
against children and child marriage, and that contrib- political and developmental challenges. Jordan was
uted to the achievement of Malaysia’s Vision 2020. hosting approximately 1.4 million Syrians, more
A unicef Executive Board delegation visited than half of them children, of whom 18 per cent were
Madagascar (13–17 April) [UNICEF/2015/EB/4] to under the age of five. The delegation visited Za’atari
gain first-hand knowledge of the work of unicef refugee camp and undertook site visits of various
at the country level and the impact of the unicef agency-specific and joint projects in Baqaa, East Am-
programme of cooperation with the Government man, Zarqa, Mafraq and in Azraq refugee camp. The
of Madagascar since 2014, and to gain a better report contained observations and lessons learned
understanding the challenges facing children and from the field visit and made recommendations for
women in the country. The visit comprised meetings action by the UN country team, which included
and other activities in the capital, Antananarivo, and strengthening coordination among UN agencies; in-
the eastern regions of Fenerive Est and Tamatave. The creasing the number of fluent Arabic speakers among
delegation noted that persistent poverty remained the international staff to improve the efficiency of de-
main barrier to development in Madagascar. Limited liveries to refugees; broadening access to financing;
financial and human resource capacity in the social strengthening child protection; addressing education
sector, limited access to large parts of the country challenges and the high rate of youth unemployment;
and harmful practices rooted in traditional beliefs and enhancing market-driven job opportunities and
were among the major bottlenecks to overcoming income-generating opportunities for Jordanians and
household vulnerability and expanding social service Syrian refugees.
delivery. During the year, unicef Madagascar com-
menced a new country programme cycle that would Programmes by sector
extend from 1 March 2015 to December 2019. It was
the first new country programme document signed Expenses by sector. In 2015 [E/ICEF/2016/6/
with the Government since 2008, as the previous Add.1], unicef direct programme assistance in the
document—for 2008 to 2011—had been extended seven outcome areas totalled $4,768.4 million. The
for three years due to the ongoing political crisis. That largest share of expenditure, $1,278.6 million, went
country programme had started in a development to health, followed by $1,000.4 million to education;
context, but had to be rapidly adapted to the crisis $868.7 million to water, sanitation and hygiene;
and transition environment; in particular, unicef $643.6 million to child protection; $603.5 million
had shifted its partnership strategy in order to deliver to nutrition; $266.4 million to social inclusion; and
critical social services for children at a decentralized $107.1 million to hiv/aids.
level. The development of the 2015–2019 country
programme started with the elaboration of the Situ- Health
ation Analysis (SitAn) document, the unicef contri- In the area of health, unicef contributed to major
bution to the mdg Survey and the development of the global health initiatives, including the Partnership
United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Partners
(undaf) 2015–2019 in early 2014. The data found Forum; the International Health Partnership
that Madagascar placed fourth worst in the world (ihp+); Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Every Mother,
in stunting (due to chronic undernutrition), fourth Every Newborn; the Global Fund to Fight aids,
Chapter XI: Children 575

Tuberculosis and Malaria; and the Global Health backed by expanded global commitment, to reach ad-
Data Collaborative. Unicef also supported the olescents who were in the second decade of treatment
development of the global health infrastructure that or being infected through unsafe behaviours. To ad-
would guide its programming beyond 2015, such as dress those challenges, unicef led “All In”, the global
the Global Financing Facility and the new strategy partnership to end aids among adolescents, which
of the Secretary-General, Every Woman Every Child. focused on 25 priority countries across seven regions
At the country level, there was significant progress with significant epidemics.
against outcome indicators, particularly regarding
the increase in the percentage of births attended by Water, sanitation and hygiene
skilled health personnel and of women with at least
four antenatal care visits. The percentage of births At the regional and global levels, unicef pur-
attended by a skilled health personnel had risen sued strategic partnerships with major global water,
from 29 per cent in 1990 to 52 per cent in 2015, sanitation and hygiene (wash) initiatives, including
and the percentage of women with at least four ante- Sanitation and Water for All, to support countries
natal care visits had risen from 27 per cent in 1990 in accelerating action towards the sustainable
to 42 per cent in 2015. In humanitarian situations, development goals. At the country level, significant
more than 20 million children aged 6–59 months progress was registered against key outcome indi-
were vaccinated against measles during the year. cators, particularly in the improvement of access to
To promote gender equality, 84 countries were sup- drinking water and sanitation and the fight to end
ported to allocate budgets to reduce adolescent preg- open defecation. During the year, more than 70 mil-
nancies. Unicef fell short of targets in strengthening lion people were reached with wash interventions,
health systems, but the average rate of achievement including 45 million individuals in humanitarian sit-
for the health Strategic Plan outputs was 96 per cent uations; 38 out of 67 target countries were implement-
against the 2015 milestones. Largely triggered by the ing a national strategy to eliminate open defecation;
Ebola response and protracted Level 3 crises, unicef and 63 countries were implementing community-
would undertake a review and scale-up of capacity to based handwashing behaviour-change programmes
address health emergencies. on a national scale, an increase from 53 in 2014. To
support gender equality, in 2015, 29 countries had
HIV and AIDS included menstrual hygiene management targets
for wash in school strategies, and at least half of the
In 2015, unicef played a critical role in the schools in 37 countries were equipped with sanitation
development of the Joint United Nations Programme facilities for girls. The average rate of achievement for
on HIV/AIDS (unaids) 2016–2021 strategy, which wash Strategic Plan outputs was 90 per cent against
emphasized narrowing equity gaps for children the 2015 milestones, despite the constraints posed
and adolescents. At the country level, notable pro- by an unprecedented number of humanitarian cri-
gress was registered against key outcome indicators. ses. Lessons pointed to the importance of sustaining
The number of new hiv infections among children behavioural change through continuous community
under the age of 15 had decreased from 520,000 an- engagement and of strengthening the capacity of the
nually in 2000 to 220,000 in 2014. Approximately local private sector to provide affordable services.
36,000 cases of hiv infection had been averted
through scaled-up prevention of mother-to-child
transmission services in 21 priority countries in 2014, Nutrition
and 62 per cent of pregnant women living with hiv Unicef played a leading role in the implementa-
were receiving lifelong treatment. In humanitarian tion of major global nutrition initiatives during the
situations, 59 per cent of targeted hiv - positive preg- year, including Scaling Up Nutrition, which saw an
nant women were receiving continued treatment—a increase in country membership from 48 in 2014 to 56
5 per cent increase from 2014; and to foster gender in 2015. At the country level, unicef helped treat 2.9
equality, 13 out of 38 unaids priority countries were million cases of severe acute malnutrition throughout
supported to undertake a gender review of their hiv the year; some 20 countries achieved at least 90-per-
policy. Overall, the average rate of achievement for cent household coverage of iodized-salt consumption;
hiv/aids Strategic Plan outputs was 81 per cent and 69 per cent of children aged 6–59 months were
against the 2015 milestones, but unicef fell short provided with two annual vitamin A supplementation
of targets in increasing comprehensive knowledge doses in priority countries in 2014. The number of
about hiv and aids among adolescents. The number stunted children under the age of five declined from
of aids - related deaths among adolescents had tripled 169 million in 2010 to 159 million in 2014, but ine-
in the last 15 years, and over 60 per cent of new in- qualities in stunting rates and other forms of malnu-
fections among those aged 15–19 had been among trition persisted, and nearly one in four children were
adolescent girls, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. stunted. Thirty-two countries were on track to meet
Lessons pointed to the need to scale up strategies, the global World Health Assembly target on exclusive
576 Part Three: Economic and social questions

breastfeeding, and 25 countries supported the provi- Child protection

sion of infant and young child feeding counselling At the regional and global levels, unicef pursued
services to over 70 per cent of their communities. In strategic partnerships with the Special Representatives
humanitarian situations, approximately 1.4 million of the Secretary-General and the unfpa-unicef Global
children between 6 and 59 months of age who were ad- Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage,
mitted with severe acute malnutrition were discharged the unfpa-unicef Joint Programme on Female Genital
following recovery. In support of gender equality, 21 Mutilation/Cutting and the Global Partnership to End
countries were supported to undertake a gender review Violence Against Children. At the country level, child
of their nutrition policy. Despite being constrained by protection progress included the first-ever adoption
the unprecedented number of humanitarian crises, the by the General Assembly of a substantive resolution
average rate of achievement for nutrition Strategic Plan on ending child, early and forced marriage [YUN 2014,
outputs was 99 per cent against the 2015 milestones. p. 877]. Unicef provided second-chance education,
Lessons included the need to strengthen national deliv- psychosocial or child protection interventions to more
ery systems for vitamin A supplementation and other than 5.7 million children involved in child labour in
life-saving interventions; increase global severe acute 30 countries, a 27 per cent increase from 2014; and,
malnutrition treatment coverage and recovery rates, as a result of unicef- supported programmes, 9.7 mil-
especially in South Asia; and strengthen nutrition lion births were registered across 54 countries in 2015.
information systems. A number of countries adopted legislation prohibiting
Education the corporal punishment of children in various settings,
including the home (48 countries); alternative-care and
At the regional and global levels, unicef main- day-care settings (55 countries); schools (127 countries);
tained its leadership role in major international penal institutions (136 countries); and as a sentence for
education initiatives including the Global Partnership a crime (162 countries). Approximately 3.1 million
for Education (gpe), the United Nations Girls’ children received psychosocial support in emergency
Education Initiative (ungei) and Educate a Child. and non-emergency situations. After achieving full
Building upon lessons from the No Lost Generation compliance on ending the recruitment of children by
initiative, unicef worked with a number of partners government forces, Chad was delisted from the annual
to champion the cause of education in emergencies report of the Secretary-General on children and armed
and protracted crises and support the development conflict, and 11 countries with at least a 25-per-cent
of a common platform and financing facility. At the prevalence of child marriage had national plans or
country level, 77 per cent of children from the poorest strategies to end that practice, compared with two in
quintile attended primary school in 2015 compared 2014. Overall, the average rate of achievement in child
with 73 per cent in 2013, and the percentage of protection was 100 per cent against the 2015 milestones,
countries with improved learning outcomes increased but unicef fell short of targets in reunification with
from 63 per cent to 76 per cent. Fifty-one per cent families or caregivers and the provision of alternative
of countries had well-functioning national learning care to children in humanitarian situations. Lessons
assessment systems in 2015 compared with 42 per cent from the development of a global programme to end
in 2013; more than 43,000 kits were provided child marriage (in partnership with unfpa) were being
to under-resourced early childhood development applied to the development of a global multisectoral
centres, which benefited an estimated 2.2 million programme and results framework to address gender-
young children; 43 per cent of countries were im- based violence in emergencies.
plementing national policies on inclusive education;
31.2 million children were supported with learning
materials; and approximately 96,000 school com- Social inclusion
munities were trained in school management, school In 2015, unicef continued to co-chair the global
health or inclusive education. During the year, more coalition of 20 academic, international and non-
than 7.5 million children in humanitarian situations governmental organization (ngo) partners on child
were reached with formal or non-formal education, poverty, which advocated for the inclusion of child
and the proportion of countries with education-sector poverty in the sustainable development goals. Unicef
plans that included risk assessment and management also continued to strategically engage with key partners
increased from 19 per cent in 2013 to 32 per cent in through its participation in the Social Protection Inter-
2015. To promote gender equality, unicef, ungei Agency Cooperation Board. Progress at the country
and gpe developed guidelines for gender-responsive level included real increases in per capita social spend-
sector planning. Overall, the average achievement ing by 63 per cent of countries with available data in
rate in education was 94 per cent against the 2015 2015 and the 196 States parties to the Convention on
milestones, yet more than 124 million children of pri- the Rights of the Child. In 2015, 132 countries re-
mary and lower secondary school age remained out of ported a functioning national social protection system,
school worldwide. up from 124 in 2014; and 75 countries were using child
Chapter XI: Children 577

poverty data in policy discussions. In humanitarian sit- [YUN 2014, p. 1315]. The report considered the gover-
uations, 35 countries had programming for humanita- nance of the function, outlined unicef efforts to pro-
rian action that supported the development of sustain- mote evaluation coherence within the UN system and
able social-protection systems. Overall, the average rate reported on the performance and results of the function
of achievement for social inclusion Strategic Plan out- across unicef. It also covered actions taken in response
puts reached 108 per cent against the 2015 milestones, to decisions of the Board and reviewed the utilization
but gaps remained. Only 19 countries reported having of evaluation evidence in unicef. The report noted the
strong national capacity to develop, implement and importance of strengthening national evaluation, par-
finance social protection systems, and lessons included ticularly in light of General Assembly resolution 69/237
the need to further integrate humanitarian action and [YUN 2014, p. 1036] and in the context of preparations for
social protection programming. the sdgs and the new global development framework.
Moving forward, national development policies needed
Humanitarian action to be supported by nationally led evaluation processes;
Significant results were achieved for children in hu- global partnerships and alliances needed to find ways
manitarian situations during the year, with unicef pro- of incorporating evaluation insights and evidence into
viding 94 per cent of the dedicated cluster coordinator their processes for governance, learning and improve-
positions in the wash, nutrition and education sectors ment; and unicef and other UN entities needed to
and the child protection subcluster. Unicef responded draw on lessons from their experience with evaluation.
to 310 humanitarian situations in 102 countries, a 5 per The Board also had before it a report [E/ICEF/2015/
cent increase over 2014, including six Level 3 crises, EB/1] containing the management perspective on the
five of which were ongoing from 2014, among them annual report of the evaluation function, which noted
the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the continuing that unicef management was committed to having
conflicts in the Central African Republic, Iraq, South an effective and efficient evaluation function, partic-
Sudan and Syria. The emergency in Yemen was de- ularly in light of the key role that evaluation played
clared a Level 3 crisis in 2015. Unicef and partners in supporting organizational learning, accountability,
supported more than 1.2 million households with transparency and overall performance and results-
behaviour-change messages on the Ebola epidemic, based management.
and following the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal (see On 18 June [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/10)], the Board
p. 439), cash transfers were provided to 400,000 of the took note of the reports on the evaluation function
most vulnerable people using the Government’s social and the management perspective. The Board noted
assistance programmes. In South Sudan, unicef pro- its concern that the implementation of the plan for
vided more than half a million people with access to global thematic evaluations, 2014–2017 [YUN 2014,
safe water and helped to secure the release of 1,755 p. 1315] was behind schedule and requested unicef to
children from armed groups. Unicef responded to revise the plan for global thematic evaluations, tak-
the conflict in Syria by focusing on the continuation of ing into account emerging priorities, and to present
education services, with learning materials provided for it to the Board at its first regular session in 2016. The
1 million children and non-formal education provided Executive Board further urged unicef to accelerate
to 465,000 children in 2015. Children made up one progress towards achieving the target of allocating a
quarter of the 1 million refugees and migrants entering minimum of one per cent of its overall programme
Europe during the year from Syria and conflict zones in expenditures to evaluation, in accordance with the re-
the Middle East and elsewhere. Unicef enabled more vised evaluation policy, and requested unicef, in pre-
than 40,000 of these children to access child-friendly paring the midterm review of the Strategic Plan, 2014–
spaces offering play, rest and counselling services in 2017, to make full use of the evidence and lessons as
Croatia, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of presented in recent evaluation reports. The Board
Macedonia. Amid funding gaps in the Sahel in 2015, also called on unicef to invite the United Nations
the unicef Emergency Programme Fund was instru- Evaluation Group to arrange for a peer review of the
mental in maintaining the nutrition supply line, which unicef evaluation function as proposed in the revised
allowed the treatment of more than 84,000 severely evaluation policy, to be initiated in 2016.
malnourished children to continue into 2016.
Ethics Office
Organizational matters In April [E/ICEF/2015/9], pursuant to Executive
Board decisions 2010/18 [YUN 2010, p. 1190] and 2014/12
Evaluation system [YUN 2014, p. 1315], the unicef Ethics Office submitted
At its annual session in June, the Executive Board its sixth annual report covering its activities in 2014. The
had before it an annual report [E/ICEF/2015/10] on the report provided information on the Office’s mandated
unicef evaluation function and progress in implement- areas of work: standard setting and policy support;
ing the revised evaluation policy [YUN 2013, p. 1145], training, education and outreach; advice and guidance;
submitted in accordance with relevant Board decisions the Financial Disclosure Programme; protection of
578 Part Three: Economic and social questions

staff against retaliation; and participation in the Ethics Unicef expenditure amounted to $5,112 million.
Panel of the United Nations and Ethics Network for Expenditure on development, including programme and
Multilateral Organizations. During 2014, the Office development effectiveness totalled $4,675 million. The
focused on increasing staff awareness of the ethics of balance included expenditure on management ($312
international civil service; enhancing understanding million); other costs, including private fundraising and
of how to avoid or mitigate conflicts of interest; and partnerships ($97 million); special purpose expendi-
promoting a “speak up” culture in unicef. The main tures, including capital investment ($22 million); and
means towards achieving these goals were through the UN development coordination ($6 million).
Financial Disclosure Programme; administering con-
fidential advice to staff members as well as to office Budget appropriation
managers; providing training and support materials at In 2015 [E/2015/34/Rev.1], the Executive Board con-
the country level; including ethical considerations in sidered unicef programme cooperation at the country
the development of policy and guidelines; and sharing level (see p. 572) and approved the proposed aggregate
experience within the UN system. The Ethics Office indicative budgets, including both regular and other
received 261 requests for its services in 2014, compared resources, for 26 countries in total.
to 271 in 2013 and 221 in 2012. Forty-seven per cent At its first regular session in February, the Board
(122) of those requests concerned services provided had before it two country programme documents
under the advisory and guidance functions of the for approval. On 5 February [dec. 2015/2], it approved
Office, most of which came from staff members in re- the budgets for those programmes, amounting to
lation to conflicts of interests, such as in cases of outside the following totals of regular and other resources,
activities, gifts, family relations and post-employment, respectively, by region: Eastern and Southern Africa:
but they also came from managers who sought advice $56,815,000 and $141,000,000; and West and Central
on how to address ethical dilemmas at unicef vis-à- Africa: $75,345000 and $253,065,000.
vis outside entities or as managers responding to staff
requests and questions. Other requests to the Ethics At its annual session in June, the Board had before
Office pertained to ethics training services (43), advice it four country programme documents for approval.
on standards-setting and policy input (20), alleged On 17 June [dec. 2015/8], it approved the budgets for
wrongdoing (14) and UN ethics activity coherence (11). those programmes, amounting to the following to-
The number of staff who participated in the Financial tals of regular and other resources, respectively, by
Disclosure Programme increased from 2,498 in 2013 region: Central and Eastern Europe: $9,055,000
to 2,594 in 2014 and included staff members at the and $14,000,000; and Eastern and Southern Africa:
director and representative levels. $143,284,000 and $770,865,000.
At its second regular session in September, the Board
JIU reports had before it 20 country programme documents for
In June, the Executive Board had before it a report approval. On 9 September [dec. 2015/12], it approved the
[E/ICEF/2015/6] summarizing the response of unicef budgets for those programmes, amounting to the follow-
to recommendations contained in six reports and one ing totals of regular and other resources, respectively, by
note of the Joint Inspection Unit (jiu) issued from region: Central and Eastern Europe: $59,480,000 and
September 2013 through December 2014. The report $152,929,000; East Asia and the Pacific: $85,733,000
noted that unicef had continued to work with jiu and $301,097,000; Eastern and Southern Africa:
on the various reviews conducted under its auspices $48,935,000 and $209,700,000; Latin America and
and to follow up on the recommendations contained the Caribbean: $12,932,500 and $68,000,000; Middle
in the jiu reports. That interaction had increased the East and North Africa: $5,928,000 and $8,026,000;
relevance of the reports, improved implementation of South Asia: $4,250,000 and $5,023,460; and West and
the recommendations and enhanced transparency. Central Africa: $12,855,000 and $64,000,000.
The Executive Board took note of the report at its
Resource mobilization
annual session in June.
In 2015, unicef continued to collaborate with the
Finances public and private sectors to mobilize resources. A total
of 135 Governments contributed to unicef resources
In 2015, unicef revenue totalled $5,010 million, during the year. Total public sector contributions—
a 3 per cent decrease from 2014. Income was derived from Governments, intergovernmental organizations
mainly from Governments, which contributed $3,023 and inter-organizational arrangements—amounted
million, and from the private sector and ngos, which to $3,455 million and were 29 per cent more than
contributed $1,457 million. The balance came from planned but 6 per cent lower than in 2014. Private
inter-organizational arrangements, with contributions sector contributions, mainly comprising resources
of $432 million, and other sources, with contributions from unicef National Committees, individual do-
of $97 million. nors, ngos and foundations, amounted to $1,457
Chapter XI: Children 579

million and were 12 per cent higher than planned inter-agency audits. The reports issued contained a
and 4 per cent higher than in 2014. Revenue for hu- total of 525 actions, of which 127 (24 per cent) were
manitarian assistance or other resources (emergency), rated as high priority and 398 (76 per cent) as medium
at $1,780 million in 2015, was more than twice the priority. In 2014, the three most significant risk areas
planned amount and 13 per cent higher than in 2014, identified for continuing management action included
due primarily to funding received for support to Syrian results-based management and reporting, governance
refugees and Ebola response, as well as to Iraq, Nepal, and accountability, and supply and logistics. These
South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. areas accounted for 72 per cent of all agreed actions. At
the end of 2014, there were 20 outstanding recommen-
Private Fundraising and Partnerships dations older than 18 months, 2 related to country of-
At its first regular session in February, the Executive fices and 18 to headquarters and thematic areas. Oiai
Board had before it a report on the 2015 Private also managed 124 investigations in 2014, including 45
Fundraising and Partnerships (pfp) workplan and cases carried over from 2013 and 79 cases involving
proposed budget [E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.1], which stated that allegations received in 2014. At the end of 2014, 34 of
total private sector revenue for the year would reach a the 45 cases carried over from 2013 and 38 of the new
projected $1,252.5 million, comprised of $650.5 mil- cases received in 2014 had been closed.
lion in regular resources and $602 million in other In June [E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.3], the Executive Board
resources. The planned expenses for 2015, funded from had before it the unicef management response to
resources allocated to management, development ef- the annual report of oiai for 2014, which contained
fectiveness and special purpose activities, would management actions and plans to address the overall
amount to $132.1 million. findings; recommendations of country-office audits;
On 5 February [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/6)], the recommendations regarding headquarters and the-
Executive Board approved budgeted expenditures of matic areas, regional offices, joint audits and advisory
$111.3 million, and authorized unicef to redeploy services; findings from investigations; and concluding
resources between the various budget lines up to a observations in the 2014 annual report of the unicef
maximum of 10 per cent of the amounts approved, Audit Advisory Committee.
and, when necessary, to spend an additional amount On 18 June [E/2015/34/Rev.1 (dec. 2015/11)], the
between Board sessions, up to the amount caused by Executive Board took note of the oiai 2014 annual report
currency fluctuations. The Board also approved the al- (E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.2), the unicef management
location of investments funds, which amounted to $60 response to that annual report (E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.3)
million for 2015, and an interim one-month allocation and the unicef Audit Advisory Committee 2014 an-
for January 2016 of $13.21 million, to be absorbed in nual report. The Board requested that oiai include in
the annual pfp budget for 2016. future annual reports an opinion, based on the scope
In September, the Executive Board consid- of work undertaken, on the adequacy and effective-
ered a report [E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.5] on unicef private ness of the organization’s framework of governance,
fundraising. According to the report, total private risk management and control; a concise summary of
sector revenue for 2014 from the fundraising and sales work and the criteria that support that opinion; a state-
activities of 35 National Committees and 56 country ment of conformance with the internal audit standards
offices was $1.28 billion, which was $124 million to which unicef adheres; and a view on whether the
(11 per cent) higher than the budgeted amount of resourcing of the function was appropriate, sufficient
$1.16 billion. After deducting pfp expenses totalling and effectively deployed to achieve the desired internal
$111 million and the cost of sales for cards and prod- audit coverage.
ucts of $20 million, the net private sector surplus was
$1.15 billion, which was $139 million (14 per cent) Financial report and audited financial statements
more than the total planned target of $1.01 billion, In its financial report and audited financial state-
and $19 million (2 per cent) more than the $1.13 bil- ments [A/70/5/Add.3] on unicef for the year ended
lion generated in 2013. 31 December 2014, the Board of Auditors noted that
the overall financial position of unicef was sound. With
Audits total revenue of $5.17 billion—an increase from $4.85
In an annual report [E/ICEF/2015/AB/L.2] to the billion in 2013—and expenses and losses of $4.60 bil-
Executive Board, the Office of Internal Audit and lion during 2014, the financial statements depicted a net
Investigations (oiai) provided information on its surplus of $0.57 billion. The main sources of revenue
internal audit activities in 2014. Oiai completed 39 in 2014 continued to be voluntary contributions from
internal audit reports in 2014, 9 audit reports were in Governments, private organizations and individuals
draft form and 6 more were in the fieldwork or planning (98 per cent), while the remaining revenue (2 per cent)
phase. The 39 audits included 33 country office audits, had been generated from the sale of greetings cards and
2 regional office audits, 2 headquarters audits and 2 products ($43 million), interest ($30 million), procure-
580 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ment services for partners ($46 million) and miscella- During the period under review, unicef contin-
neous activities ($18 million). Total expenses increased ued to address the concerns raised by the Board of
by $469 million, to a total of $4.56 billion in 2014. The Auditors in its previous reports, but there had been
major categories of expenses included cash assistance a decrease in the rate of implementation of previous
($1.51 billion), transfer of programme supplies ($851 Board recommendations from 73 per cent in 2012
million) and employee benefit expenses ($1.13 billion). to 42 per cent in 2013, which pointed to the need
The remaining expenses were concentrated in three for more concerted efforts to improve the financial
categories: programme-related professional and expert management and overall governance structures of
services ($306 million); travel-related expenses for both unicef. Of the 24 outstanding recommendations
programme activities and administrative activities ($145 from the Board of Auditors reports for the years
million); and distribution costs for programme supplies 2012 and 2013, 10 recommendations (42 per cent)
($115 million). At the end of 2014, unicef total assets had been fully implemented, 11 recommendations
were valued at $8.76 billion. Cash and investments of (46 per cent) were under implementation, 1 recom-
$4.43 billion constituted a significant portion of the as- mendation (4 per cent) had not been implemented
sets. The total budget utilized in 2014 was $4.87 billion, and 2 recommendations (8 per cent) were overtaken
89 per cent of final budget. by events.
Chapter XII

Refugees and displaced persons

In 2015, the world again witnessed record levels of ensuring access to essential services, such as health
forced displacement, with 65.3 million people up- care and education, and promoting livelihoods and
rooted by war, conflict, persecution or human rights self-reliance.
abuses by year’s end, 12.4 million of whom were Protection remained the unhcr main priority in
newly displaced. The war in the Syrian Arab Republic the Middle East and North Africa. During the year,
was again the single largest driver of displacement three major emergencies were launched in Iraq, Syria
in 2015, with more than 4 million Syrians living in and Yemen. The Office worked closely with govern-
exile in neighbouring countries and 6.5 million peo- ments and partners to enhance protection space,
ple internally displaced by the end of the year. The focusing on advocating access to safety and protection
year 2015 also saw the global refugee crisis reaching from refoulement, reinforcing registration and refugee
Europe. More than 1 million refugees and migrants status determination, and promoting legislative
from refugee-producing countries, including Syria, frameworks. In Europe, an unprecedented refugee
Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia, arrived on the crisis unfolded as an increasing number of people
southern European shores. The Office of the United risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea in
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) search of safety and protection. Unhcr declared an
launched its biggest humanitarian operation in Europe internal level 2 emergency in July and significantly
since the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. scaled up its presence and activities in Greece, the
During the year, unhcr declared 11 emergency sit- former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Cro-
uations affecting operations in 30 countries and de- atia, Slovenia and Hungary, providing protection and
ployed 460 emergency missions, assisted 12.3 million assistance to people of concern, including support to
refugees and 37.4 million internally displaced persons, emergency reception arrangements, with a particular
and helped 49,100 stateless people acquire nationality focus on those with specific needs.
and 115,800 returned refugees to reintegrate. In October, the international community renewed
In Africa, unhcr responded to eight major emer- its commitment to finding solutions to the Afghan
gencies, namely the situations in the Central African refugee situation—the largest protracted refugee sit-
Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, uation—during the high-level segment of the sixty-
Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan and Somalia, with the sixth session of the Executive Committee.
Burundi and Yemen situations causing the newest The eighth annual High Commissioner’s Dialogue
displacements on the continent. on Protection Challenges, held in December, focused
As persisting situations of violence prevented the on the theme: “Understanding and addressing root
resolution of many displacement situations, with causes of displacement” and facilitated collaboration
only small numbers of people returning home, the among political, humanitarian and development ac-
unhcr programmes began shifting from immediate tors to address the obstacles to return.
relief activities to education, livelihoods, cash-based In December, the General Assembly expressed
assistance, and other longer-term strategies, in order concern that the number of people who were forci-
to foster the refugees’ self-reliance and dignity. Re- bly displaced had reached the highest level since the
turns from Liberia to Côte d’Ivoire were restarted Second World War and that despite unprecedented
after the Ebola outbreak ended in the second half levels of humanitarian funding, the gap between
of 2015. In the Americas, unhcr worked to address needs and humanitarian funding continued to grow.
multiple challenges, focusing on finding solutions in It urged the international community to cooperate
the region through the Brazil Plan of Action and on and to mobilize resources, with a view to enhanc-
resolving statelessness in several countries; supporting ing the capacity of and reducing the burden borne
efforts to consolidate a peace agreement in Colombia; by countries and communities hosting refugees.
and responding to the needs of increasing numbers In another resolution adopted on the same day on
of displaced people who were fleeing violence and assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons
criminal activities in Central America’s Northern in Africa, the Assembly called upon the international
Triangle. community to strengthen and revitalize existing
In the Asia and the Pacific region, the Office partnerships and forge new ones in support of the
focused its interventions on undertaking community protection system for refugees, asylum seekers and
outreach, strengthening relations with urban refugees, internally displaced persons.

581
582 Part Three: Economic and social questions

High-level segment. At its sixty-sixth session

Office of the United Nations High (Geneva, 5–9 October), the unhcr Executive Com-
Commissioner for Refugees mittee held a high-level segment on the Afghan
refugee situation. At the end of the meeting, the
Executive Committee adopted a statement emphasiz-
Programme policy ing the need to resolutely address the Afghan refugee
Executive Committee situation—the largest protracted refugee situation
that the Agency had ever confronted— and called for
At its sixty-sixth session (Geneva, 5–9 Octo- all efforts be made to find and implement solutions for
ber) [A/70/12/Add.1], the Executive Committee of the Afghan refugees, who had sought refuge outside their
unhcr Programme held a high-level segment on country for over 35 years.
the Afghan refugee situation, at the end of which Election. On 2 February (decision 69/417), the
the Executive Committee adopted a statement. The General Assembly, on the proposal of the Secretary-
Executive Committee approved the proposed 2016– General, re-elected António Manuel de Oliveira
2017 biennial budget, amounting to $6,546,288,297 Guterres (Portugal) as United Nations High Com-
and $6,408,521,723 for 2016 and 2017 respectively; missioner for Refugees, for a period beginning on 15
decided to convene three formal meetings of the June 2015 and ending on 31 December 2015.
Standing Committee in 2016, to be held in March,
June and September; and approved applications by GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Angola, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dominican
Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
Jamaica, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Panama and on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Human-
Paraguay for observer participation in meetings of its itarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/483], adopted
Standing Committee in 2015–2016. It also adopted resolution 70/135 (Office of the United Nations
the provisional agenda for its sixty seventh session High Commissioner for Refugees) without vote
[agenda item 65].
(2016) and agreed to a multi-year workplan to con-
sider and develop themes, including international
cooperation from a protection and solutions perspec- Standing Committee
tive (2016); youth (2016); resilience and self-reliance In 2015, the unhcr Standing Committee, which
from a protection and solutions perspective (2017); carried on the Executive Committee’s work between
and machine-readable travel documents (2017). its annual sessions, held three meetings (3–5 March
In his opening statement to the Committee, the [A/AC.96/1144]; 24–26 June [A/AC.96/1151]; and 21–
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 22 September [A/AC.96/1152]). It considered issues relat-
António Guterres, stated that the number of people ing to programme budgets and funding; international
globally displaced every day had quadrupled in five protection; regional activities and global programmes;
years, from almost 11,000 in 2010 to 42,500 in 2014. programme/protection policy; management, financial
Over the previous 10 years, despite strong economic control, administrative oversight and human resources;
growth and a decrease in the number of persons in coordination; and governance. The Committee’s work
absolute poverty, the world had become more frag- was summarized in a Secretariat report [A/AC.96/1153].
ile. Conflicts had become highly complex, leading to
a shrinking of the humanitarian space and compli-
cating the work of unhcr. Over the previous year, Refugee protection and assistance
unhcr activities had once again been heavily focused UNHCR Global Report. According to unhcr
on emergency responses, putting a considerable strain Global Report 2015, the world again witnessed record
on the organization’s capacities and resources. Unhcr levels of forced displacement in 2015. More than
was also working to change the approach to humanita- 65 million people were uprooted by war, conflict,
rian aid from one based on care and maintenance to a persecution or human rights abuses by year’s end, in-
systematic and market-based humanitarian approach, cluding over 10 million displaced during the year. The
in order to enable the people concerned to become war in Syria was again the single largest driver of dis-
economically independent and to earn their own placement in 2015. At the end of the year, more than
living. All those efforts, however, were undermined 4 million Syrians were living in exile in neighbour-
by a serious financial deficit. The 33 appeals launched ing countries and 6.5 million people were internally
by the United Nations to help 82 million people had displaced. The year 2015 was also the year that the
only received 42 per cent of the necessary funding. global refugee crisis reached Europe. More than 1 mil-
The annual report [A/70/12] of the High Commis- lion refugees and migrants arrived on the southern
sioner to the General Assembly covered the first half European shores. Nearly 4,000 died in the attempt.
of the year 2015 [YUN 2014, p. 1323]. The second half More than 84 per cent came from the world’s top ten
was covered in a later report [A/71/12] (see p. 583). refugee producing countries, chief among them Syria,
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 583

Afghanistan and Iraq, but also Eritrea and Somalia. policy frameworks; access to asylum and reception ar-
More than one-third were children, many of them rangements; status determination; capacity-building;
travelling unaccompanied. Greece received more than rights-based approach to the rule of law; specific needs;
800,000 arrivals. In response, unhcr launched its and access to justice. The note also reviewed global de-
biggest humanitarian operation in Europe since the velopments from June 2014 to June 2015.
wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Dialogue on protection challenges. The eighth
In 2015, unhcr declared 11 emergency situations annual High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection
affecting operations in 30 countries and deployed 460 Challenges (Geneva, 16–17 December) focused on the
emergency missions, involving unhcr and partner theme: “Understanding and addressing root causes of
staff, to support the response mainly in Africa and displacement”. The Dialogue analysed the triggers of
Europe. During the year, unhcr assisted 12.3 million conflict-related displacement and promoted collabora-
refugees and 37.4 million internally displaced persons tion between political, humanitarian and development
(idps), helped 49,100 stateless people acquire national- actors to address the obstacles to return. Two side
ity or had it confirmed, and assisted 115,800 returned events took place, one on the importance of oral histo-
refugees to reintegrate. ries and gathering refugees’ narratives, the other on the
Report of the High Commissioner. In his annual impact of criminal violence on displacement in Central
report covering 2015 [A/71/12], the High Commissioner America. The Dialogue brought together delegations
described the challenges presented by growing forced from 90 countries, 68 ngos and 28 intergovernmental
displacement and mixed movements. He noted that the organizations, as well as academics and experts.
number of people displaced by conflict and persecution
continued to soar, reaching 65.3 million, 12.4 million Populations of concern
of which were newly displaced. New emergencies, on-
going conflict and protracted crises in many parts of Populations of concern to unhcr included dif-
the world uprooted civilians, sometimes multiple times, ferent categories: refugees, asylum-seekers, internally
and generated new waves of displacement of a complex- displaced persons (idps), returnees (refugees and idps),
ity rarely seen before. Although host countries gener- stateless persons, and others of concern to unhcr. Ac-
ally maintained open borders, they also bore significant cording to the High Commissioner’s annual report
political and socioeconomic consequences. Destitution [A/71/12], by the end of 2015 the total population of
in first countries of asylum, limited education and concern to unhcr stood at an unprecedented 63.9
livelihood opportunities, and diminishing hope for million persons, including over 16.1 million refugees;
political solutions led millions of people risk their lives 3.2 million asylum seekers; 37.5 million idps; 3.7 mil-
in search of international protection through dangerous lion people under unhcr statelessness mandate; and
and irregular means—often facilitated by smugglers. 871,000 other persons of concern.
The arrival of large numbers of refugees and migrants
reaching countries in Europe by boat drew sympathy Protection issues
for the tragedy unfolding on Europe’s shores; however,
the situation quickly gave rise to anti-foreigner rhetoric Protection environment
and xenophobic attitudes in many countries, resulting In 2015, unhcr continued to work with States in
in exclusionary politics undermining the cooperation the framework of its global strategy, Beyond detention
necessary to mitigate the crisis. The refugee and mixed (2014–2019), to promote alternatives to detention,
migration challenges were too onerous and complex for particularly for children and families. While sharing
individual countries to address alone. Those develop- the legitimate concern of States regarding the need
ments underlined the need for greater and sustained to respond to possible security threats, unhcr main-
support for countries of first asylum and intensified tained that security and protection were not mutually
efforts to ensure that protection and timely solutions exclusive. In December, the Agency issued a “Note on
were available for all who needed them. That included addressing security concerns without undermining
strengthening financial support for countries hosting refugee protection”. The note called for an integrated
large numbers of refugees and creating additional approach to ensure that both goals were met, including
pathways for admission as concrete expressions of re- through the proper application of those provisions in
sponsibility sharing. While many focused on Europe, the 1951 Convention and other instruments that en-
86 per cent of refugees continued to live in the devel- abled States to manage security concerns while main-
oping world. taining refugee protection standards.
In a July note [A/AC.96/1145 & Corr.1] on international
protection, the High Commissioner focused on the rule Mixed movements
of law and its significance for the unhcr work and for Large-scale mixed movements, including asylum-
international protection and solutions. He discussed the seekers and refugees, continued to affect all regions of
rule of law at the international, as well as at the national the world. In South-East Asia, some 33,600 refugees
level and protection systems, focusing on legislative and and migrants placed their lives in the hands of smug-
584 Part Three: Economic and social questions

glers and embarked on journeys in search of safety forced displacement continued to prioritize women and
and a better life. An estimated 370 people lost their girls at risk, with around 12 per cent of resettlement
lives, mainly from starvation, dehydration, disease submissions falling within that category for the fifth
and abuse at the hand of people smugglers. Thou- consecutive year, exceeding its objective by 2 per cent.
sands were reportedly abandoned at sea by smugglers, During the year, unhcr processed more than 134,000
and mass graves were found along the land border submissions, an increase from close to 104,000 the
between Malaysia and Thailand near the deserted previous year.
camps of smugglers. The deteriorating situation in the
Northern Triangle of Central America forced tens of Protracted situations
thousands of people to flee internally and to neigh- and durable solutions
bouring countries, mainly Mexico, as well as onwards
to the United States, in search of safety and protection. According to the High Commissioner’s annual
The number of asylum applications filed by individuals report [A/71/12], some 6.7 million refugees were in
from that region had more than quadrupled since 2010 a protracted situation by the end of 2015. Unhcr
and stood at 55,000 at year’s end. In the Middle East worked to find new development-oriented approaches
and North Africa, movements across the Gulf of Aden to addressing forced displacement, such as providing
and the Red Sea, as well as from North Africa across refugees with the skills that allowed them to prosper
the Mediterranean to Europe, continued. The scale during their time in exile; allowing them to contribute
of movements by sea from Libya grew exponentially, to the economic growth of their host countries; and
with more than 127,000 people risking their lives to including them in national service delivery systems
reach Europe. Inadequate protection, uneven access to to reduce reliance on humanitarian aid. The Solu-
education and employment opportunities, and a lack tions Alliance, chaired by unhcr, remained a prom-
of available solutions were often behind those irregular ising platform for action, particularly in the context
movements. of new multi-stakeholder national groups that were
The Valletta Summit on Migration (Valletta, active in Somalia, Uganda, the United Republic of
Malta, 11–12 November) resulted in an action plan Tanzania and Zambia. Unhcr strengthened strategic
and emergency fund to address the root causes of partnerships with development actors and international
mixed movements in the region. financial institutions, including the World Bank. The
Office pursued more holistic approaches that fostered
Voluntary repatriation humanitarian-development synergies and built the
resilience of refugees, while also benefiting host com-
Voluntary repatriation remained impossible for munities. Unhcr worked to integrate refugees within
the majority of the world’s refugees. In 2015, about national and local service delivery systems and to pro-
only 200,000 people were voluntarily repatriated—the mote programming that took into consideration local
third-lowest level of refugee returns in the previous communities, services, markets and infrastructure.
20 years, albeit a modest increase compared to 2014, Despite those advances, a shift to longer-term perspec-
when some 126,000 returned. The main challenges tives and engagements was needed. The unhcr “Seeds
to return were conflict, persecution, ethnic violence, for Solutions” initiative provided a testing ground for
human rights violations and the absence of the rule of moving towards multi-year, multi-partner planning.
law. Other obstacles included the loss of livelihoods, In 2015, it supported more than 20 operations with
lack of access to health care and education, and dif- financial and technical support to carry out solutions-
ficulties in reclaiming land and property. Despite oriented interventions.
those challenges, unhcr identified opportunities in Voluntary return remained impossible for the ma-
a number of operations to promote the conditions jority of the world’s refugees. In 2015, an estimated
conducive to return. In October, unhcr and the 200,000 people were able to access that solution.
European Union co-hosted a ministerial-level pledg- The largest numbers of returns were to Afghanistan
ing conference aimed at generating commitments (61,400), the Sudan (39,500), Somalia (32,300) and
towards the reintegration of Somali refugees. Donors the Central African Republic (21,600). Addressing the
pledged some $105 million to support an action plan, root causes of displacement was the theme of the High
to be implemented over the coming two years, for the Commissioner’s Dialogue on Protection Challenges,
sustainable return and reintegration of Somali refugees held in December (see p. 583). Despite those chal-
from Kenya to Somalia. lenges, unhcr identified opportunities in a number of
operations to promote the conditions conducive to re-
Resettlement turn. In the Central African Republic, unhcr worked
In 2015, resettlement and humanitarian admission with the Government and partners to resolve housing,
programmes gained momentum; 33 States offered land and property issues. In Colombia, unhcr and the
resettlement or humanitarian admission, compared United Nations Development Programme supported
with 27 in 2014. The unhcr protection response to the development of a comprehensive transitional
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 585

solutions strategy aimed at making return possible the International Organization for Migration (iom)
for hundreds of thousands of refugees in the region. and other partners. The global camp coordination and
With respect to Myanmar, unhcr coordinated multi- camp management cluster, co-led by unhcr and iom,
stakeholder consultations, including with refugees, supported 37 field-level clusters worldwide.
to determine the greatest needs in return areas. The
pilot project to facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Statelessness
Somali refugees from Kenya was expanded to extend
support to refugees wishing to return to areas not pre- According to country-level data available in
viously covered. 78 countries, some 3.7 million persons were recorded
With other solutions being out of reach for most of as being stateless in 2015. Unhcr, however, estimated
the world’s refugees, resettlement and humanitarian the global stateless population to be at least 10 million
admission programmes gained momentum, and 33 people. Collecting comprehensive data on stateless pop-
States offered resettlement or humanitarian admission ulations remained a challenge. To address this, unhcr
in 2015. Meanwhile, owing to the deteriorating situa- supported new studies and surveys in 13 countries.
tion in Syria, Australia, Canada, Norway, the United November 2015 marked the first anniversary since the
Kingdom and the United States increased their an- unhcr campaign to end statelessness within 10 years
nual quotas to accommodate more Syrian refugees. was launched. In the context of the campaign’s focus
on childhood statelessness during the first two years,
In 2015, unhcr processed more than 134,000
unhcr conducted consultations with more than 250
submissions, an increase from close to 104,000
stateless children and youth in seven countries around
the previous year. Beyond traditional resettlement
the world. Their experiences were highlighted in a
programmes, unhcr called for the international
special report entitled I am here, I belong: The urgent
community to expand complementary pathways for
need to end childhood statelessness, which recommended
admission, including family reunification, private
actions to resolve and prevent childhood statelessness.
sponsorships, medical evacuation, student visas and
During the year, at least 49,100 stateless persons or
scholarships, and labour mobility schemes. For ex-
those with undetermined nationality acquired a na-
ample, 3,400 refugees in 42 countries were granted
tionality or had their nationality confirmed. Collabo-
higher education scholarships in 2015.
ration with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire enabled
over 2,000 stateless individuals to acquire national-
Internal displacement ity. In Thailand, cooperation with the Government
The number of people internally displaced by con- and partners resulted in the granting of nationality
flict and violence stood at anestimated 40.8 million to more than 18,000 individuals over three years.
by the end of 2015, the highest figure on record and Unhcr maintained strong partnerships to facilitate
an increase of 2.6 million from the previous year. birth registration aimed at preventing statelessness,
The increase was largely driven by the persistent tur- including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia and
moil in the Middle East, with Iraq, Syria and Yemen Kenya. Work was also undertaken by Governments,
accounting for more than half of all new internal unhcr and partners in the countries neighbouring
displacements, while large internal displacement sit- Syria to facilitate and improve birth registration for
uations in Afghanistan, Colombia and in different children born to Syrian refugees.
parts of Africa remained unresolved. During the year,
unhcr provided protection and assistance to some International instruments
37.5 million idps in 28 countries.
Unhcr continued to provide global leadership for In 2015, the number of parties to the 1951 Con­
the protection, shelter, and camp coordination and vention relating to the Status of Refugees [YUN 1951,
p. 520] remained at 145, and the number of parties to
camp management clusters within the cluster system
introduced in 2006 by the Inter-Agency Standing its 1967 Protocol [YUN 1967, p. 477] remained at 146.
Committee (iasc). The global protection cluster up- The number of parties to the 1954 Convention
dated its strategic framework for 2016–2019, which relating to the Status of Stateless Persons [YUN 1954,
p. 416] rose to 86 with the accession of El Salvador and
guided the priorities and work of the cluster.
Turkey. The number of parties to the 1961 Convention
In the field, unhcr led 22 out of 28 protection on the Reduction of Statelessness [YUN 1961, p. 533] in-
clusters worldwide and co-facilitated several others creased to 65 with the accession of Belize and Italy.
with ngos and a number of Governments. Together
with the International Federation of the Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies, unhcr co-led the global Regional activities
shelter cluster, which supported 25 country-level clus- Africa
ters, reaching 16.2 million persons in need of shelter
and non-food items. The Agency led 11 out of these 25 UNHCR report. According to the unhcr Global
country-level clusters and co-facilitated several with Report 2015, persons of concern in Africa during the
586 Part Three: Economic and social questions

year totalled 20.3 million, comprising some 4.9 mil- Africa, where there were some 9.5 million people of
lion refugees, 1.4 million asylum-seekers, 11.2 million concern. In Central Africa and the Great Lakes re-
idps and 130,781 returned refugees. gion, $274.2 million were spent on 4.3 million peo-
In 2015, more than 18 million refugees, idps, peo- ple of concern, while in West Africa $122.9 million
ple at risk of statelessness and other people of con- were spent on some 3.8 million people of concern. In
cern to unhcr received assistance across the conti- Southern Africa, unhcr expended $40.0 million on
nent. Eight of the Office’s major emergencies in 2015 approximately 1.7 million people of concern.
in Africa included situations in the Central African Report of Secretary-General. In response to
Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Assembly resolution 69/154 [YUN 2014, p. 1330], the
Mali, Nigeria, South Sudan and Somalia, with the Secretary-General submitted a report [A/70/337] on
Burundi and Yemen situations causing the newest assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons
displacements on the continent. Persisting situations in Africa provided by unhcr and other UN entities,
of violence in countries such as the Central African including the World Food Programme (wfp), the
Republic, Nigeria and South Sudan prevented the United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef) and the
resolution of many displacement situations, with Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally
only small numbers of people returning home. displaced persons. The report, which updated
Consequently, unhcr programmes began shifting information contained in the Secretary-General’s
from immediate relief activities to education, liveli- 2014 report on the topic [YUN 2014, p. 1329], covered
hoods, cash-based assistance and other longer-term the period from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
strategies, in order to foster the refugees’ self-reliance During that period, the humanitarian community
and dignity. Participation in hosting communities confronted two emergencies for which a level-3
helped build resilience in exile, as flare-ups of vio- emergency response was activated, one in the Central
lence in countries of origin dimmed return prospects. African Republic and one in South Sudan. Other
The numbers of those able to return home continued challenges included the outbreak of the Ebola virus
to diminish. Nevertheless, returns from Liberia to in West Africa and severe flooding in parts of Ma-
Côte d’Ivoire were restarted after the Ebola outbreak lawi and Mozambique. Nevertheless, the tradition of
ended in the second half of 2015. More refugees were hospitality in Africa remained strong. Ethiopia kept
also resettled out of Africa than in any previous year: its borders open to new arrivals, adding to the more
nearly 25,000 refugees, mostly from the Democratic than 700,000 refugees already receiving protection on
Republic of the Congo and Somalia, were resettled, its territory and making it the largest refugee-hosting
mainly to the United States, Canada, the United country in sub-Saharan Africa and the fifth largest in
Kingdom and Sweden. Local integration was pursued the world. With more than 551,000 refugees, Kenya
throughout Africa, with some 200,000 former Bu- was the second-largest refugee-hosting country in
rundian refugees who fled their country in 1972 be- sub-Saharan Africa. While the majority of refugees re-
coming naturalized citizens of the United Republic of mained in exile, there were several breakthroughs that
Tanzania in 2015. Unhcr had been strengthening its opened opportunities for durable solutions, including
working relations with non-traditional development the naturalization of former refugees in Tanzania and
partners, such as the African Development Bank and local integration in Zambia. Efforts were also made to
the World Bank, in order to promote development in identify and resolve situations of statelessness across
refugee-hosting areas. In 2015, unhcr worked with the continent.
the World Bank to attract support for services in the In East Africa, including the Horn of Africa, food
areas of agriculture, education, health and access insecurity, insufficient land to host the increasing
to markets in under-resourced regions that hosted number of refugees, restricted freedom of movement
refugees. and impediments to humanitarian access were major
In 2015, unhcr spent $1,097,702,497 on pro- challenges. Continued fighting in South Sudan
grammes assisting more than 18 million refugees, throughout the year, especially in Upper Nile, Unity
idps, people at risk of statelessness and other people of and Jonglei States, resulted in the internal displace-
concern across the continent. ment of approximately 1.5 million persons, including
At the end of the year, the unhcr budget for the more than 166,000 who sought temporary protection
Africa region increased to $2.8 billion, with emergen- near or within UN peacekeeping sites. Progress, how-
cies in Burundi, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen ever, was made in Uganda, where South Sudanese
accounting for almost half of the unhcr requirements refugees continued to be provided plots of land to
in Africa. The total funding received in 2015 for encourage self-sufficiency; and in the Sudan, where
Africa was $979.7 million, leaving 65 per cent of the the signing of a memorandum of understanding by
region’s needs unmet. Expenditure stood at $1.1 bil- unhcr, the Commissioner for Refugees and the
lion in 2015, about the same as in 2014. Regarding its Directorate of Passports and Immigration of the
financial commitments by subregion, in 2015 unhcr Ministry of Interior established a framework for the
spent $660.5 million in East Africa and the Horn of registration of South Sudanese refugees and the issu-
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 587

ance of identity cards. Humanitarian organizations leaving many internally displaced. Humanitarian
gained access to 13 new areas in Somalia, although agencies delivered food and non-food items to flood
continued insecurity and the absence of rule of law victims in Malawi. In January 2015, the World Bank
and basic services in some areas continued to discour- approved $80 million in credit and loans to help Ma-
age refugee returns. The Global Initiative on Somali lawi reconstruct critical public infrastructure, restore
Refugees provided a framework for identifying solu- agricultural livelihoods, enhance food security and
tions for the nearly 1 million Somali refugees in East improve disaster response and recovery capacities.
Africa and the Horn of Africa. In South Africa, xenophobia and violence against
In the Central Africa and Great Lakes subregion, foreigners, including refugees and asylum seekers,
there were over 1.1 million refugees and 3.3 million resulted in the loss of lives, property damage and dis-
idps by June, with the Democratic Republic of the placement. UN agencies and partners worked with the
Congo accounting for the majority of the idps. Re- Government and civil society to provide psychosocial
garding Burundi, unhcr and its partners launched support and assistance packages for the displaced, in-
a regional refugee response plan to protect and cluding rental subsidies and food vouchers, to estab-
assist refugees in the neighbouring countries. In the lish a 24-hour protection hotline and to organize mass
Central African Republic, the deployment of UN information campaigns to promote tolerance.
peacekeeping forces in September 2014 brought hope
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
for the stabilization of the security situation. Contin-
ued fighting, however, and human rights abuses tar- On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
geting civilians resulted in massive displacement and on the recommendation of the Third Committee
the spillover of violence into Cameroon, Chad, the [A/70/483], adopted resolution 70/134 (Assistance
Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. to refugees, returnees and displaced persons in
Humanitarian agencies coordinated a multisectoral Africa) without vote [agenda item 65].
response to the refugee inf lux, strengthening
assistance and enhancing reception conditions for new The Americas
arrivals, with Cameroon hosting the largest number
of Central African refugees, approximately 245,000. In the Americas, unhcr worked to address mul-
In the Central African Republic, the Bangui Forum tiple challenges, focusing on finding solutions in the
on National Reconciliation in May 2015, and the pact region through the Brazil Plan of Action [YUN 2014,
for peace, national reconciliation and reconstruction p. 1333] and resolving statelessness in several countries;
which it adopted, brought hopes for an end to the supporting efforts to consolidate a peace agreement
conflict and a solution to the humanitarian crisis. in Colombia; and responding to the needs of in-
In West Africa, the humanitarian situation was creasing numbers of displaced people who were
dominated by the impact of Boko Haram attacks fleeing violence and criminal activities in Central
in Nigeria, which produced mass displacement and America’s Northern Triangle. The Government of
affected security in neighbouring countries. The Colombia continued to engage in peace talks with
outbreak of the Ebola virus posed a risk to refugees the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to end
and host populations in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra the 50-year armed conflict that had generated over
Leone, and humanitarian organizations worked to 6.7 million idps and some 350,000 refugees. Unhcr
prevent infection in refugee camps and ensure that developed new protection and solutions strategies
refugees were included in national prevention and built on the Transitional Solutions Initiative experi-
preparedness activities. The signing of a peace and ence to facilitate local integration.
reconciliation agreement between armed groups and The severity and scale of violence in El Salvador,
the Government of Mali in June opened possibili- Guatemala and Honduras reached unprecedented lev-
ties for stabilization. The fragile security situation in els, triggering the flight of hundreds of thousands of
northern Mali, however, was not conducive for organ- people to neighbouring countries, mainly Mexico and
ized voluntary return. the United States. Almost 40,000 people crossed the
Although the situation throughout southern Africa border into the United States between October and
remained relatively calm, there were reports of ten- December. Unhcr developed a regional protection
sions related to the economic crisis in a number of and solutions strategy to support authorities in
countries. Humanitarian and protection activities countries of origin, transit and asylum, to create
focused on awareness-raising to counter xenophobia, robust protection systems; preserve asylum space;
redressing statelessness, advocacy related to mixed and strengthen frameworks and policies on asylum,
movements, strengthening national asylum systems internal displacement and solutions. During the year,
and promoting self-reliance. In late 2014 and early unhcr published the study Women on the Run, il-
2015, heavy rains caused flooding in southern Africa, lustrating the consequences of violence, including
mainly in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and sexual and gender-based violence, on female refugees
Zimbabwe, and affected some 1.82 million people, and asylum-seekers. In June, the Central American
588 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Integration System approved the establishment of Myanmar. Although there were around 2.6 million
the Human Rights Observatory on Displacement. Afghan refugees in some 70 countries, 95 per cent
The Government of Honduras, in cooperation with were in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, which had
unhcr and the Joint idp Profiling Service, con- generously hosted Afghan refugees for more than
ducted an idp profiling exercise to help in developing three decades. The Office focused its interventions on
protection policies and adopting measures to prevent four main objectives: undertaking community out-
forced displacement. reach; strengthening relations with urban refugees;
In the Dominican Republic, the authorities pro- ensuring access to essential services such as health
vided assurance that it would not deport undocu- care and education; and promoting livelihoods and
mented individuals with a legitimate claim to Do- self-reliance.
minican nationality, and examined options to identify In Afghanistan, numerous tripartite and quadri-
nationality solutions for those who were left stateless. partite meetings were held between Afghanistan, Iran
In May, a letter of intent was signed between the and Pakistan, together with unhcr. Each resulted
mercosur Institute of Public Policies on Human in closer cooperation amongthe three countries and
Rights and unhcr, and a work plan was agreed upon firm resolve to finding solutions for Afghan refugees.
to support the Brazil Plan of Action. Inter-agency co- In addition, the high-level segment of the sixty-sixth
operation improved in 2015, in particular with respect session of the Executive Committee of the High
to addressing statelessness in the Dominican Republic Commissioner’s Programme focused on the Afghan
and Haiti. refugee situation. Unhcr continued to work with
On eradicating statelessness, El Salvador became the Government of Afghanistan, humanitarian and
party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status development partners, civil society and other actors to
of Stateless Persons, while Belize became party to the facilitate the reintegration of returning refugees and
1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. to assist idps. The Office also advocated support from
A project undertaken in Costa Rica assisted indige- the international community to the Governments of
nous children and youth of Ngöbe-Buglé origin with Iran and Pakistan, and for the continued protection
late birth registration and documentation procedures, of Afghan refugees on their territories until lasting
in cooperation with the Government and unicef. The solutions were found.
nationality of nearly 1,400 Ngöbe-Buglé individuals In Myanmar, the 2015 elections were a milestone
was confirmed. in the country’s history and brought hope to address
The Caribbean saw positive legislative and the root causes that had prompted large numbers of
policy developments on refugee protection in the people to risk their lives on dangerous boat journeys in
management of mixed migration. Belize reactivated South-East Asia. Some 33,600 refugees and migrants
its refugee eligibility committee, and Trinidad and embarked on such movements in 2015. An estimated
Tobago established a refugee unit, while unhcr as- 370 people lost their lives during these journeys,
sisted the Government in developing refugee legisla- mostly from starvation, dehydration, disease and
tion and the related asylum system. abuse, including at the hands of people smugglers. Al-
On resettlement, the region demonstrated firm sol- though departures from the Bay of Bengal in the first
idarity and responsibility sharing in the context of the half of 2015 were 34 per cent higher than in the first
global refugee crisis. Canada and the United States half of 2014, the total number of departures during
met more than 80 per cent of the global quota agreed the year was half of the 2014 figure. That decline was
by resettlement countries. Canada resettled close to attributed to heightened scrutiny of maritime move-
20,000 refugees through both Government-assisted ments following a serious incident in the subregion
and private sponsorship programmes. Brazil granted in May 2015, when some 5,000 refugees were aban-
permanent residency on humanitarian grounds to doned in the Andaman Sea by smugglers.
some 44,000 Haitians, many of whom were displaced In Central Asia, unhcr supported governments
by the 2010 earthquake. in ensuring that national status determination proce-
Budget for the region stood at $117.4 million. dures were consistent with international refugee law,
Total expenditure amounted to $59.1 million for a as well as in developing protection-sensitive migration
population of concern of 8.4 million. management systems. Unhcr also undertook a major
restructuring of its presence in the region.
Asia and the Pacific On safeguarding access to protection and asylum,
unhcr continued to work with States in the region
By the end of 2015, some 9.8 million people of con- to improve protection standards, including in the
cern to unhcr were living in the Asia and the Pacific context of mixed movements. In addition to advo-
region, including 3.8 million refugees, 2.9 million cating and supporting the establishment of robust
idps and an estimated 1.5 million stateless people. national asylum procedures, the Office also promoted
The majority of refugees were from Afghanistan and protection-sensitive migratory systems that facilitated
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 589

the mobility of people with international protection had registered more than 11,000 stateless people of
needs in the region. For example, in Pakistan unhcr Tamil origin since mid-2014; at least 5,600 applica-
implemented 62 Refugee Affected and Hosting tions for nationality were made with the assistance of
Areas projects covering education, health, water and community-based paralegals and some 450 applicants
sanitation and livelihoods to improve the living con- acquired Malaysian nationality.
ditions of close to 1 million people, including some In 2015, unhcr spent $256.4 million on some 9.8
226,000 Afghan refugees. The Government of Iran million people of concern in Asia and the Pacific.
included refugees in its Universal Public Health
Insurance scheme, which allowed refugees to ben-
efit from hospitalization insurance. That large-scale Middle East and North Africa
initiative was based on an agreement signed in 2014 The Middle East and North Africa region contin-
between unhcr, the Bureau for Aliens and Foreign ued to face high levels of displacement throughout
Immigrants Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, 2015. With three system-wide, Level-3 emergencies in
the Ministry of Health, and the Iran Health Insur- Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the region accounted for more
ance Organization. In addition, some 50,000 undoc- than 30 per cent of global displacement.
umented Afghan children were enrolled in May in Protection remained the unhcr main priority in
Iran’s national education system for the 2015/2016 the Middle East and North Africa. The Office worked
academic year. closely with governments and partners to enhance
On seeking durable solutions for protracted protection space, focusing on: advocating access to
refugee situations, a milestone was reached with the safety and protection from refoulement; reinforc-
resettlement of more than 100,000 refugees from ing registration and refugee status determination;
Bhutan. Unhcr, together with iom, facilitated their promoting legislative frameworks; addressing the risk
departure from camps in Nepal to third countries. of statelessness; ensuring security from violence and
The programme, launched in 2007, was one of the exploitation; and working towards durable solutions,
largest and most successful of its kind. For the large including by expanding resettlement opportunities.
numbers of refugees living in urban and semi-urban
The crisis in Syria continued to trigger unprece-
areas in the region, unhcr adopted a pragmatic
dented levels of displacement. At the end of 2015, more
approach to solutions. That included promoting the
than 6.5 million Syrians were internally displaced,
self-reliance and empowerment of refugee commu-
and 4.6 million sought refuge in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
nities, pending a durable solution; advocating with
Lebanon and Turkey. Unhcr worked with more than
States, regional entities and other partners; and seek-
200 partners to support national response plans in those
ing to ensure the inclusion of refugees in services run
five main hosting countries, in line with the Regional
by national authorities or other UN entities.
Refugee and Resilience Plan. Syrians also comprised
On ensuring protection and durable solutions for the largest proportion of those who undertook danger-
idps, the Government of Myanmar had begun im- ous journeys by sea seeking refuge in Europe.
plementation of a “phased approach” to end displace-
ment in Rakhine state. Unhcr carried out protection In Iraq, the escalation of armed conflict resulted in
monitoring in areas of return. In South West Asia, significant internal displacement. Nearly 3.3 million
unhcr continued to work with the Government of people had been displaced across the country since
Pakistan to protect and assist some 1.3 million idps, January 2014. For unhcr, cash-based assistance, tar-
including more than 690,000 persons displaced in geting the most vulnerable, and registration activities
North Waziristan and Khyber Agencies in 2014. In remained priorities in 2015. More than 94,000 Iraqi
Afghanistan, unhcr worked with the Ministry of refugees in the region, and more than 500,000 idps
Refugees and Repatriation to implement the national in Iraq in need of winter assistance received relevant
idp policy. support. Growing numbers of Iraqis, facing precari-
Over 43 per cent of the persons of concern to ous living conditions and impoverishment, resorted
unhcr under its statelessness mandate were concen- to negative coping strategies or onward movement.
trated in the Asia and the Pacific region. Unhcr had In Yemen, with conflict escalating at the end
developed regional guidance for country operations of March, approximately 170,000 people fled to
on implementing the “Global action plan to end state- Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Sudan, as well as
lessness: 2014–2024”. In the southern Philippines, other countries in the East and Horn of Africa.
more than 7,000 people of Indonesian descent were Unrest continued to affect people of concern to
registered and provided with legal assistance in a joint unhcr in Libya. Mixed movements by sea from Libya
project undertaken by the Governments of Indonesia grew exponentially in 2015. Some 127,500 people
and the Philippines, together with unhcr. More than risked their lives at sea to reach Italy, accounting for
600 people were found to be eligible to have either 83 per cent of the arrivals by sea in the country. In
their Indonesian or Filipino nationality confirmed. In that context, the unhcr partners provided immediate
Malaysia, a unhcr partner community organization humanitarian assistance to around 2,000 individuals
590 Part Three: Economic and social questions

rescued during their sea journeys. Through regular Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mau-
detention monitoring, the Office also identified peo- ritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands,
ple of concern with specific humanitarian needs, and New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman,
either ensured their release or sought alternatives to Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines,
their detention. Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of
In response to mixed movements, unhcr adopted Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts
a regional approach with four strategic objectives: and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Samoa, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra
preventing refoulement; improving access to safety Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South
and asylum; empowering people of concern to make Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian
informed decisions about their lives; and enhancing Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav
protection space and access to solutions within broader Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad
migration frameworks. Unhcr and iom developed a and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
joint approach to mixed movements through an inter- Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United
Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet
agency response plan in Yemen, which aimed to ad- Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
dress the onward movement of refugees and migrants. Against: Israel.
On seeking durable solutions, unhcr focused Abstaining: Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Côte
its advocacy efforts on addressing the risk of state- d’Ivoire, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Para-
guay, United States, Vanuatu.
lessness in situations of forced displacement, family
separation, and the loss or destruction of identity
documents. In Mauritania, unhcr enhanced self- Europe
reliance activities for some 50,000 registered refugees In 2015, an unprecedented refugee crisis in Europe
in M’bera camp, including by investing in education, unfolded as an increasing number of people risked
vocational training and income-generation projects. their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search
Following a verification exercise carried out in 2015, of safety and protection. More than 1 million people
the nationality of some 3,700 Mauritanian returnees arrived in Southern Europe by boat, with 84 per cent
was confirmed. The returnees received assistance to coming from the world’s top 10 refugee-producing
reintegrate into their areas of origin. countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The
In 2015, unhcr spent about $1.2 billion on 17.2 majority of the new arrivals crossed the Aegean Sea
million people of concern in the region. from Turkey and arrived in Greece. Some 3,770 people
By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General died or were reported missing in the Mediterranean.
Assembly decided that the agenda item on the “Global Children made up 31 per cent of total arrivals; many
awareness of the tragedies of irregular migrants in were unaccompanied or separated and required par-
the Mediterranean basin, with specific emphasis on ticular care and attention. That crisis challenged the
Syrian asylum seekers” would remain for considera- effective functioning of the Common European
tion during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. Asylum System. Numerous European countries re-
sponded to the crisis by unilaterally imposing greater
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION restrictions on access to their territories. Unhcr was
On 9 December [meeting 70], the General Assembly, concerned by States violating their legal obligations
on the recommendation of the Fourth (Special towards refugees and asylum-seekers, which resulted
Political and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/496], in large numbers of people forcibly returned, across
adopted resolution 70/83 (Assistance to Palestine border points, outside of legal channel.
refugees) by recorded vote (167-1-11) [agenda item 54]. Turkey, the host to the largest number of refugees
in the world, registered more than 2.5 million Syrians
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/83:
by year’s end. Under the framework of the Regional
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Ar-
gentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Refugee and Resilience Plan, the inter-agency response
Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, to the Syria crisis, unhcr supported Turkey’s imple-
Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, mentation of the temporary protection regulation,
Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo and Syrian refugees’ access to rights and entitlements.
Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros,
Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Greece experienced an unprecedented increase in
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, new arrivals by sea with more than 850,000 arrivals,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, the vast majority of whom moved onwards through
Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, the Western Balkans to Northern and Western
Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Europe. In response to that situation, unhcr de-
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
clared an internal level 2 emergency in July and sig-
Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, nificantly scaled up its presence and activities not only
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Leso- in Greece, but also in the former Yugoslav Republic
tho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, of Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Hungary,
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 591

providing protection and assistance to people of con- loudspeaker, and individual counselling. Unhcr,
cern, including support to emergency reception ar- together with unicef, the International Committee
rangements, with a focus on those with specific needs. of the Red Cross, and other partners, developed
The humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and instituted the Child and Family Support Hubs
remained precarious. Unhcr worked with the (“Blue Dot” hubs), to ensure that basic services and
Government, local authorities, and ngos to respond necessary protection interventions were available to
to the immediate and long-term needs of idps through women, children and individuals with specific needs
protection monitoring and the distribution of shel- in key transit points and areas of operation. Unhcr
ter and core relief assistance. The Office carried out worked together with authorities and partners to
protection advocacy at legislative and policy levels enhance reception facilities in all countries affected
and successfully lobbied for amendments adopted in by the emergency. That included working to provide
December to align the idp law more closely with the gender-separated and well-lit water, sanitation and
Office’s Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement. hygiene facilities; safe places for women and children;
In response to acute humanitarian needs, unhcr un- child-friendly spaces; the provision of medical and
dertook a $6 million winterization programme across psychosocial first aid; and the availability of legal
eastern Ukraine. counselling and information on asylum procedures.
On safeguarding asylum space, unhcr and Many of the reception centres, however, fell short of
partners maintained a continuous presence at key recognized humanitarian standards in that respect.
borders and transit points, particularly along the Consequently, significant protection risks remained.
Western Balkans route and in key countries respond- On expanding durable solutions, unhcr advo-
ing to the Europe emergency, working to ensure that cated large-scale resettlement and humanitarian
essential services were available when needed. Efforts admission programmes, as well as additional com-
ranged from interventions in cases of violence, in- plementary pathways for admission, such as family re-
cluding pushbacks; advocating for access to asylum; unification and student scholarship programmes. On
preventing family separation and reunifying those 14 December, a joint declaration was signed between
who had been separated; providing information on unhcr, Greece’s Ministry for Migration Policy and
legal options and available services; and supporting the European Commission to formalize implementa-
authorities to respond to the influx. Often working tion modalities of a17-point plan of action—agreed
together with partners, unhcr conducted regular upon by concerned States at the Meeting on the
and systematic protection monitoring at border entry Western Balkans Migration Route on 25 October—
and exit points, and in detention centres. Of partic- to address the unprecedented flow of refugees and
ular concern was the issue of detention of children migrants along the Eastern Mediterranean-Western
in some countries. Unhcr also provided support to Balkans route.
national asylum systems in Greece and along the During the year, unhcr spent $243.7 million
Western Balkans route, by providing technical guid- for the region—$127.3 million in Eastern Europe,
ance, equipment, and training. In Eastern Europe and $34.3 million in South-Eastern Europe, and $82.2
the South Caucasus, Phase II of the Asylum Systems million in Northern, Western, Central and Southern
Quality Initiative (2015–2017) was launched, fol- Europe—on a total population of 9.2 million persons.
lowing requests for continuation by participating
Governments. Phase II focused on bringing asylum
systems in the region in line with international and Policy development and cooperation
European norms, and targeted an expanded audience
Partnerships and coordination
of border guards and judges involved in asylum cases,
in addition to first-instance decision makers. According to the High Commissioner’s annual
Unhcr strengthened its presence in all countries af- report [A/71/12], the Office entrusted $1.2 billion to
fected by the refugee crisis in order to assist authorities 938 partners (584 national ngos, 168 international
in mitigating and responding to protection risks. Inter- ngos, 172 governmental partners and 14 UN
ventions ranged from support to emergency reception agencies) to provide protection and assistance for
arrangements and providing emergency assistance, to persons of concern and to help find solutions for
providing and coordinating protection services for them. In 2015, the Office launched a Partner Portal
people with specific needs, including separated and to help support its Framework for implementing with
unaccompanied children. It worked to strengthen partners; that tool enhanced communication with
communications with affected communities through- partners and provided them with access to an array of
out Europe, providing information on asylum pro- resources. Fourteen workshops, involving more than
cedures, available services, legal options, and rights 480 aid workers, were organized, offering an oppor-
and obligations to people of concern. Information tunity to strengthen dialogue and receive feedback
was provided in multiple languages through group on the framework. Wfp and unicef remained two
information sessions, printed leaflets, sign boards, of the most important unhcr partners. In October, a
592 Part Three: Economic and social questions

commitment was reached to strengthen collaboration the auspices of iasc, as well as the management groups
with those agencies on cash-based interventions. The for the inter-agency evaluations of the Central African
Office and the International Trade Centre concluded Republic and South Sudan level-3 emergencies.
an agreement in January to enhance economic op-
portunities for refugees. The Office also continued Inspections
to strengthen partnerships with the private sector.
For example, the ikea Foundation “Brighter lives At its sixty-sixth session, the Executive Com-
for refugees” campaign raised €10.8 million between mittee had before it a report [A/AC.96/1149] of the
February and March. High Commissioner on the activities of the Inspector
Unhcr continued to work within established coor- General’s Office from July 2014 to June 2015. During
dination arrangements at global and field levels, under that period, the Office conducted four inspections of
the iasc. Efforts to strengthen humanitarian response unhcr operations in Ethiopia, Lebanon, Nigeria and
and accountability were guided by the Transformative Sri Lanka. The Office also conducted two additional
Agenda. The Joint note on mixed situations: coordina- inspection exercises: an inspection of the Biometrics
tion in practice, developed with the United Nations Identification System for Food Distribution, con-
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ducted jointly with the wfp Office of the Inspector
provided the framework for leadership and coordina- General, and a compliance mission to Mauritania to
tion in mixed internal displacement and refugee situ- follow up on recommendations issued in the 2013 ad
ations, such as in Cameroon. hoc inspection report.
During the reporting period, two inspections
conducted in 2010 and 2012 were closed. The rate
Evaluation activities of fully implemented recommendations grew from
At its sixty-sixth session, the Executive Committee 61 per cent at the end of 2013 to 85.6 per cent at the
had before it a report [A/AC.96/1150] of the High Com- end of 2014. Overall, the Office’s rate of compliance
missioner that reviewed the activities of the Policy remained above the average in the UN system.
Development and Evaluation Service (pdes) from In his annual report [A/71/12], the High Com-
July 2014 through June 2015. Unhcr undertook missioner stated that in line with the strategy of
a range of evaluations and reviews of policy and bringing oversight capacity closer to the field, the
programmatic issues relating to emergency response, Inspector General’s Office opened a field unit in
protection and durable solutions. In the context of Nairobi in August. That complemented one already
emergency operations, and in line with its internal existing in Bangkok. The Office started to im-
commitment to assess its response to level-3 emergen- plement an organization-wide risk management
cies, the Office completed an independent evaluation framework. A corporate risk register was compiled,
of its work in Jordan and Lebanon for refugees from providing structured information on risks and
Syria. It also undertook evaluations of its response mitigation measures in the field and at Headquar-
in Cameroon and Chad relating to the crisis in ters. The Independent Audit and Oversight Com-
the Central African Republic; and in Ethiopia and mittee continued to assist the High Commissioner
Uganda relating to the situation in South Sudan. Fol- and the Executive Committee in exercising their
lowing a comprehensive review of the unhcr role in oversight responsibilities. The Committee made rec-
assisting States with the assumption of responsibility ommendations on various issues, including audit,
for refugee status determination (rsd), an evaluation oversight mechanisms, inspection and investigation,
of unhcr rsd programme in Kenya was released in evaluation, fraud prevention, personal accountability,
April. Unhcr also completed an evaluation of its human resources, procurement, ethics and enterprise
programmes to combat xenophobia in South Africa. risk management.
Following a previous assessment of unhcr use of the OIOS activities. In July, oios submitted to the
Central Emergency Reserve Fund, an evaluation of Executive Committee a report [A/AC.96/1148] on its
the unhcr engagement with the UN “Delivering as internal audit of unhcr for the period from 1 July
one” initiative was completed in early 2015. 2014 to 30 June 2015. Oios completed 24 audits,
In 2015, pdes supported the implementation of including six headquarters and information and
unhcr 2009 urban refugee policy through the co- communications technology audits and 18 field
ordination of the Building communities of practice operations audits. Oios issued 142 recommenda-
for urban refugees project. As focal point for exter- tions for the 24 audits completed, out of which 126
nal and inter-agency reviews and evaluations, pdes (89 per cent) were important and 16 (11 per cent)
coordinated the evaluation by the Office of Internal were critical. At the end of the reporting period, there
Oversight Services (oios) of the unhcr programmes were 128 recommendations open, of which 120 were
on durable solutions for refugees. Unhcr participated considered to be important and 8 were critical. The
in the meetings of the steering group of the inter- number of open recommendations decreased from
agency humanitarian evaluation, established under 175 as at 30 June 2014 to 128 as at 30 June 2015;
Chapter XII: Refugees and displaced persons 593

29 open recommendations were over two years old $3.06 billion, with a deficit of $304.8 million com-
at the end of the reporting period. During the year, pared with a surplus of $460.4 million in 2013.
186 recommendations were closed, out of which 179 Key findings of the Board of Auditors covered
were fully implemented. issues relating to financial matters; management
of physical assets; internal control and fraud risk
Financial questions assessment; Managing Systems, Resources and People
(msrp) project systems upgrade; cost of service deliv-
The annual budget of unhcr for 2015 amounted ery; and financial management within the education
to $7.23 billion, comprising an initial budget of programme.
$6.23 billion approved by the Executive Committee
in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1339] and about $1.16 billion for The Board of Auditors recommended, among other
10 supplementary budgets subsequently created to things, that unhcr work with donors to improve the
address unforeseen emergency needs, less a reduction profiling of resources during the year to facilitate bet-
of $158.4 million for the Syria situation, following a ter budget forecasting, which would enable smoother
revision of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan budget implementation and procurement; make bet-
and the Strategic Response Plan. Voluntary contri- ter use of data analytics to assure management of
butions from donors reached $3.36 billion, and total compliance with key controls and finalize and em-
available funds amounted to $3.7 billion. Despite bed the fraud risk assessments and mitigation plans
this, 49 per cent of the unhcr 2015 comprehensive emerging from the fraud prevention project; and en-
budgetary requirements were not covered, amounting sure that the key priorities for the msrp upgrade were
to $3.52 billion. used to draw up a clear statement of benefits, against
which the success of the project could be measured
The Office’s top 10 donors provided 77 per cent of and enhance the msrp project risk process by regular
its funding, compared to 82 per cent the year before, review of the risks and mitigation measures.
and governmental and intergovernmental sources pro-
vided 88 per cent of its funds, compared to 91 per cent In September [A/AC.96/1146/Add.1], the High Com-
in 2014. Unhcr received $284 million from private missioner reported on measures taken in response
donors, almost half of which was unearmarked. While to the recommendations of the Board of Auditors
the Office’s funding gap was greater than ever before, for 2014.
private donations allowed unhcr to be more respon-
sive to a number of underfunded situations and had Management and administrative matters
a significant impact on the well-being of millions of
people. For the refugee crisis in Europe, unhcr raised Human resources. At the September session of
more than $50 million from the private sector. the Standing Committee [A/AC.96/1152], the Director
of the Division of Human Resources Management
Expenditures during the year totalled some presented the update [EC/66/SC/CRP.23] on human
$3.29 billion, with $1.1 billion spent in Africa; resources, including staff welfare, providing an over-
$1.2 billion in North Africa and the Middle East; view of reforms and progress achieved in 2014 and
$256 million in Asia and the Pacific; $243 million in 2015, including the launch of the People Strategy for
Europe; and $59 million in the Americas. 2016–2021. The Strategy aimed to strengthen the way
Biennial programme budget 2016–2017. In a in which unhcr recruited, supported and developed
report issued in August [A/AC.96/1147], the High Com- its workforce. Member States requested regular up-
missioner presented the estimates for the biennium dates on the implementation of the Strategy, includ-
2016–2017 ($6,546.3 million and $6,408.5 million ing with respect to diversity, its impact on affiliate
respectively), based upon the needs identified by field workforce, the review of the gender equity policy, and
operations. security for female personnel. Unhcr was encouraged
In September [A/AC.96/1147/Add.1], the Advisory to strengthen efforts to recruit and train women, and
Committee on Administrative and Budgetary to hire personnel from under-represented regions.
Questions provided its comments and recommen- Regarding psychosocial support and outreach, the
dations on the unhcr revised biennial programme Director noted that efforts had been made to provide
budget for 2016–2017. such support through various avenues, including new
The Executive Committee, at its sixty-sixth session technologies for staff in remote areas to maintain con-
in October (see p. 582), approved the programmes tact with their families.
and budgets for regional programmes, global pro- Over the past five years, a substantial increase in
grammes and headquarters. simultaneous large-scale humanitarian emergencies
Accounts (2014). The audited financial statements had seen a 39 per cent increase in staff numbers. As
of voluntary funds administered by unhcr for the year at 31 July 2015, the organization had 9,727 staff,
ending 31 December 2014 [A/70/5/Add.6] showed a to- 73 per cent of whom were nationally recruited. Since
tal expenditure of $3.36 billion and a total income of 2009, the number of staff working in the field had
594 Part Three: Economic and social questions

increased by 41 per cent, bringing the number to enable personnel to “stay and deliver” for persons of
more than 8,000. In total, more than 12,000 persons concern to the Office. In view of the complex security
worked for unhcr by mid-2015. environment in many operations, including increased
Staff Security. Also at the September session of targeted attacks against humanitarian personnel,
the Standing Committee [A/AC.96/1152], the Director Member States urged unhcr to work closely with the
of the Division of Emergency, Security and Supply United Nations Department of Safety and Security
(dess) presented an update on staff security [EC/66/SC/ and other partners. Efforts to deploy field security
CRP.24], noting that unhcr personnel were working staff, the Safe Road Use campaign and specialized
in increasingly challenging operational environments training, notably for female personnel, were welcomed
and were subject to security threats, including attacks. as positive developments. The dess Director noted
She remarked on the need to strengthen the culture that Emergency Services staff had been deployed to
of security within unhcr and to adopt measures to various emergency situations.
Chapter XIII

Health, food and nutrition

In 2015, the United Nations continued to promote On efforts to combat malaria, the World Health
health, food and nutrition worldwide. In West Africa, Assembly adopted in May the who Global Technical
the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030, and in July, the
Response (unmeer) continued to coordinate all third International Conference on Financing for
actors responding to the Ebola virus disease out- Development launched the second edition of the Roll
break in accordance with a commonly agreed oper- Back Malaria Partnership’s Global Malaria Action
ational framework under the leadership of the host Plan, “Action and investment to defeat malaria 2016–
Governments. UN-system efforts focused on find- 2030”. Those two documents provided the framework
ing people with the disease and following-up with for achieving a reduction in global malaria incidence
their contacts; treating people with the disease; safe and mortality rates by at least 90 per cent by 2030. In
and dignified burials; and community engagement. September, the General Assembly urged the interna-
Early case detection, reinforcement of alerts and tional community to implement the Global Technical
surveillance systems and awareness-raising activities Strategy, including through support for the comple-
became more critical in the push towards zero cases. mentary Action and Investment to Defeat Malaria
After fulfilling its core objectives of scaling up the 2016–2030 plan, in order to achieve the internation-
response in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and ally agreed targets on malaria.
establishing the focused coordination of responders, On road safety, the Secretary-General appointed
unmeer closed on 31 July. On 1 August, oversight a special envoy to mobilize political commitment
of the UN-system Ebola emergency response was and raise awareness of the need to reduce road traffic
transferred to the World Health Organization crashes and their consequences on public health
(who). Additional response activities included the and development. For the third UN Global Road
second who high-level meeting on Ebola vaccine Safety Week in May, events took place in at least
access and financing, which focused on efforts to de- 105 countries, and the associated #SaveKidsLives
velop and make Ebola vaccines available to affected campaign generated action to better ensure the safety
communities; and the International Ebola Recovery of children on the world’s roads. In November, the
Conference, which focused on targeted investments Second Global High-level Conference on Road Safety
in the three Ebola-affected countries in a way that adopted the “Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety”,
contributed to building back better and ensuring which aimed to halve road traffic deaths by 2020—as
greater resilience. called for by target 3.6 of the newly adopted sustain-
On the occasion of the UN summit for the adop- able development goals (sdgs).
tion of the post-2015 development agenda in Septem- Concurrent Level 2 and Level 3 emergencies
ber, who issued the Noncommunicable Diseases Pro- during the year required institution-wide responses
gress Monitor 2015, which reported on the extent to from the World Food Programme (wfp) as it con-
which some 194 countries were developing responses tinued to reach the world’s most vulnerable people
to the global burden of non-communicable diseases with lifesaving food assistance. Working with over
(ncds)—namely, cancer, diabetes, and heart and lung 1,000 non-governmental organizations, wfp directly
disease—subject to the national commitments in- assisted 76.7 million people—most of them women
cluded in the 2011 UN Political Declaration and the and children—in 81 countries through 201 projects.
2014 UN Outcome Document on ncds. The Monitor Wfp responded to severe, complex emergencies in
was based on the most recent data tracked against 10 Iraq, South Sudan, Yemen, the Syria region and Ebola-
indicators developed by who to assess progress at the affected West Africa.
national level in the prevention and control of ncds. According to the Food and Agriculture Organi­
The 2015 who report on the global tobacco epi- zation, the Millennium Development Goal (mdg)
demic noted that the raising of taxes on tobacco— commitment to halve the percentage of hungry people
one of the most effective and cost-effective interven- had been almost met at the global level. Seventy-two
tions—was also one of the least implemented tobacco of the 129 countries monitored had reached the mdg
control measures. It called on all Parties to the who target, yet hunger remained an everyday challenge
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to make for almost 795 million people worldwide, including
specific commitments to implement strong tobacco 780 million in the developing regions. Regarding the
control policies and protect the health of their people. transition from the mdgs to the sdgs on food security

595
596 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and nutrition, the Secretary-General reported that being disproportionately affected by hiv in many
reaching sdg 2 (Zero Hunger) and the interlinked countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, women constituted
targets of at least six other sdgs would be critical to 57 per cent of adults (15 years of age or over) living
making a shift to resilient, diverse and productive with hiv and on average, they acquired hiv between
agriculture and food systems that were environmen- five to seven years earlier than did men.
tally, socially and economically sustainable. The Secretary-General recommended that inter-
In May, the World Health Assembly approved a set national donors, Governments, civil society, the UN
of additional core indicators for the global monitoring system and other key partners implement a series of
framework on maternal, infant and young child joint actions to enhance aids response efforts. He
nutrition and recommended that Member States noted that a strong focus on aids needed to continue,
report on the entire core set of indicators starting to ensure that gains were preserved and built upon,
in 2016 and that a review of the global nutrition and that linkages with the aids response were pro-
monitoring framework be conducted in 2020. moted across the post-2015 sustainable development
agenda, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction,
employment creation and empowerment of women
Health and girls. Efforts needed to focus on specific loca-
tions and populations that were being left behind,
and to ensure that resources and programming were
AIDS prevention and control targeted to need and grounded in human rights
Implementation of Declaration of and gender equality. On the goal of achieving zero
Commitment and Political Declaration discrimination, the Secretary-General recommended
that indicators for measuring reductions in stigmati-
Report of Secretary-General. In April [A/69/856], zation, discrimination and human rights violations
the Secretary-General submitted a report to the be developed and monitored. He also recommended
General Assembly on progress made towards that social protection programmes be scaled up to
achieving the targets outlined in the 2011 Political enhance hiv prevention, treatment, care and support,
Declaration on hiv/aids [YUN 2011, p. 1135] as well with a particular focus on cash transfer programmes
as the Millennium Development Goals (mdgs), and for young women in countries with a high prevalence
global efforts to end the aids epidemic as a public- of hiv; that resources be used effectively to exert
health threat by 2030. The report noted that the the highest impact on those in need; and that the
number of new infections and aids-related deaths had knowledge, expertise and lessons learned from the
continued to fall globally, and risk-taking behaviour global aids response be harnessed within the post-
had been reduced in many settings. Between 2001 2015 era to assist in solving other complex sustainable
and 2013, there had been a 38 per cent reduction in development challenges.
new infections (to 2.1 million) and between 2005 (the On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
year with the highest number of new infections) and Assembly decided that the item entitled “Implementa-
2013, there had been a 35 per cent decline in aids - re- tion of the Declaration of Commitment on hiv/aids
lated deaths. Through advocacy for affordable medi- and the Political Declarations on hiv/aids” would re-
cines and scaled-up treatment programming, access to main for consideration during its resumed seventieth
lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (art) had improved (2016) session.
dramatically and mother-to-child transmission rates
had continued to fall. Of the 13.6 million people GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
who had received art by June 2014, 12.1 million On 23 December [meeting 82], the General As-
were in low- and middle-income countries. In sub- sembly adopted resolution 70/228 [draft: A/70/L.38]
Saharan Africa, some 86 per cent of people living (Organization of the 2016 high-level meeting on
with hiv who knew their status were receiving art, HIV/AIDS) without vote [agenda item 11].
and about 76 per cent of those enrolled in treatment
had achieved viral suppression. Following scaled-up
provision of art for pregnant women living with hiv, Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS
there was a 58 per cent decrease globally in new in- The Joint United Nations Programme on hiv/aids
fections among children between 2002 (the year with (unaids)—the main advocate for global action on
the highest recorded number) and 2013. hiv/aids—had eleven co-sponsors in 2015: the In-
Despite those gains, in some countries and regions ternational Labour Organization, the United Nations
the progress was slow or sliding backwards. Gaps in Development Programme (undp), the United Nations
the aids response had emerged in the Middle East, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,
Northern Africa and some countries in Eastern the United Nations Population Fund (unfpa), the
Europe, where the most significant increases in new Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
infections had occurred. Specific groups were also for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 597

(unicef), the United Nations Office on Drugs and for the multisectoral approach of the aids response
Crime, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality to be reflected in the hiv - relevant target indica-
and the Empowerment of Women, the World Food tors for the proposed sustainable development goals
Programme (wfp), the World Health Organization (sdgs). The Board welcomed the report on the multi-
(who) and the World Bank. stakeholder consultative process to update and extend
Report of Executive Director. In response to the unaids Strategy 2011–2015 through the fast-track
Economic and Social Council resolution 2013/11 period 2016–2021 [UNAIDS/PCB (36)/15.5] and took
[YUN 2013, p. 1172], the Secretary-General transmitted note of the draft unaids Strategy 2016–2021, which
a January report of the unaids Executive Director would be updated and presented for consideration at
[E/2015/8] on progress made in implementing a coor- the thirty-seventh pcb meeting. The Board also took
dinated response by the UN system to the hiv/aids note of the report on the unaids Unified Budget,
epidemic. The report stated that the number of peo- Results and Accountability Framework 2012–2015
ple newly infected with hiv in 2013 (approximately [UNAIDS/PCB (36)/15.6] and looked forward to the pres-
2.1 million) was 38 per cent lower than in 2001; the entation of the 2016–2021 Framework for adoption at
number of aids-related deaths (1.5 million) was down its thirty-seventh meeting.
35 per cent from its peak in 2005; and the number At its thirty-seventh meeting (Geneva, 26–28 Oc-
of children newly infected with hiv (240,000) rep- tober) [UNAIDS/PCB (37)/15.26], the Board adopted the
resented a 58 per cent decline from 2002. Yet aids unaids Strategy 2016–2021 [UNAIDS/PCB (37)/15.18.
remained the sixth biggest cause of death globally, the rev1]; and approved the Unified Budget, Results and
leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and the Accountability Framework 2016–2021 [UNAIDS/PCB
leading cause of death worldwide among women of (37)/15.19], as well as a core budget for 2016–2017 of
reproductive age. Persistent gaps in the response con- $485 million. It also considered an update on the
tributed to the continuing severity of the epidemic. aids response in the post-2015 development agenda
As at December 2013, some 35 million people were [UNAIDS/PCB (37)/15.17] and a report on hiv in prisons
living with hiv. As at June 2014, over 60 per cent and other closed settings [UNAIDS/PCB (37)/15.21].
of all people living with hiv were not receiving an-
tiretroviral therapy, in large part because more than
Non-communicable diseases
half of those people did not know their hiv status.
While declining globally, new hiv infections were Prevention and control of non-communicable
rising in some countries, in particular where services diseases
were not prioritized for most-affected populations. In
many countries, key populations and other vulnerable Inter-Agency Task Force. On 25 March, in
groups continued to be left behind in the response, response to Economic and Social Council resolution
while gender inequality, criminalization and other 2014/10 [YUN 2014, p. 1345], the Secretary-General
human rights violations remained significant barriers submitted to the Council a report [E/2015/53] by the
to progress. who Director General on progress achieved since
June 2014 by the United Nations Inter-Agency
The report summarized progress achieved towards
Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-
ten key targets based on the 2011 Political Declaration
communicable Diseases. The work of the Task Force
[YUN 2011, p. 1135], with a specific focus on contribu-
focused on the implementation of the six objectives set
tions by unaids. It also discussed the aids response in
out in its terms of reference, and in line with the 2014
the context of the post-2015 development agenda and
outcome document of the high-level meeting of the
made recommendations towards ending the epidemic
General Assembly on the comprehensive review and
as a public health threat by 2030.
assessment of the progress achieved in the prevention
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION and control of non-communicable diseases (ncds)
[YUN 2014, p. 1346], the who Global Action Plan for
On 8 April [meeting 22], the Economic and Social the Prevention and Control of ncds 2013–2020
Council adopted resolution 2015/2 [draft: E/2015/L.5] [YUN 2013, p. 1174] and the who global coordination
(Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) mechanism on the prevention and control of ncds.
without vote [agenda item 12 (g)]. The Task Force workplan covering the period 2014–
2015 consisted of 43 actions in support of its six objec-
Programme Coordinating Board tives. To complete those actions—each of which had
The unaids Programme Coordinating Board (pcb), a lead agency—members of the Task Force worked
at its thirty-sixth meeting (Geneva, 30 June–2 July) in partnership, including through the alignment of
[UNAIDS/PCB (36)/15.14], took note of the update on the policies and resources. The Task Force prioritized the
aids response in the post-2015 development agenda provision of assistance to world leaders in fulfilling
[UNAIDS/PCB (36)/15.4] and encouraged the Joint their commitments on ncds at the country level, but
United Nations Programme on hiv/aids to advocate among UN country teams, progress was insufficient
598 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and uneven in meeting the demand for technical Tobacco

assistance from developing countries to set national
targets for 2025; in developing national multisectoral WHO Framework Convention
policies and plans on ncds to achieve the national tar- on Tobacco Control
gets by 2025; and in strengthening national capacities The who Framework Convention on Tobacco
to assess progress and monitor results. Bolder meas- Control (fctc) was adopted by the World Health As-
ures were needed to equip country teams with the sembly in 2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1251] and entered into
expertise to support national efforts to address ncds force in 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 1328]. It facilitated an in-
and mitigate their impacts. The report concluded that ternationally coordinated response to combating the
country teams had an opportunity, in the context of tobacco epidemic and set out specific steps for Gov-
the post-2015 development agenda, to bring about a ernments to take. At the end of 2015, 179 States and
paradigm shift by working together to raise awareness the European Union were parties to the Convention.
about the national public health burden of ncds and Global progress report. The who Report on
the relationship between ncds, poverty and social and the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2015: Raising taxes on
economic development. tobacco stated that there had been steady progress
in global tobacco control in the decade since the
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
Framework Convention came into force and seven
On 9 June [meeting 33], the Economic and Social years after the introduction of the mpower measures,
Council adopted resolution 2015/8 [draft: E/2015/L.14] which corresponded to one or more articles of the
(United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on the Framework Convention to help reduce the demand
Prevention and Control of Non-communicable for tobacco at the country level and assist Parties in
Diseases) without vote [agenda item 12 (f )]. meeting their fctc obligations. More than half of
the world’s countries—helping to protect 40 per cent
Global status report. On the occasion of the UN of the world’s population (2.8 billion people)—had
summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development implemented at least one mpower measure at the
agenda (see p. 396), who issued the Noncommunica- highest level of achievement. That progress more than
ble Diseases Progress Monitor 2015, which tracked the doubled the number of countries and nearly tripled
extent to which some 194 countries were developing the number of people covered since 2007. A total of
responses to the global burden of non-communicable 49 countries with nearly 20 per cent of the world’s
diseases (ncds), subject to the national commit- population were covered by two or more mpower
ments included in the 2011 UN Political Declaration measures at the highest level, tripling the number of
[YUN 2011, p. 1146] and the 2014 UN Outcome Doc- people protected by at least two fully implemented
ument on ncds [YUN 2014, p. 1346]. The Monitor pre- tobacco control measures to 1.4 billion people since
sented the achievements and challenges faced by each 2007. Seven countries, five of which were low- and
country as they sought to combat cancer, diabetes, middle-income, had implemented four or more
and heart and lung disease. Its findings were based mpower measures at the highest level. Six of those
on the most recent data tracked against 10 indicators countries (four of which were low- and middle-
developed by who to assess progress at the national income countries with more than 4 per cent of the
level in the prevention and control of ncds. The world’s population—more than 300 million people)
country profiles also included information on the re- were only one step away from having all mpower
spective population, percentage and number of deaths measures in place at the highest level. The raising of
from ncds, and the probability of premature mortality taxes on tobacco to more than 75 per cent of the re-
from ncds. Issues covered by the report included the tail price—one of the most effective and cost-effective
setting of overall ncd reduction targets; measures to tobacco control interventions—was, however, the
reduce tobacco consumption; harmful use of alcohol; least implemented mpower measure. Only 1 in 10 of
unhealthy diets and physical inactivity; and measures the world’s people lived in the 33 countries that lev-
to strengthen treatment and care for people with ncds. ied taxes to best practice level. There were still many
It noted that each year, 16 million people died prema- countries with extremely low tobacco tax rates, and
turely before the age of 70 from ncds. With 4 out of some countries that did not levy any tobacco taxes
5 of those deaths occurring in developing countries, at all. The report noted that it could be difficult to
ncds presented one of the major development chal- generate sufficient political will to overcome oppo-
lenges of the twenty-first century. The successful in- sition—including from the tobacco industry—to
clusion of ncds in the post-2015 development agenda raising tobacco taxes, but because they were gener-
gave important positive momentum to the next phase ally better accepted than other types of taxes, it was
in reducing premature deaths from ncds, which would possible to achieve widespread public support, even
culminate in September 2018 with the third High- among tobacco users, especially if at least some of the
level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on the new tax revenues were used for tobacco control, health
prevention and control of ncds. promotion and other public health programmes. The
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 599

report called on all countries to fulfil their obligation By focusing on inequalities and presenting new ideas
to protect the health of their people, and all Parties for progress, the report underlined the challenge of
to Framework Convention to make specific commit- achieving universal access post-2015.
ments to implement strong tobacco control policies Communication. In a letter [A/C.2/70/5] dated
as an important means of providing that protection. 26 August, the Permanent Representative of Tajik-
istan to the United Nations transmitted the outcome
Water and sanitation documents of the High-level International Conference
(Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 9–10 June) on the Implemen-
UN-Water activities. Throughout the year, UN- tation of the International Decade for Action “Water
Water geared its work—issuing reports and policy for Life”, 2005–2015 (see p. 507).
briefs, and engaging with global campaigns and
stakeholder dialogues—towards drawing attention to
the role of water and sanitation in an interconnected Malaria
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; providing Roll Back Malaria initiative
input to the sustainable development goals (sdgs) pro-
cess; and ensuring the creation of a strong, integrated On 27 May, the Secretary-General transmitted
framework for post-2015 monitoring and reporting to the General Assembly the report [A/69/916] of the
on water and sanitation, particularly with regard to who Director General submitted in accordance with
indicators for sdg 6 (Clean water and sanitation for Assembly resolution 68/308 [YUN 2014, p. 1351] on
all). On 30 March in New York, UN-Water supported consolidating gains and accelerating efforts to control
the organization of a high-level interactive dialogue and eliminate malaria in developing countries, par-
to celebrate achievements of the International Decade ticularly in Africa, by 2015. Using the latest available
for Action, “Water for Life”, 2005–2015 (see p. 507), data from malaria-endemic countries and a range of
which was proclaimed by the General Assembly in organizations, the Director General reviewed progress
2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1034], and to discuss how lessons made in the implementation of resolution 68/308;
learned from the Decade could translate into actions the adoption and scaling-up of interventions recom-
for the 2030 Agenda. On 29 September, during the mended by who for malaria-endemic countries; and
opening week of the seventieth UN General As- assessed progress towards the 2015 global malaria
sembly, UN-Water co-organized a high-level side targets, including Millennium Development Goal 6.
event on “Making it happen: ending inequalities and Between 2000 and 2013, an expansion of malaria
ensuring sanitation, water and hygiene for all as a interventions had helped reduce malaria mortality
basis for achieving the sdgs”, which focused on the rates by 47 per cent worldwide, averting an estimated
planned commitments of countries and organizations 4.3 million deaths. The malaria mortality rate in the
to achieve sdg 6 and other water-related targets. For under-5 age group in Africa declined by 54 per cent
World Toilet Day on 19 November, UN-Water coor- during that period. Global case incidence was re-
dinated a high-level event in New York to raise the duced by 30 per cent. A 2014 analysis revealed that
profile of sanitation-related issues and launch a publi- the number of people who carried the malaria par-
cation by who, unicef and the United States Agency asite in sub-Saharan Africa (i.e., both symptomatic
for International Development entitled Improving and asymptomatic malaria infections) was reduced
nutrition outcomes with better water, sanitation and from an estimated 173 million in 2000 to 128 million
hygiene: Practical solutions for policies and programmes. in 2013, notwithstanding an increase of 43 per cent
WHO/UNICEF report. In June, the 2015 report in population levels in malaria-endemic countries
of the who/unicef Joint Monitoring Programme for of Africa. Based on the data, overall, the world was
Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (jmp) was re- on track to achieve the mdg target for malaria, but
leased, providing a definitive analysis of the achieve- the disease remained concentrated in 16 countries
ment of the mdg targets on drinking water and ba- where about 80 per cent of global malaria deaths
sic sanitation. Regarding drinking water, the global occurred. Africa bore the world’s highest malaria bur-
mdg target was met in 2010, with 91 per cent of the den, with two countries—the Democratic Republic
global population using an improved drinking water of the Congo and Nigeria—accounting for about
source at the time of assessment. In 2015, however, 39 per cent of malaria mortality worldwide. In South-
an estimated 663 million people still lacked access East Asia, the second most affected part of the world,
to improved drinking water sources. On sanitation, India had the highest malaria burden. Overall, pro-
although 2.1 billion people gained access to an im- gress in reducing the malaria burden had been swifter
proved sanitation facility between 1990 and 2015, jmp in countries that had lower rates of transmission in
estimated that in 2015, 2.4 billion, or 32 per cent of the year 2000.
the global population, still lacked access to improved On the development of a new global malaria
sanitation facilities. In both areas of assessment, urban strategy, the Director General reported that who had
populations were better served than rural populations. begun the work in 2013 to provide countries with
600 Part Three: Economic and social questions

evidence-based technical guidance for the period On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
2016–2030. The draft strategy was finalized in Octo- Assembly decided that agenda item “2001–2010: Dec-
ber 2014 and reviewed by the who Executive Board ade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries,
in January 2015. The document was developed in Particularly in Africa” would remain for consideration
consultation with endemic countries and partners during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
and the process was overseen by the Malaria Policy
Advisory Committee and a dedicated steering com-
mittee. On 22 May, by its resolution WHA68.2, the
Ebola outbreak in West Africa
World Health Assembly adopted the Global Technical World Health Organization
Strategy for Malaria 2016–2030. The strategy set the
High-level meeting. The second who high-level
target of reducing the malaria disease burden by at
meeting on Ebola vaccine access and financing (Ge-
least 40 per cent by 2020 and by at least 90 per cent
neva, 8 January) took stock of efforts to develop and
by 2030. It also aimed to eliminate the disease in at
make Ebola vaccines available to communities that
least 35 new countries by 2030. The document was
built on three pillars: ensuring universal access to had been ravaged by the disease. Progress had come
malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment; accel- at an unprecedented pace in the context of vaccine
erating efforts towards elimination and attainment development, and participants focused on technical
of malaria-free status; and transforming malaria issues pertinent to policymakers, with an emphasis on
surveillance into a core intervention. Those pillars maintaining the momentum that had been built since
were complemented by two supporting elements: the first meeting [YUN 2014, p. 1361]. More than 90
harnessing innovation and expanding research; and participants were in attendance, including represent-
strengthening the enabling environment. The strategy atives of national and university research institutions,
emphasized that progression towards malaria-free government health agencies, ministries of health and
status did not consist of a set of independent phases; foreign affairs, national security councils and sev-
instead, it was a continuous process requiring sub- eral offices of Prime Ministers and Presidents. Also
national stratification by malaria risk. The strategy present were national and regional drug regulatory
provided the technical underpinning for the second authorities, the medical charity Médecins Sans Fron-
edition of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership’s Global tières, funding agencies and foundations (the Well-
Malaria Action Plan, “Action and investment to defeat come Trust) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
malaria 2016–2030”, which focused on how the who Special session of Executive Board. In response
strategy could best be implemented though global ad- to the Ebola virus disease outbreak, the Director
vocacy, resource mobilization, partner harmonization General convened a special session of the Executive
and the engagement of the transportation, industry, Board (Geneva, 25 January 2015) [EBSS/3/2015/REC/1],
tourism, education and other public sectors, as well as which focused on the current context and challenges;
the private sector. It positioned malaria firmly in the ending the epidemic; preparedness in non-affected
post-2015 development agenda, showing how progress countries and regions; and strengthening who capacity
towards multiple sdgs would be contingent on the to prepare for and respond to future large-scale and
success of malaria efforts. The plan was launched on sustained outbreaks and emergencies. The Board
13 July at the third International Conference on Fi- adopted a resolution with 57 operative paragraphs
nancing for Development, held in Addis Ababa. dealing with, inter alia, leadership and coordination;
The report provided details on the current situa- health systems; medical assistance; information and
tion of the malaria burden, including in terms of vec- communication; preparedness; therapeutic medicines
tor control measures, preventive therapies, diagnostic and vaccines; who structure and capacity; research
testing and treatment, surveillance systems, country- and development; evaluation; and resources, including
level elimination and certification, and the threat the agreement in principle to the establishment of a
posed by the emergence of drug-resistant malaria. contingency fund. The resolution called on Member
It also elaborated on the challenges limiting the full States—and, where applicable, regional economic in-
achievement of the global malaria targets and pro- tegration organizations—to strengthen capacities to
vided recommendations for ensuring the acceleration recruit, develop, train and retain the health workforce
of progress beyond 2015. in developing countries, particularly in the most af-
fected and highly at-risk countries. It also requested the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Director General to commission an interim assessment,
On 11 September [meeting 103], the General As- by a panel of outside independent experts, on all aspects
sembly adopted resolution 69/325 [draft: A/69/L.91 & of the who response from the onset of the outbreak of
Add.1] (Consolidating gains and accelerating efforts Ebola virus disease, to be presented to the sixty-eighth
to control and eliminate malaria in developing (2015) session of the World Health Assembly.
countries, particularly in Africa, by 2015 and be- World Health Assembly. The sixty-eighth
yond) without vote [agenda item 12]. session of the World Health Assembly (Geneva, 18–
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 601

26 May) (see p. 604) had before it a report by the who sembly, the Secretary-General reviewed the activities
Secretariat on the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak from 1 January to 1 February that had been carried
[A68/24]; the first report of Ebola Interim Assessment out by the Special Envoy on Ebola and the United
Panel [A68/25]; and a report by the Director General on Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response
the 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak and follow-up (unmeer) in pursuance of General Assembly resolu-
to the special session of the Executive Board on Ebola tion 69/1 [YUN 2014, p. 1360] and since his previous
[A68/26]. On 26 May, the Assembly adopted decision update [YUN 2014, p. 1364]. He reported that as at
WHA68(10) on the 2014 Ebola virus disease out- 1 February, a total of 22,495 confirmed, probable
break and follow-up to the Special Session of the and suspected cases of Ebola had been reported in
Executive Board on the Ebola Emergency. The As- four affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone,
sembly requested the Director General to establish a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ire-
Review Committee under the International Health land) and five previously affected countries (Mali,
Regulations (2005) to examine the role of the Inter- Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, United States of America).
national Health Regulations (2005) in the Ebola out- A total of 8,981 people had died of Ebola as of the
break and response—with the objective of assessing reporting period. There were 124 new confirmed cases
their effectiveness and strengthening preparedness for reported in the week to 1 February, including 39 in
future emergencies with health consequences—and to Guinea, 5 in Liberia and 80 in Sierra Leone. Mali
report on its progress to the sixty-ninth (2016) World was declared Ebola free on 18 January after a period
Health Assembly. Through decision WHA68(10), of 42 days without registering a new case. That suc-
the Assembly also created a specific, replenishable cess in containing the outbreak was largely due to the
contingency fund to rapidly scale up the who initial Government’s early and robust efforts in prevention
response to outbreaks and emergencies with health and preparedness, its timely response once cases were
consequences. The fund would merge the existing reported, and the proactive technical and financial
two who funds with a target capitalization of $100 support of numerous international partners. Overall,
million fully funded by voluntary contributions; be health-care workers continued to face an acute risk of
flexible within the fund’s scope; and operate under infection, with a total of 822 confirmed health-care
the authority of the Director General. The Assembly worker infections reported and 488 deaths reported
requested the Director General to report on the across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
performance of the contingency fund to the sixty- Unmeer continued to collaborate with the
ninth World Health Assembly. national Governments and UN agencies, funds and
programmes to align all response actors on a com-
International Ebola Recovery Conference monly agreed operational framework under the lead-
The Secretary-General hosted an International ership of the host Government to support implemen-
Ebola Recovery Conference (New York, 9–10 July tation of national plans. In all three affected countries,
2015) to ensure that recovery efforts for Guinea, unmeer supported the national crisis management
Liberia and Sierra Leone went beyond redressing centres and deployed field crisis managers to district-
direct development losses and also contributed to level coordination offices (18 in Sierra Leone, 15 in
building back better and ensuring greater resilience. Liberia and 8 in Guinea). To improve the quality of
The Conference focused on the need for targeted reporting and information, unmeer supported the
investments to support recovery priorities over a standardization of reporting practices at the national
24-month time frame. Such investments considered and district levels and facilitated data collection
through the deployment of over 30 United Nations
the broader risk landscape that included health, gover-
Volunteers information management officers in field
nance and peacebuilding within those three countries
locations and the provision of mobile devices. Who
and the Mano River subregion. Participants discussed
deployed epidemiologists in all 63 districts across the
country-based and regional anti-Ebola strategies, and
three affected countries, as well as in nine districts
the Conference provided a platform to secure pledges
in Mali. Under the coordination of unmeer, UN
that could complement African Union-led efforts and
organizations and partners contributed their exper-
fill technical and resource gaps. An estimated $5.2
tise to the Ebola response. Who led the overall health
billion in pledges were recorded at the Conference,
response strategy, working closely with Ministries
comprising an estimated $3.4 billion announced on of Health in the affected countries. As the technical
10 July and $1.8 billion in previously committed lead, who carried out training for health-care work-
resources. ers, including on infection prevention and control. It
also supported social mobilization activities through
United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency monitoring and evaluation and provided mental
Response health and psychosocial support training to Ebola
Letters of Secretary-General. In a 10 February treatment unit workers. More than 8,400 health-care
letter [A/69/759] to the President of the General As- workers were trained in Sierra Leone, and more than
602 Part Three: Economic and social questions

1,600 in Liberia. The World Food Programme (wfp) In the letter [A/69/871] dated 16 April covering the
provided food and nutrition support to almost 2.8 period from 1 March to 1 April, the Secretary-General
million people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. reported that although transmission was confined to
With funding from the Ebola Response Multi-Partner a relatively narrow geographic corridor, the popula-
Trust Fund, undp supported the national authorities, tions in and around the affected areas of Conakry and
together with partners, to ensure that all Ebola work- Freetown were highly mobile. Therefore, there was a
ers were paid correctly and on time. Since 1 January, strong focus on enhancing community detection and
unfpa had trained and deployed 5,039 contact trac- alert systems through active surveillance in all dis-
ers in Sierra Leone, who had collectively followed up tricts throughout the three affected countries, includ-
a total of 75,325 Ebola contacts. There were also 58 ing Ebola-free districts. The who Integrated Disease
foreign medical teams from over 40 organizations Surveillance and Response system was being used as
and national Governments or militaries supporting a framework to improve existing systems and would
the operational response. enable the investigation and testing of suspected Eb-
In a letter [A/69/812] dated 12 March covering ola cases at the county, district and préfecture levels.
developments from 1 February to 1 March, the Rigorous case investigation and contact tracing were
Secretary-General reported that after a sharp decline crucial to further curb the spread of Ebola and ensure
in cases, to a low of 99 confirmed cases in the week that new cases stemmed only from registered con-
prior to 25 January, the month of February had seen a tacts. In March, 96 per cent of registered contacts,
plateauing of the number of cases at between 100 and with an average of 2,383 contacts under follow-up,
150 cases per week. The outbreak had also become were traced daily. In view of community resistance in
more localized, with 94 per cent of all confirmed Guinea, unmeer facilitated a Government-led eight-
cases in the week prior to 1 March located in an arc day campaign—“Ebola ça suffit” (Enough Ebola)—
covering the coastal area of western Guinea and the funded by the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust
coastal and western areas of Sierra Leone. Since mid- Fund to reinforce social mobilization efforts, enhance
December 2014, Guinea had experienced a steep de- community participation and reduce stigmatization
cline to an average of 45 confirmed cases per week for of Ebola survivors. Unmeer, in collaboration with
the first three weeks of January 2015. Sierra Leone had the United Nations Office for West Africa, also fa-
continued to experience the highest number of new cilitated a stakeholders’ forum bringing together
confirmed cases among the three countries, reporting political and religious leaders, media, syndicate repre-
81 confirmed cases in the week prior to 1 March. In sentatives and civil society actors who declared their
Liberia, case incidence had declined significantly to collective commitment to the fight against Ebola as
single digits per week nationally since the beginning a national priority.
of January. The progress in Liberia could be attrib- In a letter [A/69/908] dated 22 May covering devel-
uted to several factors, including community engage- opments from 1 April to 1 May, the Secretary-General
ment in the response, coordination among responders reported that as at 3 May, a combined total of 26,628
and integration of the lines of actions (case finding, confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola
case management, safe and dignified burials and had been reported in the three affected countries
community engagement) at the community level. In of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and in the six
each of the three affected countries, infrastructural previously affected countries (Mali, Nigeria, Senegal,
inputs and clinical capacities, such as Ebola treatment Spain, United Kingdom, United States). There had
units, laboratories and safe burial teams, were in place been a cumulative total of 11,020 confirmed, prob-
as at 1 March 2015, and all three countries had suf- able and suspected deaths. In Guinea, Liberia and
ficient capacity to isolate and treat 100 per cent of Sierra Leone, the average weekly case incidence de-
confirmed Ebola patients. There were also sufficient clined from some 110 cases per week in March to an
burial teams in place to ensure safe and dignified bur- average of 30 cases in April. In Guinea, the weekly
ials for 100 per cent of all deaths due to Ebola. On incidence decreased to 9 confirmed cases in the week
19 February, who held a two-day meeting attended ending 3 May. In Sierra Leone, the incidence in April
by 160 participants representing the 40 organizations fluctuated between 9 and 12 weekly cases, with no
contributing to the 58 foreign medical teams support- discernible trend. Liberia did not report a single case
ing the frontline response efforts. The purpose of the in April, and on 9 May, who declared Liberia Eb-
meeting was to agree on best practices in Ebola care ola free. The geographical area of active transmission
and discuss how the teams could best contribute to had more than halved since February 2015, and al-
achieving zero Ebola cases and the reactivation of es- most all remaining transmission was taking place
sential health services. Unicef continued to lead the near the west coast of Guinea and Sierra Leone. The
social mobilization pillar and the community care overall Ebola response continued to be centred on
centre approach. Social mobilization activities had four main lines of action: finding people with the
involved supporting networks of more than 50,000 disease and following-up with their contacts; treating
people across the three affected countries. people with the disease; safe and dignified burials;
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 603

and community engagement. Early case detection, The identification of that first confirmed case in three
reinforcement of alerts and surveillance systems and months in Liberia demonstrated the importance of
awareness-raising activities had become more critical heightened surveillance and the need for continued
in the final push towards zero cases. vigilance, and who was working with partners in
In a letter [A/69/939] dated 16 June covering de- Liberia to trace all contacts, identify the source of
velopments from 1 May to 1 June, the Secretary- infection and assess levels of risk. In areas of con-
General reported that there was continued, nota- tinuing transmission, community engagement, safe
ble progress in efforts to combat Ebola during the burials, case finding, targeted active surveillance and
reporting period. In May, the combined weekly contact tracing were being strengthened to ensure
incidence of new infections fluctuated between 9 that remaining chains of transmission were detected,
and 35 cases in Guinea and Sierra Leone. In Liberia, contained and stopped. Community engagement re-
where the Ebola outbreak had been declared over, the mained of particular importance because resistance
country had entered a three-month period of height- to the response continued to be a concern. Com-
ened vigilance. With declining case incidence and a munities were and would continue to be the driving
shrinking area of transmission, treatment capacity force of the response as efforts to identify and uproot
exceeded demand. Accordingly, ministries of health the triggers of transmission in the remaining affected
and partners, in coordination with who, proceeded localities continued. The leadership, technical exper-
with the decommissioning of surplus Ebola treatment tise and coordination of who in reaching and re-
centres. Each country would retain a core capacity of maining at zero cases were increasingly critical. With
centres strategically located to ensure full geographic a view to strengthening efforts on the ground and
coverage, with additional rapid-response capacity in addressing remaining hotspots, Operation Northern
reserve—7 core centres would be retained in Guinea, Push in Sierra Leone and a campaign of reinforced
5 in Liberia and 12 in Sierra Leone. Surplus facili- surveillance in Guinea were being implemented. In
ties would be closed down when a nearby district Sierra Leone, the unmeer transition process had been
health facility could safely assume responsibility completed and its operational functions were handed
for triage and isolation or referral of cases. In Sierra over to national partners and UN agencies, funds and
Leone, unicef, in coordination with the national programmes on 30 June. In Guinea, unmeer would
authorities, closed 29 community care centres, leav- hand over all operations by 31 July.
ing 17 operational across four districts. In Guinea, UNMEER closure. In a letter [A/69/1014] dated
three of six centres remained functional. In Liberia, 1 September covering developments from 1 to
the equipment and commodities to implement 16 31 July, the Secretary-General reported that he
rapid isolation and treatment facilities remained had announced the closure of unmeer on 31 July,
pre-positioned. Unicef also continued to work with marking an important milestone in the global Ebola
communities to promote behavioural change to stop response. The Mission had contributed to scaling up
transmission, particularly in the remaining hotspots. the response in the affected countries and established
In Sierra Leone and Guinea, unicef and partners focused coordination of responders, thus fulfilling
had reached 1,332,017 and 1,221,437 households, its core objectives. On 1 August, oversight of the
respectively, with Ebola prevention messages. UN system’s Ebola emergency response was fully
Educational talks, mass awareness-raising sessions transferred from unmeer to who, under the direct
and door-to-door visits, as well as the distribution authority of the who Director General. The response
of hygiene supplies, remained important parts of the continued to require a high level of intensified inter-
community outreach strategy. agency collaboration and support for Governments in
In a letter [A/69/992] dated 24 July covering devel- order to end the outbreak. To maintain the high-level,
opments from 1 June to 1 July, the Secretary-General dedicated UN leadership needed to reach zero cases,
reported that as at 1 July, there had been a total of the Secretary-General determined that Ebola crisis
27,550 confirmed, probable and suspected cases and managers would remain in the affected countries
an accumulative total of 11,235 confirmed, probable beyond the Mission’s lifespan under who oversight,
and suspected deaths as a result of the Ebola out- with the support of the resident coordinators and UN
break in West Africa. In June, the combined weekly country teams, until the end of December 2015 and
incidence fluctuated between 20 and 27 cases in possibly beyond, subject to a reassessment of exigen-
Guinea and Sierra Leone. In Guinea, the incidence cies on the ground. In another development, who
remained between 10 and 12 confirmed cases. In announced on 31 July that a vaccine trial in Guinea
Sierra Leone, the incidence decreased from 15 con- had yielded promising results. The vaccine had yet
firmed cases reported in the week to 7 June, to 8 cases to be licensed or recommended outside clinical trial
reported in each of the two weeks to 28 June. On settings, but once approved it would be an additional
29 June, routine surveillance detected a confirmed tool to combat the virus in the event of future out-
case of Ebola in Margibi County, Liberia—the first breaks. In the meantime, all contacts of new cases
new confirmed case in the country since 20 March. in Guinea would be offered immediate vaccination.
604 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Discussions had been initiated regarding a possible Financing

expansion of the trial to Sierra Leone. Report of Secretary-General. A 27 March report
(For more information on the political and security [A/69/842] of the Secretary-General on the Office of the
situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, see Special Envoy on Ebola and unmeer contained pro-
part one, Chapter II.) posals for revised estimates of the programme budget
Communication. In a 5 August letter [S/2015/600] for the biennium 2014–2015. It was estimated that
addressed to the Secretary-General, the Permanent additional resources in the amount of $88,094,000
Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations for- (net of staff assessment) would be required for the
warded the concept note for the Security Council biennium. The report proposed a reconfiguration of
briefing on the global response to the 2013 Ebola virus staffing structure with personnel relocated/redeployed
disease outbreak, scheduled for 13 August 2015. from unmeer headquarters in Accra to unmeer
Security Council consideration. On 13 August, country offices in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
the Security Council held a meeting [S/PV.7502] on to tackle the Ebola outbreak at the district level. It
peace and security in Africa, focusing on the global also proposed positions at Headquarters for back-
response to the 2013 Ebola virus disease outbreak, stopping; operational costs under various sections
which included briefings by Dr. David Nabarro, of the programme budget; and some positions at the
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ebola, and Regional Service Centre at Entebbe to provide service
Dr. Margaret Chan, who Director General. delivery.
Dr. Chan pointed out that much had changed ACABQ report. In a 15 May report [A/69/903]
since she briefed the Security Council on the Eb- on the Office of the Special Envoy on Ebola and
ola outbreak in September 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1357]. unmeer, the Advisory Committee on Administrative
New cases in Liberia had again stopped, and Guinea and Budgetary Questions (acabq) recommended
and Sierra Leone had together reported only three that the General Assembly approve and appropriate
cases during each of the previous two weeks, repre- additional resources in the amount of $86,431,000
senting the lowest numbers seen in over a year. At (net of staff assessment) from the programme budget
the same time, she cautioned against a false sense of for the biennium 2014–2015; and appropriate an
security, saying all it took was a single undetected case additional amount of $2,695,000 under section 36,
Staff assessment, to be offset by an equivalent amount
in a health facility, one infected contact fleeing the
under income section 1, income from staff assessment.
monitoring system, or one unsafe burial to ignite a
flare-up of cases. In reference to preparedness meas- On 25 June, by resolution 69/274 B (see p. 731),
ures to prevent the future occurrence of similar or the General Assembly endorsed the acabq conclusions
worse outbreaks, she drew attention to the importance and recommendations and decided to appropriate an
of regional arrangements, which improved vigilance amount of $87,839,700 (net of staff assessment) of the
and increased the surge capacity for rapid response. programme budget for the biennium 2014–2015. The
She also noted that who was putting together a blue- Assembly noted that the liquidation of unmeer was
print for the rapid development of new medical prod- planned to be completed by 30 September 2015 and
ucts for any future outbreak. that the activities of the Office of the Special Envoy
were planned to be finalized by 31 December 2015. It
Dr. Nabarro focused on three components of the requested the Secretary-General to ensure a smooth
Ebola response: the impact of decisive and powerful and timely transition from the Mission and the Office
leadership; the importance of community ownership of to the UN country teams and other actors as a matter
the response; and the value of working together in long- of priority; to provide, at the first part of the resumed
term solidarity. He stressed that the response worked seventieth (2016) session of the General Assembly,
best when it was owned by the affected communities. detailed information, in the context of his lessons
Implementation of the response had gone well when learned exercise, on the coordination activities of the
people whose health was at risk had felt in control Mission and the Office with the wider UN system,
of their own lives, as well as their deaths, and when the Governments of the most affected countries and
community leaders took part. Under those circum- other actors; and to include therein the results of
stances, people’s concerns and fears were more easily his review of the organizational, administrative and
addressed; important cultural practices could be made planning aspects, and operation on the ground, as
safe and dignified; transmission chains were identified well as information on the final performance, includ-
more quickly; and contacts were traced more readily. ing the liquidation and the disposal of the assets, of
Yet even with recognition that community ownership the Mission and the Office of the Special Envoy.
was an essential ingredient, it had not been consistently
prioritized in the response, and going forward, Dr. Na-
barro urged technical, operational and financial soli- Global public health
darity with the affected counties, and an all-of-society The sixty-eighth session of the World Health As-
response in the face of new disease outbreaks. sembly (Geneva, 18–26 May) [WHA68/2015/REC/1]
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 605

discussed public health issues such as the global Assembly also decided that a high-level meeting on
technical strategy and targets for malaria 2016–2030; antimicrobial resistance would be held in 2016, and
poliomyelitis; yellow fever risk mapping and recom- requested that the Secretary-General, in collaboration
mended vaccination for travellers; the global vaccine with the who Director General and Member States,
action plan; the global action plan on antimicrobial determine options and modalities for the conduct of
resistance; the health impact of air pollution; strength- that meeting, including potential deliverables.
ening emergency and essential surgical care and an-
aesthesia as a component of universal health coverage; GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the need for coordinated action at the country level On 17 December [meeting 80], the General As-
to address the global burden of epilepsy; development sembly adopted resolution 70/183 [draft: A/70/L.32 &
of the core set of indicators on maternal, infant and Add.1] (Global health and foreign policy: strength-
young child development; and the 2014 Ebola virus ening the management of international health cri-
disease outbreak and follow-up to the Special Session ses) without vote [agenda item 125].
of the Executive Board on the Ebola Emergency (see
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General
p. 601). It adopted a series of resolutions and deci-
Assembly decided that agenda item “Global health
sions on those and other topics, including resolution
and foreign policy” would remain for consideration
WHA68.7 of 26 May, which contained a global
during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
action plan on antimicrobial resistance and requested
the who Director General to elaborate, in consul-
tation with the UN Secretary-General, options for Road safety
the conduct of a high-level meeting in 2016, on the
margins of the General Assembly, including potential WHO report. In September [A/70/386], the
deliverables, and to report thereon to the sixty-ninth Secretary-General submitted a report on improving
(2016) World Health Assembly. global road safety, prepared by who, in consulta-
tion with the UN regional commissions and other
partners of the United Nations Road Safety Collabo-
Global health and foreign policy ration, and covering the period from September 2013
On 17 December [A/70/PV.80], the General As- to August 2015. The report contained an update on
sembly considered the item on global health and the implementation of General Assembly resolution
foreign policy, for which it had before it a note 68/269 [YUN 2014, p. 1370] and described the activities
[A/70/389] by the Secretary-General transmitting the of the global road safety community in pursuance
report of the who Director General on the protection of the objectives of the Decade of Action for Road
of health workers, submitted by the Secretary-General Safety 2011–2020 [YUN 2010, p. 1233] since the pre-
in response to resolution 69/132 [YUN 2014, p. 1367]. vious report [YUN 2013, p. 1184]. It also included recom-
The report compiled and analysed the experiences of mendations to the Assembly for achieving the goals of
Member States and provided recommendations for the Decade of Action, which aimed to stabilize and
action to promote the safety of medical and heath per- reduce the forecasted level of road traffic deaths in the
sonnel, their means of transport and installations and world through its five pillars of technical support and
respect for their professional codes of ethics, partic- collaboration: road safety management; safer roads
ularly with regard to violence in armed conflicts and and mobility; safer vehicles; safer road users; and post-
emergency situations; violence at the workplace in the crash response.
health sector; the safety of hospitals and health facili- Several high-profile events and actions had raised
ties; the role of the International Health Regulations awareness on the issue of road safety around the world
(2005) in enhancing national and global public health and the solutions that Governments and other stake-
security; the heavy toll on health-care workers in re- holders needed to implement to reduce road traffic
sponding to the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease crashes and their consequences on public health and
in West Africa; and building resilient national health development. On 29 April, the Secretary-General ap-
systems and capacities through the health workforce. pointed a special envoy for road safety to mobilize
At the same meeting, the Assembly considered a sustained political commitment by promoting ad-
draft resolution entitled “Global health and foreign herence to and raising awareness about the UN legal
policy: strengthening the management of interna- instruments on road safety; sharing good practices
tional health crises” (see below), which called for through participation in global and regional confer-
the development by Member States of resilient and ences; and generating funds for advocacy efforts. For
sustainable health systems capable of responding the third UN Global Road Safety Week (4–10 May),
effectively to outbreaks and emergencies, and the events took place in at least 105 countries involving
implementation of effective responses to the broader governments, international agencies, civil society
dimensions of outbreaks and emergencies, including organizations and private companies. The associated
food security and access to basic health services. The #SaveKidsLives campaign highlighted the plight of
606 Part Three: Economic and social questions

children on the world’s roads to generate action to lar (9–10 February), annual (25–28 May) and second
better ensure their safety, including through the re- regular (9–12 November)—in Rome, during which
lease of a who communications package containing it made decisions and recommendations on various
10 strategies for keeping children safe on the road. On organizational and programme matters. It approved
26 May, the World Health Assembly adopted resolu- several projects and policies, including protracted relief
tion WHA68.15 on strengthening emergency surgi- and recovery operations in Burkina Faso, Colombia,
cal care and anaesthesia as a component of universal the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia,
health coverage, which highlighted the importance Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia,
of expanding access and improving the quality and the Sudan and Uganda. On 12 November, the Board
safety of emergency and rehabilitation services, in- approved its 2016–2017 biennial programme of work
cluding for victims of road-traffic injuries; strength- [WFP/EB.2/2015/11].
ening the surgical workforce; improving data collec-
tion, monitoring and evaluation; ensuring access to The Economic and Social Council, by decision
safe anaesthetics; and fostering global collaboration 2015/219 of 29 June, took note of the report
and partnerships. Access to emergency and essential [E/2015/36] of the wfp Executive Board on its first and
services was extremely limited in many parts of the second regular sessions and annual session of 2014.
world, which resulted in treatable road traffic inju-
ries leading to death or disability, and resolution WFP activities
WHA68.15 could help countries adopt and imple- According to a later wfp annual performance
ment policies to integrate quality and cost-effective report for 2015 [E/2016/14], concurrent Level 2
surgical care into their health systems. and Level 3 emergencies during the year required
On 18–19 November, 2,200 delegates from more institution-wide responses from wfp as it continued
than 110 countries convened in Brasilia, Brazil for the to reach the world’s most vulnerable people with life-
Second Global High-level Conference on Road Safety. saving food assistance. Working with over 1,000 non-
The Conference adopted the “Brasilia Declaration on governmental organizations, wfp directly assisted 76.7
Road Safety”, which contained actions to halve road million people—most of them women and children—
traffic deaths by 2020—as called for by target 3.6 of in 81 countries through 201 projects. A further 1.6
the newly adopted sdgs. The Conference followed million people were reached with programmes funded
the release in October 2015 of the who Global status through trust funds, mostly supported by host gov-
report on road safety 2015, which reflected information ernments. In 2015, wfp received the second highest
from 180 countries and indicated that despite im- annual level of voluntary contributions—some $4.8
provements in road safety, some 1.25 million people billion. Seventy-nine per cent of expenditure was di-
died each year on the world’s roads, with the high- rected to emergencies. Wfp responded to severe, com-
est road traffic fatality rates in low-income countries. plex emergencies in Iraq (see p. 438), South Sudan
In the previous three years, 17 countries had aligned (see p. 435), Yemen (see p. 440), the Syria region (see
at least one of their laws with best practice on seat p. 439) and Ebola-affected West Africa (see p. 600);
belts, drink-driving, speed, motorcycle helmets or and to major emergencies in the Central African
child restraints. The report noted that the number of Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the
road traffic deaths was stabilizing—despite a rapid Horn of Africa, Libya, Mali, Nepal and Ukraine. Wfp
increase in the number of motor vehicles worldwide and its partners also sustained responses to protracted
and a growing population—but the pace of change crises in Afghanistan, Chad, Colombia, Somalia, the
was too slow and urgent action was needed to achieve State of Palestine and the Sudan, which were brought
the road safety target reflected in the 2030 Agenda for about by conflict, economic shocks and significant dis-
Sustainable Development (see p. 396). ruptions in food systems.
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General The humanitarian crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic
Assembly decided that agenda item “Improving global increased hardship and privation, particularly for
road safety” would remain for consideration during its those trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
resumed seventieth (2016) session. Consistent donor support enabled wfp operations
to reach every month about 4 million people inside
Syria and more than 4 million refugees in Egypt, Iraq,
Food, agriculture and nutrition Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Funding shortfalls later
in the year and large amounts of earmarked funding
resulted in reduced assistance, including cuts in ration
Food aid sizes. Wfp was critical to the system-wide response to
World Food Programme the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa (see
p. 600), assisting 3.7 million people with food, cash
The Executive Board of the World Food Programme and nutrition support and providing logistics support
(wfp) held its 2015 sessions [E/2016/36]—the first regu- for the wider humanitarian community. Looking
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 607

ahead, wfp started working with who, national gov- members responded to one of the strongest El Niño
ernments and the private sector to develop a pandemic events in more than 50 years. Before the droughts
supply-chain preparedness and response framework reduced harvests, worsened livestock conditions and
for future emergencies. reduced labour opportunities, fac members antic-
The report noted that in 2015, with the adop- ipated humanitarian needs through early warning
tion in September by the General Assembly of the systems. Through prepositioned assets and the rapid
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its provision of in-kind assistance, fac members helped
17 sdgs (see p. 396), a commitment was made to end avert a large-scale famine in Ethiopia and mitigate
hunger by 2030. Sdg 2 (Zero Hunger) addressed the impacts in Central America and Southern Africa. In
various dimensions of food security and nutrition. Its 2015, fac members convened two meetings—the fifth
four targets on access, malnutrition, agricultural pro- and sixth sessions of the Food Assistance Committee
ductivity and food systems reflected complementary (London, 21–22 May and 16–17 November)—to
areas for action. The broader scale and diversity of the review current and prospective food situations in de-
new goals and targets presented a challenge and high- veloping countries against the background of develop-
lighted the global transformations needed to achieve ments in world markets for grains, rice and oilseeds;
sustainable development and eradicate poverty and and to discuss responses to food emergencies, planned
hunger. To build on the progress of the mdgs and operations and policy developments.
complete what those did not achieve, and to help en-
sure the maximum potential for sdg implementation, Food security
wfp continued to work on a new Strategic Plan 2017–
2021 to overcome hunger and achieve the strategic Food and Agriculture Organization
development goals at the country level; integrated of the United Nations
financial and corporate results frameworks that pro- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
vided “line of sight” from strategy to programming, United Nations (fao) continued to address global
planning, budgeting and performance measurement; food insecurity. The 2015 edition of the fao report
and finalizing Fit for Purpose actions to ensure that
The State of Food Insecurity in the World stated that
its people, in particular national staff, had the skills
overall, the commitment to halve the percentage of
required to make the 2030 Agenda a reality.
chronically undernourished people—namely, to
reach Millennium Development Goal (mdg) Target
Food Assistance Convention 1C—had almost been met at the global level. Seventy-
In 2015, the membership of the Food Assistance two of the 129 countries monitored for progress had
Convention (fac), which entered into force on 1 Jan- reached the target, 29 of which had also reached the
uary 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1185], remained at 14. In line more ambitious World Food Summit [YUN 1996,
p. 1129] goal of at least halving the number of under-
with the Convention, fac members focused on assist-
ing the most vulnerable populations with improved nourished people within their populations. Marked
access to adequate, safe and nutritious food, in a man- differences in progress occurred not only among in-
ner that was timely, effective and needs-based. Large- dividual countries, but also across regions and sub-
scale crises continued to be the norm in 2015, stretch- regions. The prevalence of hunger had been reduced
ing global humanitarian resources for life-saving rapidly in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia as
interventions, and fac members responded with well as in Latin America. In Northern Africa, a low
financial assistance totalling more than $2.63 billion. level had been maintained throughout the mdg and
Globally, fac members provided critical responses to World Food Summit monitoring periods. Other re-
protracted human-made crises such as those in Syria gions, including the Caribbean, Oceania and Western
and Yemen, and natural devastations like the out- Asia, saw some overall progress, but at a slower pace.
break of the Ebola virus disease in West Africa and In two regions—Southern Asia and sub-Saharan
El Niño-related phenomena. In Syria, fac members Africa—progress had been slow overall, despite many
employed various programmes, including the deliv- success stories at country and subregional levels. In
ery of in-kind food aid packages, vouchers and cash many countries that had achieved modest progress,
for food as well as nutrition interventions; in West factors such as war, civil unrest and the displacement
Africa, fac members focused on ensuring that those of refugees had often frustrated efforts to reduce hun-
impacted by the Ebola outbreak did not face food in- ger and sometimes even raised the ranks of the hungry.
security as a result of quarantine or other disruptions Hunger remained a daily challenge for about
in the marketplace; and in Nepal, where two earth- 795 million people worldwide—just over one in
quakes struck in April and May, fac member support nine people—including 780 million in the devel-
to wfp helped the country meet the food security, oping regions. That total number of undernourished
nutrition and livelihood needs of the 1.4 million peo- people represented a reduction of 167 million from
ple in need of humanitarian assistance. Globally, fac the previous decade, and 216 million less than in
608 Part Three: Economic and social questions

1990–1992. The decline was more pronounced in It also provided recommendations on how to carry
developing regions, despite significant population forward the work of eradicating hunger and malnu-
growth. For the developing regions as a whole, the two trition, as central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
indicators of mdg Target 1C—the prevalence of un- Development and a catalyst for other sdgs.
dernourishment and the proportion of underweight The Secretary-General noted that since 1990–1992,
children under 5 years of age—had both declined. 216 million people had been lifted out of hunger and
In some regions, including Western Africa, South- the prevalence of undernourishment in the developing
Eastern Asia and South America, undernourishment world had fallen from 23.3 to 12.9 per cent. Seventy-
declined faster than the rate for underweight children, two out of the 129 developing countries monitored by
which suggested room for improving the quality of fao—more than half the total—had reached the mdg
diets, hygiene conditions and access to clean water— hunger target of halving the prevalence of undernour-
factors that affected people’s ability to derive sound ishment between 1990 and 2015. Extreme poverty in
nutrition from the food they consumed—particularly low- and middle-income countries also fell globally
for poorer population groups. between 1981 and 2011, and the mdg poverty target
The report identified key factors that determined had been met. Overall progress in reducing hunger,
success in reaching mdg Target 1C and provided guid- however, had been highly uneven. Almost 795 million
ance on policies to emphasize in the future. It noted that people—one in nine worldwide—remained chroni-
inclusive growth provided opportunities for those with cally hungry, lacking sufficient food for conducting
limited assets and skills, and improved the livelihoods an active and healthy life. Over 1 billion people were
and incomes of the poor, especially in agriculture. It extremely poor, living on less than $1.25 per day. In
was therefore among the most effective tools for fight- many of the countries that had failed to achieve the
ing hunger and food insecurity, and for attaining international hunger targets, natural and human-
sustainable progress. Enhancing the productivity of induced disasters or political instability had resulted
resources held by smallholder family farmers, fisher- in protracted crises, with increased vulnerability and
folk and forest communities, and promoting their rural food insecurity subsisting among large segments of
economic integration through well-functioning mar- the population. While sub-Saharan Africa had the
kets, were essential elements of inclusive growth. Social highest share of the chronically hungry—almost one
protection also contributed directly to the reduction of in four people—South Asia had the highest number,
hunger and malnutrition. By increasing human capac- with over half a billion undernourished. Western
ities and promoting income security, it fostered local Asia alone had seen an actual rise in the share of the
economic development and the ability of the poor to hungry compared with 1991, while progress in sub-
secure decent employment and partake of economic Saharan Africa, South Asia and Oceania had not been
growth. There were numerous positive situations to be sufficient to meet the mdg hunger target by 2015.
found linking family farming and social protection, The Secretary-General discussed the move from
including institutional purchases from local farmers the mdgs to the sdgs on food security and nutrition,
to supply school meals and government programmes, noting that world leaders were prepared to renew their
and cash transfers or cash-for-work programmes that efforts through sdg target 2.1, which was to end hun-
allowed communities to buy locally produced food. ger and ensure access by all people, in particular the
In countries experiencing protracted crises due to con- poor and people in vulnerable situations, including
flicts, political instability or natural disasters, there was infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year
increased vulnerability to food insecurity and malnu- round by 2030; and sdg target 2.2, which was to end
trition. Those challenges called for strong political com- to all forms of malnutrition, including by achieving,
mitment and effective measures to protect vulnerable by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunt-
population groups and their livelihoods. ing and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and
addressing the nutritional needs of adolescent girls,
Agriculture development, food security pregnant and lactating women and older persons by
and nutrition 2030. The latter reflected the set of global nutrition
targets set in the who Comprehensive Implemen-
Report of Secretary-General. In response to tation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young Child
General Assembly resolution 69/240 [YUN 2014, Nutrition [YUN 2012, p. 1175], as endorsed by the sixty-
p. 1376], the Secretary-General submitted an August fifth (2012) World Health Assembly in resolution
report [A/70/333] on agriculture development, food WHA65.6. The sdgs also comprised at least six goals
security and nutrition. The report examined the that addressed the basic and immediate causes of
progress made and the challenges that remained in malnutrition, with an additional 18 targets that were
achieving food security and nutrition, sustainably in- directly or indirectly related to nutrition outcomes.
creasing agricultural production and reducing food Reaching sdg 2 (Zero Hunger) and the interlinked
losses and waste, in accordance with the Secretary- targets of other goals would be critical to achieving
General’s Zero Hunger Challenge [YUN 2012, p. 1170]. a shift to resilient, diverse and productive agriculture
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 609

and food systems that were environmentally, socially which was intended to guide the development, imple-
and economically sustainable. While people in rural mentation and monitoring of policies and actions to
areas constituted the largest proportion of those improve food security and nutrition in protracted cri-
living in extreme poverty, investment in agriculture sis situations in a way that responded to the specific
had been shown to be twice as effective in reducing challenges of those situations; avoided exacerbating
poverty as investment in any other sector. To deliver underlying causes; and, where possible, contributed
on the promise of the 2030 Agenda, food systems that to resolving them. The Committee requested that the
not only fed and nourished people, but also delivered General Assembly, through the Economic and Social
increased income and rural livelihoods, were needed. Council, endorse and ensure the wide dissemina-
The Secretary-General recommended that strate- tion of the Framework for Action to all relevant UN
gies for promoting food security and nutrition incor- organizations and agencies. The Committee adopted
porate elements such as pro-poor investment; political its Multi-Year Programme of Work for the biennium
commitment; social participation, especially includ- 2016–2017 and endorsed the fourth version of the
ing smallholder and women farmers; and the com- Global Strategic Framework for Food Security and
bination of productive support and social protection, Nutrition, which included policy recommendations for
and linkages between programmes and actions across sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security;
different sectors. He emphasized the importance of co- and nutrition and food losses and waste in the context
operation among nations, in particular the exchange of sustainable food systems. It also requested that an
of experiences through South-South cooperation, as external evaluation be carried out in 2016 to assess the
many developing countries faced similar agricultural effectiveness of the Committee since its reform in 2009.
development challenges, and existing solutions could On 22 December (decision 70/547), the General
inspire positive developments with respect to sus- Assembly, on the recommendation of the Second
tainably increasing agricultural yields, ensuring food (Economic and Financial) Committee, took note of
security and promoting good nutrition. the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the
Committee on World Food Security. In response report on main decisions and policy recommenda-
to Economic and Social Council decision 2011/217 tions of the Committee on World Food Security.
[YUN 2011, p. 1162], the Secretary-General transmitted
to the General Assembly and the Economic and Social GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Council a report [A/70/92-E/2015/82] on the main deci- On 22 December [meeting 81], the General Assembly,
sions and policy recommendations of the Committee on the recommendation of the Second Committee
on World Food Security, as well as the results achieved [A/70/478], adopted resolution 70/223 (Agriculture
so far in the area of food security and nutrition. The development, food security and nutrition) without
report described the outcomes of the Committee’s vote [agenda item 26].
forty-first session (Rome, Italy, 13–17 October 2014),
and provided updates on follow-up actions. Topics Nutrition
addressed by the Committee, including through
the work of its High-level Panel of Experts on Food Scaling Up Nutrition. The Scaling Up Nutrition
Security and Nutrition, were food losses and waste (sun) Movement Annual Progress Report for 2015
in the context of sustainable food systems; sustain- noted that the Movement had marked its fifth year,
able fisheries and aquaculture for food security and and now had a total of 55 sun countries after Bo-
nutrition; the Principles for Responsible Investment in tswana joined in April. In the course of 2014–2015, the
Agriculture and Food Systems; and the development of Movement saw significant progress in reducing stunt-
a framework for action for food security and nutrition ing, including in Benin, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana,
in protracted crises. The Committee endorsed the Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Tanzania,
third version of the Global Strategic Framework for Zambia and Zimbabwe. There was progress in rela-
Food Security and Nutrition, which included policy tion to the Movement’s four strategic objectives, which
recommendations for biofuels and food security; were to sustain political commitment; endorse national
and investment in smallholder agriculture for food nutrition policies that incorporated best practices;
security and nutrition. The Committee also discussed align actions across sectors and among stakeholders;
the preparation of its multi-year programme of work and increase resources for nutrition and demonstrat-
for the biennium 2016–2017, for which it considered ing results. Advocacy in support of effective, evidence-
a note produced by the High-level Panel of Experts on based national policies and legislation surged in 2015,
Food Security and Nutrition on critical and emerging as did efforts to disseminate and better operationalize
issues for food security and nutrition. policies and plans at the country level. Those efforts
The forty-second session of the Committee on were amplified by social mobilization, advocacy and
World Food Security (Rome, 12–15 October 2015) communication strategies, which were in place in 20
[A/71/89-E/2016/69] endorsed the Framework for Action countries of the sun Movement. To galvanize action,
for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises, high-level nutrition champions from all walks of life,
610 Part Three: Economic and social questions

including members of parliament, thought leaders, forming the Global Nutrition Report; development of
presidents, prime ministers, celebrities and high-profile a global monitoring framework on maternal infant
advocates, had been nominated by and were support- and young child nutrition; harmonized tools and a
ing the Movement in 30 sun countries. In addition to database platform for tracking the food-based food
updating their nutrition policies, sun countries had security indicators; and the convening of the Second
focused on integrating nutrition-sensitive outcomes International Conference on Nutrition [YUN 2014,
into multisectoral policies and legal and institutional p. 1377]. Consultations jointly organized by UN reach
processes. Sun countries were also increasingly track- and the United Nations System Standing Committee
ing and reporting results for effective Movement-wide on Nutrition resulted in the June 2015 release of the
sharing and learning. There was greater engagement of United Nations Global Nutrition Agenda, a framework
scientists and academics in 2014–2015, with 27 sun for aligning the work of the UN agencies in support
countries involving senior scientists in their multi- of global and national nutrition goals over a period of
stakeholder platforms and 14 sun countries establish- five years. Those global and country-level consultations
ing academic platforms. Many within the Movement also helped agencies discuss and decide how to move
had made progress in updating their national nutrition forward in a way that made the UN Network fit for the
plans or engaging with governments and stakeholders post-2015 era and the next phase of the sun Movement.
to mobilize around a Common Results Framework’s
for better coordination on improving the nutrition Follow-up to the Second International
impact at scale. Sun countries reported progress in
Conference on Nutrition
identifying nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive
allocations in their national budgets, and preliminary The Second International Conference on Nutrition
estimates of national budget allocations to nutrition [YUN 2014, p. 1377] endorsed the Rome Declaration on
were newly available from 30 countries. Most within Nutrition and the Framework for Action, which pro-
the Movement had improved their ability to assess, vided a set of voluntary policy options and strategies for
track, scale up and align their resources in 2015. use by Governments, as appropriate, in accordance with
The report noted that women played a decisive national plans, to eradicate malnutrition in all its forms
role in the food security, health and nutrition of their and transform food systems towards making nutritious
families, and identified improvements to policy, legis- diets available to all. In May, the sixty-eighth World
lation and planning that would empower women and Health Assembly (see p. 604) considered a report [A68/8]
girls as agents of change for improved nutrition in sun by the Director General on the outcome of the Second
countries. Those included sustained commitment at International Conference on Nutrition, and, by resolu-
all levels of government to address the structural prob- tion WHA68.19, endorsed the Rome Declaration on
lems that prevented women and girls from realizing Nutrition and the Framework for Action and requested
their human rights; translation of that commitment the Director General to prepare a biennial report on
into legal and policy frameworks that upheld the the status of its implementation. The General Assembly
rights of women and girls at the national level, in- welcomed the Rome Declaration and the Framework
cluding on protection from early and forced marriage, for Action in July, inviting Governments to implement
access to universal education, access to drinking water, the Framework in a coordinated manner.
the right to non-discrimination and the right to a life
free from violence; and strong funding frameworks GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
and accountability mechanisms to bring services On 6 July [meeting 98], the General Assembly
mandated by national legislation and policy to scale, adopted resolution 69/310 [draft: A/69/L.50/Rev.1 &
including through the use of disaggregated data by Add.1, as orally revised] (Follow-up to the Second In-
gender and age. Twenty-two sun countries had iden- ternational Conference on Nutrition) without vote
tified nutrition-sensitive budget lines focusing on the [agenda item 13 (a)].
empowerment of women, and 21 sun civil society alli-
ances were working on women’s empowerment issues,
Maternal, infant and young child nutrition
but more needed to be done across the Movement.
The report noted that in November 2014, the prin- Who issued a May report [A68/9] that contained
cipals of the technical group of the UN Network for a table of proposed additional core indicators for the
sun—namely, fao, who, unicef, the International global monitoring framework on maternal, infant
Fund for Agricultural Development and wfp—agreed and young child nutrition. The draft indicators were
that the UN Partnership for Renewed Efforts Against in support of the goals of the who Comprehensive
Child Hunger and Nutrition (UN reach) would serve Implementation Plan on Maternal, Infant and Young
as the secretariat and coordinating body on nutrition Child Nutrition [YUN 2012, p. 1175], which called for
in sun countries. UN Network members collaborated the global monitoring framework to provide account-
on the maintenance and updating of global data for ability for actions implemented, including through the
tracking the World Health Assembly targets and in- design of in-country nutrition surveillance systems
Chapter XIII: Health, food and nutrition 611

based on indicators that would facilitate reporting On 26 May 2015, through decision WHA68(14),
on malnutrition and shape policies and programmes the sixty-eighth World Health Assembly approved the
towards achieving the global nutrition targets. The additional core indicators for the global monitoring
report noted that the global monitoring framework framework on maternal, infant and young child
would comprise two sets of indicators: a core set, to nutrition; recommended that Member States report
be reported on by all countries; and an extended set, on the entire core set of indicators starting in 2016;
from which countries would select those indicators requested the Director General to provide additional
that suited their specific epidemiological patterns and operational guidance on how to generate the neces-
the actions to be implemented in response to their sary data for indicators in different country contexts;
priority nutrition challenges. The report included 14 requested the Director General to review the indica-
draft indicators: five on intermediate outcomes, six on tors for the extended set and provide details of the
process and three on policy environment and capacity. definitions of those indicators, the availability of data
In addition to the seven outcome indicators already and the criteria for their applicability to different
approved, the additions meant a total of 21 indicators country contexts; and recommended a review of the
constituted the core set. global nutrition monitoring framework in 2020.
Chapter XIV

International drug control and crime prevention

In 2015, the United Nations, through the United for adoption by the General Assembly, and four deci-
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (unodc), the sions for adoption by the Council. It adopted 16 deci-
Commission on Narcotic Drugs (cnd), the Inter- sions and 12 resolutions on topics such as alternative
national Narcotics Control Board (incb) and the development; supporting children and young people
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal with substance use disorders; protecting children
Justice (ccpcj), continued to strengthen international and young people from the illicit sale and purchase
cooperation in countering transnational organized of controlled and new psychoactive substances via the
crime, corruption, drugs and international terrorism. Internet; alternatives to conviction or punishment for
Unodc provided technical assistance, legal advice and minor drug-related offences; cooperation against illicit
research to the main United Nations policymaking financial flows linked to drug trafficking; promoting
bodies in drug control and crime prevention, and research in drug demand and supply reduction policies;
assisted Member States in developing domestic leg- and promoting international cooperation in respond-
islation and in implementing the international drug ing to new psychoactive substances and amphetamine-
control and crime prevention conventions. During type stimulants. The Commission also held two special
the year, the activities of the Office were guided by segments on preparations for the special session of the
its strategic framework for the period 2014–2015 General Assembly on the world drug problem to be
and its integrated programme approach, through held in 2016.
which it operated at the national, regional and global In its report for 2015, incb emphasized that the
levels. It focused on taking a balanced approach to system in place for international drug control, when
the world drug problem through actions on drug fully implemented, contributed to protecting the
use prevention, treatment and reintegration, supply health and welfare of people worldwide and ensured
reduction and alternative development; countering balanced national approaches that considered local
transnational organized crime, corruption and terror- socioeconomic and sociocultural conditions. It noted
ism; and supporting crime prevention and criminal that the control of the international licit trade in
justice. It launched technical cooperation initiatives narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precur-
dealing with interregional drug control, trafficking sors had been a success, but the availability and acces-
in persons and smuggling of migrants, and port and sibility of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances
border controls, and it facilitated two regional con- for medical purposes was not satisfactory at the global
ferences in response to the foreign terrorist fighters level; the goal of reduction in the illicit demand for and
phenomenon. New and emerging issues addressed by supply of drugs had not been reached; and new chal-
unodc included cybercrime, crimes committed via the lenges were emerging, such as new psychoactive sub-
Internet against children, the gathering of digital evi- stances. Incb stressed the importance of compliance
dence, the links between terrorism and transnational by Member States with the three international drug
organized crime, trafficking in cultural property and control conventions; analysed developments in the
the destruction of cultural heritage by terrorists. The world drug situation; and provided an update on the
Office contributed to the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- functioning of the international drug control system,
able Development, including by co-chairing the concluding that it should promote the application of
team on Goal 16, on peaceful and inclusive societies, scientific knowledge, humane thinking, proportional-
access to justice for all and effective, accountable and ity and moderation to the problems related to drugs.
inclusive institutions at all levels. A key achievement In April, the Thirteenth United Nations Congress
was the conclusion of the unodc - supported process on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in
of revising the Standard Minimum Rules for the Qatar, adopted the Doha Declaration on Integrat-
Treatment of Prisoners, which were adopted by the ing Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice into the
General Assembly in December as the United Nations Wider United Nations Agenda to Address Social and
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Pris- Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of Law
oners (“the Nelson Mandela Rules”). at the National and International Levels, and Public
Cnd—the main United Nations policymaking Participation. In May, ccpcj—the principal United
body dealing with drug control—held its fifty-eighth Nations policymaking body in the field of crime
session in March and its reconvened fifty-eighth prevention and criminal justice—held its twenty-
session in December, during which it recommended to fourth session, during which it recommended to the
the Economic and Social Council one draft resolution Economic and Social Council four draft resolutions

612
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 613

for adoption by the General Assembly, and two draft Justice (ccpcj)—the Office continued its work with
resolutions and three decisions for adoption by the Member States and civil society on pursuing a bal-
Council. It adopted one decision and two resolutions anced and integrated approach to controlling drugs
on topics that included the strengthening of crime and combating crime as part of the UN system-wide
prevention and criminal justice responses with respect effort to promote justice, human rights, development,
to trafficking in cultural property, and held a thematic health, peace and security. Cnd held its fifty-eighth
discussion on follow-up to the Thirteenth United session (5 December 2014; 9–17 March and 9–11 De-
Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal cember 2015) [E/2015/28 & Add.1] and ccpcj its twenty-
Justice and a workshop on implementation of the fourth session (5 December 2014; 18–22 May and 10–
Doha Declaration. In May, the General Assembly 11 December 2015) [E/2015/30 & Add.1], all in Vienna.
recognized the indispensable role of crime prevention The unodc Executive Director described the
and criminal justice responses in combating all forms activities of the Office during the year in a report to
and aspects of trafficking in cultural property; con- the two Commissions [E/CN.7/2016/2-E/CN.15/2016/2].
demned the use of attacks on cultural heritage as a In 2015, unodc built on its mandates and expertise
tactic of war; and called for intensified efforts by States in crime prevention and criminal justice to contrib-
to protect, preserve and document items of cultural ute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
heritage endangered by armed conflicts. The Assembly which promoted access to justice and the rule of
also urged Member States to adopt effective measures law. Unodc was an integral part of the UN system
to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in technical support team assisting the Open Working
wildlife and wildlife products, including by strength- Group of the General Assembly on the Sustainable
ening the necessary legislation and criminal justice Development Goals and co-chaired the team dealing
responses. In December, the Assembly encouraged with Goal 16, on peaceful and inclusive societies,
Member States to strengthen their capacity to inves- access to justice for all and effective, accountable and
tigate, prosecute and punish all forms of crime while inclusive institutions at all levels. The Office carried
supporting an effective, fair, humane and accountable out its activities in cooperation with other departments
criminal justice system, and requested unodc to con- and offices of the Secretariat and entities of the UN
tinue providing technical assistance to Member States system, and with other international organizations.
to strengthen the rule of law. It urged Member States It supported the substantive and organizational ar-
to take measures to prevent, investigate, prosecute and rangements for and the conduct of the Thirteenth UN
punish acts of violence against women and girls, in Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
particular gender-related killing; to end impunity for (Doha, Qatar, 12–19 April), which adopted the
those responsible; and to consider providing repara- Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention
tion, compensation and/or legal, medical, psychologi- and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations
cal and social support to victims and their families or Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges
dependents. The Assembly also encouraged Member and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National
States to strengthen international coordination to and International Levels, and Public Participation.
prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms, partic- The Office also supported global efforts to address
ularly through ratification and implementation of the the challenges to health, development and security
relevant international conventions and protocols; and posed by illicit drugs, and continued to support
called upon Member States to continue their efforts cnd in its preparations for the special session of the
to criminalize trafficking in persons in all its forms, General Assembly on the world drug problem to be
including by focusing on the factors that make people held in 2016. Unodc launched a joint action plan
vulnerable to trafficking, the demand for trafficking for interregional drug control for West and Central
and the goods and services produced from it. Asia; a new regional programme for Central Asia;
and two “second generation” country programmes,
for Afghanistan and Iran. In South-East Asia and
United Nations Office the Pacific, it focused on improving border controls
through initiatives such as the unodc - World Cus-
on Drugs and Crime toms Organization Container Control Programme
and facilitated two major regional conferences to dis-
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime cuss responses to the foreign terrorist fighters phenom-
(unodc) addressed the interrelated issues of trans- enon. At the interregional level, it supported the es-
national organized crime, corruption, drugs and in- tablishment of real-time operational communication
ternational terrorism, and offered global solutions for between international airports in Africa and Latin
those problems within the multilateral framework of America and the Caribbean. In West Africa, unodc
the United Nations. Guided by its governing bod- supported the implementation of the Economic
ies—the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (cnd) and Community of West African States Regional Action
the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Plan to Address the Growing Problem of Illicit Drug
614 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Trafficking, Organized Crime and Drug Abuse in through its gpml Mentor Programme and promoted
West Africa through a new technical cooperation national coordination and regional and interna-
project; and in West and Central Africa, the Office tional cooperation on issues of illicit financial flows.
developed a regional strategy for combating trafficking Through its Global Programme on Cybercrime,
in persons and smuggling of migrants (2015–2020), unodc provided technical assistance to countries in
covering 22 countries. In Peru, it launched a four-year South-East Asia, East Africa and Central America to
alternative development programme; and in Mexico, strengthen national capacities in investigating cyber-
in the context of the Merida Initiative, it developed a crime, and pursuant to resolution 69/196 [YUN 2014,
programme for preventing and combating the smug- p. 1408], the Office developed implementation
gling of migrants. In Central America, unodc pro- guidelines for criminal justice responses to trafficking
vided technical assistance to upgrade the capacity of in cultural property. Through its Global Programme
authorities to respond to challenges of cybercrime and for Combating Wildlife and Forest Crime, unodc
crimes committed via the Internet against children, provided capacity-building technical assistance to
and to gather digital evidence. States and conducted criminal justice and preventive
With a view to taking a balanced approach to the capacity assessments in Botswana, the Congo, Mexico
world drug problem, the Office continued its collab- and Viet Nam. Technical assistance was provided in
oration with the World Health Organization (who) the use of wildlife forensics, the establishment of
to strengthen services for the treatment, care and investigative and intelligence units, the review of
recovery of people suffering from drug dependence, legislative frameworks, improvement in crime scene
as well as of children exposed to drugs at a very young management, the use of anti-money-laundering tech-
age. During the year, it finalized the international niques, the prevention of corruption, and in training
standards on the treatment of drug use disorders and, investigators and prosecutors in case management and
through its country and regional programmes, sup- presentation.
ported drug prevention and dependence treatment As to countering corruption and terrorism, unodc
in more than 50 countries, most significantly in continued to provide tailored technical assistance at the
Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, the Andean global, regional and national levels. The Conference of
region countries and Nigeria. The Office supported the States Parties to the United Nations Convention
the rapid scaling-up of the delivery of hiv prevention, against Corruption, at its sixth session (Saint Peters-
treatment and care services in 24 high-priority burg, Russian Federation, 2–6 November), agreed
countries in order to reach the target of reducing on 10 resolutions that advanced international efforts
hiv transmission among people who injected drugs against corruption. The joint unodc - World Bank
by 50 per cent by 2015, as set by the 2011 Political Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative provided general
Declaration on hiv and aids [YUN 2011, p. 1135]. and case-related technical assistance and supported
It provided technical support to improve border policy work to develop knowledge products and tools
management through the joint unodc/World Cus- and support the networking of asset recovery prac-
toms Organization Container Control Programme, titioners. Through its Terrorism Prevention Branch,
supporting the 28 participating States in making the the Office implemented its mandated activities on
best use of existing professional resources in their terrorism prevention and strengthened its legal and
customs, police and other agencies to improve trade capacity-building work. It continued to mainstream
security and border controls. Funding was in place to human rights in all aspects of its counter-terrorism
expand the Programme to another 25 countries. work and, supported by its network of field experts,
With regard to countering transnational organized intensified counter-terrorism technical assistance to
crime, in the framework of its thematic programme, countries in Central, South, South-East and West
unodc assisted States in implementing the United Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Nigeria, the
Nations Convention against Transnational Organ- Middle East and North Africa, the Pacific subregion,
ized Crime and the Protocols thereto. Through its South-Eastern Europe, the Sahel region and the Horn
global programmes against trafficking in persons and of Africa. It redoubled the efforts to support national
the smuggling of migrants, it delivered over 25 major criminal justice officials and policymakers to address
technical assistance activities, reaching 64 countries emerging challenges related to terrorism, such as the
and approximately 800 practitioners. Through its phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, the growing
Global Programme against Money-Laundering, nexus between terrorism and transnational organ-
Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism ized crime, violent extremism and radicalization. In
(gpml), unodc cooperated with regional networks partnership with the European Union (eu) and other
to counter money-laundering in Asia and the Pacific, donors, unodc launched a major technical assistance
including Central Asia; the Middle East and North initiative on strengthening the legal regime against
Africa; East, West, Central and Southern Africa; foreign terrorist fighters in the Middle East and North
and Latin America. It assisted national practitioners Africa and in Balkan countries. Similar assistance
and the private sector, such as financial institutions, commenced for the countries of Central and South-
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 615

East Asia and the Sahel. Throughout the year, the The financial situation of unodc remained vulner-
Office strengthened its cooperation with entities par- able, and the decline in unearmarked funds persisted.
ticipating in the United Nations Counter-Terrorism The final projections of the consolidated budget of
Implementation Task Force by enhancing the coordi- unodc for the biennium 2014–2015 totalled $760.1
nation of joint efforts. million, of which 7.2 per cent came from regular
In the field of crime prevention and criminal budget funds and 92.8 per cent from extrabudgetary
justice, through its thematic programme and sev- resource.
eral regional programmes, unodc strengthened the The Executive Director concluded his report with
rule of law through prevention and the promotion recommendations to the Commissions.
of effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal
justice systems. In the area of normative development,
it convened the fourth meeting of the Expert Group Administrative and budgetary matters
on the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment Administration
of Prisoners (Cape Town, South Africa, 2–5 March).
An achievement during the year was the conclu- Pursuant to Commission on Narcotic Drugs (cnd)
sion of the unodc - supported process of revising the resolution 56/11 [YUN 2013, p. 1197], the Secretariat
Rules, which were adopted by the General Assembly submitted a report [E/CN.7/2015/10] on the implemen-
in December as the “United Nations Standard Min- tation of resolutions and decisions related to the drug
imum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nel- programme that were adopted since 2012 by the General
son Mandela Rules)” (see p. 640). The Office also Assembly, Economic and Social Council and cnd, in
strengthened responses to violence against women which action by unodc was requested. In response
and violence against children, including through a to Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
newly developed joint Global Programme on Essential Justice (ccpcj) resolution 22/2 [YUN 2013, p. 1197], the
Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence and Secretariat submitted a report [E/CN.15/2015/11 & Corr.1]
the unodc-United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef) on the implementation of resolutions and decisions
Global Programme on Violence against Children in related to crime prevention and criminal justice that
the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. were adopted since 2012 by the General Assembly,
Economic and Social Council and ccpcj, in which
As to research, trend analysis and scientific and action by unodc was requested. The reports referred
forensic support, the World Drug Report 2015 [Sales to documents containing information on the imple-
No. E.15.XI.6] highlighted trends and emerging issues
mentation of those resolutions and decisions.
regarding the global drug situation, including gender
aspects of drug use and a review of the effectiveness of Intergovernmental working group. Pursuant
prevention and treatment, and presented an analysis to Economic and Social Council decision 2013/246
of alternative development, especially in the context of [YUN 2013, p. 1197], cnd resolutions 52/13 [YUN 2009,
the development agenda, aimed at providing farmers p. 1252], 54/10 [YUN 2011, p. 1173], 54/17 [ibid.] and
with alternative livelihoods. Unodc and its national 56/11 [YUN 2013, p. 1197], and ccpcj resolutions 18/3
partners conducted surveys on illicit crop cultivation [YUN 2009, p. 1082], 20/1 [YUN 2011, p. 1173], 20/9 [ibid.]
in Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, the Lao People’s and 22/2 [YUN 2013, p. 1197], the Secretariat submitted a
Democratic Republic, Mexico, Myanmar and Peru. January note [E/CN.7/2015/6-E/CN.15/2015/6] on the work
The illicit crop monitoring programme was increas- of the standing open-ended intergovernmental working
ingly embedded in a broader analysis of the conditions group on improving the governance and financial sit-
in which farmers cultivate illicit crops. The report uation of unodc, which covered the working group’s
Afghan Opiate Trafficking through the Southern Route activities between 20 November 2014 and 12 January
analysed drug trafficking trends from Afghanistan 2015. During the reporting period, the working group
through the southern route to a number of regions in- held three meetings and agreed on recommendations
cluding the Middle East, South and South-East Asia, for consideration by cnd and ccpcj at their 2015
Oceania, Africa and Europe. The unodc scientific sessions, covering aspects such as the extension of its
and forensic services programme increased its quality mandate; support for strengthening the governance
assurance normative activities, assisting 200 national and financial situation of unodc; improving gender
laboratories in 60 countries. Under its global Syn- balance and geographical representation in the com-
thetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends position of unodc staff; and support for promoting
(smart) programme, the Office continued to monitor, an integrated programme approach and a culture of
analyse and share information on new psychoactive evaluation within the Office at all stages of programme
substances at the global level with its early warning planning, development and implementation.
advisory on new psychoactive substances, which was On 21 July, by decision 2015/234, the Economic
used by States and international organizations, such and Social Council decided to renew the mandate of
as who, in the context of the scheduling discussions the working group until the part of the sessions of
of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. the Commissions to be held in the first half of 2017,
616 Part Three: Economic and social questions

at which time the Commissions should carry out a pursuant to cnd resolution 58/1 and ccpcj resolution
review of the functioning of the working group and 24/1 (see above).
consider the extension of its mandate. In December [E/CN.7/2015/18-E/CN.15/2015/21],
A September addendum to the January note the Advisory Committee on Administrative and
[E/CN.7/2015/6/Add.1-E/CN.15/2015/6/Add.1] covered the Budgetary Questions (acabq) submitted its com-
working group’s activities between 8 June and 5 Oc- ments on that report.
tober. The working group held three further meetings, On 11 December [E/2015/28/Add.1 (res. 58/12)], cnd
at which it was briefed on the unodc annual report approved the projected use of general-purpose funds
and annual appeal for funds; the regional programme in the biennium 2016–2017; invited Member States
for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries; and the to provide contributions totalling at least $6,968,900;
work of the Terrorism Prevention Branch. It discussed and endorsed the revised budget estimates (including
the status of the implementation of Umoja—software programme support cost funds and special-purpose
for the management of finances, resources and as- funds) totalling $291,692,400. On the same date
sets—to be launched in November as the UN central [E/2015/30/Add.1 (res. 24/3)], ccpcj approved the pro-
administrative tool, and received updates on the prepa- jected use of general-purpose funds in the biennium
rations for the regular budget 2016–2017 and the draft 2016–2017; invited Member States to provide contri-
strategic framework for unodc for 2018–2019. butions totalling at least $2,618,400; and endorsed
Commission action. Cnd, on 17 March [E/2015/28 the revised budget estimates (including programme
(res. 58/1)], and ccpcj, on 22 May [E/2015/30 (res. 24/1)], support cost funds and special-purpose funds) total-
requested the working group to continue examining ling $314,497,100.
the funding situation and financial management On 23 December, the General Assembly decided
of unodc; to continue promoting dialogue among that the agenda item pertaining to the financing of
Member States, as well as with unodc, on the unodc would remain for consideration during its re-
planning and formulation of its operational activities sumed seventieth (2016) session (decision 70/554).
in line with the medium-term strategy and strategic
framework; to continue receiving information from
the Office on progress made in the implementation International drug control
of regional, global and thematic programmes; and
to continue discussing with unodc the implemen-
Commission on Narcotic Drugs
tation of results-based management and budgeting.
They requested that the working group invite the At its fifty-eighth session (Vienna, 5 Decem-
Independent Evaluation Unit to continue providing ber 2014 and 9–17 March 2015) [E/2015/28], the
evaluation findings on the programmes of the Office; Commission on Narcotic Drugs (cnd) recommended
continue promoting a culture of evaluation through- to the Economic and Social Council the approval
out the Office; and continue working with unodc in of one draft resolution on the special session of the
monitoring the implementation of recommendations General Assembly on the world drug problem to be
made by relevant oversight bodies and on increasing held in 2016, for adoption by the General Assembly.
coordination between evaluation, audit and other It also recommended three draft decisions for the
oversight bodies. As part of its efforts to improve the Economic and Social Council’s adoption, and adopted
governance of the Office, they also requested that the 11 resolutions and 15 decisions, which it brought to
working group continue discussing the issue of gender the attention of the Council.
and geographical representation, and continue receiv- At its reconvened fifty-eighth session (Vienna,
ing information on the composition of the staff and 9–11 December) [E/2015/28/Add.1], the Commission
the recruitment policies of unodc. adopted and brought to the attention of the Council
one resolution on the budget for the biennium
Budget 2016–2017 for the Fund of United Nations Interna-
In November [E/CN.7/2015/17-E/CN.15/2015/20], the tional Drug Control Programme. It also brought one
unodc Executive Director submitted to the Com- decision to the attention of the Council.
missions the unodc consolidated budget for the bi- At both its fifty-eighth and reconvened fifty-eighth
ennium 2016–2017 and provided information on the sessions, the Commission held special segments on
implementation of the funding model of the Office, the preparations for the special session of the General
as requested by cnd resolution 56/17 [YUN 2013, Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in
p. 1197] and ccpcj resolution 22/9 [ibid.]. The report re- 2016 (see p. 617).
viewed progress made in implementing the integrated On 21 July, by decision 2015/237, the Economic
programme approach, the promotion of a culture of and Social Council took note of the Commission’s
evaluation throughout the Office, and the work and report on its reconvened fifty-seventh (2014) session.
the functions of the Independent Evaluation Unit, On the same date, by decision 2015/238, the Council
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 617

took note of the Commission’s report on its fifty-eighth that the intersessional meetings on the preparations
(2015) session, Commission decision 55/1 [YUN 2012, for the special session would be complemented by in-
p. 1192] on the organization of work for future cnd formal meetings and special events.
sessions, and Commission resolutions 57/5 [YUN 2014, On 17 March [E/2015/28 (dec. 58/14)], the
p. 1382] and 58/8 (see below). It also approved the pro- Commission approved the provisional agenda for the
visional agenda for its fifty-ninth (2016) session. special segment to be held during its reconvened fifty-
On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the General eighth session, in December on preparations for the
Assembly decided that the agenda item pertaining to special session of the General Assembly on the world
international drug control would remain for consid- drug problem to be held in 2016.
eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. On the same date [dec. 58/15], the Commission
approved the provisional agenda for the special seg-
International cooperation against ment to be held during its fifty-ninth session, in
the world drug problem March 2016, on preparations for the special session
of the Assembly on the world drug problem.
Preparations for special session on the world
drug problem. A February note by the Secretariat Also on 17 March [res. 58/8], the Commission wel-
[E/CN.7/2015/13] provided information on the
comed the decision made by General Assembly res-
organization of the special segment of cnd, to be olution 69/200 [YUN 2014, p. 1383] that it should lead
held in March as part of its fifty-eighth session, on the preparatory process for the special session of the
preparations for the special session of the General Assembly by addressing all organizational and sub-
Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in stantive matters in an open-ended manner. It decided
2016. The note focused on the content and format to take measures to ensure an adequate, inclusive and
of the interactive discussions on the high-level seg- effective preparatory process for the special session by
ments of the special session, as agreed at the first using its meeting and reporting entitlements in the
intersessional meeting of the fifty-eighth session of most efficient manner. It also decided that it would
the Commission, on 29 January. hold formal preparatory meetings following its fifty-
eighth session, including two formal meetings dur-
The special segment (9–12 March) [E/2015/28] of ing its reconvened fifty-eighth session in December
the fifty-eighth session of cnd, on preparations for and up to eight meetings during its fifty-ninth (2016)
the special session of the General Assembly on the session; and that it would hold intersessional meetings
world drug problem to be held in 2016, adopted with a view to preparing for those formal meetings;
the agenda and organization of work as contained cnd recalled the invitation by the General Assembly
in the February note by the Secretariat (see above). to the President of the Assembly to support, guide
The Commission held a general debate on the special and stay involved in the preparatory process; resolved
session of the Assembly and five interactive discus- to inform the Assembly regularly about the work
sions on the high-level segments to be held during the it was undertaking in the preparation process; and
special session. The themes for the discussions were recommended to the Economic and Social Council
as follows: demand reduction and related measures, the approval of a draft resolution for adoption by
including prevention and treatment, as well as health- the Assembly, defining the modalities of the special
related issues, and ensuring the availability of con- session on the world drug problem to be held in 2016.
trolled substances for medical and scientific purposes,
while preventing their diversion (“drugs and health”); In a May note [A/70/87-E/2015/79], the Secretary-
supply reduction and related measures, responses to General transmitted to the General Assembly, pursu-
drug-related crime, and countering money-laundering ant to Assembly resolution 69/200, the report of the
and promoting judicial cooperation (“drugs and Commission on the progress made in preparation for
crime”); cross-cutting issues: drugs and human rights, the special session of the Assembly on the world drug
youth, women, children and communities; cross- problem to be held in 2016.
cutting issues: new challenges, threats and realities in On 21 July (decision 2015/240) and on 17 De-
preventing and addressing the world drug problem in cember (decision 70/536), the Council and the
compliance with relevant international law, including Assembly, respectively, took note of the Secretary-
the three drug control conventions, strengthening the General’s note.
principle of common and shared responsibility and in- In a November note [E/CN.7/2015/19], the Secretariat
ternational cooperation; and alternative development, provided information on the organization of the
regional, interregional and international cooperation special segment of cnd to be held during its recon-
on development-oriented balanced drug control vened fifty-eighth session in December concerning
policy, addressing socioeconomic issues. The Chair the preparations for the special session of the General
informed the Commission that provisional agendas Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in
for subsequent special segments had been brought to 2016. It focused on the status of the preparations for
the attention of its extended Bureau, and it was agreed the special session, including deliberations on the
618 Part Three: Economic and social questions

preparation of the outcome document, and on the implemented thematic programmes supporting the
organizational arrangements for the five interactive ratification and implementation of the international
multi-stakeholder round tables to be conducted dur- conventions. At the regional level, it promoted cross-
ing the session. border cooperation and regional programmes and ini-
The reconvened fifty-eighth session of the tiatives among partner countries. At the national level,
Commission (9–11 December) [E/2015/28/Add.1] held a it assisted Member States in improving their norma-
special segment on preparations for the special session tive, institutional and operational capacity.
of the General Assembly on the world drug problem In the field of demand reduction, the Office con-
to be held in 2016. The Commission decided that the vened the first meeting of the informal international
first three days (six meetings) of the fifty-ninth session, scientific network in the margins of the fifty-eighth
namely 14 to 16 March 2016, would be fully devoted session of cnd. The informal group of scientists, nom-
to a special segment on the preparations for the special inated by Member States, served as a platform for dia-
session. It also decided to hold intersessional meetings logue between academia, policymakers, governmental
in January and February 2016 that would be com- organizations and non-governmental organizations
plemented by informal consultations with the view (ngos), civil society, the private sector and practi-
to advancing work on the outcome document of the tioners worldwide. Unodc continued its work with
special session. children exposed to drugs at a very young age, with
On 11 December [E/2015/28/Add.1 (dec. 58/16)], cnd treatment and social protection interventions deliv-
decided on arrangements for the five interactive, ered in five countries, along with capacity-building
multi-stakeholder round tables to be held during the support. With regard to drug abuse prevention,
special session of the Assembly in 2016. unodc facilitated the planning of improved national
drug prevention systems on the basis of the Interna-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION tional Standards on Drug Use Prevention in an addi-
On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social tional 40 countries. The Office continued to promote
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission access to health care and social services, including for
on Narcotic Drugs [E/2015/28], adopted resolution the prevention of hiv/aids and other drug-related
2015/25 (Special session of the General Assembly diseases; support country capacities to implement
on the world drug problem to be held in 2016) harm-reduction measures; and support measures to
without vote [agenda item 19 (d)]. increase access to controlled drugs for medical pur-
poses. On supply reduction, the Office provided
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION technical assistance and capacity-building to States
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, and their law enforcement and judicial authorities
on the recommendation of the Third (Social, Human- to combat illicit drug trafficking, strengthen border
itarian and Cultural) Committee [A/70/491], adopted control and counter the laundering of the proceeds
resolution 70/181 (Special session of the General of crime. It also assisted States affected by illicit crop
Assembly on the world drug problem to be held in cultivation, and supported the design, implementa-
2016) without vote [agenda item 107]. tion and evaluation of national drug control strate-
gies through alternative development programmes.
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to On countering money-laundering and promoting
General Assembly resolution 69/201 [YUN 2014, judicial cooperation, in 2014, through its Global
p. 1385], the Secretary-General submitted a June report Programme Against Money-Laundering, Proceeds
[A/70/98] on international cooperation against the of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism, the Office
world drug problem, which reviewed the world drug helped build capacity for 66 countries in nine sub-
situation and the implementation of the mandates re- regions through training, international conferences
lated to international drug control by Member States, and substantive legal reviews. In collaboration with
unodc, other entities of the UN system and relevant the Financial Action Task Force, unodc experts con-
international organizations. It provided information ducted a joint research project on illicit financial flows
on actions taken by cnd and its subsidiary bodies, and from Afghan opiates and in 2014 published a study
on progress made in the preparations for the special entitled Financial Flows Linked to the Production and
session of the Assembly on the world drug problem Trafficking of Afghan Opiates.
to be held in 2016. It reviewed unodc efforts to pur- As to data collection and research, unodc sup-
sue a balanced and integrated approach in controlling ported countries in the design and implementation
drugs and combating crime, including through its of drug use surveys and in improving the availability
support to Member States, following the structure of of data. In particular, it assisted Governments in the
the Political Declaration and Plan of Action on In- monitoring of illicit crops and drug production. The
ternational Cooperation towards an Integrated and World Drug Report 2015 [Sales No. E.15.XI.6] included
Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Prob- a chapter on alternative development, its evolvement
lem [YUN 2009, p. 1237]. At the global level, unodc and its role in a balanced approach to drug control.
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 619

It focused on how alternative development aimed and the non-medical use of prescription drugs such
to break the cycle of illicit crop cultivation by pro- as opioids, tranquillizers and prescription stimulants.
viding farmers with alternative livelihoods. In 2014, Recent trends related to drug use in Europe showed a
with the technical and financial support of unodc decrease or stabilization in cannabis, cocaine, heroin
(namely, through the Afghan opiate trade project), and amphetamine-type stimulants (ats), but an in-
the Afghanistan Customs Department and Pakistan crease in new psychoactive substances. Cannabis use
Customs produced reports on their needs assessment increased in the United States and Mexico, as well as
with respect to drugs and precursor control mecha- in Africa and parts of Asia. While heroin use stabi-
nisms. The reports, which assessed the capacity of lized overall, the non-medical use of prescription opi-
those customs authorities to counter the trafficking oids increased in many regions. The use of ats also in-
of drugs and precursors, were used by the Govern- creased, most noticeably in Asia and Africa. Globally,
ments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to assess counter cannabis remained the most used drug, and its use
narcotics policies. The Office continued to enhance was increasingly mentioned in relation to treatment
the analytical capacity of drug analysis laboratories demand and associated psychiatric disorders. Opioids
to meet internationally accepted standards through continued to be the drugs that caused the most harm
the development of manuals and guidelines on pro- in terms of treatment demand, injecting drug use, hiv
cedural approaches, forensic methodologies and lab- infections and drug-related death. Globally, about
oratory best practices. The number of national drug- 183,000 deaths were attributable to illicit drug use,
testing laboratories participating in the international and most of those which could have been prevented
collaborative exercises continued to increase, with 180 were fatal overdose cases that occurred among opioid
participating laboratories in 60 Member States. users. It was estimated that nearly one in six problem
The Secretary-General concluded with recommen- drug users worldwide had received treatment and care
dations for consideration by the General Assembly. for drug use disorders and dependence, but disparities
remained in many regions.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION The Secretariat reported a low rate of response to
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General the annual report questionnaire and a lack of reliable
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third information in many countries. The lack of sustain-
Committee [A/70/491], adopted resolution 70/182 able drug information systems and drug observatories
(International cooperation against the world drug continued to hinder the monitoring of trends in most
problem) without vote [agenda item 107]. regions, as well as the implementation and evaluation
of evidence-based responses. As part of the prepara-
World situation on drug abuse. The tions for the special session of the General Assembly
Commission considered a report [E/CN.7/2015/3] by on the world drug problem to be held in 2016, it was
the Secretariat on the world situation with regard important for Member States to take into consider-
to drug abuse, which summarized the information ation the gaps in the availability and quality of data
available to unodc on the illicit demand for drugs on drug use indicators, and consider strategies to
and reviewed the extent and patterns of and trends in strengthen the capacity to collect, analyse and dis-
illicit drug use worldwide. It also reviewed the con- seminate data.
sequences of drug use, including hiv and hepatitis Alternative development. On 17 March [E/2015/28
among people who injected drugs, treatment demand (res. 58/4)], cnd adopted a resolution on promoting the
and drug-related deaths. In 2012, between 3.5 and implementation of the United Nations Guiding Prin-
7.0 per cent of people aged 15–64 were estimated to ciples on Alternative Development [YUN 2013, p. 1205].
have illicitly used drugs at least once in the preced- It called upon Member States to take the Guiding
ing year. Since 2009, the number of people illicitly Principles into consideration while designing, im-
using drugs had increased, while the number of prob- plementing and evaluating alternative development
lem drug users—those with drug use disorders or programmes and projects; and while maintaining and
dependence—had remained stable. Unodc, jointly strengthening international cooperation, coordination
with who, the Joint United Nations Programme on and stakeholder ownership to support sustainable al-
hiv/aids (unaids) and the World Bank, presented ternative development programmes as essential parts
new estimates for people who injected drugs (8.9 to of crop control strategies, in order to increase their
22.4 million) and people who injected drugs who positive outcome, especially in areas affected by or
were also living with hiv (0.9 to 4.8 million). Except at risk of the illicit cultivation of crops used for the
in Western and Central Europe, the provision of harm production of narcotic drugs and psychotropic sub-
reduction services remained at a low level, especially stances. It encouraged States and other donors to con-
in those countries with the highest prevalence of hiv sider long-term support to alternative development
among people who injected drugs. Globally, there programmes and projects in order to contribute to the
was an increasingly multifaceted picture of drug use, sustainability of social and economic development,
with an increase in the use of synthetic substances poverty eradication and the strengthening of the rule of
620 Part Three: Economic and social questions

law, including through approaches that implemented diversion of precursor chemicals used in illicit opiates
measures for rural development, strengthened local manufacturing in Afghanistan; and reducing drug
governments and institutions, improved infrastructure abuse and dependence through a comprehensive
and promoted the participation of local communities, approach. Upon completion of the first year of phase
while also taking into account the need for employ- four, unodc had developed means to measure progress
ment opportunities for women and girls. It also en- made in implementing the four pillars. Its approach
couraged relevant international financial institutions, included streamlining the strategic and expert-level di-
UN organizations, ngos and the private sector to alogue process; tailoring the functions of the network
increase their rural development support for regions of research and liaison officers to facilitate coopera-
and populations affected by illicit drug crops culti- tion in the priority areas of intervention; and realign-
vation through long-term and flexible funding. The ing the Automated Donor Assistance Mechanism to
Commission urged States with expertise in alternative support the partnership’s role as a hub for information
development to share best practices and strengthen on matters related to the Paris Pact. All targets for the
international cooperation in that regard, as appropri- first year of implementation were met: expert working
ate. It noted that the implementation of the Guiding group meetings related to each pillar were organized,
Principles would require a long-term commitment by and the eleventh Policy Consultative Group meeting
Member States, cooperation among stakeholders and was held in September 2014. The streamlining of the
collaboration among unodc, regional organizations, initiative culminated in the preparation of the first
development agencies, civil society and donors and Paris Pact report, which focused on the implementa-
financial institutions. It welcomed the proposal by tion of priorities and recommendations from the ex-
Thailand to host an international seminar/workshop pert working groups to create baselines for each pillar.
on the implementation of the Guiding Principles and During the reporting period, extensive collaboration
invited all relevant stakeholders involved in alterna- with several interdivisional unodc specialist sections
tive development to participate. The unodc Executive and programmes facilitated strategic and expert-level
Director was requested to report to the Commission achievements. The Paris Pact research and liaison of-
at its fifty-ninth (2016) session. ficer network assisted in the drafting of reports on key
HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases. A trafficking routes and demand reduction, and there
Secretariat note [E/CN.7/2015/9] prepared in response to was intensive training collaboration with the Afghan
Commission resolution 51/14 [YUN 2008, p. 1372] dis- opiate trade programme, the regional programme for
cussed the promotion of coordination and the align- Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, and the
ment of decisions between cnd and the Programme unodc Regional Office for Central Asia.
Coordinating Board of unaids. Children and young people with substance use
Paris Pact initiative. Pursuant to cnd resolution disorders. On 17 March [E/2015/28 (res. 58/2)], cnd
56/3 [YUN 2013, p. 1210], a report [E/CN.7/2015/12] of the invited Member States to encourage non-discrimina­
unodc Executive Director described steps taken by tory attitudes towards children and young people
the Office to strengthen international cooperation in with substance use disorders; to help reduce margi-
combating illicit opiates originating in Afghanistan nalization and discrimination; and to provide and
through continuous and reinforced support to the implement scientific evidence-based treatment and
Paris Pact initiative. Unodc and Paris Pact partners care services that were sensitive to their needs and
continued to recognize the challenging circum- took into account a public health perspective and
stances and period ahead for stakeholders tackling factors such as age, gender, educational and cultural
the menace of opiates originating in Afghanistan. The background, severity of the disorder and aggravat-
partners also noted that priorities and actions defined ing factors. Cnd also encouraged Member States to
by the initiative should be synchronized with and con- increase the coverage and accessibility of sustained
tribute to the integrated responses prepared for the recovery programmes; to offer programmes for youth
special session of the General Assembly on the world in prisons; and to ensure training and supervision for
drug problem to be held in 2016, and should take relevant professionals working with those popula-
into account the post-2015 development agenda. The tions and programmes. It requested unodc, together
Executive Director stressed the need to strengthen in- with other relevant UN organizations and compe-
ternational coordination among partners of the Paris tent international organizations, including who, to
Pact and to orient its framework towards implement- gather scientific evidence on successful programmes
ing the Vienna Declaration. The initiative had reached and provide Member States with assistance in devel-
phase four (2013–2016), during which the objective oping strategies and programmes. Member States and
was to demonstrate the results of increased collabora- other donors were invited to provide extrabudgetary
tion among partners in the four pillars for interven- resources or in-kind contributions to unodc.
tion set out in the Vienna Declaration: strengthening Alternatives to conviction or punishment. On
regional initiatives; detecting and blocking financial 17 March [res. 58/5], the Commission invited Member
flows linked to illicit traffic in opiates; preventing the States to use, develop or adopt alternative measures
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 621

to conviction or punishment for appropriate drug- the results of research on precursors of narcotic drugs
related offences of a minor nature, in order to improve in collaboration with the scientific community. Cnd
public health and safety, reduce the demand for drugs recognized the importance of scientific laboratories in
and promote the rehabilitation and reintegration into the formulation of scientific evidence-based demand
society of persons affected by substance use disor- and supply reduction policies, and encouraged
ders, bearing in mind the specific conditions of each Member States to strengthen the capability of existing
country and region. Cnd encouraged Members States scientific laboratories and to undertake efforts to es-
to provide capacity-building, including training for tablish new scientific laboratories as necessary. The
justice officials, on substance use disorders and the Commission encouraged Member States to share the
effectiveness of scientific evidence-based treatment latest scientific research on the most effective demand
in order to minimize the negative public health and and supply reduction strategies, and requested the
social impacts and to promote humane and effective Executive Director to report to its fifty-ninth (2016)
treatment to offenders affected by substance use dis- session on progress in implementing the resolution.
orders. It encouraged Member States and interna- On the same date [res. 58/9], the Commission
tional and regional organizations to collect and share called upon unodc to enhance the analytical work
scientific information, research, best practices and of drug analysis laboratories, evaluate their perfor-
data on results of collaboration between the justice mance and provide assistance to develop and enhance
and public health authorities in the use of alternative their services. It requested Member States to enhance
measures; and encouraged public health and justice national procedures to ease access to reference and
authorities to promote collaboration, communication test samples of internationally controlled substances
and exchange of information on the implementa- for scientific purposes; to provide expertise for the
tion of alternative measures and on the provision enhancement of the performance of laboratories; and
of treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration to ensure that samples of internationally controlled
programmes. Cnd invited Member States, in coopera- substances and new psychoactive substances could be
tion with unodc and other relevant organizations, to submitted to forensic laboratories with the requisite
provide technical assistance and training to improve expertise in profiling analyses. Cnd invited Member
justice and public health collaboration on alternative States to provide their best available data to unodc,
measures. It also invited Member States to review who and other relevant organizations in order to
their drug sentencing policies and practices to facil- support the review of the most prevalent, persistent
itate collaboration between justice and public health and harmful new psychoactive substances by the who
authorities in the development and implementation Expert Committee on Drug Dependence.
of initiatives that utilize alternative measures, and it
encouraged unodc to provide guidelines and/or tools
on that collaboration. Member States and other do- Illicit cultivation, manufacture and trafficking
nors should provide extrabudgetary resources for the World situation on drug trafficking. In its report
purposes of the resolution and the unodc Executive [E/CN.7/2015/4] on the world situation with regard to
Director should report on progress in its implementa- drug trafficking, the cnd Secretariat reviewed devel-
tion to the Commission at its sixtieth (2017) session. opments in the illicit production of and trafficking in
Promoting the role of scientific research and drugs worldwide. The report addressed trends in drug
drug analysis laboratories. On 17 March [res. 58/7], seizures and statistics on the illicit cultivation of drug
the Commission noted the unodc initiative to con- crops up to 2013 and, where available, 2014. Canna-
vene an informal international scientific network bis herb cultivation continued in most countries and
composed of scientists nominated by Member States in all regions of the world, while the production of
(see p. 618), and invited unodc to continue that cannabis resin remained confined to a few countries.
initiative. It also invited unodc to further develop In 2013, global herb seizures remained stable and
practical scientific evidence-based guidelines that resin seizures increased, owing to increased seizures
might include measures to reduce the misuse of in- in North Africa and South-Eastern, Western and
ternationally controlled drugs and psychotropic sub- Central Europe. In Afghanistan, annual estimates of
stances, while promoting their availability for med- the area under opium poppy cultivation increased for
ical, scientific and industrial purposes. Cnd called the fourth consecutive year in 2014, reaching record
upon Member States to cooperate with unodc, levels, and potential opium production also increased.
who, incb and other organizations, as well as the Opium and morphine seizures remained concentrated
scientific community, in contributing to the scientific in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries, while
assessment of drug demand and supply reduction heroin seizures covered a wider geographic area. The
policies, drug markets and drug-related crime, and 2013 data showed a seizure increase in the opiates
in deepening knowledge of the threats posed by new trafficked from Afghanistan via the “southern route”.
psychoactive substances; and supported the efforts of In South-East Asia, opium poppy cultivation was
unodc and incb to develop, coordinate and publish concentrated in Myanmar. Heroin seizures in South-
622 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Eastern Europe increased slightly, while in Western be urged to tackle illicit trafficking and organized
and Central Europe they remained stable at histor- crime at all levels and support interregional coopera-
ically low levels. In North America, heroin seizures tion; secure adequate national budgets for strategies
had increased over the past five years. Three Andean on drugs and crime in line with the Action Plan;
countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Peru) accounted for accede to the relevant international conventions and
virtually all coca bush cultivation worldwide and the implement the provisions of those instruments; ensure
total area under cultivation decreased in 2013. The international, regional and bilateral coordination; and
quantity of cocaine seized globally remained stable, support the region in the prevention and treatment of
with South America accounting for the majority of drug abuse and hiv/aids. Cnd should also request
cocaine seizures worldwide. The availability of cocaine unodc to develop a new regional programme for West
continued to decline in North America and remained Africa, taking into consideration the revised priorities
limited in Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, set out in the new ecowas Regional Action Plan,
Asia and Oceania. African countries, particularly in and pursuing the international, multidisciplinary
West Africa, continued to be transit points for co- and integrated approach adopted under the unodc
caine. After rapidly increasing up to 2012, global sei- regional programme for West Africa 2010–2014.
zures of amphetamine-type stimulants stabilized in Cooperation against illicit financial flows. On
2013. North America and East and South-East Asia 17 March [E/2015/28 (res. 58/6)], the Commission en-
accounted for the majority of methamphetamine sei- couraged Member States to develop legislative and
zures, which remained at record levels in East and institutional systems and procedures to prevent and
South-East Asia. Amphetamine seizures were concen- combat illicit financial flows linked to drug trafficking,
trated in the Near and Middle East and South-West and to foster international cooperation by imple-
Asia, where significant quantities of Captagon tablets menting the provisions against money-laundering
continued to be seized. contained in relevant international and multilateral
Countering illicit drug traffic in West Africa. instruments. It called upon Member States, unodc
Pursuant to cnd resolution 56/16 [YUN 2013, and other international organizations to analyse illicit
p. 1211], the Executive Director submitted a report financial flows linked to drug trafficking and their
[E/CN.7/2015/11] on enhancing international coopera- interaction with the licit economy and to identify,
tion to strengthen efforts in West Africa to counter where appropriate, key vulnerabilities in the business
illicit drug trafficking, which highlighted the activities models of drug traffickers and money-laundering net-
carried out by unodc since March 2013 in support works. It invited Member States to develop method-
of the Economic Community of West African States ologies for collecting information on financial trans-
(ecowas) Regional Action Plan to Address the Grow- actions related to drug trafficking and laundering
ing Problem of Illicit Drug Trafficking, Organized of the proceeds thereof; to strengthen cooperation
Crime and Drug Abuse in West Africa (2008–2015), among law enforcement agencies, financial intelli-
particularly through the reinforcement of regional gence units and other agencies engaged in countering
and international cooperation. The report reviewed money-laundering; and to enhance interaction with
drug trends in West Africa; policy, advocacy and the private financial sector with regard to identifying
fundraising activities by unodc; partnerships in trends and exchanging information related to illicit
addressing the drug problem, including with other financial flows linked to drug trafficking. Cnd also
UN agencies; technical cooperation activities in invited unodc to work with Member States and
support of ecowas and its Member States, including relevant organizations to collate good practices in
in illicit drug trafficking and associated organized regional and multilateral systems and procedures; en-
crime; drug abuse prevention, treatment and reha- couraged Member States to cooperate with the private
bilitation; and research. During the reporting period, sector; and invited Member States and other donors to
unodc continued to coordinate its activities with provide extrabudgetary resources for implementation
national, regional and international stakeholders, and of the resolution.
to provide integrated responses to drug trafficking and Responding to new psychoactive substances
abuse in line with the 2009 Political Declaration and and ats. On 17 March [res. 58/11], the Commission
Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards encouraged Member States to monitor trends in the
an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the composition, production and distribution of new
World Drug Problem [YUN 2009, p. 1237] and Assembly psychoactive substances and amphetamine-type
resolution 64/182 [ibid.]. stimulants (ats); to adopt measures aimed at reduc-
The Executive Director recommended that the ing their supply and demand; to develop prevention
Commission acknowledge the progress made in the and treatment models relevant to the health and psy-
implementation of the ecowas Regional Action Plan, chological problems associated with new psychoactive
notably through the unodc regional programme for substances and ats; to enhance their monitoring by
West Africa, and urge Member States to support improving research, analysis and forensic capability;
ecowas and unodc in that effort. States should also to consider legislative, regulatory and administrative
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 623

measures to tackle their emergence; and to cooperate Pacific (Bangkok, 19–22 October) [UNODC/HON-
in judicial and law enforcement activities to tackle LAP/39/6] adopted recommendations on current trends
their manufacture and distribution. Cnd encouraged in the manufacture, trafficking and consumption of
Member States, unodc, who, incb and other rele- ats and new psychoactive substances; successful solu-
vant organizations to share information and expertise tions and practices in the area of forensics; and har-
in relation to new psychoactive substances and ats; monization of legislation and practices at the interna-
and requested unodc to work with who, pursuant to tional level. The fiftieth session of the Subcommission
the 1961 Convention, as amended by the 1972 Pro- on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near
tocol, and the 1971 Convention, towards continuing and Middle East (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,
the regular provision of scheduling recommenda- 8–12 November) [UNODC/SUBCOM/50/6] made rec-
tions. It invited who to prioritize the review of the ommendations on counteracting new trends in the
most prevalent, persistent and harmful new psycho- use of technology by drug traffickers; the dynamics
active substances, and to provide regular and timely of and current trends in the region’s illicit drug mar-
scheduling recommendations and present them to the kets; and measures to counter money-laundering and
Commission at its annual reconvened session. It also illicit financial flows. It also recommended to cnd the
encouraged unodc and incb to enhance the collection adoption of the Abu Dhabi declaration, which con-
of information on new psychoactive substances and tained recommendations for Governments and unodc
share that information with relevant organizations. on addressing the world drug problem and stressed
Member States and other donors were invited to pro- that, in the Near and Middle East, priority should
vide extrabudgetary resources for the purposes de- be given to addressing the production, trafficking in
scribed in the resolution. and consumption of illicit drugs affecting the region,
in particular opiates, cocaine and ats, including new
Recommendations of subsidiary bodies psychoactive substances, and Captagon and Tramadol.
A secretariat report [E/CN.7/2016/10] described ac-
tions taken by five subsidiary bodies of the Commission Conventions
during the year. Each of the bodies reviewed trends
in drug trafficking and regional and subregional co- International efforts to control narcotic drugs were
operation; addressed drug law enforcement issues of governed by three global conventions: the 1961 Sin-
priority; and reviewed the implementation of previous gle Convention on Narcotic Drugs [YUN 1961, p. 382],
recommendations. The report included the recom- which, with some exceptions of detail, replaced earlier
mendations generated by the subsidiary bodies at their narcotics treaties and was amended by the 1972 Pro-
2015 meetings (see below). tocol [YUN 1972, p. 397] to strengthen the role of the In-
The Eleventh Meeting of Heads of National Drug ternational Narcotics Control Board (incb); the 1971
Law Enforcement Agencies (honlea), Europe (Brus- Convention on Psychotropic Substances [YUN 1971,
sels, Belgium, 22–25 June) [UNODC/HONEURO/11/6] p. 380]; and the 1988 United Nations Convention
made recommendations on the unodc Airport against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psycho-
Communication Project; the unodc/World Cus- tropic Substances [YUN 1988, p. 690].
toms Organization Container Control Programme; As at 31 December, following the accession of
handling synthetic drug production and responding Afghanistan on 1 November, the number of States
to changing trends in drug use, new psychoactive parties to the 1961 Convention as amended by the
substances and precursors; and measures to coun- 1972 Protocol increased to 187. Prior to that accession,
ter money-laundering and illicit financial flows. The Afghanistan had been a party to the 1961 Convention
Twenty-fifth Meeting of honlea, Africa (Algiers, Al- in its unamended form.
geria, 14–18 September) [UNODC/HONLAF/25/6] made The number of parties to the 1971 Convention re-
recommendations on designing effective strategies to mained at 183 as at 31 December, and the number
address cannabis trafficking; border control measures of parties to the 1988 Convention remained at 189.
and other methods to curtail drug trafficking; and ju-
dicial challenges, including differences in legislation, Implementation of drug control treaties
penalties and forensic capabilities. The Twenty-fifth
Meeting of honlea, Latin America and the Caribbean Illicit sale and purchase via the Internet. On
(San Pedro Sula, Honduras, 5–9 October) [UNODC/ 17 March [E/2015/28 (res. 58/3)], cnd encouraged
HONLAC/25/6] agreed on recommendations on the Member States to respond to the emerging threat
prevention, investigation and prosecution of micro- posed, in particular to children and young people, by
trafficking and its links to transnational criminal net- the illicit sale and purchase of internationally or na-
works; border management; and acting effectively to tionally controlled substances and new psychoactive
address current trends in trafficking in cocaine, and substances via the Internet, including via social media
curbing access to the supply of precursor chemicals. and other social networks; and to develop and imple-
The Thirty-ninth Meeting of honlea, Asia and the ment prevention strategies, programmes and measures
624 Part Three: Economic and social questions

aimed at protecting children and young people and at notification from the United Kingdom concerning
raising awareness about potential risks associated with the recommendation for international control of me-
the illicit sale and purchase of those substances via the phedrone under the 1971 Convention, and of the no-
Internet. It called on Member States, through bilateral, tification from China concerning the recommendation
regional and international cooperation, to collaborate for international control of ketamine under the same
through the exchange of information, best practices Convention.
and technical assistance; to promote the development Another February note by the Secretariat
of scientific evidence-based interventions and policies, [E/CN.7/2015/8] contained recommendations for action
paying specific attention to the protection of children by the Commission pursuant to the international
and young people; and to establish relations with drug control treaties. In accordance with article 3 of
private sector entities whose services might be misused, the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs as
such as Internet service providers, postal and cou- amended by the 1972 Protocol, the Commission would
rier services and financial services, and request their take into consideration a proposal from who concern-
support in investigating such operations. Cnd invited ing the placement of AH-7921 in Schedule I of that
Member States, unodc, unicef, who and other rele- Convention. In accordance with article 2 of the 1971
vant organizations to share information and best prac- Convention, the Commission would take into consid-
tices; and encouraged incb to raise awareness of the eration a proposal from who concerning the placement
risks. The unodc Executive Director was requested of five substances in Schedule I of that Convention:
to report to the Commission at its sixtieth (2017) gamma-butyrolactone (gbl), 1,4-butanediol,
session on progress achieved; and Member States and 25B-NBOMe (2C-B-NBOMe), 25C-NBOMe
other donors were invited to provide extrabudgetary (2C-C-NBOMe) and 25I-NBOMe (2C-I-NBOMe).
resources to implement the resolution. It would also consider a recommendation from who to
Import and export authorization system. On place five substances in Schedule II of that Convention:
17 March [res. 58/10], the Commission welcomed the N-benzylpiperazine (bzp), JWH-018, AM-2201,
launch of the International Import and Export Au- 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone and methylone (beta-
thorization System (i2es) for licit international trade keto- mdma). The note contained comments by Gov-
in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and ernments on economic, social, legal, administrative
invited Member States to provide voluntary financial and other factors relevant to the proposed scheduling
contributions to unodc for its maintenance and pro- under the Conventions.
vide the fullest possible financial support to enable the A further February note by the Secretariat
incb secretariat to administer and monitor the system. [E/CN.7/2015/14] contained the request from cnd for
It urged Member States to promote and facilitate the legal advice on whether it could schedule a substance
use of the system as a basis for strengthening interna- under the 1971 Convention if who had recommended
tional drug control, and to communicate to unodc that the substance should not be placed under inter-
and incb any feedback or suggestions with regard to national control. It also transmitted a detailed analysis
its enhancement. Cnd invited the incb secretariat to of the authority of cnd that was annexed to an Inter-
provide training to competent national authorities on office memorandum, dated 18 February, from the
the operation of the system and urged Member States Principal Legal Officer in charge of the Office of the
and other donors to provide extrabudgetary resources Legal Counsel to the Secretary of the Commission.
for implementation of the resolution. The Office of the Legal Counsel analysed the func-
Changes in the scope of control substances. The tions of the Commission under the Convention; the
Commission had before it a Secretariat note procedure for adding a substance to the Schedules of
[E/CN.7/2015/7] with recommendations for action the Convention; the role of the Commission and the
to be taken pursuant to the international drug parties; and the relevant provisions and subsequent
control treaties. In accordance with article 2 of the practice. It concluded that the Commission could
1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances, the schedule a substance under the 1971 Convention even
Commission would take into consideration a proposal if there was a recommendation from who that the
from the United Kingdom concerning the placement substance should not be placed under international
of mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) in Sched- control, provided that the Commission had taken into
ule I of the 1971 Convention, and a proposal from account all relevant factors specified in article 2, par-
China concerning the placement of ketamine in the agraph 5, of the Convention before taking a decision.
same Schedule I of that Convention. The note con- On 2 March [E/CN.7/2015/CRP.3], the United King-
tained comments by Governments on economic, dom expressed its support for the recommendation of
social, legal, administrative and other factors relevant the who Expert Committee on Drug Dependence
to the proposed scheduling of mephedrone and keta- to place mephedrone in Schedule II of the 1971
mine as well as recommendations by who on the pro- Convention, and provided information on the public
posed scheduling. A February note by the Secretariat health risk posed by mephedrone, its prevalence across
[E/CN.7/2015/7/Add.1] contained considerations of the the world and the benefits of international control.
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 625

On 5 March [E/CN.7/2015/CRP.5], China pro- ternational conventions. To ensure implementation of

posed listing ketamine in Schedule IV of the 1971 the import and export authorization system for licit
Convention. The updated proposal was in line with international trade in narcotic drugs and psychotropic
the principle of achieving a balance between the substances, the Board developed i2es, an electronic
prevention of the abuse, illicit manufacturing and tool to allow Governments to reduce the risk of drug
trafficking of ketamine, and ensuring its availability consignments being diverted into illicit channels. The
for medical purposes. Board urged all competent national authorities to reg-
Commission action. On 13 March [E/2015/28], ister and start using i2es as soon as possible. The status
the Commission reviewed the implementation of of control in some countries for many psychotropic
international drug control treaties. It had before it substances included in Schedules II, III and IV of the
the incb report for 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1398]; the incb 1971 Convention remained unknown, and the Board
publication Precursors and Chemicals Frequently Used urged Governments to review their laws and regula-
in the Illicit Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs and Psycho- tions to verify that they were in line with the relevant
tropic Substances: Report of the International Narcotics provisions of that Convention. It also reminded Gov-
Control Board for 2014 on the Implementation of Arti- ernments of the treaty requirement of issuing import/
cle 12 of the United Nations Convention against Illicit export authorizations for Schedule II substances and
Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of urged them to submit the missing information regard-
1988 [E/INCB/2014/4]; the unodc publication Compe- ing their national control over substances in Schedules
tent National Authorities under the International Drug III and IV. The Board noted that States had reduced the
Control Treaties: 2014 [Sales No. T.15.XI.5]; and a report diversion of scheduled substances from international
on the unodc/who expert consultation on new psy- trade into illicit manufacture since the entry into force
choactive substances (Vienna, 9–11 December 2014) of the 1988 Convention, and urged Governments to
[E/CN.7/2015/CRP.2]. It also had before it the three use electronic tools such as the Pre-Export Notification
Secretariat notes on changes in the scope of control Online and the Precursors Incident Communication
of substances; the background paper prepared by the System to improve monitoring of the international
United Kingdom; and further information provided trade in precursors and exchange intelligence on re-
by China (see above). lated illicit activities in real time. Incb noted the co-
Also on 13 March [E/2015/28 (dec. 58/1)], the operation between who and unodc to establish cri-
Commission included mephedrone in Schedule II of teria for prioritizing new psychoactive substances that
the 1971 Convention; postponed [dec. 58/2] consid- should be the subject of scrutiny for possible review
eration of the proposal concerning the placement of and consideration for possible international control.
ketamine in Schedule IV of the 1971 Convention and It stressed the importance of the universal adherence
decided to request additional information from who to the international treaties and urged Governments
and other relevant sources; and included [dec. 58/3] to review the implementation of their respective obli-
AH-7921 in Schedule I of the 1961 Convention as gations thereto and to ensure that domestic legislation
amended by the 1972 Protocol. It decided not to in- did not contravene the provisions of the international
clude the substances gbl [dec. 58/4] and 1,4-butanediol conventions to which they were parties.
[dec. 58/5] in Schedule I of the 1971 Convention, but
the following substances were included in Sched- International Narcotics Control Board
ule I of that Convention: 25B-NBOMe [dec. 58/6];
25C-NBOMe [dec. 58/7]; and 25I-NBOMe [dec. 58/8]. Incb held its 112th (2–6 February), 113th (4–
It also included the following substances in Schedule 15 May) and 114th (27 October–13 November) ses-
II of the 1971 Convention: N-BZP [dec. 58/9]; JWH- sions, all in Vienna.
018 [dec. 58/10]; AM-2201 [dec. 58/11]; 3,4-MDPV In accordance with the tasks assigned to it under
[dec. 58/12]; and methylone [dec. 58/13]. the international conventions, the Board monitored
INCB action. In its report covering 2015 the implementation of the international drug control
[E/INCB/2015/1, Sales No. E.16.XI.1] (see p. 626), the treaties and maintained a permanent dialogue with
Board noted that States parties had implemented Governments. The information received from Gov-
more cohesive and coherent drug control strategies as ernments was used to identify the enforcement of
envisioned in the Conventions, and that the interna- treaty provisions requiring them to limit to medi-
tional drug control system provided a framework for cal and scientific purposes the licit manufacture of,
ensuring the proper provision of narcotic drugs and trade in, and distribution and use of, narcotic drugs
psychotropic substances to reduce pain and suffering and psychotropic substances. The Board, which was
while preventing their diversion into illicit use. How- required by the treaties to report annually on the
ever, about 75 per cent of the world population had drug control situation worldwide, noted gaps and
limited or no access to proper pain relief treatment, weaknesses in national control and treaty compliance
and the availability of internationally controlled drugs and made recommendations for improvements at the
could be improved within the framework of the in- national and international levels.
626 Part Three: Economic and social questions

The Board’s 2015 report [E/INCB/2015/1, Sales Controlled Drugs: Ensuring Adequate Access for Med-
No. E.16.XI.1] contained a thematic chapter on the ical and Scientific Purposes [E/INCB/2015/1/Supp.1];
health and welfare of mankind and the international Narcotic Drugs: Estimated World Requirements for
drug control system, which emphasized that the 2016—Statistics for 2014 [E/INCB/2015/2]; Psycho-
system in place, when fully implemented, contrib- tropic Substances: Statistics for 2014—Assessments of
uted to protecting the health and welfare of people Annual Medical and Scientific Requirements for Sub-
worldwide and ensured balanced national approaches stances in Schedules II, III and IV of the Convention
that took into account local socioeconomic and so- on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 [E/INCB/2015/3]; and
ciocultural conditions. Incb believed that the control Precursors and Chemicals Frequently Used in the Illicit
of the international licit trade in narcotic drugs, Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Sub-
psychotropic substances and precursors had been stances: Report of the International Narcotics Control
a success, as no noteworthy diversion of those sub- Board for 2015 on the Implementation of Article 12 of
stances from licit to illicit channels was taking place. the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in
However, the availability and accessibility of narcotic Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988
drugs and psychotropic substances for medical pur- [E/INCB/2015/4].
poses was not satisfactory at the global level; the goal By decision 2015/239 of 21 July, the Economic
of reduction in the illicit demand for and supply of and Social Council took note of the incb report for
drugs had not been reached; and new challenges were 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1398].
emerging, such as new psychoactive substances. Im-
plementing the drug control system meant putting World drug situation
the health and welfare of people at the core of drug
policies; applying comprehensive, integrated and bal- In its 2015 report, incb presented a regional
anced approaches to elaborating drug control policy; analysis of world drug abuse trends and control
promoting human rights standards; giving priority efforts to keep Governments aware of situations
to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and the that might endanger the objectives of international
reduction of the negative consequences of drug abuse; drug control treaties. For each region, the report pro-
and strengthening international cooperation based vided information on major developments; regional
on shared responsibility. Incb concluded that the in- cooperation; national legislation, policy and action;
ternational drug control system should promote the cultivation, production, manufacture and trafficking;
application of scientific knowledge, humane think- and abuse and treatment.
ing, proportionality and moderation to the problems
related to drugs. The evolving nature of those com- Africa
plex social problems required that Member States ex- Africa remained one of the main transit areas for
pand their range of interventions to cope with new drug trafficking. North Africa was a primary source
psychoactive substances and marketing technologies of drugs entering Europe, West Africa was used as a
used to promote drug abuse, such as the use of the transit area to smuggle cocaine trafficked from South
Internet and social media. The continued threat of America into Europe, and East Africa was increas-
transnational organized crime should be managed in a ingly used as a trafficking hub for Afghan heroin
more focused, cohesive and international manner. The destined for Europe. The increase in trafficking was
Board reminded States of their obligations to employ accompanied by a growth in illicit drug use and in-
effective drug abuse prevention, treatment and reha- creased activities by organized criminal groups. The
bilitation programmes, and to help people affected by emergence of online sales of controlled drugs posed
drug abuse, including through both medically appro- an additional challenge in Africa, and the increase in
priate and evidence-based treatment. online trafficking made it difficult for law enforcement
The report covered the functioning of the inter- authorities to identify website owners and users in-
national drug control system and concluded with volved in the trafficking of precursor chemicals. Illicit
recommendations for Governments, the United cannabis cultivation, production, trafficking and use
Nations and other relevant international and national continued. Cannabis herb was produced throughout
organizations on issues such as the special session of the continent, while the production of cannabis resin
the General Assembly on the world drug problem was concentrated in a few countries in North Africa.
to be held in 2016; demand reduction; availability; Morocco remained one of the world’s largest produc-
psychotropic substances; precursors; new psychoac- ers of cannabis resin and continued to supply Europe.
tive substances; the International Import and Export West Africa had become an established source of the
Authorization System; and promoting the consistent methamphetamine smuggled into East and South-
application of the international drug control treaties. East Asia via South Africa or Europe, and the conti-
The Board’s report was supplemented by the fol- nent remained vulnerable to trafficking in precursor
lowing reports: Report of the International Narcotics chemicals, mainly ephedrine and pseudoephedrine,
Control Board on the Availability of Internationally which were used in the manufacture of amphetamine-
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 627

type stimulants (ats). There were elevated concerns in ammunition and migrants. In the eastern Caribbean
some countries over the abuse of substances not under countries, South American drug cartels used the
international control, namely ketamine and Trama- many uninhabited islands for trafficking and storing
dol. Particularly in North and West Africa, Tramadol cocaine shipments destined for North America and
trafficking and abuse continued. It was estimated that Europe. Methamphetamine laboratories were being
in Africa only 1 out of 18 people who suffered from increasingly established in Central America, and new
drug use disorders or dependence received treatment psychoactive substances were reported, particularly
each year, and almost half of the problem drug users in Costa Rica. Cannabis abuse remained stable, co-
who injected drugs followed unsafe injection prac- caine abuse was higher than the global average, while
tices, which contributed to a rise in hiv incidence. the use of opioids was lower. The abuse of mdma
Despite the paucity of data on drug abuse in Africa, it (“ecstasy”) increased in Central America and the
was estimated that the annual prevalence of cannabis Caribbean, and inhalant abuse was particularly high
use remained high (7.5 per cent of the population aged in the Caribbean.
15–64, almost double the global annual average of In the Montevideo Declaration, adopted on
3.9 per cent), and was particularly high in West and 12 February by the seventeenth high-level meeting
Central Africa (12.4 per cent). Heroin remained the of the Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism
second most abused drug after cannabis. The annual on Drugs between the European Union (eu) and the
prevalence of opiate abuse in the region was estimated Community of Latin American and Caribbean States,
at 0.3 per cent of the population aged 15–64 (or about States committed to supporting projects in the region
1.88 million individuals). The annual prevalence of in the areas of demand and supply reduction. The
cocaine use in Africa, estimated at 0.4 per cent, re- Seventh Summit of the Americas (Panama City, 10–
mained comparable with the global estimate. 11 April) emphasized the need for a comprehensive
During the year, the first meeting of the African strategy against the world drug problem in the Ameri-
Union Specialized Technical Committee on Health, cas and decided to continue with the dialogue in prep-
Population and Drug Control (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aration for the special session of the General Assembly
13–17 April) discussed a five-year strategic framework on the world drug problem to be held in 2016. The
focused on drug abuse prevention and treatment development and implementation of programmes for
standards, and the establishment of national and drug abuse prevention and treatment were restricted
regional drug observatories. An ecowas action plan by the limited resources and institutional capacity of
for 2016–2020 established priorities for combating countries in the region, the lack of capacity for the
drug trafficking and transnational organized crime collection of drug-related data and a lack of central-
in West Africa. ized agencies mandated to assess that information.
Incb reiterated the importance for Governments to
Americas improve the collection and analysis of drug-related
Central America and the Caribbean. Central data to be used in the implementation of prevention
America and the Caribbean continued to be used as a and treatment programmes available to the entire
major trans-shipment area for consignments of drugs population of the region.
from South America destined for North America North America. Opioid abuse remained one of
and Europe. Drug trafficking activities and the use the major challenges facing North America, with an
of smuggling channels had become major security annual prevalence rate of 3.8 per cent in 2013, signif-
threats and contributed to an increase in drug abuse. icantly higher than the global average of 0.7 per cent.
The number of homicides linked to organized crime The abuse of prescription drugs was the biggest chal-
has risen in areas where criminal groups fought to lenge to drug control efforts. In the United States,
gain control of local drug distribution. The drug prob- deaths involving controlled prescription drugs
lem also led to drug-related corruption, which increas- outnumbered those involving heroin and cocaine
ingly weakened criminal justice systems, limited the combined. The lucrative nature of the illicit trade
capacity of law enforcement and interfered with the in prescription drugs in North America had led to
ability of Governments to promote development. Co- the involvement of organized transnational criminal
caine continued to be trafficked from the border area groups in trafficking, which had previously been con-
between Colombia and Venezuela to airstrips in the trolled by small-scale dealers and street gangs. The
region, in addition to the use of the more established growth of the illegal market in prescription drugs was
sea routes via Haiti and the Dominican Republic. spurred by the imposition of stricter controls on their
Trafficking by sea remained a problem. Signifi- prescription and dispensing, and stricter controls on
cant levels of cannabis herb were produced in most the availability of prescription opioids contributed to
countries in Central America and the Caribbean, but the continued resurgence of heroin in the region, par-
Jamaica remained the largest producer in the region. ticularly in the United States. Domestic production
Jamaica was also increasingly used as a transit and of cannabis continued in all three countries, particu-
destination country for smuggling drugs, firearms, larly in indoor growth operations and on private land,
628 Part Three: Economic and social questions

and it remained the most widely available and most diethylamide. South America was also affected by the
abused drug in North America. In Mexico, opium illicit cultivation of and trafficking in cannabis herb.
poppy eradication efforts continued, and most of the The annual prevalence of cannabis and cocaine in the
cocaine available in the United States continued to be region among people 15–64 years of age was higher
produced in Colombia. The trafficking of fentanyl- than the global average, and the abuse of synthetic
laced drugs by organized criminal groups emerged as drugs increased in Colombia.
a public health threat in the United States and in Can- South America remained active for regional
ada, where law enforcement authorities indicated the cooperation at the political and technical levels.
main source region as Asia, in particular China. The Several bilateral, intraregional and interregional
large-scale trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine initiatives took place in 2014–2015, and coopera-
increased in the United States, with most of it man- tion took place in mutually reinforcing regional in-
ufactured in Mexico. New psychoactive substances, itiatives and forums. Expert cooperation to counter
particularly cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids, drug trafficking was active in the area of precursor
continued to challenge drug control efforts. North control, in which States collaborated in the unodc
America had the highest rate of drug-related mortality project “Prevention of the diversion of drug precursors
in the world, with the biggest increase in the number in Latin America and the Caribbean”, as well as in
of overdose deaths related to heroin. The problem of the area of countering money-laundering in the con-
drug injection was compounded in the correctional text of the Asset Recovery Network of the Financial
setting, and incb reiterated the importance for Gov- Action Task Force of Latin America against Money-
ernments in the region to ensure adequate measures Laundering. Some countries reported a low level of
for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse in the consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic sub-
prison system in accordance with article 38 of the stances for medical use and took action to ensure their
1961 Convention as amended. availability. Bilateral and trilateral counter-narcotics
Regional cooperation between the three countries operations abounded in the region. In the first half of
in the region was extensive and included high-level 2015, Colombia approved the National Development
political summits, joint action plans, intelligence- Plan 2014–2018, aimed to address the drug problem
sharing, joint law-enforcement activities and border through a comprehensive and balanced approach. In
control initiatives. The Board reiterated its view that September, Colombia announced its new strategy
measures taken in various states of the United States to combat trafficking, which focused on improving
to legalize the production, sale and distribution of the justice framework and procedures and targeted
cannabis for non-medical and non-scientific purposes illicit cultivation, including by strengthening manual
were inconsistent with the provisions of the interna- eradication.
tional treaties. In August, the United States Admin-
istration announced $13.4 million in funding for the Asia
high-intensity drug trafficking areas programme, in- East and South-East Asia. With a growing di-
tended to ensure coordination among federal, state, versification of trafficking routes, the manufacturing,
local and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in trafficking and abuse of ats in East and South-East
critical trafficking areas. In Mexico, health authorities Asia showed no signs of abating. The region continued
took measures to increase access to controlled sub- to face the threats posed by the proliferation of new
stances for medical purposes. psychoactive substances and non-scheduled precursor
South America. South America continued to be chemicals, and illicit opium poppy cultivation and
the main source of all cocaine manufactured world- heroin manufacture continued in the countries of the
wide, with coca bush cultivation and coca paste and Golden Triangle (Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
cocaine manufacturing taking place mainly in Bo- Myanmar, Thailand). In 2014, the area of illicit opium
livia, Colombia and Peru). The trend of a decreasing poppy cultivation reached 63,800 ha, most of it in My-
total area of coca bush cultivation continued in Bo- anmar (90 per cent). Heroin remained the main drug
livia and Peru in 2014. Colombia, in contrast, saw of concern in China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore
an increase of 44 per cent compared with 2013 and and Viet Nam. Cocaine-related activities remained
became once again the country with the largest area limited compared with other regions and compared
of coca bush cultivation in the world. Brazil was with other drug types. The wider availability and
vulnerable to the transit of cocaine by air, land and abuse of ats and methamphetamine persisted, and
rivers and was the largest cocaine market in the re- the abuse and seizure of mdma (“ecstasy”) increased.
gion. Heroin manufactured in South America was The trafficking of pharmaceutical preparations con-
mainly destined for the United States but was also taining ephedrine and pseudoephedrine was spurred
trafficked for consumption within the region. Vari- by the growing illicit demand for ats. The number
ous countries in the region reported seizures of ats of new psychoactive substances identified within the
in 2014, including amphetamine, methamphetamine region increased and the abuse of ketamine remained
and “ecstasy”-type substances, as well as lysergic acid a problem. The seizure of the plant-based psychoactive
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 629

substances kratom and khat and the eradication of street children, the abuse of glue and solvents by sniff-
their cultivation continued to be reported. ing was common. In India, the diversion of ephed-
Multilateral cooperation among the States mem- rine and pseudoephedrine from legal manufacture
bers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to illicit channels remained a major challenge for
(asean) continued. A ministerial statement adopted at law enforcement agencies. Cannabis was the most
the third asean Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters common drug of abuse in the region.
(Jakarta, Indonesia, 3 December 2014) underscored West Asia. The instability and climate of insecu-
the political commitment to strengthening regional rity that prevailed in some parts of the Middle East
cooperation. The 20th Asia-Pacific Operational continued to pose a challenge to drug control efforts
Drug Enforcement Conference (Tokyo, Japan, 24– in West Asia. The armed conflict and refugee crisis
26 February) focused on international cooperation situations in the region gave rise to increased demands
in drug law enforcement to counter the ats threat. for emergency supplies, including internationally con-
Confronted with the emergence of new psychoactive trolled substances for medical purposes, but delivery
substances, countries in the region placed additional in certain areas was inadequate or severely limited.
substances under temporary listing and/or extended Drug trafficking and the illicit manufacture of heroin
the scope of drug control to defined groups of sub- were matters of concern for Governments in transit
stances. In China, the Non-Medical Narcotic Drug and destination countries; Central Asian countries
and Psychotropic Substance List Regulation, which remained a channel for smuggling opiates from
listed 116 non-medical narcotic drugs and psycho- Afghanistan to the Russian Federation and Europe;
tropic substances, entered into force on 1 October. and almost all illicit drugs were available in the Middle
After the listing of alpha-phenylacetoacetonitrile as East subregion, which drug trafficking networks used
an internationally controlled precursor in October as a transit area for the smuggling of cocaine, heroin
2014, several countries placed it under their national and ats. Cannabis production, trafficking and abuse
control. were widespread. Cannabis plants, seeds and oil were
South Asia. Governments in South Asia contin- frequently seized and remained the most abused sub-
ued to cooperate in responding to the threats posed stances, and Afghanistan remained one of the largest
by trafficking in Afghan heroin; the emergence of new producers of cannabis resin worldwide. The year 2015
psychoactive substances; the rise in methampheta- marked the first reduction since 2009 in the total area
mine manufacturing and trafficking; the diversion of under illicit opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan,
controlled substances from licit to illicit channels; and but cultivation levels remained high. A decrease in
the abuse of pharmaceutical preparations containing Afghanistan’s estimated opium production was
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. The level recorded at 3,300 tons—48 per cent less than in
of availability of and access to opioids for pain relief 2014—as a result of the reduction in the total area
was low in all countries, and India took measures to under cultivation combined with a reduced average
address the situation, including through legislative opium yield per hectare, reportedly due to a lack of
changes that enabled the introduction of a uniform water in certain regions. Afghanistan continued its
regulatory regime in respect of opioids for pain relief. efforts to eradicate poppy cultivation, but the total
Countries in the region also continued to cooperate in eradicated area remained limited in absolute terms.
drug abuse prevention and control matters under the Cocaine trafficking in West Asia increased in 2014.
Colombo Plan for Cooperative Economic and Social Pharmaceutical preparations containing psychotropic
Development in Asia and the Pacific. substances were trafficked in most countries in West
South Asia remained vulnerable to the trafficking Asia. In particular, the abuse of sedatives and anxio-
of opiates and heroin. In addition, the widespread lytics was widespread, and incb called upon countries
trafficking of cannabis, synthetic drugs and new psy- to increase their vigilance with respect to the diver-
choactive substances persisted in 2014. The diversion sion, trafficking and abuse of preparations containing
of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic controlled substances and to reinforce controls on
drugs and psychotropic substances from the Indian domestic distribution channels. A growing number
pharmaceutical industry, as well as their trafficking, of countries reported ats trafficking and abuse;
including through illegal Internet pharmacies, con- the trafficking and abuse of amphetamine among
tinued. South Asia was increasingly used for the illicit countries in the Middle East continued; and the abuse
manufacture of ats, which were increasingly abused. of substances not under international control, such as
India emerged as the main source. India and China ketamine and khat, persisted in some countries. Drug
were the major sources of various new psychoactive abuse in Afghanistan appeared to be highest among
substances, one of which was mephedrone, brought older segments of society, with an estimated preva-
under the control of the 1971 Convention by cnd lence of 9 per cent of those aged 45 years and older.
at its fifty-eighth session in March (see p. 625). In The London Conference on Afghanistan (4 De-
Bangladesh, “yaba” (methamphetamine) and codeine- cember 2014) discussed development, governance and
based preparations were widely abused and, among stability in Afghanistan, including in relation to mat-
630 Part Three: Economic and social questions

ters of drug control. Countries in the region contin- amine and methamphetamine manufactured was des-
ued their cooperation in countering illicit trafficking tined for national markets, but some was destined for
within the framework of the Collective Security other regions, particularly East and South-East Asia.
Treaty Organization (csto). The csto summit (Mos- In many countries of Western and Central Europe,
cow, 23 December 2014) adopted the csto anti- the abuse of amphetamines remained stable, while the
drug strategy for 2015–2020. The Central Asian prevalence of cocaine abuse remained high. The diver-
Regional Information and Coordination Centre, an sification, availability and proliferation of new psycho-
intergovernmental body for combating trafficking active substances increased, and by March, more than
in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their 450 new psychoactive substances were being moni-
precursors, continued to serve as a regional platform tored by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs
for exchanging information on countering trafficking and Drug Addiction (emcdda). Many of them were
and promoting law enforcement cooperation. Co- reportedly manufactured by chemical companies in
operation on drug control among Arab countries was China and India and shipped to Europe by air freight.
also promoted by organizations such as the League In 2013, emcdda identified more than 600 websites
of Arab States and the Cooperation Council for the selling new psychoactive substances to consumers in
Arab States of the Gulf and its Criminal Information the eu. The abuse of heroin and synthetic opioids re-
Centre to Combat Drugs. In June, incb participated mained relatively low in the eu. In Eastern Europe, the
in the 11th international conference on drug control, high prevalence of opioid abuse was due to high levels
which focused on access to controlled substances for of such abuse in the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
licit purposes while preventing diversion and abuse, In Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, 1.27 per cent
and conducted a workshop to guide national delega- of the general population aged 15–64 years was es-
tions in identifying recommendations for incorpora- timated to use drugs by injection, a rate nearly five
tion into national strategies. To counter the developing times the global average). Approximately 40 per cent
illicit market for synthetic drugs and the emergence of the estimated global number of persons who abused
of new psychoactive substances, some countries in the drugs by injection and lived with hiv resided in that
region had amended their national legislation and be- subregion.
gun to place some new psychoactive substances under The countries of South-Eastern Europe intensi-
national control. fied their law enforcement cooperation on organized
crime and drug control, and all countries in the region
Europe were participants in the unodc regional programme
Europe continued to be an important market for for South-Eastern Europe (2012–2015). Large-scale
drugs produced locally and drugs smuggled from other international counter-narcotics operations were car-
regions, in particular Latin America, West Asia and ried out in 2014 by the csto member States and
North Africa. The synthetic drugs manufactured in Afghanistan, in cooperation with the Federal Drug
Western and Central Europe supplied illicit markets Control Service of the Russian Federation. The eu
both within that subregion and in other parts of the continued cooperation among its member States and
world. The purity and the potency of all the drugs of with third countries and other regions. In July, the
abuse found in Western and Central Europe increased, eu and Afghanistan signed a cooperation agreement
and the Internet and social media became important on partnership and development. The Cooperation
tools in marketing drugs. In Western and Central Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Europe, cannabis accounted for about 80 per cent in Drugs (Pompidou Group) of the Council of Europe,
of the total number of seizures, while cocaine and at its sixteenth Ministerial Conference (Strasbourg,
“crack” cocaine accounted for 10 per cent. Countries France, 19–20 November 2014), adopted its working
of Western and Central Europe had reported declin- programme for 2015–2018, and States members of the
ing trends with respect to heroin since 2010, but there Pompidou Group continued to exchange information
was also evidence of an increased range of opioids with countries of the Mediterranean basin through the
appearing on the European market. Drug abuse was Mediterranean Network. European countries adopted
one of the major causes of mortality among European measures to counteract the spread of new psychoac-
youth, both directly through overdose and indirectly tive substances, including by making additions to their
through drug-related diseases, accidents, violence and lists of nationally controlled substances. In June, the
suicide. The most commonly used drug in the eu was European Commission approved the implementation
cannabis, followed by cocaine, “ecstasy” and amphet- of Regulation (eu) 2015/1013, establishing rules for the
amines. Two main cannabis products were found on monitoring of trade in drug precursors between the eu
the European market: cannabis herb and cannabis and third countries.
resin. Cannabis herb was both illicitly cultivated in
the region and trafficked from other regions, while Oceania
most resin was smuggled from Morocco. Europe was a Oceania was vulnerable to the trafficking, man-
major illicit manufacturer of ats. Most of the amphet- ufacture and abuse of a wide range of drugs, with
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 631

countries reporting significant seizures of many sub-

stances, including cocaine, heroin, mdma (“ecstasy”) Crime prevention
and precursor chemicals. Cannabis remained the most and criminal justice
trafficked and abused drug in the region, mainly due
to its domestic cultivation. Although the market for Thirteenth UN Crime Congress
cocaine and heroin remained limited, New Zealand
saw increases in the seizures of both drugs in 2014, The Thirteenth United Nations Congress on
and Oceania was considered a hub for cocaine trans- Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Doha, Qa-
shipments. There were growing regional interconnec- tar, 12–19 April) [A/CONF.222/17] adopted the Doha
tions in the market for methamphetamine, which Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention and
posed a threat due to its increasing purity, the in- Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations
volvement of organized criminal groups and its exten- Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges
sive manufacture in some countries of the region. In and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and
response, New Zealand implemented an initiative en- International Levels, and Public Participation. The
titled “Tackling methamphetamine: an action plan”, Declaration reaffirmed the cross-cutting nature of
which helped improve resource targeting and gather crime prevention and criminal justice issues, and the
data on its abuse and trafficking. The abuse of new psy- need to integrate those issues into the wider UN agenda.
choactive substances increased in Oceania, and New It recognized the importance of effective, fair, hu-
Zealand reported new substances, including synthetic mane and accountable crime prevention and criminal
cannabinoids. In Australia, drug analogues and new justice systems and acknowledged that sustainable
psychoactive substances increased in availability and development and the rule of law were strongly inter-
popularity, where seizures in 2013–2014 increased by related and mutually reinforcing. It emphasized that
more than 64 per cent from the previous period. Data education for children and youth, including the eradi-
on the extent and patterns of drug abuse, as well as cation of illiteracy, was fundamental to the prevention
treatment figures and therapeutic options, remained of crime and corruption, and stressed the fundamen-
limited throughout most of the region. The high prev- tal role of youth participation in crime prevention
alence of cannabis abuse remained stable, but data efforts. The Declaration affirmed the importance of
were generally limited to Australia and New Zealand. strengthening international cooperation as a basis
The order of prevalence of drug abuse in Australia was for efforts to enhance crime prevention; ensure that
cannabis, mdma (“ecstasy”) and methamphetamine. criminal justice systems were effective, fair, humane
Countries in Oceania continued to focus on and accountable; ensure the continuation of effective
improving regional border security and sharing technical assistance and capacity-building policies
information on the flows and trans-shipments of and programmes; and support the development and
drugs. The Oceania Customs Organization, at its implementation of consultative and participatory
seventeenth conference (Koror, Palau, 22–24 June), processes in crime prevention and criminal justice in
addressed the region’s border security challenges and order to engage all members of society. It encouraged
adopted a three-year plan for the period 2015–2017 States parties to implement and make more effective
to set out the strategic direction of the Organization use of the United Nations Convention against Trans-
and help members align their activities with the best national Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto,
international customs standards and practices. In De- the United Nations Convention against Corruption,
cember 2014, in Auckland, New Zealand, the global the international drug control conventions and the
smart programme of unodc and the Pacific Islands conventions and protocols related to countering ter-
Forum secretariat hosted a forensic capacity-building rorism, and urged Member States to ratify or accede
training session, at which participants learned about to those instruments.
methods for identifying drugs and precursors. On The Thirteenth Congress—attended by rep-
5 March 2015, Australia adopted the Crimes Leg- resentatives of Member States and observers for
islation Amendment (Psychoactive Substances and UN organizations, specialized agencies and insti-
Other Measures) Act No. 12, laying down measures tutes, intergovernmental organizations and non-
to help the Government respond to new and emerg- governmental organizations (ngos), as well as over
ing psychoactive substances by banning the importa- 600 experts—was oriented on the theme of “Inte-
tion of all substances that had a psychoactive effect. grating crime prevention and criminal justice into
The Amendment helped to ensure that new psycho- the wider United Nations agenda to address social
active substances could not be imported until the and economic challenges and to promote the rule
Government had assessed their potential harmful of law at the national and international levels, and
effects and determined the appropriate controls to public participation”. It considered four major topics,
be applied. New Zealand released its national drug with corresponding working papers prepared by the
policy for 2015–2020, which set out the Govern- Secretariat: successes and challenges in implementing
ment’s approach to alcohol and drug issues. comprehensive crime prevention and criminal justice
632 Part Three: Economic and social questions

policies and strategies to promote the rule of law at Reports of Secretary-General. The Thirteenth
the national and international levels, and to support Congress had before it a report of the Secretary-General
sustainable development [A/CONF.222/6]; interna- [A/CONF.222/3], prepared in response to Assembly res-
tional cooperation, including at the regional level, to olution 69/191 [YUN 2014, p. 1404], on the follow-up
combat transnational organized crime [A/CONF.222/7]; to the Salvador Declaration on Comprehensive Strat-
comprehensive and balanced approaches to prevent egies for Global Challenges: Crime Prevention and
and adequately respond to new and emerging forms Criminal Justice Systems and Their Development in
of transnational crime [A/CONF.222/8]; and national a Changing World, adopted at the Twelfth Congress
approaches to public participation in strengthening [YUN 2010, p. 1094]. The report provided information
crime prevention and criminal justice [A/CONF.222/9]. on national legislative action and policy directives to
During the Thirteenth Congress, four workshops were implement the principles contained in the Salvador
convened on the role of the UN standards and norms Declaration and the recommendations of the Twelfth
in crime prevention and criminal justice in support Congress. The Thirteenth Congress also had before
of effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal it a report of the Secretary-General [A/CONF.222/4],
justice systems: experiences and lessons learned in pursuant to the same Assembly resolution, on the
meeting the unique needs of women and children, state of crime and criminal justice worldwide, which
in particular the treatment and social reintegration presented findings concerning global and regional
of offenders [A/CONF.222/10]; trafficking in persons trends of different types of crime. The analysis of in-
and smuggling of migrants: successes and challenges tentional homicide, gender-based killing of women
in criminalization, in mutual legal assistance and in and girls, bribery, trafficking in persons and wildlife
effective protection of witnesses and trafficking victims crime showed that in countries where income lev-
[A/CONF.222/11]; strengthening crime prevention and els were lower, citizens suffered the greatest threats
criminal justice responses to evolving forms of crime, to their security and well-being. It also highlighted
such as cybercrime and trafficking in cultural property, the fact that criminal justice systems varied in effi-
including lessons learned and international coopera- ciency and fairness, and that those variations existed
tion [A/CONF.222/12]; and public contribution to crime at the regional level and, depending on the levels of
prevention and raising awareness of criminal justice: economic development of countries, had a direct
experiences and lessons learned [A/CONF.222/13]. impact on the access to justice afforded to citizens.
Ninety-six officials made statements during the The Secretary-General’s recommendations included
high-level segment in plenary from 12 to 14 April, and inviting the Congress to recommend further work to
a total of 195 ancillary meetings were held, of which analyse the links between crime, criminal justice and
30 events were sponsored by UN entities, including development, and to encourage unodc to strengthen
12 high-level events organized by unodc covering its activities of crime data collection and analysis.
key topics discussed at the Congress. Seventy-five Report of Executive Director. The Thirteenth
events were sponsored or co-sponsored by Member Congress considered a report by the Executive Director
States. The Thirteenth Congress elected Sheikh Ab- [A/CONF.222/5], prepared in response to Economic and
dullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani (Qatar) as its Social Council resolution 2014/22 [YUN 2014, p. 1406],
President, and the UN Secretary-General, the Presi- on the contribution of the Thirteenth Congress to the
dents of the General Assembly and the Economic and discussions on the post-2015 development agenda. The
Social Council were in attendance. In addressing the report reflected the responses received from stakehold-
Thirteenth Congress, the Secretary-General stressed ers including Member States, UN departments and
that the post-2015 development agenda required rec- offices, regional commissions, members of the UN
ognition of the centrality of the rule of law and human crime prevention and criminal justice programme
rights to sustainable development. He pointed out network and intergovernmental organizations and
that development and human rights depended on rel- ngos. Respondents focused on crime prevention,
evant legal frameworks and Governments that upheld criminal justice and sustainable development; criminal
the law. He also noted that international cooperation justice challenges to sustainable development; and
and coordination were critical elements of effective approaches to meeting criminal justice challenges to
counter-responses in areas such as combating trans- sustainable development. The report concluded by
national organized crime and terrorism and address- stressing the need for the Congress to provide concrete
ing the links between them. He encouraged Member recommendations to strengthen crime prevention and
States to ratify or accede to relevant international criminal justice measures; share best practices and
drug, crime, corruption and terrorism instruments, experiences and identify priorities; discuss effective
and to support unodc efforts towards the implemen- mechanisms and methodologies for the measurement
tation of those instruments. He asked for enhanced and evaluation of rule of law targets; and identify
efforts to address cybercrime, which had become a priorities in crime prevention and criminal justice.
business of billions of dollars a year in online fraud, High-level thematic debate. The Thirteenth
identity theft and lost intellectual property. Congress had before it a note by the Secretariat
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 633

[A/CONF.222/15] that contained the presidential of prisons to improve the reintegration of offenders;
summary of the High-level Thematic Debate of the the promotion of economic development and provi-
General Assembly on Integrating Crime Prevention sion of employment opportunities; human trafficking
and Criminal Justice in the Post-2015 Development prevention and assistance to trafficking victims; meas-
Agenda, held in New York on 25 February. The ures to prevent and punish identity theft; regulations,
purpose of the debate was to discuss the question standards and research to address cybercrime and other
of how to tackle social and economic challenges emerging crimes; and initiatives between countries to
and promote sustainable development by strength- combat drug trafficking.
ening crime prevention and criminal justice systems,
norms and standards, while combating the threats Follow-up to the Thirteenth Congress
that undermined them, in particular, transnational
organized crime and illicit trafficking and corrup- At its twenty-fourth session in May (see p. 634),
tion. Participants discussed legal frameworks and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
criminal justice standards and norms that provided Justice (ccpcj) considered an April note [E/CN.15/2015/7]
a common platform for Member States to counter se- by the Secretariat on the Thirteenth United Nations
rious forms of criminal activity; national ownership Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
and leadership in ensuring that crime prevention and Annexed to the note was the Doha Declaration on
criminal justice strategies and institutions promoted Integrating Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
the rule of law and sustainable development; public into the Wider United Nations Agenda to Address
participation in the development and implementa- Social and Economic Challenges and to Promote the
tion of crime prevention and criminal justice strat- Rule of Law at the National and International Lev-
egies; international cooperation and partnerships in els, and Public Participation. The Commission held
tackling crime, which had become more sophisticated a workshop to consider the implementation of the
and transnational in nature; technical assistance and Doha Declaration, and recommended a draft resolu-
capacity-building for strengthening crime prevention tion on the subject of the Thirteenth Congress for the
and criminal justice strategies and institutions, par- Economic and Social Council to recommend to the
ticularly in developing and post-conflict States; and General Assembly for adoption.
that the goals and targets to be agreed upon in the In June [A/70/90-E/2015/81], the Secretary-General
post-2015 development agenda, especially those re- submitted to the Assembly and the Economic and
lated to crime prevention and criminal justice and the Social Council the report on the Thirteenth Congress,
rule of law, needed to be accompanied by appropriate prepared in response to resolution 69/191 [YUN 2014,
indicators. The President of the General Assembly p. 1404]. The report highlighted the main features
concluded the debate by stressing that Member States of the Thirteenth Congress, including its high-level
should ensure societies were secure and peaceful, in- segment, the discussions on the substantive items
cluding through the promotion of the rule of law and on its agenda and the outcome of the workshops
the strengthening of criminal justice systems, and held within its framework, and the adoption of the
noted that the Thirteenth Congress provided an op- Doha Declaration. It also summarized the deliber-
portunity to discuss the importance of integrating the ations on the outcome of the Thirteenth Congress
rule of law and criminal justice into the context of the that took place during the twenty-fourth session of
post-2015 development agenda. the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
Doha Youth Forum Statement. The Thirteenth Justice, which focused on the themes “From Doha
Congress was preceded by the Doha Youth Forum to New York: contribution of the Thirteenth United
(7–9 April), the first in the history of the UN crime Nations Crime Congress to the discussions on the
congresses, which brought together 123 students from post-2015 development agenda” and “Implementing
a variety of backgrounds and disciplines and represent- the Doha Declaration: paving the way to Japan”.
ing over 30 nationalities. In a 9 April note verbale [A/ On 21 July (decision 2015/240) and on 17 De-
CONF.222/16], Qatar transmitted to the Secretariat of cember (decision 70/535), the Economic and Social
the Thirteenth Congress the Doha Youth Forum State- Council and the General Assembly, respectively,
ment, which contained recommendations for global, took note of the Secretary-General’s report on the
regional and national actions to address the challenges Thirteenth Congress.
of crime prevention and criminal justice and ensure
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
that criminal justice systems were fair, just, transparent
and accessible in the post-2015 era. Recommendations On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social
focused on the establishment of global and regional Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
youth forums; public awareness and education on on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30],
crime and violence; the use of technology to facili- adopted resolution 2015/19 (Thirteenth United
tate the reporting of crime and support community Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and
action; rehabilitation programmes inside and outside Criminal Justice) without vote [agenda item 19 (c)].
634 Part Three: Economic and social questions

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION terrorism prevention; crime prevention and criminal

On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, justice; prevention, treatment and reintegration, and
on the recommendation of the Third Committee alternative development; research, trend analysis, and
[A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/174 (Thirteenth scientific and forensic support; and the strengthening
United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention of unodc through strategic planning, evaluation, and
and Criminal Justice) without vote [agenda item 106]. finance and partnerships.
A subsequent report of the Executive Director to
Commission on Crime Prevention the Commission [E/CN.7/2016/2-E/CN.15/2016/2] de-
and Criminal Justice scribed the activities of the Office in those areas in
2015 (see p. 613).
At its twenty-fourth session (Vienna, 5 December
2014 and 18–22 May 2015) [E/2015/30], ccpcj recom- Crime data collection
mended to the Economic and Social Council four draft
resolutions for adoption by the General Assembly on Notes of Secretary-General. In accordance with
the following matters: the Thirteenth United Nations Economic and Social Council decision 2014/219
Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice; [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Secretary-General, in a De-
the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the cember 2014 note [E/CN.3/2015/7], transmitted to the
Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules); Statistical Commission the unodc report on the
taking action against gender-related killing of women International Classification of Crime for Statistical
and girls; and technical assistance for implementing Purposes (iccs) (see p. 646). The report reviewed
the international conventions and protocols related to the process to develop iccs and its main features;
counter-terrorism. Ccpcj recommended for the Coun- set out the plan to implement it; and described tools
cil’s adoption three draft decisions and two draft res- and activities that would support countries in their
olutions on matters that included implementation of gradual adoption of iccs for the production and in-
the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat ternational reporting of crime statistics. In March
Trafficking in Persons; and improving the quality and [E/CN.15/2015/13], the ccpcj Secretariat brought the
availability of statistics on crime and criminal justice unodc report to the attention of the Commission.
for policy development. The Commission also adopted Also in accordance with Council decision
and brought to the attention of the Council one 2014/219, the Secretary-General, in a December 2014
decision and two resolutions, including on the sub- note [E/CN.3/2015/8], transmitted to the Statistical
ject of strengthening crime prevention and criminal Commission the report on crime statistics prepared
justice responses with respect to trafficking in cultural by unodc and the National Institute of Statistics
property and other related offences. and Geography of Mexico (inegi) (see p. 646). The
At its reconvened twenty-fourth session (Vienna, report reviewed the implementation of activities in the
10–11 December) [E/2015/30/Add.1], the Commission road map to improve the quality and availability of
adopted and brought to the attention of the Council crime statistics at the national and international levels
one resolution on the budget for the biennium 2016– [YUN 2013, p. 1261]; elaborated on the long-term goals
2017 for the United Nations Crime Prevention and to improve crime statistics; and developed a five-year
Criminal Justice Fund. It also recommended two workplan to foster further implementation of the road
draft decisions for adoption by the Council. map. In March [E/CN.15/2015/14], the ccpcj Secretariat
On 21 July, by decision 2015/233, the Economic brought the report of unodc and inegi to the atten-
and Social Council took note of the ccpcj report on tion of the Commission.
its reconvened twenty-third (2014) session [YUN 2014,
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
p. 1403]. On the same date, by decision 2015/235,
the Council took note of the ccpcj report on its On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social
twenty-fourth (2015) session, reaffirmed Commission Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
decision 21/1 [YUN 2012, p. 1198], and approved the on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30],
provisional agenda for its twenty-fifth (2016) session. adopted resolution 2015/24 (Improving the quality
and availability of statistics on crime and criminal
World crime trends and emerging issues justice for policy development) without vote [agenda
item 19 (c)].
At its twenty-fourth session [E/2015/30], ccpcj
considered the report of the Executive Director Trafficking in cultural property
[E/CN.7/2015/2-E/CN.15/2015/2] of unodc on the Office’s
2014 activities [YUN 2014, p. 1378] in the framework On 15–16 April [A/CONF.222/17], the Thirteenth
of its regional and thematic programmes, which in- Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
cluded countering transnational organized crime held a workshop on strengthening crime prevention
and illicit drug trafficking; countering corruption; and criminal justice responses to evolving forms of
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 635

crime, such as cybercrime and trafficking in cultural donors to provide extrabudgetary resources and
property, including lessons learned and international requested the unodc Executive Director to report to
cooperation. The workshop had before it a paper the Commission at its twenty-fifth (2016) session on
[A/CONF.222/12] that reviewed common aspects of the implementation of the resolution.
crime prevention and criminal justice responses to
cybercrime and trafficking in cultural property, two GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
examples of evolving forms of crime that had gained On 28 May [meeting 91], the General Assembly
increased relevance as a consequence of globalization adopted resolution 69/281 [draft: A/69/L.71 & Add.1]
and the development of information technology. (Saving the cultural heritage of Iraq) without vote
The paper noted that because criminal groups had [agenda item 14].
exploited the opportunities offered by those phe-
nomena, effective measures were needed to increase
knowledge of the scale, roots and methods used in the Integration and coordination
commission of related offences; develop prevention Strengthening technical cooperation
strategies; improve the exchange of information; and
strengthen national frameworks and international co- Pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 64/293
operation among Member States. [YUN 2010, p. 1111], 69/195 [YUN 2014, p. 1432], 69/197
During the Thirteenth Congress, speakers noted [ibid., p. 1416] and 69/199 [ibid., p. 1426], the Secretary-
that trafficking in cultural property was an evolving General, in June, submitted a report [A/70/99] on
form of crime increasingly linked to terrorism and implementation of the mandates of the UN crime
expressed concern over the looting and destruction prevention and criminal justice programme, with par-
of cultural sites in different conflict-affected States. ticular reference to the technical cooperation activities
Speakers referred to the destruction of cultural her- of unodc. The report reviewed efforts undertaken by
itage in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic and wel- unodc to support Member States in combating trans-
comed the adoption of Security Council resolution national organized crime, corruption and terrorism,
2199(2015) (see p. 52). States were encouraged to take and to prevent crime and reinforce criminal justice
steps to prevent the illicit trade in Iraqi and Syrian systems, thereby strengthening the rule of law. It in-
cultural property, pursuant to Security Council reso- cluded information on the status of ratifications of or
lutions 1483(2003) [YUN 2003, p. 338] and 2199(2015). accessions to the Convention against Transnational
On 22 May [E/2015/30 (res. 24/2)], ccpcj encour- Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto and the
aged Member States to combat trafficking in cultural Convention against Corruption, as well as on emerg-
property and to accede to the international conven- ing policy issues, responses thereto and recommenda-
tions dealing with trafficking in cultural property if tions aimed at enhancing the UN crime prevention
they had not yet done so, and to take into account and criminal justice programme. It also referred to
the International Guidelines for Crime Prevention developments related to the governance and financial
and Criminal Justice Responses with Respect to situation of unodc.
Trafficking in Cultural Property and Other Re- The Secretary-General concluded with recom-
lated Offences [YUN 2014, p. 1408] in the development mended actions for the General Assembly, includ-
and strengthening of their relevant policies, strate- ing as follow-up to the Thirteenth Congress and in
gies, legislation and cooperation mechanisms. The the context of the post-2015 development agenda,
Commission invited States to foster international which focused on strengthening the rule of law,
cooperation and intelligence- and data-sharing with crime prevention and criminal justice in the UN
respect to the transnational crime of trafficking in development agenda beyond 2015; addressing trans-
cultural property and the challenges involved in national organized crime, including trafficking in
combating it, and to further the prevention of such persons and the smuggling of migrants, and trafficking
crime by creating awareness-raising and information in firearms; curbing corruption; preventing and coun-
campaigns. It invited Member States to further the tering terrorism; emerging policy issues such as piracy,
protection of cultural property against trafficking by cybercrime, trafficking in cultural property and illicit
developing and enacting appropriate legislation; to trafficking in protected species of wild fauna and flora;
inform unodc of technical assistance needs; to use international cooperation in the forensic field; data
all relevant instruments developed by unodc, the collection, research and trend analysis; and the gover-
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural nance and financial situation of unodc.
Organization and the competent international enti-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ties; and to deepen their understanding of the links
between the destruction of cultural heritage and the On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly,
trafficking of cultural property in order to strengthen on the recommendation of the Third Committee
crime prevention and criminal justice responses to [A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/178 (Strengthening
such crimes. It also invited Member States and other the United Nations crime prevention and criminal
636 Part Three: Economic and social questions

justice programme, in particular its technical co- tion in Africa and focused on its impact on strategic
operation capacity) without vote [agenda item 106]. areas of development. The report highlighted crime
prevention and criminal justice as factors in the pro-
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice motion of the rule of law; discussed how crime under-
Programme Network mined efforts for the maintenance of peace, security,
good governance and the provision of social services;
In accordance with General Assembly resolution highlighted the centrality of international technical
46/152 [YUN 1991, p. 661] and Economic and Social assistance for capacity-building at the country level;
Council resolutions 1992/22 [YUN 1992, p. 842], 1994/21 and reviewed the emerging interventions for effective
[YUN 1994, p. 1174] and 1999/23 [YUN 1999, p. 1054], the treatment and/or rehabilitation programmes for of-
Secretary-General, in March [E/CN.15/2015/10], re- fenders. The report also discussed strategies tailored
ported to ccpcj on activities carried out in 2014 by the to Africa’s needs and realities with respect to reducing
institutes comprising the UN crime prevention and the level of crime, outlined challenges and funding
criminal justice programme network, which included difficulties undermining the Institute’s capacity to
the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice service the region’s needs in crime prevention, and
Research Institute (unicri); 15 regional and affiliated explored factors for overcoming those challenges.
institutes; and the International Scientific and Profes-
sional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute mittee [A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/180 (United
In a March note [E/CN.15/2015/12], the Secretary- Nations African Institute for the Prevention of
General transmitted to ccpcj the report of the unicri Crime and the Treatment of Offenders) without
Board of Trustees on the activities of the Institute, vote [agenda item 106].
which focused on countering the threat of organized
crime to security and development; increasing the ef- International cooperation in combating
ficiency of criminal justice systems and protection of transnational organized crime and corruption
vulnerable groups; promoting international criminal
law and related practices; sharing best practices, In March [E/CN.15/2015/3], the Secretary-General
building capacity to promote human rights and submitted a report to ccpcj on international coopera-
improving access to services; security governance tion in combating transnational organized crime and
and countering violent extremism; and training corruption, which summarized the activities and
and advanced education: building capacity in crime technical assistance provided by unodc with reference
prevention and criminal justice. The report also con- to Economic and Social Council resolutions 2005/17
sidered the management of the Institute. [YUN 2005, p. 1224] and 2006/24 [YUN 2006, p. 1301],
On 21 May [E/2015/30 (dec. 24/1)], ccpcj decided to and Assembly resolution 69/197 [YUN 2014, p. 1416].
transmit the report of the unicri Board of Trustees The report considered the importance of the United
to the Economic and Social Council. Nations Convention against Transnational Organized
Crime and the United Nations Convention against
In another March note [E/CN.15/2015/18], the Corruption, and the respective Protocols thereto,
Secretary-General drew the attention of ccpcj to the and the Secretary-General recommended that the
nomination of Christine M. Cline (United States) to Commission urge Member States to ratify or accede
the unicri Board of Trustees, which required action to those instruments, and to ensure their implemen-
on the part of the Commission and the Economic tation. In particular, States should provide financial
and Social Council. On 21 May, the Commission and material contributions for the convening of
unanimously recommended that Christine M. Cline working groups and workshops for the implementa-
be appointed to the Board of Trustees of unicri. On tion of those Conventions. The Commission should
21 July, by decision 2015/236, the Council endorsed continue supporting the work of the Conference
the appointment of Christine M. Cline (United of the Parties to each of the two Conventions and
States) to the unicri Board of Trustees. should call upon States to make financial contribu-
tions in support of the Conferences, related technical
UN African Institute for the Prevention of Crime assistance activities and the Mechanism for the
In response to General Assembly resolution Review of Implementation of the Convention against
69/198 [YUN 2014, p. 1424], the Secretary-General Corruption. The Commission should also encourage
submitted a June report [A/70/121] on the activities of Member States to participate at the highest possible
the Uganda-based United Nations African Institute level in the sixth session of the Conference of the
for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of States Parties to the Convention against Corruption,
Offenders, which described the general crime situa- and to develop multilateral strategies against specific
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 637

transnational organized criminal markets on the basis Conference of Parties. The Conference of the
of global analyses and threat assessments. States Parties to the United Nations Convention against
Corruption, at its sixth session (St. Petersburg, Russian
Conventions Federation, 2–6 November) [CAC/COSP/2015/10],
adopted ten resolutions.
UN Convention against Transnational Subsidiary bodies. The Implementation Review
Organized Crime Group held its sixth (Vienna, 1–5 June) [CAC/COSP/
The United Nations Convention against Trans- IRG/2015/5] and resumed sixth (St. Petersburg, 3–4 No-
national Organized Crime (untoc), adopted by vember) [CAC/COSP/IRG/2015/5/Add.1] sessions; the
General Assembly resolution 55/25 [YUN 2000, Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group on
p. 1048], and its three supplementary Protocols—the the Prevention of Corruption held its sixth session
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking (Vienna, 31 August–2 September) [CAC/COSP/
in Persons, Especially Women and Children [ibid., WG.4/2015/4]; the Open-ended Intergovernmental
p. 1063]; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Mi- Working Group on Asset Recovery held its ninth session
grants by Land, Sea and Air [ibid., p. 1067]; and the (Vienna, 3–4 September) [CAC/COSP/WG.2/2015/4];
Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and and the fourth open-ended intergovernmental expert
Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Compo- meeting to enhance international cooperation under
nents and Ammunition, adopted by Assembly resolu- the United Nations Convention against Corruption
tion 55/255 [YUN 2001, p. 1036]—continued to attract held its sixth session (St. Petersburg, 2–3 November)
adherence. As at 31 December, 185 States and the [CAC/COSP/EG.1/2015/3].
European Union (eu) were parties to the Convention,
168 States and the eu were parties to the Protocol Trafficking in persons
on trafficking in persons, 141 States and the eu were
parties to the Protocol on migrants and 113 States On 14–15 April [A/CONF.222/17], the Thirteenth
were parties to the Protocol on firearms. Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
Conference of Parties. Pursuant to Assembly held a workshop on trafficking in persons and smug-
resolution 60/175 [YUN 2005, p. 1220], the Secretary- gling of migrants: successes and challenges in crim-
General, in an October note [A/70/407], transmitted inalization, in mutual legal assistance and in effec-
to the Assembly the report of the Conference of the tive protection of witnesses and trafficking victims.
Parties to the United Nations Convention against The workshop had before it a background paper
Transnational Organized Crime on its seventh (2014) [A/CONF.222/11] that described developments and prac-
session [YUN 2014, p. 1426]. tices in combating trafficking in persons, especially for
forced labour, and the smuggling of migrants. It dis-
By decision 70/535 of 17 December, the General
cussed challenges and examples of promising practices
Assembly took note of the Secretary-General’s note.
in criminalization, international law enforcement and
Subsidiary bodies. Several Working Groups of judicial cooperation, and protection of rights of vic-
the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations tims of trafficking and smuggled migrants.
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/192
held meetings in 2015, all in Vienna. The Working [YUN 2013, p. 1249], the Secretary-General, in July
Group on Firearms held its third session (9 June) [A/70/94], discussed progress in improving the coor-
[CTOC/COP/WG.6/2015/3]; the Working Group on Inter-
dination of efforts against trafficking in persons and
national Cooperation held its sixth session (27–28 Oc- summarized the activities undertaken by unodc,
tober) [CTOC/COP/WG.3/2015/4]; the Working Group on Member States and UN system entities towards
Trafficking in Persons held its sixth session (16–18 No- implementation of that resolution. The report in-
vember) [CTOC/COP/WG.4/2015/6]; and the Working cluded information on the status of ratifications or
Group on the Smuggling of Migrants held its third accessions to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
session (18–20 November) [CTOC/COP/WG.7/2015/6]. Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women
The Open-ended Intergovernmental Meeting to and Children, supplementing the United Nations
Explore All Options Regarding an Appropriate and Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,
Effective Review Mechanism for untoc and the Pro- as well as on efforts made by stakeholders to en-
tocols thereto held its first session (Vienna, 28–30 Sep- hance the implementation of the United Nations
tember) [CTOC/COP/WG.8/2015/3]. Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in
Persons [YUN 2010, p. 1111]. The report also provided
UN Convention against Corruption information on the status of the United Nations
As at 31 December, 178 States and the eu were Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in
parties to the United Nations Convention against Persons, Especially Women and Children; the unodc
Corruption, adopted by the General Assembly in Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2014 [YUN 2014,
2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1127]. p. 1380]; the work of the Inter-Agency Coordination
638 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Group against Trafficking in Persons; and awareness- building to Member States in response to emerging
raising campaigns, particularly the World Day against challenges and their evolving needs. The objective of
Trafficking in Persons (30 July), designated in 2013 by unodc, through the Branch, was to strengthen legal
resolution 68/192 and first observed in 2014. and criminal justice responses by Member States to
The Secretary-General recommended that the terrorism by promoting the ratification of the 19 in-
Assembly call upon Member States to ratify or accede ternational legal instruments to prevent and combat
to the Convention against Transnational Organized terrorism and assisting Member States with the incor-
Crime and its Protocol on trafficking in persons; to poration of their provisions into national legislation;
implement those instruments through criminalizing by building the capacity of national officials to imple-
trafficking in persons, providing victim protection and ment counter-terrorism legislation; and by promoting
assistance, and strengthening international coopera- regional and international cooperation in criminal
tion; and to strengthen prevention efforts, including matters.
through addressing factors that created vulnerabili- In practice, there was enhanced cooperation
ties to trafficking in persons, awareness-raising and with other branches within unodc, in particular
marking the annual World Day against Trafficking the Organized Crime Branch, and with entities of
in Persons. He invited Member States to provide the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force,
voluntary resources for the work of the UN system to promote joint project implementation. Unodc
agencies on trafficking in persons and to support worked with representatives and experts of recipi-
the biennial publication of the Global Report on ent countries to set priorities for technical assistance
Trafficking in Persons; and encouraged Member States and ensure a targeted assistance delivery on the
and private donors to give financial contributions to ground; collaborated with national authorities on
the Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking the development of action plans and strategies on the
in Persons, Especially Women and Children. legal and criminal justice aspects of counter-terrorism;
Trafficking in women and children. In an Au- and contributed to the preparation of regional and
gust note [A/70/260], the Secretary-General transmit- country programmes. The Branch supported Member
ted to the Assembly the report of the Special Rappor- States with the incorporation into national legislation
teur on trafficking in persons, especially women and of the provisions of the legal instruments and con-
children (see p. 351), submitted in accordance with tributed to 23 new ratifications by Member States
Human Rights Council resolution 26/8 [YUN 2014, and the drafting, and in several cases adoption, of
p. 874]. The report addressed legal and operational 12 pieces of counter-terrorism legislation. Capacity-
questions concerning the due diligence obligations building efforts aimed to provide Member States with
of States with respect to the role of non-State actors the specialized technical skills required to investigate,
as those who most often perpetrate trafficking in prosecute and adjudicate terrorism cases more effec-
persons. tively. Training for criminal justice officials focused
on suppressing the financing of terrorism; countering
(For information on trafficking in women and
the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes; counter-
girls, see p. 558.)
ing chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear ter-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION rorism; addressing transport-related (civil aviation and
On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social maritime) terrorism offences; assistance and support
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission to victims of acts of terrorism and the criminal justice
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30], response in support of such victims; reinforcing
adopted resolution 2015/23 (Implementation of the human rights in criminal justice responses to terror-
United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat ism; developing technical assistance tools; address-
Trafficking in Persons) without vote [agenda item 19 (c)]. ing emerging challenges, including foreign terrorist
fighters and kidnapping for ransom by terrorists; and
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION providing technical assistance in cooperation with
On 17 December [meeting 80], the General Assembly, national training institutions. The report concluded
on the recommendation of the Third Committee with recommendations for consideration by ccpcj.
[A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/179 (Improving In a July report [A/70/211] (see p. 694), the Secretary-
the coordination of efforts against trafficking in General reviewed measures to eliminate international
persons) without vote [agenda item 106]. terrorism. It considered measures taken at the national
and international levels, contained a list of interna-
tional legal instruments, and provided information on
Terrorism
workshops and training courses on combating crimes
In a March report [E/CN.15/2015/4], the Secretary- connected with international terrorism.
General reviewed progress made in 2014 by unodc, On 14 December, the General Assembly adopted
in particular by its Terrorism Prevention Branch, in resolution 70/120 on measures to eliminate interna-
delivering counter-terrorism assistance and capacity- tional terrorism.
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 639

(For more information on terrorism, see part one, pants also highlighted marine living resources as a
Chapter I and part four, Chapter III.) cross-cutting issue affecting sustainable economic and
social development and the political stability of States
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION that relied on fishing, and stressed that the depletion
On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social of fish stocks as a result of illegal fishing was a crime
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission to be dealt with in a comprehensive manner.
on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30], GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
adopted resolution 2015/22 (Technical assistance
for implementing the international conventions On 30 July [meeting 100], the General Assembly
and protocols related to counter-terrorism) without adopted resolution 69/314 [A/69/L.80 & Add.1] (Tack-
vote [agenda item 19 (c)]. ling illicit trafficking in wildlife) without vote
[agenda item 13].
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 17 December [meeting 80], the General UN standards and norms

Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
The Commission on Crime Prevention and
Committee [A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/177
Criminal Justice [E/2015/30 & Add.1] had before it a
(Technical assistance for implementing the in- March report [E/CN.15/2015/8 & Corr.1], in which the
ternational conventions and protocols related to Secretary-General described progress made by unodc
counter-terrorism) without vote [agenda item 106]. in 2014 to support the use and application of the
On 23 December, the Assembly decided that UN standards and norms in crime prevention and
agenda item pertaining to the United Nations Global criminal justice. The report outlined the development
Counter-Terrorism Strategy would remain for consid- of new standards and norms and the Office’s efforts
eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session to collect and analyse data, develop implementation
(decision 70/554). tools and provide technical assistance at the global,
regional and country levels. It also described the Of-
Trafficking in wildlife fice’s partnerships for promoting intervention in crime
prevention and criminal justice reform.
On 12 April [A/CONF.222/17], the Thirteenth Crime Unodc assisted Member States in developing new
Congress adopted the Doha Declaration (see p. 631), instruments, strategies, policies and programmes
in which States recognized their responsibility to adopt through its thematic programme on crime prevention
effective measures to prevent and counter the serious and criminal justice reform. Implemented in over 40
problem of crimes that impact the environment, such countries through regional and country programmes
as trafficking in wildlife, including flora and fauna and projects, and through a global project covering the
protected by the Convention on International Trade period 2012–2015, the thematic programme included
in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, supporting Member States with advocacy, research
timber and timber products and hazardous waste, and knowledge exchange, legislative and legal reform,
as well as poaching, by strengthening legislation, in- norm-setting and technical assistance. Unodc sup-
ternational cooperation, capacity-building, criminal ported Member States in setting global standards in the
justice responses and law enforcement efforts aimed areas of improving the treatment of prisoners and pre-
at dealing with transnational organized crime, cor- venting and addressing violence against children and
ruption and money-laundering linked to such crimes. the gender-related killing of women and girls. It also
During its twenty-fourth session in May [E/2015/30], collected data on selected crimes and on the operation
ccpcj discussed wildlife and forest crime as a form of justice systems through the United Nations Survey
of transnational organized crime that affected not of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice
only countries but entire regions. For its considera- Systems, which was positively impacted by the extension
tion, the Committee had before it a conference room of the network of national focal points to coordinate
paper [E/CN.15/2015/CRP.4] on the outcome of the Ex- responses to the Survey to 115 countries and territories.
pert Group Meeting on Timber Analysis (Vienna, The Office published the Global Study on Homicide
10–12 December 2014), hosted by unodc, jointly 2013: Trends, Contexts, Data, based on data collected
with its partners of the International Consortium on through the Survey, as well as the Global Status Report
Combating Wildlife Crime, to discuss the applicabil- on Violence Prevention 2014, jointly with who and
ity of scientific methods for timber identification in the United Nations Development Programme. The
support of law enforcement operations and to facilitate Office provided technical support to countries imple-
the development of international guidance on timber menting surveys and studies on crime issues, including
analysis. Ccpcj noted that wildlife and forest crime corruption, crime victimization and access to justice;
was linked to other crimes, such as money-laundering, developed handbooks, training curricula and guidance
smuggling of migrants and drug trafficking. Partici- notes to support technical assistance in various areas
640 Part Three: Economic and social questions

of crime prevention and criminal justice; continued to the struggle for democracy internationally and the
the translation of tools into different languages; and promotion of a culture of peace. The Expert Group
disseminated and promoted the use of standards and also recommended that ccpcj consider recommend-
norms by organizing and participating in workshops ing that the Assembly extend the scope of Nelson
and through technical assistance programmes. Im- Mandela International Day (18 July) to be also known
portant normative developments included the revision as “Mandela Prisoner Rights Day”. The revised rules,
of the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment by thematic area, included respect for prisoners’ inher-
of Prisoners (see below), and the development of the ent dignity and value as human beings; protection and
United Nations Model Strategies and Practical Meas- special needs of vulnerable groups deprived of their
ures on the Elimination of Violence against Children liberty, taking into consideration countries in diffi-
in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice cult circumstances; medical and health services; dis-
[YUN 2014, p. 1440]. ciplinary action and punishment, including the role
of medical staff, solitary confinement and reduction
Treatment of prisoners of diet; investigation of all deaths in custody, as well
as of any signs or allegations of torture or inhuman or
Standard minimum rules. In response to degrading treatment or punishment of prisoners; the
General Assembly resolution 69/192 [YUN 2014, p. 1438], right of access to legal representation; complaints and
the bureau of the third meeting of the open-ended independent inspection; the replacement of outdated
intergovernmental Expert Group on the Standard terminology; and training of relevant staff to imple-
Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners [ibid.] ment the Standard Minimum Rules.
submitted a January working paper [UNODC/CCPCJ/
EG.6/2015/2] on its progress in identifying thematic ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
areas and specific rules for revision, and in drafting On 21 July [meeting 45], the Economic and Social
proposals for some of the rules. The working paper Council, on the recommendation of the Commission
was structured around the nine thematic areas and on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30],
respective rules identified for revision by previous adopted resolution 2015/20 (United Nations
expert group meetings. It followed the same struc- Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of
ture for each of the rules under consideration, which Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules)) without vote
consisted of relevant recommendations from previous [agenda item 19 (c)].
meetings, as applicable; the original text of the rule
and the revision proposed by the bureau; and a brief GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
rationale for the revision proposed. On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
In a March note [A/CONF.222/14], the Secretariat Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third
confirmed that the report of the Expert Group on the Committee [A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/175
Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Pris- (United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for
oners on its fourth meeting (see below) would be made the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela
available for consideration to the Thirteenth United Rules)) without vote [agenda item 106].
Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and to the
twenty-fourth session of the Commission on Crime
Capital punishment
Prevention and Criminal Justice.
In May [E/2015/30], ccpcj had before it the report At its twenty-fourth session in May [E/2015/30],
[E/CN.15/2015/17] of the Expert Group on the Standard ccpcj considered the ninth quinquennial report of
Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners the Secretary-General [E/2015/49 & Corr.1] on capital
on its fourth meeting (Cape Town, South Africa, punishment and implementation of the safeguards
2–5 March), at which the Expert Group reached guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing
consensus on the revision of the Standard Minimum the death penalty, submitted pursuant to Economic
Rules and took account of the nine thematic areas and and Social Council resolutions 1745(LIV) [YUN 1973,
respective rules identified for revision at its previous p. 575], 1989/64 [YUN 1989, p. 625] and 1995/57
meetings. It recommended that the Commission sub- [YUN 1995, p. 747], and Council decision 2005/247
mit the entire set of revised Standard Minimum Rules [YUN 2005, p. 804]. In accordance with Human Rights
for approval by the Economic and Social Council and Council decision 18/117 [YUN 2011, p. 691], the report
adoption by the General Assembly as the “United was also submitted to the Human Rights Council
Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment for consideration at its thirtieth (2015) session (see
of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules)”, to honour p. 325). The report covered developments and trends
the late President of South Africa, Nelson Rolihlahla in the period 2009–2013 in the use of capital pun-
Mandela, who spent many years in prison for his ishment and in the implementation of the safeguards
efforts to create a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing
South Africa and who made a unique contribution the death penalty, as adopted by Council resolu-
Chapter XIV: International drug control and crime prevention 641

tion 1984/50 [YUN 1984, p. 709]. Information in the rights mechanisms. The meeting discussed the collec-
report was derived from replies to the ninth survey tion, analysis and dissemination of disaggregated data
questionnaire, which was sent to Member States, on violence against women and gender-related killing
intergovernmental organizations, specialized UN of women and their root causes; preventive policies
agencies and ngos and civil society to produce data and their regular monitoring and evaluation, as part
and criminological research; the universal periodic of a broader effort to create a culture of lawfulness; the
review undertaken by the Human Rights Council; investigation, prosecution and sanctioning of gender-
and reports and publications on the use of capital pun- related killing as part of a strategy to prevent and re-
ishment submitted by those and other contributors. spond to violence against women; and measures to
Compared with the results of previous quinquennial guarantee support and assistance for victims of gender-
reports, the Secretary-General confirmed the con- related killing of women. The meeting recognized the
tinuation of a marked trend towards abolition and high level of impunity and lack of accountability in
restriction of the use of capital punishment in most cases of gender-related killing of women and girls,
countries, and noted that countries that retained the which often represented the final event of a continuum
death penalty were, with rare exceptions, reducing the of violence. It was criminalized in some countries as
numbers of persons executed and the crimes for which “femicide” or “feminicide”, and had been incorporated
it might be imposed. Where capital punishment re- as such into the respective national legislation, but par-
mained in force, the report identified problems with ticipants highlighted the need for measures to prevent
regard to international norms and standards, notably and address gender-related killing and its causes, tak-
in the limitation of the death penalty to the most se- ing into account the specific situation in each country.
rious crimes, the exclusion of juvenile offenders from Tailored approaches were required to address the dif-
its scope and guarantees of a fair trial. During the ferent forms of killing, ranging from “honour” and
reporting period, the category of fully abolitionist dowry-related killing to female infanticide, and partic-
States increased by six, to 101 by the end of 2013. The ular challenges arose from situations of armed conflict.
category of retentionist States totalled 39, a decline Participants stressed the importance of adopting and
from 47 when the previous quinquennial report was implementing relevant laws, policies, procedures and
issued. Annexed to the report was an updated list of practices at all levels, in line with international human
abolitionist and retentionist countries. rights law and making use of international standards
For its consideration, ccpcj also had before it a and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice.
conference room paper [E/CN.15/2015/CRP.3] that con- States had a duty to condemn all forms of violence
tained the reply of the United States to two sections against women and to refrain from invoking any cus-
of the ninth survey on capital punishment and on tom, tradition or religious considerations to avoid their
the implementation of the safeguards guaranteeing international obligations. The meeting also identified
protection of the rights of those facing the death pen- practical tools that could be considered as models for
alty, covering the period 2009–2013. The submission action, including the Latin American Model Proto-
was provided after the processing of the Secretary- col for the Investigation of Gender-related Killing of
General’s ninth quinquennial report and was pub- Women, and the Recommendations for the Effective
lished separately at the request of the Government. Investigation of the Crime of Femicide.
On 21 July, by decision 2015/240, the Economic On 22 May, ccpcj recommended to the Economic
and Social Council took note of the ninth quinquen- and Social Council the approval of a revised draft res-
nial report of the Secretary-General on capital pun- olution on taking action against gender-related kill-
ishment. ing of women and girls for adoption by the General
Assembly (see p. 642).
Violence against women In response to Assembly resolution 68/191, the
Secretary-General, in a June report [A/70/93] on action
At its twenty-fourth session in May [E/2015/30], against gender-related killing of women and girls,
ccpcj had before it a March report by the Secretary- provided information on measures taken by Member
General [E/CN.15/2015/16] on the outcome of the States to prevent such killing; protect and support vic-
meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Ex- tims; improve criminal justice responses; and enhance
pert Group on Gender-related Killing of Women and data collection and analysis. The report also highlighted
Girls (Bangkok, Thailand, 11–13 November 2014), activities by relevant UN entities in support of those
organized by unodc in response to Assembly resolu- efforts, including technical assistance and advocacy.
tion 68/191 [YUN 2013, p. 1106]. The meeting identified It drew on contributions by relevant UN entities,
ways and means to more effectively prevent, investi- country-specific reports by the Special Rapporteur on
gate, prosecute and punish gender-related killing of violence against women, its causes and consequences,
women and girls, and recommended practical meas- and information collected by unodc from States and
ures for Member States, drawing also on current best other stakeholders in preparation for the 2014 meeting
practices, in consultation with UN entities and human of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Group
642 Part Three: Economic and social questions

on Gender-related Killing of Women and Girls (see on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice [E/2015/30],
p. 641). The Secretary-General made recommendations, adopted resolution 2015/21 (Taking action against
for consideration by the General Assembly, on practical gender-related killing of women and girls) without
measures for action by Member States to prevent, in- vote [agenda item 19 (c)].
vestigate, prosecute and punish gender-related killing
of women and girls, drawing on the conclusions and GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
recommendations endorsed by the Expert Group. On 17 December [meeting 80], the General
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Third Com-
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
mittee [A/70/490], adopted resolution 70/176 (Tak-
On 21 July [meeting 53], the Economic and Social ing action against gender-related killing of women
Council, on the recommendation of the Commission and girls) without vote [agenda item 106].
Chapter XV

Statistics

In 2015, the United Nations continued its work years, and that the second World Statistics Day would
on various aspects of statistics, mainly through the be held on 20 October 2015 under the theme “Better
Statistical Commission and the Statistics Division of data, better lives.” In observance of World Statistics
the United Nations Department of Economic and Day 2015, activities took place in more than 110
Social Affairs. In January, the Global Conference on countries and areas around the world.
a Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics for-
mulated recommendations on the modernization of
statistical systems in response to increased demands
for more detailed and more timely data to monitor Statistical Commission
progress on the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by In accordance with Economic and Social Council
the General Assembly in September. At its forty-sixth decision 2014/219 [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Statistical
session in March, the Statistical Commission en- Commission held its forty-sixth session in New York
dorsed the proposed road map for the development from 3 to 6 March [E/2015/24]. The Commission rec-
and implementation of an indicator framework for the ommended to the Economic and Social Council the
measurement of the goals and targets of the post-2015 adoption of a draft resolution on the 2020 World
development agenda, including the work programme Population and Housing Census Programme and a
of the associated Friends of the Chair group and the draft decision on the report of the Commission on its
formation of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on forty-sixth (2015) session and the provisional agenda
Sustainable Development Goal Indicators. and dates for the forty-seventh (2016) session.
The Statistical Commission endorsed the Interna- The Commission brought to the attention of
tional Classification of Crime for Statistical Purposes the Economic and Social Council draft decisions
as an international statistical standard under the cus- it had adopted on data in support of the post-2015
todianship of the United Nations Office on Drugs and development agenda; population and housing cen-
Crime; agreed to the creation of a technical advisory suses; crime statistics; refugee statistics; household
group to support the maintenance of the Interna- surveys; national accounts; international trade and
tional Classification; and endorsed the International economic globalization statistics; environmental-
Classification implementation plan at the national, economic accounting; the International Comparison
regional and international levels. The Commission Programme; agriculture and rural statistics; gover-
further endorsed the creation of the Praia group on nance, peace and security statistics; the Fundamental
governance statistics to encourage countries to pro- Principles of Official Statistics; and regional statistical
duce governance statistics based on sound and doc- development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It
umented methodologies; and the establishment of an took note of 20 reports considered during the session
Intersecretariat Working Group on Household Sur- [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], as well as the oral report pre-
veys, under the aegis of the Statistics Division, to fos- sented by the Director of the UN Statistics Division
ter the coordination and harmonization of household concerning the Division’s activities, plans and
survey activities. priorities and the draft programme of work for the
The Commission also adopted the Principles and Division for the biennium 2016–2017 [dec. 46/114].
Recommendations for Population and Housing Cen- The Commission also had before it a note by the
suses, Revision 3—in conjunction with the launch Secretary-General on the draft multi-year programme
of the 2020 World Population and Housing Cen- of work for the Statistical Commission (2015–2019)
[E/CN.3/2015/39], which it approved on 6 March, along
sus Programme, covering the period from 2015 to
2024—and encouraged countries to begin their with the draft provisional agenda for its forty-seventh
implementation. In June, the Economic and Social (2016) session.
Council endorsed the 2020 World Population and On 10 June, by decision 2015/216, the Economic
Housing Census Programme, which aimed to ensure and Social Council took note of the report of the
that Member States conducted at least one population Commission on its forty-sixth session; decided that
and housing census during the 2015–2024 period. the forty-seventh session would be held in New York
Also in June, the General Assembly decided that from 8 to 11 March 2016; and approved the provi-
World Statistics Day would be celebrated every five sional agenda and documentation for that session.

643
644 Part Three: Economic and social questions

Data in support of the post-2015 public and private data providers; and utilize the data
development agenda revolution for sustainable development.
The Secretary-General reported that the
Broader measures of progress Independent Expert Advisory Group had delineated
In accordance with Economic and Social Council a comprehensive set of recommendations in four
decision 2014/219 [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Secretary- areas—namely, principles and standards; technology,
General transmitted to the Statistical Commission a innovation and analysis; capacity and resources; and
report [E/CN.3/2015/2] by the Friends of the Chair group leadership and governance. Annexed to the report was
on Broader Measures of Progress. The report covered a summary table of those recommendations, separated
activities of the Friends of the Chair group since the into specific and general recommendations. For each
previous session of the Statistical Commission. It also of the specific recommendations, the table also in-
covered key activities of other entities relevant for the dicated a proposed entity responsible for follow-up.
development and implementation of an indicator and The Secretary-General noted that while bringing the
monitoring framework and reporting mechanisms for issue of data to the forefront, the Independent Ex-
the goals and targets of the post-2015 development pert Advisory Group had called for investment in
agenda. The report presented a road map for the statistical capacity-building to allow all countries to
development and implementation of that framework reap the benefits of the data revolution and to provide
and a suggested work programme for the Friends of the data required for the monitoring of the goals and
the Chair group. targets of the post-2015 development agenda.
The report discussed the expected data require- On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/101)], the Statistical
ments and gaps—and actions to close those data Commission took note of the report and the recom-
gaps—based on the results of a survey that had been mendations of the Independent Expert Advisory
sent to all countries in order to complete a compen- Group, and welcomed the invitation by the Secretary-
dium of national practices on broader measures of General to establish a comprehensive programme of
progress and to obtain information on the availabil- work under its auspices. The Commission recognized
ity of data for indicators to measure the post-2015 the challenges posed by the new monitoring require-
sustainable development goals (sdgs) and the associ- ments for the sdgs, and recommended that new in-
ated 107 substantive targets proposed by the Open vestments be made to increase statistical capacity, in-
Working Group of the General Assembly on sdgs. cluding for data collection, in particular for countries
Full results from the survey were presented in back- in special situations, such as the small island devel-
ground documents. oping States, the landlocked developing countries and
the fragile States. The Commission also recognized
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/101)], the Statistical that a “World Forum on Sustainable Development
Commission expressed appreciation to the Friends of Data” would be a suitable platform for intensifying
the Chair group for its report and background docu- cooperation with various professional groups, such as
ments on the results of the survey on data availability. information technology, geospatial information man-
The Commission endorsed the proposed road map agers and data scientists, and users, as well as with civil
for the development and implementation of a post- society stakeholders.
2015 indicator framework and the work programme
of the Friends of the Chair group, and endorsed the
formation of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Big data
sdg Indicators. On 25 September, by resolution The Secretary-General transmitted to the
70/1 (see p. 396), the General Assembly adopted the Statistical Commission the report [E/CN.3/2015/4] of
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the the Global Working Group on Big Data for Official
associated 17 sdgs and 169 targets. Statistics. The report contained highlights from the
International Conference on Big Data for Official
The data revolution Statistics (Beijing, 28–30 October 2014); the out-
come of the first meeting of the Global Working
The Statistical Commission had before it a report Group (Beijing, 31 October 2014); and the results
[E/CN.3/2015/3] submitted by the Secretary-General on of a survey on big data projects for official statistics
the emerging issue of the data revolution. The report that was conducted by the Statistics Division and the
highlighted the main recommendations from the Economic Commission for Europe. The report elab-
November 2014 report of the Independent Expert orated on the terms of reference and mandate of the
Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustain- Global Working Group, which would be to provide
able Development, which was established to advise strategic vision, direction and coordination of a global
on how to close the data gaps and strengthen national programme on big data for official statistics, including
statistical capacities; assess new opportunities linked for indicators of the post-2015 development agenda;
to innovation, technical progress and the surge of new promote practical use of big data sources, including
Chapter XV: Statistics 645

cross-border data, while building on the existing prec- systems; and suggested that the modernization of
edents and finding solutions for the many challenges; statistical production required a new architecture for
promote capacity-building, training and sharing of data collection, processing and dissemination through
experience; foster communication and advocacy of a standard-based process and the adoption of an
the use of big data for policy applications, especially integrated statistics approach. The Commission also
for monitoring the post-2015 development agenda; welcomed the contribution of the High-level Group
and build public trust in the use of private sector big on the Modernization of Statistical Production and
data for official statistics. The Global Working Group Services of the Economic Commission for Europe in
also agreed that its programme of work would be establishing standards for supporting the moderniza-
overseen by eight task teams that would provide the tion programme at the global level, and agreed that
concrete deliverables. the High-level Group would report progress on its
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/101)], the Statistical work to the Commission.
Commission congratulated the Global Working
Group on its accomplishments so far; agreed with
the terms of reference and mandate of the Global
Demographic and social statistics
Working Group, as well as with the division of the Population and housing censuses
work into various task teams; and requested the
Global Working Group to look into the use of other In accordance with Economic and Social Council
big data sources in addition to mobile phone data, decision 2014/219 [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Secretary-
social media data and satellite imagery, such as trans- General submitted a report [E/CN.3/2015/6] to the
action data through e-commerce, and also to look into Statistical Commission on the 2010 and 2020 World
the transboundary aspects and associated challenges Population and Housing Census Programmes. The
of the big data sources. report gave an overview of the implementation of
the 2010 World Population and Housing Census
Programme, including information on national
Transformative agenda for official statistics participation in the 2010 census round, successes and
The Statistical Commission considered a report challenges and a summary of activities carried out by
[E/CN.3/2015/5] transmitted by the Secretary-General the Statistics Division of the Department of Economic
presenting information about the Global Conference and Social Affairs in support of the 2010 World
on a Transformative Agenda for Official Statistics Programme. The report also provided information on
(New York, 15–16 January 2015), organized jointly the preparatory activities for the launch of the 2020
by the Statistical Division of the Department of World Population and Housing Census Programme,
Economic and Social Affairs and the Statistical covering the period from 2015 to 2024. The report in-
Office of the European Communities (Eurostat). The vited the Statistical Commission to provide guidance
Conference was a high-level forum of official statisti- on the proposed activities of the Division for the 2020
cians with the objective of seeking a broad consensus World Programme; endorse the draft Principles and
on the transformative agenda for official statistics, Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses:
which should respond to the increased demands the 2020 Round, Revision 3; and approve a draft res-
for more detailed and more timely data to monitor olution on the 2020 World Programme, which was
progress on the goals and targets of the post-2015 annexed to the report.
development agenda. Those goals and targets were On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/102)], the Statistical
the concern of all UN Member States, and they were Commission welcomed the report of the Secretary-
specific in how they were formulated at the subna- General and underscored the critical importance
tional, national and regional levels. The new demands of population and housing censuses as a valuable
required a modernized national statistical system that source of data for monitoring the post-2015 sdgs.
produced official statistics more efficiently and cost- The Commission endorsed the draft resolution on
effectively, and in a sustainable, integrated and in- the 2020 World Population and Housing Census
ternationally coordinated way, based on an inclusive Programme and its submission to the Economic and
partnership. The Conference aimed to determine the Social Council for adoption; and adopted the Princi-
strategic direction for the statistical community in ples and Recommendations for Population and Housing
measuring progress towards the sdgs. It formulated Censuses, Revision 3 and encouraged countries to be-
recommendations for official statistics in support of gin their implementation. The Commission also en-
the post-2015 development agenda, which were pro- dorsed the programme of work for carrying out the
vided to the Commission in a background document. 2020 round of population and housing censuses, as
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/101)], the Statistical contained in the report of the Secretary-General, and
Commission welcomed the report on the outcome requested the Statistics Division to take a lead role in
of the Conference; supported the conclusions of the setting up a microdata repository—in sufficient con-
Conference regarding the modernization of statistical sultation with Member States, and while addressing
646 Part Three: Economic and social questions

privacy and other technical concerns and taking into information needs derived from the post-2015 agenda,
account existing regional repositories—and a web- and presented a five-year (2015–2020) workplan for
based forum for countries to exchange experiences the continued implementation of the road map at the
and knowledge in census-taking. national and international levels.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/103)], the Statistical
Commission expressed its appreciation for both
On 10 June [meeting 35], the Economic and Social reports; confirmed unodc as the custodian of iccs;
Council, on the recommendation of the Statistical agreed to the creation of a technical advisory group
Commission [E/2015/24], adopted resolution 2015/10 to provide advice and support for the maintenance
(2020 World Population and Housing Census of iccs; and endorsed the iccs implementation plan
Programme) without vote [agenda item 18 (c)]. at the national, regional and international levels. The
Commission also reconfirmed the road map to im-
Health statistics prove crime statistics at the national and international
levels and welcomed the progress made in its imple-
In accordance with Economic and Social Council mentation.
decision 2014/219 [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Secretary-
General transmitted to the Statistical Commission the Refugee statistics
report of the World Health Organization on health
statistics [E/CN.3/2015/20], which described activities The Statistical Commission had before it the report
in three areas: monitoring levels and trends in health; [E/CN.3/2015/9] of Statistics Norway and the Office of
developing and promoting standards and tools for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
health information; and strengthening country (unhcr) on statistics on refugees and internally
monitoring and measurement. It also discussed pro- displaced persons. The report provided an overview
gress made in three areas of priority: civil registration of international statistics on the three types of forci-
and vital statistics systems; monitoring health under bly displaced populations—refugees, asylum seekers
the post-2015 development agenda; and the revision of and internally displaced persons—and discussed legal
the International Classification of Diseases. frameworks, terminology, data sources and challenges
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Commission in respect of the collection, compilation and publi-
took note of the report. cation of statistics on those populations. The report
identified that achievement of the following goals
would contribute to overcoming the challenges as-
Crime statistics sociated with current statistics on forcibly displaced
The Secretary-General transmitted to the Statistical populations: consistency of terminology; explanations
Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/7] of the United of terminology and definitions, as well as guidance
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (unodc) on the In- on systematic operationalization of those definitions;
ternational Classification of Crime for Statistical Pur- comparable internationally published statistics on
poses (iccs). The report described the process followed refugees and other forcibly displaced populations;
to develop the International Classification and its main data collection related to forcibly displaced popula-
features, and set out the plan for its implementation, tions; and improved existing data-collection method-
including tools and activities to support countries in ologies and the development of new ones, applicable
their gradual adoption of iccs for the production and in situations of forced displacement.
international reporting of crime statistics. The report Statistics Norway and unhcr noted that statistics
noted that the International Classification constituted on refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced
a major tool to improve consistency and international persons needed to be improved and called for a set
comparability of statistics on crime and provided a co- of recommendations that countries as well as inter-
herent analytical framework for better understanding national organizations could use to improve data-
crime patterns and trends. collection methods, reporting, data disaggregation
The Commission also had before it a report and overall quality. Such recommendations could be
[E/CN.3/2015/8] of the National Institute of Statistics developed by a group of experts from both interna-
and Geography of Mexico and unodc that reviewed tional organizations and national statistical offices
the implementation of activities included in the road working in that area. The report also recommended
map to improve the quality and availability of crime the organization of an international conference or sem-
statistics [YUN 2013, p. 1261], which had been presented inar to bring together international organizations, ex-
to the forty-fourth (2013) session of the Statistical perts from national statistical offices and the research
Commission and to the twenty-second (2013) session community to facilitate discussion centred around
of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal statistics on forcibly displaced populations.
Justice. The report elaborated on the long-term goals On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/104)], the Statistical
to improve crime statistics, taking into account the Commission supported the proposal to organize an in-
Chapter XV: Statistics 647

ternational conference on refugee statistics that would mented methodologies. It also endorsed the proposed
explore how best to incorporate the compilation of terms of reference in the report and requested Cabo
statistics on those populations into national statistical Verde to submit another report at its forty-seventh
systems and to develop a set of recommendations for (2016) session for consideration and discussion.
improving those statistics. The Commission also noted
the need for a handbook on statistics on refugees and Gender statistics
internally displaced persons as a practical guide for
the collection, analysis and dissemination of those The Statistical Commission had before it a report
statistics. It requested the organizers of the interna- [E/CN.3/2015/21] of the Secretary-General on gender
tional conference to report back to the forty-seventh statistics that summarized the recent activities of the
(2016) session of the Commission on the outcome Statistics Division of the Department of Economic
of the conference and on the next steps to improve and Social Affairs and the Inter-agency and Expert
statistics on refugees and internally displaced persons. Group on Gender Statistics under the umbrella of
the Global Gender Statistics Programme. The report
Governance, peace and security statistics noted the organization of the fifth Global Forum on
Gender Statistics (Aguascalientes, Mexico, 3–5 No-
The Secretary-General transmitted to the vember 2014) and the implementation of the Evidence
Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/17] on and Data for Gender Equality project (2013–2015),
governance, peace and security statistics, prepared by jointly executed by the Statistics Division and the
Cabo Verde with the assistance of the United Nations United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Development Programme. The report provided an Empowerment of Women. It also provided an update
overview of the initiatives undertaken in respect of on the preparation of the publication The World’s
the subfield of governance statistics since 2000. It Women 2015: Trends and Statistics; the organization
described how the multilateral interest in governance of the eighth meeting of the Inter-agency and Ex-
had led to the inclusion of Goal 16 (peace, justice and pert Group on Gender Statistics (Aguascalientes,
strong institutions) in the outcome document of the 2 November 2014); and the results of capacity-
Open Working Group on the sdgs. The report also building efforts to strengthen programmes of gender
contained a proposal for the establishment of a new statistics in countries, which included two regional
city group, the Praia group on governance statistics, workshops—the workshop on gender statistics for
to address the conceptualization, methodology and the Pacific region (Nadi, Fiji, 4–6 August 2014)
instruments for producing such statistics, with the and the workshop for Arabic-speaking countries on
aim of supporting the establishment of international integrating a gender perspective into statistics (Am-
recommendations on governance statistics. The report man, Jordan, 1–4 December 2014). The report noted
delineated the overall objectives of the proposed Praia that in 2015, the Statistics Division continued to
group and noted that it would deal with statistics on maintain and update the dedicated online portal/
the major dimensions of governance, including (but platform developed to disseminate the minimum set
not limited to) statistics on effective, accountable and of gender indicators, which had been agreed upon by
inclusive institutions, rule of law, public services, the Statistical Commission at its forty-fourth (2013)
citizen trust in government institutions, access to session as a guide for the national production and in-
justice, equal access to information for all, human ternational compilation of gender statistics. Annexed
rights, local governance, inclusive citizen participation to the report was the minimum set of gender indica-
and leadership representation, universal freedom to tors with the latest modifications.
participate in civil society, citizen perceptions and ex- On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Commission
periences of public safety, non-discriminatory respon- took note of the report.
siveness of national security institutions, inclusive
participation in conflict resolution and peacebuilding,
interpersonal trust, discrimination and other determi- Household surveys
nants of peace. The Praia group would focus its efforts Pursuant to Statistical Commission decision
on the development, by the end of the process, of a 45/103 [YUN 2014, p. 1463], the Commission had be-
handbook on governance statistics for use by national fore it a report [E/CN.3/2015/10] prepared by the World
statistical offices. Bank in consultation with multiple organizations on
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/111)], the Statistical the issue of household surveys and their critical role in
Commission congratulated Cabo Verde on the report providing data for the post-2015 development agenda.
and commended the extensive outreach activities The report provided an overview of such issues as
undertaken in its preparation. The Commission en- the availability, quality, relevance and sustainability
dorsed the creation of the Praia group on governance of household survey data and focused on low- and
statistics and its aim to encourage countries to pro- middle-income countries. It also provided recommen-
duce governance statistics based on sound and docu- dations for addressing those issues.
648 Part Three: Economic and social questions

On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/105)], the Commission ments; the valuation of land and other non-financial
endorsed the establishment of an Intersecretariat assets; institutional subsectors and the delineation of
Working Group on Household Surveys, under the head offices, holding companies and special-purpose
aegis of the Statistics Division, in order to foster the entities; and the recording of flows and stocks of inter-
coordination and harmonization of household survey national organizations. The Advisory Expert Group
activities. The Commission also supported the pilot- also considered new statistical and data requirements
ing of international guidelines for household surveys designed to better account for emerging economic
by a task team of the Working Group, stressing the trends and activities, including the measurement
need to give consideration to existing codes of practice of global value chains in the interconnected global
at the national and regional levels; supported the pro- economy; the use of big data to enhance the availabil-
posal of conducting a study on priorities for research ity and timeliness of national accounts; the distribu-
on cross-cutting methodological issues, including the tion of income, consumption and wealth; the use of
issues of disaggregation, and the integration of dif- indicators on deficit and debt; and practical national
ferent types of surveys and other data sources; and accounts issues such as backcasting and the Statistical
requested the Working Group to report back to the Data and Metadata Exchange (sdmx) initiative as re-
Commission. lated to national accounts.
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/106)], the Statistical
Civil registration and vital statistics Commission welcomed the progress in implementing
the 2008 sna, yet expressed concern at the relatively
The Statistical Commission had before it a report low compliance with the minimum required data set
[E/CN.3/2015/22] of the Secretary-General that dis- and the large number of Member States with out-
cussed the critical importance of civil registration dated benchmark years, and urged Member States
and vital statistics as a development issue; reviewed to develop basic source data for the compilation of
the emergence of the momentum to improve civil national accounts data that were policy-relevant and
registration and vital statistics systems at national, fit for purpose and, in that context, to prioritize their
regional and global levels; outlined the roles of inter- efforts on the implementation of the 2008 sna in
national and regional organizations in support of es- terms of scope, detail and quality. The Commission
tablishing or improving national civil registration and endorsed the programme of work of the Intersecre-
vital statistics systems; and provided an overview of tariat Working Group on National Accounts and the
activities undertaken by the Statistics Division of the Advisory Expert Group on National Accounts, and
Department of Economic and Social Affairs in that urged the Working Group to continue to give priority
area, including the establishment of the Global Civil to providing practical guidance on issues that would
Registration and Vital Statistics Group, and promo- facilitate the implementation of the 2008 sna. The
tion of the Principles and Recommendations on a Vital Commission also noted the progress in implement-
Statistics System, Revision 3, released in 2014. ing the sdmx data transmission mechanism and the
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical sharing of national accounts data between interna-
Commission took note of the Secretary-General’s tional organizations, and urged Member States to
report. implement the sdmx technology to facilitate data
transmission and reduce the response burden of
Member States submitting data to international
Economic statistics organizations.
National accounts
Agricultural and rural statistics
The Statistical Commission had before it the
report [E/CN.3/2015/11] of the Intersecretariat Working The Secretary-General transmitted to the
Group on National Accounts, which discussed pro- Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/16] of
gress on the implementation of the System of National the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Accounts 2008 (2008 sna) [YUN 2008, p. 1380], includ- Nations (fao) on new developments in agricultural
ing with regard to the 2008 sna research agenda, and rural statistics. The report included an update
the reporting of national accounts data, and the from the Global Steering Committee on key activities
coordination of data collection and data exchange for the implementation of the Global Strategy to Im-
activities. The report noted that the Advisory Expert prove Agricultural and Rural Statistics; an update on
Group on National Accounts held its ninth meeting the work of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on
(Washington, D.C., 8–10 September 2014) to review Agricultural and Rural Statistics, including a pro-
and discuss the work carried out by various task posed work programme on improving the relevance
forces and working groups. The main purpose of the and reliability of food data from surveys on household
meeting was to consider guidance on issues such as consumption and expenditure; and an update from
accounting for pensions; global production arrange- fao on the development of new guidelines for the
Chapter XV: Statistics 649

2020 World Programme for the Census of Agriculture with preparing a concept paper on the measurement
to cover the period 2016–2025. framework for international trade and economic
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/110)], the Statistical globalization and with recommending an improved
Commission welcomed the establishment of the coordination mechanism for that area of work. In
Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Food Security, its report, the Friends of the Chair group addressed
Agricultural and Rural Statistics as an essential topics raised by the Commission in decision 45/106
forum for the development of international statistical [YUN 2014, p. 1461], including asymmetries in bilateral
standards in those domains; commended the con- trade statistics, the role of small and medium-sized
tinued efforts to prepare guidelines on the improve- enterprises, the situation of developing and least
ment of food consumption data in household budget developed countries and the burden of additional
surveys; and requested the Inter-Agency and Expert data sources. The group provided an overview of
Group to provide guidelines and training on the statistical measurement issues in the area of interna-
measurement of food security. The Commission tional trade and economic globalization; a summary
requested the partners of the Global Strategy to Im- of further discussions on those issues in the context
prove Agricultural and Rural Statistics to support the of the International Conference on the Measurement
short- and long-term sustainable training provided to of Trade And Economic Globalization (Aguascali-
countries by the regional statistical training centres, entes, 29 September–1 October 2014); information
and to support countries in raising the financial on the outcome of the 2014 meeting of the Friends
resources required to undertake the necessary data of the Chair group (Aguascalientes, Mexico, 2 Oc-
collection activities. The Commission also encour- tober 2014); and proposals regarding a programme
aged fao to finalize the guidelines for the World of work for the measurement of international trade
Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 and and globalization and for the coordination of that
the companion handbook for implementation as programme of work.
planned, and invited all countries to participate in On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/107)], the Statistical
the global consultation on Volume 1. Commission agreed with a proposal of the Friends
of the Chair group to draft a handbook on a system
Business registers of extended international and global accounts as the
measurement framework for international trade and
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical economic globalization, and endorsed the establish-
Commission took note of the report of the Wiesbaden ment of an expert group tasked with the development
Group on Business Registers [E/CN.3/2015/23] on its of that handbook. The Commission also agreed with
twenty-fourth meeting (Vienna, 15–18 September the proposed programme of work for the measurement
2014), hosted by Statistics Austria. The meeting was of international trade and globalization, and with the
organized into ten sessions covering the following establishment of an intersecretariat working group
themes: country progress reports; statistical units and for international trade and economic globalization
profiling; administrative and statistical business regis- statistics with a mandate that included coordination
ters at the international level; managing the respond- in that field of work.
ents’ burden; backbone role of the statistical business
register; business registers frame methodology; meas- Service statistics
urement of the quality of statistical business registers;
maintenance methods and policy; dissemination and The Secretary-General transmitted to the
outputs from the statistical business registers; and Statistical Commission the report of the Voorburg
international guidelines for statistical business regis- Group on Service Statistics [E/CN.3/2015/24], which
ters. The meeting also included a special session on presented the progress of the Group since its previous
the EuroGroups Register and a round table discussion report [YUN 2013, p. 1264] in addressing best practices
on current challenges for statistical business registers in service industry output statistics, service industry
and how to tackle them. The report summarized the price statistics and service industry and product clas-
themes addressed by the meeting as discussed in each sifications. The report provided an update on tangible
of the sessions. output of the Group under the content development
framework, adopted by the Group in 2006, including
International trade statistics on the development of a library of national experience
in the development of turnover and price statistics for
The Secretary-General submitted to the Statistical service industries. Overall, the Group had applied a
Commission the report [E/CN.3/2015/12] of the Friends content development framework to develop best prac-
of the Chair group on the measurement of interna- tices in the collection of output and price statistics for
tional trade and economic globalization. The group, 105 services industries defined by the International
established by the Commission at its forty-fourth Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic
(2013) session [YUN 2013, p. 1263], had been tasked Activities, Revision 4, which represented an increase
650 Part Three: Economic and social questions

of about 30 industries since the previous progress Finance statistics

report. Annexed to the report was a list of industries
addressed and a presentation of the framework. The Secretary-General transmitted to the Statistical
Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/25] of the Interna-
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical tional Monetary Fund (imf) on the Inter-Agency Task
Commission took note of the report. Force on Finance Statistics, which presented the main
activities of the Task Force since the 2012 session of
International comparison programme the Statistical Commission [YUN 2012, p. 1246]. Imf
reported that the Task Force had made important pro-
The Secretary-General submitted to the Statistical gress in the areas of external debt and public sector
Commission the report [E/CN.3/2015/15] of the World debt statistics, including through completion of the
Bank on the International Comparison Programme work on updating the 2013 External Debt Statistics
(icp), which had become the world’s largest interna- Guide for Compilers and Users, so as to bring it in line
tional statistical initiative in its coverage of the global with latest international statistical standards; dissem-
economy and the scope of gross domestic product and ination of the new Quarterly External Debt Statistics
its aggregates. The report outlined the final stages of database; reporting of quarterly external debt statistics
implementation of the 2011 round of icp, with em- by all 71 subscribers to the Special Data Dissemina-
phasis on activities carried out from October 2013 tion Standard and the euro area; and the preparation
to November 2014; described the concluding gover- of external debt statistics course material that was
nance and technical support activities undertaken for fully aligned with the updated international statistical
the 2011 round; discussed the release of the results standards at imf headquarters and regional courses,
and the accompanying documentation; and pro- workshops and seminars.
vided information on media coverage, uses of those
results and related outreach activities. The report On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical
also discussed the involvement of the World Bank in Commission took note of the report.
the evaluation of the 2011 round of icp (see below),
which was initiated by the Commission at its forty- Natural resources
fifth (2014) session [YUN 2014, p. 1461]. and environment statistics
The Secretary-General also submitted to the
Commission the first of two reports [E/CN.3/2015/14] Environment statistics
of the Friends of the Chair group on the evaluation of The Secretary-General submitted a report
the 2011 round of icp. The report contained the scope, [E/CN.3/2015/26]to the Statistical Commission on en-
activities, findings and lessons learned from part I of vironmental statistics, in which he summarized devel-
the evaluation of the 2011 round. It also described the opments in the implementation of the Framework for
background and organizational setting against which the Development of Environment Statistics [YUN 2013,
the 2011 round was being conducted; covered gover- p. 1265]. He covered progress made in the area of
nance issues as well as technical and methodological methodological work, including the first meeting of
aspects of the 2011 round; outlined the procedure for the Expert Group on Environment Statistics (New
completion of part II of the evaluation, the report for York, 26–28 March 2014), the preparation of meth-
which would be submitted to the Commission’s forty- odological guidelines for the Core and Basic Sets of
seventh (2016) session; and provided recommenda- Environment Statistics and the finalization of the
tions and discussion points for the Commission. Environment Statistics Self-Assessment Tool. He pro-
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/109)], the Statistical vided information about technical cooperation and
Commission took note of the first part of the report capacity-building activities as well as advances in the
of the Friends of the Chair group and welcomed the application of the Framework in various countries,
report’s recommendations regarding methodology, and discussed remaining tasks and plans for 2015,
capacity-building and funding, which would inform including the development of training materials and
on the possibility of shortening intervals between fu- platforms in support of the further implementation of
ture icp rounds. The Commission suggested that the the Framework by countries.
recommendations from part I be combined with those The Commission took note of the report on
in part II—scheduled for presentation in 2016—into 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)].
a full set of recommendations in a final report, with a
view to transforming the icp exercise into a revolving
and more frequent exercise that took into account us- Environmental-economic accounting
ers’ needs and national statistical capacity. The Secretary-General transmitted to the
On the same day [dec. 46/115], the Statistical Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/13] of the
Commission took note of the report of the World Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic
Bank on icp. Accounting, which described the Committee’s
Chapter XV: Statistics 651

progress on the implementation of the System of mittee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities.
Environmental-Economic Accounting (seea) in the The report reviewed the work of the Committee in
post-2015 development agenda; progress in respect of 2014 and summarized the conclusions of its twenty-
the implementation of the seea Central Framework; third (New York, 3 March 2014) and twenty-fourth
and ongoing efforts to advance the research and (Rome, 11–12 September 2014) sessions. Topics
testing agenda of the seea Experimental Ecosystem discussed included statistical activities related to
Accounting. The report also described progress in the the post-2015 development agenda and the work of
development and implementation of the seea subsys- identifying and measuring appropriate indicators;
tems, including those for water and energy, and the implementation of the principles governing interna-
status of drafting seea for agriculture, forestry and tional statistical activities; best practices in policy and
fisheries. methodology on the dissemination of microdata by
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/108)], the Statistical international organizations; organizational aspects of
Commission requested the Committee of Experts to Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (sdmx) im-
closely collaborate with relevant groups to promote plementation; and the presence of the Committee at
and advocate that seea be properly reflected in the international conferences.
formulation of the sdg indicators, and requested
follow-up discussions in relation to the measurement Coordination of statistical activities
of those indicators and the building of capacity in in the United Nations
countries to develop seea - based indicators.
The Statistical Commission had before it a report
[E/CN.3/2015/30] of the Secretary-General on the coor-
Statistics for economies based dination of statistical programmes in the UN system,
on natural resources in which he summarized the work of the UN chief stat-
The Secretary-General transmitted to the isticians in 2014 and presented the main conclusions
Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/27] of of two meetings, one in New York on 6 March 2014
the Ulaanbaatar Group on Statistics for Economies and one in Rome on 10 September 2014. The meet-
Based on Natural Resources, which was established ings were held in response to Commission decision
by the Commission at its forty-third (2012) session 45/112 [YUN 2014, p. 1465], in which it endorsed the
[YUN 2012, p. 1242]. The aims of the Ulaanbaatar proposal that the UN chief statisticians hold regu-
Group were to make recommendations by establish- lar meetings and follow up on the recommendations
ing best practices on concepts and methods to track of the Friends of the Chair on the coordination of
mining industry activities and investments in mining; statistical activities in the UN system. Topics covered
to measure the mining industry’s contribution to the in the report included the formal establishment of
economy; to develop practical recommendations on the group, including its working methods; its contri-
measuring the impacts of mining on the environment; bution to measuring sustainable development in the
and to assess the impacts of mining on other social and context of the post-2015 development agenda; its work
economic sectors within the framework of the System in strengthening the implementation of the principles
of National Accounts. In collaboration with countries governing international statistical activities; and its
that had economies based on natural resources, the work towards a common quality assurance framework
Group aimed to ensure the comprehensiveness, reli- for the UN system.
ability, accuracy, timeliness and comparability of rel- The Statistical Commission took note of the report
evant statistical data. The report noted the activities on 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)].
of the Group in 2013 and 2014, including the second
(Moscow, 17–18 September 2013) and third (Vienna, Fundamental principles of official statistics
6–8 August 2014) meetings of its steering committee,
and provided updates on its programme of work and The Secretary-General transmitted to the
workplan for 2015. Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/18] of the
The Commission took note of the report on Friends of the Chair group on the implementation
6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)]. of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics.
The report noted some of the group’s earlier work,
which led to the adoption of a revised preamble of the
Other activities Fundamental Principles, an implementation survey
Coordination and integration of statistical and the development of guidelines for strengthening
programmes implementation of the Fundamental Principles. It
also recalled the endorsement of the Fundamental
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical Principles by the Economic and Social Council in
Commission took note of the report [E/CN.3/2015/29] 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1266] and by the General Assembly
of the Secretary-General on the work of the Com- in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1464] and presented the final
652 Part Three: Economic and social questions

results of its consideration of the question of how to in statistical domains and, globally, by organizations
effectively address perceived non-compliance. that used statistics. The sdmx Technical Working
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/112)], the Statistical Group focused on preparing the sdmx Global Regis-
Commission requested the Statistics Division to pro- try and a new draft specification for the sdmx - json
vide technical assistance to countries for the imple- (JavaScript Object Notation) data exchange format.
mentation of the Fundamental Principles of Official The sdmx Statistical Working Group focused on
Statistics. The Committee also requested the Division guidelines for the creation of data-structure defini-
to report back to the Commission in 2017 on the tions and standard code lists; enhancement of the
progress of work in that field in the context of the sdmx content-oriented guidelines; and the relation-
preparation for the twenty-fifth anniversary, in 2019, ship of sdmx to other technical standards. The sdmx
of the adoption of the Fundamental Principles. The Global Registry started operating in April 2014.
Commission expressed its appreciation to the Friends It hosted key sdmx artefacts for three globally co-
of the Chair group for its work since 2011 and noted ordinated statistical domains—national accounts,
that the work of the group was concluded. balance of payments and foreign direct investment—
with more artefacts to follow, in line with the Global
Registry content policy.
International economic and social
classifications
Statistical capacity-building
The Secretary-General transmitted to the
Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/32] of the The Statistical Commission had before it a report
Expert Group on International Statistical Classifica- [E/CN.3/2015/34] of the Secretary-General on statistical
tions, which had been tasked by the Commission at its capacity-building, which outlined the approach
thirtieth (1999) session with improving cooperation of the Statistics Division of the Department of
on international classifications and ensuring harmoni- Economic and Social Affairs to statistical capacity-
zation and convergence among and within the inter- building and highlighted the key achievements of
national family of economic and social classifications its capacity-building programme over the period
[YUN 1999, p. 1197]. The report reviewed the activities 2013–2014, including in terms of the Millennium
of the Expert Group and its six Technical Subgroups Development Goal (mdg) indicators. The report also
since the forty-fourth (2013) session of the Statistical discussed the Division’s plans to develop its capacity-
Commission [YUN 2013, p. 1266] and included updated building strategy in order to support national efforts
information on its work on international classifica- to respond to the challenges presented by the post-
tions in the fields of agriculture, crime, occupational 2015 development agenda. It noted that the Division
standards, and employment and labour status. was prepared to play a lead role in the formulation
The Statistical Commission took note of the report of a statistical capacity development road map to
on 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)]. support the post-2015 development agenda, focusing
in particular on strategically uniting multiple stake-
holder efforts under the guidance of the Statistical
Standards on data and metadata exchange Commission. The Division would continue to fo-
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical cus its statistical capacity-building efforts in three
Commission took note of the report [E/CN.3/2015/33] areas—namely, methodological guidance through
of the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange training and advice on the implementation of interna-
(sdmx) sponsors, which reviewed progress on the tional standards, including on a number of thematic
implementation of sdmx standards and related demands arising from the post-2015 development
information technology applications, including the agenda; development of institutional arrangements
sdmx Global Registry, since the previous report to within national statistical systems and assistance to
the Commission in 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1266]. The aim countries in the implementation of the Fundamen-
of the sdmx initiative was to create and maintain tal Principles of Official Statistics; and adoption of
technical and statistical standards and guidelines, technologies and systems for data collection, pro-
together with an information technology architec- cessing and dissemination.
ture and information technology tools, to be used by The Statistical Commission also had before
the sdmx sponsors and other organizations that used it a report [E/CN.3/2015/35] of the World Bank and
statistical data and exchanged metadata. Combined the Partnership in Statistics for Development in
with modern information technology, sdmx the Twenty-first Century (paris21) on efforts to
standards and guidelines should result in greater draw attention to the importance of strengthening
efficiency in the management of statistical business statistical capacity, especially in support of the post-
processes. The report noted that after more than ten 2015 development agenda. The report highlighted
years of experience, sdmx standards and guidelines progress in implementing the Busan Action Plan for
had progressed sufficiently to be broadly implemented Statistics—endorsed by the Fourth High-level Forum
Chapter XV: Statistics 653

on Aid Effectiveness [YUN 2011, p. 842]—and its five many of the statistical activities in the region and
priority actions for achieving the full integration of its subregions were carried out; achievements and
statistics in decision-making; promoting open access lessons learned from recent regional statistical
to statistics; and increasing resources for statistical activities; and the main challenges in strengthening
systems. The report also discussed emerging topics national statistical systems in Latin America and the
likely to affect national statistical systems, such as Caribbean countries and generating the statistical
the data revolution. information required by the post-2015 development
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical agenda and for the elaboration of evidence-based
Commission took note of both reports. development policies.
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/113)], the Statistical
Development indicators Commission stressed the importance of high-quality
statistics as a tool for the monitoring and account-
On 6 March (E/2015/24 [dec. 46/115]), the Statistical ability of the post-2015 development agenda and noted,
Commission took note of the report [E/CN.3/2015/36] in that context, the recognition by many countries
of the Secretary-General on indicators for monitoring of the need for increased resources for statistical
the Millennium Development Goals (mdgs). The development. The Commission noted the coordina-
report described the activities carried out in 2014 by tion and consultation issues raised by some represent-
the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on mdg Indica- atives of the countries of the Caribbean Community
tors and the Statistics Division of the Department of and requested eclac to enhance its efforts towards
Economic and Social Affairs in the following areas: greater regional cooperation. It also noted the con-
improving methodology for the monitoring of pro- cerns expressed about the report’s neglect of the work
gress towards the mdgs; strengthening statistical undertaken by Caribbean Community countries and
capacity-building for national monitoring; preparing requested eclac to include that information in future
for the final evaluation of the progress towards the iterations of the report.
mdgs; and supporting the intergovernmental discus-
sion on the formulation of the sdgs for the post-2015
development agenda. World Statistics Day
In accordance with Economic and Social Council
Follow-up to General Assembly and Economic decision 2014/219 [YUN 2014, p. 1456], the Secretary-
and Social Council policy decisions General transmitted to the Statistical Commission
a report [E/CN.3/2015/28] on progress made in the
The Secretary-General transmitted to the Statistical preparations for the observance, on 20 October, of
Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/38] on policy deci- the second World Statistics Day. The report included
sions of the General Assembly and the Economic and the latest developments regarding the adoption of a
Social Council adopted in 2014 or earlier that were General Assembly resolution on World Statistics Day;
relevant to the work of the Commission. The policy finalization of the slogan for the Day by the Bureau
decisions concerned follow-up to the mdgs; broader of the Commission; and the development of a logo
measures of progress to complement gross domestic and a suitable communications platform for the Day
product; global geospatial information management; by the secretariat of the Commission in consultation
follow-up to Council resolutions on population and with the Bureau.
development; improving the collection, reporting and
On 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)], the Statistical
analysis of data on migration and persons with disa-
Commission took note of the report.
bilities; and the multi-year programme of work for
annual ministerial reviews of the Council. For each On 3 June (see below), the General Assembly, on
of those policy decisions, the report indicated the ac- the proposal of the Commission, decided to desig-
tions that were taken or proposed by the Commission nate 20 October 2015 as the second World Statistics
and the Statistics Division in response to the requests Day under the theme “Better data, better lives”; de-
made by the Assembly and the Council. cided to celebrate World Statistics Day every five
The Statistical Commission took note of the report years on 20 October; and invited all Member States,
on 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)]. UN agencies and organizations, intergovernmental
and regional organizations, civil society, research
institutions, media and other producers and users of
Regional statistical development official statistics to observe World Statistics Day.
The Statistical Commission had before it a
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
report [E/CN.3/2015/19] of the Economic Commission
for Latin America and the Caribbean (eclac) on On 3 June [meeting 92], the General Assembly
statistical development in that region. The report adopted resolution 69/282 [draft: A/69/L.72 & Add.1]
reviewed the institutional mechanisms under which (World Statistics Day) without vote [agenda item 13 (a)].
654 Part Three: Economic and social questions

World Statistics Day observance. In a 16 De- indices; and the methodology and data for human
cember report [E/CN.3/2016/18] on World Statistics development composite indices, including updates of
Day, the Secretary-General provided an overview of methodology. It also noted that “Rethinking work
the activities carried out by the statistical community for human development” was the theme of the 2015
around the world in observance of the Day, held on 20 Human Development Report, which revisited the
October under the theme of “Better data, better lives.” issue of work in its various dimensions and dynamics
Activities were organized by national statistical offices, through a human development lens.
statistical associations, universities and other partners The Statistical Commission took note of the report
in more than 110 countries and areas. Statistical work on 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)].
was presented to a wide public audience through me-
dia outreach, and in many countries the Day was used
as an opportunity to report on the results of recent sur- Global geospatial information management
veys or censuses and release new statistics. The report
The Secretary-General transmitted to the
was submitted for consideration at the forty-seventh
Statistical Commission a report [E/CN.3/2015/37] of
(2016) session of the Statistical Commission.
the Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and
Geospatial Information, which provided information
Statistics of human development on the activities of the Expert Group since the forty-
The Secretary-General transmitted to the fifth (2014) session of the Statistical Commission. It
Statistical Commission the report [E/CN.3/2015/31] of summarized the major outcomes of the first Global
the United Nations Development Programme (undp) Forum on the Integration of Statistical and Geospa-
on the statistics of human development, which pro- tial Information (New York, 4–5 August 2014), held
vided an update on the production of the Human in conjunction with the fourth session of the Com-
Development Report and human development indi- mittee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information
cators—published annually since 1990. The report Management (New York, 6–8 August 2014), as well
noted that the Human Development Report also con- as the main findings of the International Workshop
tained a statistical annex—a thematic compendium on Integrating Geospatial and Statistical Information
of the latest available statistics, some of which were (Beijing, 9–12 June 2014). The report also presented
summarized in five composite indices of which the information on a consultative meeting of the Expert
Human Development Index was the best known. It Group (Beijing, 25 October 2014) that reviewed its
specified that the Human Development Report was work programme and addressed the preparation and
produced by the Human Development Report Office formulation of plans for future progress.
of undp drawing on work and consultations with Both the Global Forum and the International
leading scholars, development practitioners and other Workshop had noted that the statistical and geospatial
stakeholders. For the production of composite indices communities were major contributors of information
and the statistical annex, the Human Development used for evidence-based decision-making across
Report Office relied on data from other UN entities many sectors, and institutional coordination between
and international organizations with mandates for statistical and geospatial agencies at the country level
data collection, verification, compilation and public was of vital importance. Geospatial data could signif-
dissemination based on international definitions and icantly improve the quality of official statistics and
standards. the report concluded that there was an urgent need
The report briefed the Commission on the status for a mechanism, such as a global statistical-geospatial
of the human development indices and related framework, to facilitate consistent production and in-
communications and processes; the communications tegration approaches for geo-statistical information.
and other processes put in place for the regular an- The Statistical Commission took note of the report
nual production of human development composite on 6 March [E/2015/24 (dec. 46/115)].
 PART FOUR

Legal questions
Chapter I

International Court of Justice

In 2015, the International Court of Justice (icj) de- the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament
livered three judgments, gave nine orders and had (Marshall Islands v. India), Obligations concerning
14 contentious cases pending before it. In a November Negotiations relating to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms
address to the General Assembly, the icj President, Race and to Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands
Judge Ronny Abraham, who began his three-year v. United Kingdom), Armed Activities on the Territory
term as President on 6 February, stressed that the of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v.
Court, having succeeded in eliminating its backlog Uganda), Obligations concerning Negotiations relating
of cases, would intensify its efforts for prompt resolu- to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear
tion of the disputes submitted to it, including through Disarmament (Marshall Islands v. Pakistan), Obliga-
continuation of its practice of dealing with several tion to Negotiate Access to the Pacific Ocean (Bolivia
cases concurrently in order to meet in a timely manner v. Chile) and Maritime Delimitation in the Indian
the expectations of the international parties appearing Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya). Pleadings were submitted
before it. He reiterated that the Court had successfully within initially fixed or extended time limits in the
faced each new challenge posed by the complexity of cases concerning Question of the Delimitation of the
legal relations between States and would keep rising Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia
to those challenges in order to fulfil its role as the beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast
principal UN judicial organ which would mark its (Nicaragua v. Colombia), Alleged Violations of Sover-
seventieth anniversary in 2016. eign Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea
(Nicaragua v. Colombia), Maritime Delimitation in
the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica
Judicial work of the Court v. Nicaragua), Obligations concerning Negotiations
relating to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms Race and to
During 2015, the Court delivered its judgment on Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands v. India), Ob-
the merits in the case concerning Application of the ligations concerning Negotiations relating to Cessation
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the of the Nuclear Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament
Crime of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia) and in the joined (Marshall Islands v. Pakistan), Obligations concerning
cases concerning Certain Activities carried out by Nica- Negotiations relating to Cessation of the Nuclear Arms
ragua in the Border Area (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) and Race and to Nuclear Disarmament (Marshall Islands
Construction of a Road in Costa Rica along the San Juan v. United Kingdom) and Maritime Delimitation in the
River (Nicaragua v. Costa Rica), as well as its judgment Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya).
on the preliminary objection raised by Chile in the While there were no new developments in the case
case concerning Obligation to Negotiate Access to the concerning Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Project (Hungary/
Pacific Ocean (Bolivia v. Chile). Slovakia) [YUN 1998, p. 1186], which remained pending,
The Court held public hearings in the joined cases the parties kept the Court informed of progress made
concerning Certain Activities carried out by Nicaragua in their negotiations. In the case Armed Activities on
in the Border Area (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) and Con- the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the
struction of a Road in Costa Rica along the San Juan Congo v. Uganda) [YUN 1999, p. 1209], the Court de-
River (Nicaragua v. Costa Rica), and in the cases con- cided to resume proceedings concerning the question
cerning Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Pacific of reparations, as referred to in its 2005 Judgment
Ocean (Bolivia v. Chile), Alleged Violations of Sovereign [YUN 2005, p. 1381]. In the case concerning Questions
Rights and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea (Nica- relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Docu-
ragua v. Colombia) and Question of the Delimitation of ments and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia), Timor-
the Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and Colombia Leste informed the Court that it was discontinuing
beyond 200 nautical miles from the Nicaraguan Coast its proceedings against Australia. The case was subse-
(Nicaragua v. Colombia). quently removed from the Court’s General List.
The Court or its President made on the conduct Icj activities in 2015 were covered in two reports
of the proceedings in the cases concerning Questions to the General Assembly for the periods from 1 Au-
relating to the Seizure and Detention of Certain Docu- gust 2014 to 31 July 2015 [A/70/4] and 1 August 2015
ments and Data (Timor-Leste v. Australia), Obliga- to 31 July 2016 [A/71/4]. On 5 November (decision
tions concerning Negotiations relating to Cessation of 70/510), the General Assembly took note of the

657
658 Part Four: Legal questions

2014/2015 report. In resolution 70/118 of 14 De- hostilities between Ugandan and Rwandan military
cember, the Assembly called upon States to consider forces in Kisangani was admissible; that the drc mal-
accepting the jurisdiction of the Court in accordance treated Ugandan diplomats and other individuals
with its Statute. on the Embassy premises and at the Ndjili Airport;
that Uganda was under obligation to make repara-
Contentious proceedings tion to the drc for the injury caused; and that, failing
agreement between the parties, the question of repara-
Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo tion due to the drc would be settled by the Court. It
(Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda) rejected unanimously the objections of the drc to the
admissibility of Uganda’s first counterclaim and to the
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc) in- admissibility of the part of the second counterclaim
stituted proceedings against Burundi, Rwanda and submitted by Uganda relating to the breach of the
Uganda on 23 June 1999 [YUN 1999, p. 1209] for acts Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.
of armed aggression perpetrated in flagrant violation The Court found unanimously that the drc was
of the Charter of the United Nations and the Char- under obligation to make reparation to Uganda for
ter of the Organization of African Unity (oau). In the injury caused; and that, failing agreement be-
2001 [YUN 2001, p. 1191], the drc notified the Court tween the parties, the question of reparation due to
that it wished to discontinue the proceedings against Uganda would be settled by the Court.
Burundi and Rwanda.
Following the judgment, the parties had been
In the case of Uganda, pleadings were filed within
transmitting to the Court in 2006–2014 information
the time limits set by the Court in its order of 21 Oc-
concerning their negotiations to settle the question
tober 1999 [YUN 1999, p. 1210]. In its counter-memorial,
of reparation.
Uganda presented three counterclaims. On 19 June
2000 [YUN 2000, p. 1218], the drc requested the Court On 13 May 2015, the drc filed a new application
to indicate provisional measures, which were out- requesting the Court to decide the question of the
lined in the Court’s order of 1 July 2000 [ibid.]. By an reparation due to the drc in the case. The drc stated
order of 29 November 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 1192], the that the negotiations on the question of reparation
Court ruled on Uganda’s counterclaims and fixed the owed to it by Uganda must now be deemed to have
time limits for the filing of additional pleadings, ex- failed, as was made clear in the joint communiqué
tended for Uganda by its order of 7 November 2002 signed by both parties on 19 March 2015; and that
[YUN 2002, p. 1268]. In its order of 29 January 2003 it therefore behoved the Court, as provided for in its
[YUN 2003, p. 1303], the Court authorized the drc’s 2005 judgment, to reopen the proceedings in order
submission of an additional pleading relating solely to determine the amount of reparation, on the basis
to the Uganda’s counterclaims; the pleading was filed of the evidence already transmitted to Uganda and
within the time limit [ibid.]. which would be made available to the Court. At a
Public hearings on the merits of the case were held 9 June meeting held by the President of the Court
from 11 to 29 April 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 1381]. In its with both parties, Uganda expressed its view that the
judgment of 19 December 2005 [ibid.], the Court, conditions for referring the question of reparation to
by four separate votes of 16 votes to 1, found that the Court had not been met, and that the request
Uganda had violated the principle of non-use of force made by the drc was premature.
in international relations and the principle of non- By an order of 1 July 2015, the Court decided to
intervention; that it had committed acts of killing, resume proceedings in the case with regard to the
torture and other forms of inhumane treatment of question of reparations, and fixed 6 January 2016 as
the Congolese civilian population; that it had violated the time limit for the filing, by the drc, of a memo-
obligations owed to the drc under international law rial on the reparations which it considered to be owed
relating to the exploitation of its natural resources; to it by Uganda, and for the filing, by Uganda, of a
and upheld the objection of the drc to the admissibil- memorial on the reparations which it considered to
ity of the second counterclaim submitted by Uganda be owed to it by the drc. The Court observed that
relating to the maltreatment of individuals other than the parties had been unable to reach an agreement on
Ugandan diplomats at Ndjili International Airport in the question of reparations and noted the decision of
1998. By 15 votes to 2, it found that Uganda did not the relevant ministers that there should be no further
comply with the Court’s order of 1 July 2000 on pro- negotiations since no consensus had been reached be-
visional measures. By 14 votes to 3, the Court found tween the parties. The Court also noted that, taking
that the first counterclaim submitted by Uganda into account the requirements of the sound adminis-
could not be upheld. In further votes, the Court found tration of justice, it now fell to it to fix time limits
unanimously that the claim submitted by the drc re- for the filing of written pleadings but pointed out
lating to alleged violations of international humanita- that the fixing of such time limits left unaffected the
rian and human rights law by Uganda in the course of right of the respective Heads of State to provide the
Chapter I: International Court of Justice 659

further guidance referred to in the joint communiqué IX of the Genocide Convention, to entertain Croatia’s
of 19 March 2015. application, adding that Serbia’s second preliminary
By an order dated 10 December 2015, the Pres- objection did not possess an exclusively preliminary
ident of the Court extended to 28 April 2016 the time character. It then rejected the third preliminary objec-
limit for the filing, by the parties, of their memorials tion submitted by Serbia.
on the question of reparations. By an order of 20 January 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 1270],
the President of the Court fixed 22 March 2010 as the
Application of the Convention on the time limit for the filing of the counter-memorial by
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime Serbia. That pleading, containing counterclaims, was
of Genocide (Croatia v. Serbia) filed within the time limit.
By an order of 4 February 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 1276],
On 2 July 1999 [YUN 1999, p. 1210], Croatia insti- the Court directed the submission of a reply by Croa-
tuted proceedings before the Court against Serbia, tia and a rejoinder by Serbia concerning the claims
then known as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, presented by the parties. It fixed 20 December 2010
for alleged violations of the 1948 Convention on the and 4 November 2011, respectively, as the time lim-
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Geno- its for the filing of those pleadings, which were filed
cide [YUN 1948–49, p. 959] committed between 1991 within the time limits.
and 1995. In its application, Croatia contended that By an order of 23 January 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1256],
by directly controlling the activities of its armed forces, the Court authorized the submission by Croatia of an
intelligence agents and various paramilitary detach- additional pleading relating solely to Serbia’s counter-
ments on the territory of Croatia, Serbia was liable for claims, and fixed 30 August 2012 as the time limit for
ethnic cleansing of Croatian citizens. It requested the the filing; the pleading was filed within the time limit.
Court to adjudge and declare that Serbia had breached
Public hearings on Serbia’s objection and on the
its legal obligations to Croatia under the Genocide
merits of the case were held from 3 March to 1 April
Convention and that it had an obligation to pay to
2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1470]. At the close of the hearings,
Croatia, in its own right and as parens patriae for its cit-
the parties presented their final submissions to the
izens, reparations for damages to persons and property,
Court. Croatia requested the Court to adjudge and
as well as to the Croatian economy and environment
declare that the Court had jurisdiction over all the
caused by those violations of international law in a sum
claims raised by Croatia and that the claims were
to be determined by the Court.
admissible; that Serbia had breached its obligations
As basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Croatia in- under the Genocide Convention by failing to prevent
voked article IX of the Genocide Convention, to acts of genocide committed on the territory of Croatia
which, it claimed, both States were parties. against the Croat ethnic group by persons for whose
By an order of 14 September 1999 [YUN 1999, conduct Serbia was responsible; bring to trial those
p. 1210], the Court fixed 14 March and 14 Septem- suspected of involvement in such acts; and to conduct
ber 2000 as the respective time limits for the filing an effective investigation into the fate of Croatian citi-
of a memorial by Croatia and a counter-memorial by zens missing as a result of such acts. Croatia further
Serbia. Those limits were twice extended by orders requested the Court to adjudge and declare that as a
made during 2000 [YUN 2000, p. 1219]. Croatia filed its consequence of those breaches, Serbia was under obli-
memorial within the extended time limit. On 11 Sep- gation to take immediate and effective steps to submit
tember 2002 [YUN 2002, p. 1268], within the extended to trial those persons within its jurisdiction suspected
time limit for filing its counter-memorial, Serbia filed of having committed acts of genocide; provide Croatia
certain preliminary objections on jurisdiction and ad- with information about Croatian citizens missing as
missibility. The proceedings on the merits were sus- a result of such acts and conduct joint investigation
pended, in accordance with article 79 of the Rules of to determine their whereabouts; return to Croatia all
Court. On 25 April 2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1304], within items of cultural significance within Serbia’s jurisdic-
the time limit fixed by the Court, Croatia filed a state- tion or control seized in the course of the acts of geno-
ment of its observations and submissions on Serbia’s cide; and make reparations to Croatia for damages
preliminary objections. to persons and property, as well as to the Croatian
At the conclusion of public hearings on the pre- economy caused by those violations of international
liminary objections on jurisdiction and admissibility, law via a sum to be determined by the Court.
held from 26 to 30 May 2008, the parties presented In addition, Croatia asked the Court to reject as
final submissions to the Court [YUN 2008, p. 1395]. not founded in fact or law Serbia’s counterclaims re-
In its judgment, rendered on 18 November 2008 lating to the breaches of international law by Croatia
[ibid.], the Court found that, subject to its statement (see p. 660).
concerning the second preliminary objection raised Serbia requested the Court to adjudge and declare
by Serbia, it had jurisdiction, on the basis of article that the Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain Croa-
660 Part Four: Legal questions

tia’s requests in relation to acts committed prior to from the San Juan River to Laguna los Portillos (also
27 April 1992, the date when Serbia came into exist- known as Harbor Head Lagoon), and with having
ence as a State and became bound by the Genocide carried out related works of dredging on the San Juan
Convention, or that those requests were inadmissi- River. Costa Rica stated that the ongoing and planned
ble; and to reject Croatia’s requests relating to acts dredging and the construction of the canal would seri-
and omissions that took place after 27 April 1992 as ously affect the flow of water to the Colorado River of
lacking any basis either in law or in fact. In the al- Costa Rica, and would cause further damage to Costa
ternative, Serbia asked the Court to declare Croatia’s Rican territory, including the wetlands and national
requests as inadmissible with regard to acts and omis- wildlife protected areas in the region.
sions that took place prior to 8 October 1991, the In its order of 8 March 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 1237],
date when Croatia came into existence as a State and the Court indicated provisional measures in the case.
became bound by the Genocide Convention; or to By two separate orders of 17 April 2013 [YUN 2013,
adjudge and declare that the requests concerning acts p. 1275], the Court joined the proceedings in the
committed prior to 27 April 1992 were only admis- Costa Rica v. Nicaragua and Nicaragua v. Costa Rica
sible insofar as they related to acts and omissions that cases, in conformity with the principle of the sound
took place before 8 October 1991, and to reject those administration of justice and the need for judicial
requests as lacking any basis either in law or in fact. economy.
The Court was further requested to adjudge and By an order of 18 April 2013 [ibid., p. 1276], the
declare that Croatia had breached its obligations Court ruled on the counterclaims submitted by Nica-
under the Genocide Convention by committing acts ragua in its counter-memorial filed by 6 August 2012
with intent to destroy the Serb national and ethnical [YUN 2012, p. 1264].
group in Croatia, inciting and attempting to commit On 23 May 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1276], Costa Rica
genocide and failing to punish acts of genocide against requested the modification of the Court’s order of
that group; and that Croatia must immediately take 8 March 2011; in its order of 16 July 2013 [ibid.],
effective steps to punish such acts committed on its the Court, by 15 votes to 2, found that the circum-
territory, remove from its list of public holidays the stances did not require the modification of its March
“Day of Victory and Homeland Gratitude” and the 2011 order; unanimously reaffirmed the provisional
“Day of Croatian Defenders”, pay compensation to measures indicated in that order, in particular, the
the members of the Serb national and ethnical group requirement to refrain from any action that might ag-
from Croatia for damages caused by the acts of geno- gravate or extend the dispute or make it more difficult
cide in a sum to be determined by the Court, and to resolve; reminded the parties that those measures
ensure conditions for their safe and free return to a had binding effect and therefore created international
normal life in Croatia. legal obligations; and underlined that the order of
In its judgment delivered on 3 February 2015, the 16 July was without prejudice to the parties’ compli-
Court, by 11 votes to 6, rejected the second jurisdic- ance with the March 2011 order. Appended to the
tional objection raised by Serbia, and found that its order were dissenting opinions of one judge and one
jurisdiction to entertain Croatia’s claim extended to ad hoc judge.
acts prior to 27 April 1992; it further rejected, by On 24 September 2013, Costa Rica filed a request
15 votes to 2, Croatia’s claim, and unanimously re- for the indication of new provisional measures. After
jected Serbia’s counter-claim. holding public hearings on that request from 14 to
Appended to the judgment were separate opinions 17 October 2013, the Court, in its order of 22 No-
by the President of the Court, six judges and one ad vember 2013 [ibid.], unanimously reaffirmed the pro-
hoc judge; dissenting opinions by one judge and one visional measures indicated in its 8 March 2011 order
ad hoc judge; and declarations by two judges. and decided that Nicaragua should refrain from any
dredging and other activities in the disputed territory,
Certain Activities carried out by Nicaragua in particular, from work on the two new caños (ca-
in the Border Area (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) nals); that it should fill, within two weeks, the trench
on the beach north of the eastern caño; and that it
On 18 November 2010 [YUN 2010, p. 1285], Costa should immediately inform the Court of the comple-
Rica instituted proceedings against Nicaragua in re- tion of this work and submit a detailed report, includ-
spect of an alleged incursion into, occupation of and ing photographic evidence, within one week of the
use by Nicaragua’s army of Costa Rican territory, as completion. The Court further found, unanimously,
well as alleged breaches of Nicaragua’s obligations that Nicaragua should remove any civilian, police or
towards Costa Rica under a number of international security personnel or private persons under its jurisdic-
treaties and conventions. Costa Rica charged Nicara- tion or control from the disputed territory and prevent
gua with having occupied, in two separate incidents, any such personnel or persons from entering it. It held
the territory of Costa Rica in connection with the by 15 votes to 1 that, following consultation with the
construction of a canal across Costa Rican territory secretariat of the Ramsar Convention and after giv-
Chapter I: International Court of Justice 661

ing Nicaragua prior notice, Costa Rica might take mously decided that, failing agreement between the
appropriate measures related to the two new caños, to parties on this matter within 12 months from the
the extent necessary to prevent irreparable prejudice date of the judgment, the question of compensation
to the environment of the disputed territory and that, due to Costa Rica would, at the request of one of the
in taking those measures, Costa Rica should avoid any parties, be settled by the Court, and reserved for that
adverse effects on the San Juan River. The Court also purpose the subsequent procedure in the Costa Rica v.
unanimously decided that the parties should inform it Nicaragua case. By 12 votes to 4, the Court rejected
at three-month intervals about their compliance with Costa Rica’s request that Nicaragua be ordered to pay
the provisional measures. costs incurred in the proceedings. The Court further
Public hearings in the two joined cases were held unanimously found that Costa Rica had violated its
from 14 April to 1 May 2015. At the close of the hear- obligation under general international law by failing
ings in the Costa Rica v. Nicaragua case, the parties to carry out an environmental impact assessment con-
presented their final submissions to the Court. cerning the construction of Route 1856; and rejected,
Costa Rica requested the Court to reject Nicara- by 13 votes to 3, all other submissions made by the
gua’s claims, and to adjudge and declare that sover- parties.
eignty over the ’disputed territory’ as defined by the Appended to the judgment were declarations by
Court in its orders of 8 March 2011 and 22 Novem- the Vice-President of the Court, two judges and one
ber 2013 belonged to Costa Rica; and that Nicaragua judge ad hoc; a joint declaration by three judges and
had breached its obligations and Costa Rica’s rights one judge ad hoc; and separate opinions by five judges
under a number of international treaties, as well as and one judge ad hoc.
obligations arising from the Court’s March 2011 and
November 2013 orders, and the 2014 agreement be- Construction of a Road in Costa Rica along
tween the parties concerning navigation on the San the San Juan River (Nicaragua v. Costa Rica)
Juan River. The Court was asked to order that Nica-
ragua must, among others, repeal the provisions of its On 22 December 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 1239], Nica-
2009 decree which were contrary to Costa Rica’s right ragua instituted proceedings against Costa Rica with
to free navigation; cease all dredging activities on the regard to violations of Nicaraguan sovereignty and
San Juan River in the vicinity of Delta Costa Rica major environmental damages to its territory. Nica-
and in the lower San Juan River; and make repara- ragua contended that Costa Rica was carrying out
tions to Costa Rica for both damages caused and costs major construction works along most of the border
incurred in the case proceedings. area between the two countries with grave environ-
Nicaragua asked the Court to dismiss and reject mental consequences.
Costa Rica’s requests, and to adjudge and declare that In its application, Nicaragua claimed that Costa
Nicaragua enjoyed full sovereignty over the caño join- Rica’s unilateral actions threatened to destroy the San
ing Harbor Head Lagoon with the San Juan River Juan de Nicaragua River and its fragile ecosystem, in-
proper; Costa Rica was under an obligation to re- cluding the adjacent biosphere reserves and interna-
spect Nicaragua’s sovereignty and territorial integrity; tionally protected wetlands that depended upon the
Nicaragua was entitled to execute works to improve clean and uninterrupted flow of the river for their sur-
navigation on the San Juan River, including dredging, vival. According to Nicaragua, the most immediate
as it deemed suitable; and Costa Rica’s only rights on threat to the river and its environment was posed by
the San Juan de Nicaragua River were those defined Costa Rica’s construction of a road running parallel
by the 1858 Treaty of Limits as interpreted by the and in close proximity to the southern bank of the
Cleveland and Alexander Awards. river, and extending for at least 120 kilometres, from
In its judgment delivered on 16 December 2015, Los Chiles in the west to Delta in the east. It was
the Court, by 14 votes to 2, found that Costa Rica also stated that those works had caused and would
had sovereignty over the ’disputed territory’; it also continue to cause significant economic damage to
unanimously found that, by excavating three caños Nicaragua.
and establishing a military presence on Costa Rican By an order of 23 January 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1265],
territory, Nicaragua had violated Costa Rica’s terri- the Court fixed 19 December 2012 and 19 Decem-
torial sovereignty; by excavating two caños in 2013 ber 2013 as the respective time limits for the filing
and establishing a military presence in the disputed of a memorial by Nicaragua and a counter-memorial
territory, Nicaragua had breached its obligations under by Costa Rica. The memorial of Nicaragua was filed
the Court’s order of 8 March 2011; and that Nicara- within the time limit.
gua had breached Costa Rica’s rights of navigation By two separate orders of 17 April 2013 [YUN 2013,
on the San Juan River pursuant to the 1858 Treaty of p. 1277], the Court joined the proceedings in the Costa
Limits and had the obligation to compensate Costa Rica v. Nicaragua and Nicaragua v. Costa Rica cases
Rica for material damages caused by its unlawful (see p. 662). In the context of those joined proceed-
activities on Costa Rican territory. The Court unani- ings, the Court, by its orders dated 18 April and
662 Part Four: Legal questions

16 July [ibid.], ruled, respectively, on the counterclaims non-compliance with it and Chile’s duty to comply
submitted by Nicaragua in its counter-memorial filed with it. Bolivia asserted that beyond its general obliga-
in the Costa Rica v. Nicaragua case and on the requests tions under international law, Chile had committed
made by Costa Rica and Nicaragua for the modifi- itself through agreements, diplomatic practice and a
cation of the provisional measures indicated in the series of declarations attributable to its highest-level
Court’s order of 8 March 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 1237] in representatives to negotiate sovereign access to the sea
the Costa Rica v. Nicaragua case. for Bolivia but had not complied with that obligation
On 11 October 2013, Nicaragua filed a request for and denied its existence. Bolivia accordingly requested
the indication of provisional measures. After holding the Court to adjudge and declare that Chile had the
public hearings on that request from 5 to 8 November obligation to negotiate with Bolivia in order to reach
2013, the Court, in its order of 13 December 2013 an agreement granting Bolivia fully sovereign access
[ibid.], unanimously found that the circumstances did to the Pacific Ocean; that Chile had breached that
not require the indication of provisional measures. obligation; and that Chile must perform the said ob-
By an order of 3 February 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1476], ligation in good faith, promptly, formally, within a
the Court fixed 4 August 2014 and 2 February 2015 reasonable time and effectively, to grant Bolivia a fully
as the respective time limits for the submission of a sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. Bolivia also re-
reply by Nicaragua and a rejoinder by Costa Rica. The served the right to request that an arbitral tribunal be
pleadings were filed within the time limits. established in accordance with the obligation under
article XII of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship con-
Public hearings in the two joined cases were held
cluded with Chile on 20 October 1904 and the Proto-
from 14 April to 1 May 2015. At the close of the hear-
col of 16 April 1907, in the case of any claims arising
ings in the Nicaragua v. Costa Rica case, the parties
out of that Treaty.
presented their final submissions to the Court.
As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Bolivia in-
Nicaragua requested the Court to adjudge and de-
voked article XXXI of the American Treaty on Pacific
clare that Costa Rica had breached its obligation not to
Settlement of 1948 (Pact of Bogotá), to which both
violate the integrity of and not to damage Nicaragua’s
States were parties.
territory as delimited by the 1858 Treaty of Limits as
interpreted by the Cleveland and Alexander Awards, By its order of 18 June 2013 [ibid., p. 1278], the Court
as well as its obligations under general international fixed 17 April 2014 and 18 February 2015 as the re-
law and the relevant environmental conventions; and spective time limits for the filing of a memorial by
that Costa Rica must cease all its wrongful acts affect- Bolivia and a counter-memorial by Chile. The memo-
ing or likely to affect Nicaragua’s rights, restore the rial by Bolivia was filed within the time limit.
situation inasmuch as possible to the status quo ante, On 15 July 2014, Chile, referring to article 79,
and provide compensation for all damages caused. paragraph 1, of the Rules of the Court, filed a pre-
The Court was also asked to adjudge and declare that liminary objection to the jurisdiction of the Court
Costa Rica must refrain from using Route 1856 to in the case. In accordance with paragraph 5 of the
transport hazardous material, and not undertake any same article, the proceedings on the merits were then
future development in the area without an appropri- suspended.
ate transboundary environmental impact assessment; By an order of 15 July 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1476], the
and that Nicaragua was entitled to execute works to President of the Court fixed 14 November 2014 as
improve navigation on the San Juan River, including the time limit for the filing by Bolivia of a written
dredging to remove sedimentation. statement of its observations and submissions on the
Costa Rica requested the Court to dismiss all of preliminary objection raised by Chile, which was filed
Nicaragua’s claims. within the time limit.
On 16 December 2015, the Court delivered its The public hearings on the preliminary objection
judgment in the joined cases (see p. 661). were held from 4 to 8 May 2015. At the conclusion of
the hearings, the parties presented their submissions
Obligation to Negotiate Access to the Court. Chile requested the Court to adjudge
to the Pacific Ocean (Bolivia v. Chile) and declare that Bolivia’s claim was not within the
Court’s jurisdiction. Bolivia asked the Court to reject
On 24 April 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1277], Bolivia insti- the objection submitted by Chile, and to adjudge and
tuted proceedings against Chile concerning a dispute declare that the claim brought by Bolivia fell within
in relation to Chile’s obligation to negotiate in good its jurisdiction.
faith and effectively with Bolivia in order to reach an In its judgment delivered on 24 September 2015,
agreement granting Bolivia fully sovereign access to the Court, by 14 votes to 2, rejected the preliminary
the Pacific Ocean. objection raised by Chile and found, also by 14 votes
In its application, Bolivia stated that the subject of to 2, that it had jurisdiction, on the basis of Article
the dispute was the existence of that obligation, Chile’s XXXI of the Pact of Bogotá, to entertain the applica-
Chapter I: International Court of Justice 663

tion filed by Bolivia. Appended to the judgment were from Nicaragua’s coast and that Colombia objected to
declarations by two judges; a separate opinion by one continental shelf claims in that area.
judge; and a dissenting opinion by one judge ad hoc. As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Nicaragua
By an order of 24 September 2015, the Court fixed invoked article XXXI of the American Treaty on Pacific
25 July 2016 as the new time limit for the filing of a Settlement of 1948 (Pact of Bogotá), noting that it was
counter-memorial by Chile. constrained into taking action rather sooner than later
because Colombia had denounced the Pact of Bogotá
Question of the Delimitation of the on 27 November 2012, with effect from 27 November
Continental Shelf between Nicaragua and 2013 in accordance with article LVI of the Pact, which
Colombia beyond 200 nautical miles from would accordingly remain in force for Colombia until
the Nicaraguan Coast (Nicaragua v. Colombia) that date. Nicaragua also contended that the subject-
matter of its application remained within the Court’s
On 16 September 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1278], Nic- jurisdiction established in the case concerning the Ter-
aragua instituted proceedings against Colombia ritorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia),
with regard to the delimitation of the boundaries instituted in 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 1195], as in its 2012
between the continental shelf of Nicaragua beyond judgment the Court did not definitively determine the
the 200-nautical-mile limit from the baselines from delimitation of the continental shelf between Nicara-
which the breadth of Nicaragua’s territorial sea was gua and Colombia in the area beyond 200 nautical
measured, and the continental shelf of Colombia. miles from the Nicaraguan coast.
In its application, Nicaragua requested the Court to By its order of 9 December 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1278],
adjudge and declare the precise course of the maritime the Court fixed 9 December 2014 and 9 December
boundary between Nicaragua and Colombia in the 2015 as the respective time limits for the filing of a
areas of the continental shelf which appertained to memorial by Nicaragua and a counter-memorial by
each of them beyond the boundaries determined Colombia.
by the Court in its judgment of 19 November 2012 On 14 August 2014, Colombia, referring to article
[YUN 2012, p. 1257] in the case concerning the Territorial 79 of the Rules of Court, raised certain preliminary
and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia). The objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and to the
Court was further requested to state the principles and admissibility of the application. In accordance with
rules of international law that determined the rights paragraph 5 of the same article, the proceedings on
and duties of the two States in relation to the area of the merits were then suspended.
overlapping continental shelf claims and the use of its By an order of 19 September 2014 [YUN 2014,
resources, pending the delimitation of the maritime p. 1477], the Court fixed 19 January 2015 as the time
boundary between them beyond 200 nautical miles limit for the filing by Nicaragua of a written statement
from Nicaragua’s coast. of its observations and submissions on the preliminary
Nicaragua recalled that the Court’s 2012 judgment objections raised by Colombia. The written statement
defined the single maritime boundary between the by Nicaragua was filed within the time limit. By a
continental shelf and the exclusive economic zones of letter dated 17 February 2015, Chile, referring to ar-
Nicaragua and of Colombia within the 200-nautical- ticle 53, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, asked to
mile limit from the baselines from which the breadth be furnished with copies of the pleadings and docu-
of Nicaragua’s territorial sea was measured, but that ments annexed in the case. In accordance with the
the Court was not in a position at the time to delimit same article, the Court, after ascertaining the views
the continental shelf throughout the area of the overlap of the parties, granted that request.
between Nicaragua’s continental shelf entitlement and The public hearings on the preliminary objections
that of Colombia, as requested by Nicaragua, consider- raised by Colombia were held between 5 and 9 Oc-
ing that Nicaragua had not then established that it had tober 2015.
a continental margin extending beyond 200 nautical
miles from the baselines from which its territorial sea Alleged Violations of Sovereign Rights
was measured. Nicaragua contended that its submis-
and Maritime Spaces in the Caribbean Sea
sion to the Commission on the Limits of the Conti-
(Nicaragua v. Colombia)
nental Shelf on 24 June 2013 demonstrated that its
continental margin extended more than 200 nautical On 26 November 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1278], Nicara-
miles from the baselines from which the breadth of its gua instituted proceedings against Colombia with re-
territorial sea was measured, both traversing an area gard to violations of Nicaragua’s sovereign rights and
beyond 200 nautical miles from Colombia and partly maritime zones as declared by the Court’s judgment
overlapping with an area within 200 nautical miles of 19 November 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1257] in the case
of Colombia’s coast. Nicaragua also observed that the concerning the Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nic-
two States had not agreed upon a maritime boundary aragua v. Colombia), and the threat of the use of force
between them in the area beyond 200 nautical miles by Colombia in order to implement those violations.
664 Part Four: Legal questions

In its application, Nicaragua requested the Court jurisdiction rested in its inherent power to pronounce
to adjudge and declare that Colombia had breached on the actions required by its judgments.
its obligations not to use or threaten to use force under By an order of 3 February 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1478],
the UN Charter and international customary law, not the Court fixed 3 October 2014 and 3 June 2015 as
to violate Nicaragua’s maritime zones as delimited in the respective time limits for the filing of a memorial
the Court’s 2012 judgment, as well as Nicaragua’s by Nicaragua and a counter-memorial by Colombia.
sovereign rights and jurisdiction in those zones, and The memorial by Nicaragua was filed within the time
not to violate Nicaragua’s rights under customary limit.
international law as reflected in parts V and VI of On 19 December 2014, Colombia, referring to
the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of article 79 of the Rules of Court, raised certain pre-
the Sea. Nicaragua also requested the Court to ad- liminary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court.
judge and declare that, consequently, Colombia was In accordance with paragraph 5 of the same article,
bound to comply with the 2012 judgment, to wipe the proceedings on the merits were then suspended.
out the legal and material consequences of its inter-
nationally wrongful acts, and to make full reparation By an order of 19 December 2014 [ibid.], the Pres-
for the harm caused by those acts. In support of its ident of the Court fixed 20 April 2015 as the time
claim, Nicaragua cited declarations reportedly made limit for the filing by Nicaragua of a written statement
between 19 November 2012 and 18 September 2013 of its observations and submissions on the preliminary
by the President, the Vice-President and the Minis- objections raised by Colombia. The written statement
ter for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, as well as by the by Nicaragua was filed within the time limit. By a
Commander of the Colombian Navy, claiming that letter dated 17 February 2015, Chile, referring to ar-
those declarations represented a “rejection” by Colom- ticle 53, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, asked to
bia of the Court’s judgment and a decision to consider be furnished with copies of the pleadings and docu-
it “not applicable”. ments annexed in the case. In accordance with the
same article, the Court, after ascertaining the views
Nicaragua also referred to Colombia’s Presidential
of the parties, granted that request.
Decree 1946 establishing an “Integral Contiguous
Zone” which, according to Nicaragua quoting the The public hearings on the preliminary objections
President of Colombia, covered maritime spaces ex- raised by Colombia were held between 28 September
tending from the south, where the Albuquerque and and 2 October 2015.
East-Southeast keys were situated, and to the north,
where Serranilla Key was located, and included the Questions relating to the Seizure and
San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, Quitas- Detention of Certain Documents
ueño, Serrana and Roncador islands, as well as the and Data (Timor–Leste v. Australia)
other formations in the area. Nicaragua stated that
the Decree violated Nicaragua’s sovereign rights over On 17 December 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1279], Timor-
its maritime areas in the Caribbean, quoting the Leste filed an application instituting proceedings
President of Colombia’s declaration that Colombia with regard to the seizure and subsequent detention
would exercise jurisdiction and control in the Integral by Australia of documents, data and other property
Contiguous Zone over all areas related to security and which belonged to Timor-Leste and which Timor-
the struggle against delinquency, and over fiscal, cus- Leste had the right to protect under international law.
toms, environmental, immigration and health matters Timor-Leste contended that, on 3 December
and other areas as well. According to Nicaragua, the 2013, officers of the Australian Security Intelligence
threatening declarations by Colombian authorities Organization, allegedly acting under a warrant issued
and the hostile treatment of Nicaraguan vessels by by Australia’s Attorney-General, seized from the
Colombian naval forces had seriously affected Nica- business premises of a legal adviser to Timor-Leste
ragua’s possibilities for exploiting the living and non- in Canberra documents and data containing corre-
living resources in its Caribbean exclusive economic spondence between the Government of Timor-Leste
zone and continental shelf, while attempts at dialogue and its legal advisers, notably relating to a pending
to discuss the implementation of the Court’s 2012 arbitration under the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty between
judgment were rejected by Colombia. Timor-Leste and Australia.
As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Nicara- Timor-Leste, accordingly, requested the Court
gua invoked article XXXI of the American Treaty on to adjudge and declare that the seizure and continu-
Pacific Settlement of 1948 (Pact of Bogotá), pointing ing detention by Australia of the documents and
out that Colombia had denounced the Pact of Bogotá data violated Timor-Leste’s sovereignty, as well as
on 27 November 2012, with effect from 27 November its property and other rights under international law
2013 in accordance with article LVI of the Pact, which and any relevant domestic law; and that Australia
would accordingly remain in force for Colombia until must immediately return to Timor-Leste those docu-
that date. Nicaragua further argued that the Court’s ments and data, destroy beyond recovery every copy
Chapter I: International Court of Justice 665

of such documents and data that was in Australia’s for public hearings on the request for the indication
possession or control, and ensure the destruction of of provisional measures.
every copy that Australia had directly or indirectly At the end of public hearings, Timor-Leste con-
passed to a third person or third State. The Court was firmed the provisional measures it had requested the
also requested to adjudge and declare that Australia Court to indicate; while Australia asked the Court to
should afford satisfaction to Timor-Leste in respect of refuse Timor-Leste’s request and to stay the proceed-
those violations of its rights under international law ings until the Arbitral Tribunal rendered its judgment
and any relevant domestic law, in the form of a formal in the arbitration under the Timor Sea Treaty.
apology as well as the costs incurred by Timor-Leste In its order of 3 March 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1479], the
in preparing and presenting the current application. Court, by 12 votes to 4, decided that Australia had
As basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Timor-Leste in- to ensure the content of the seized material was not
voked the declarations of the two countries, recogniz- in any way or at any time used to the disadvantage
ing the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court. of Timor-Leste, pending the conclusion of the case,
Also on 17 December 2013, Timor-Leste filed a and that Australia had to keep under seal the seized
request for the indication of provisional measures, documents and electronic data and any copies thereof
stating that the purpose of the request was to protect until a further decision of the Court was reached. The
its rights and to prevent the use of seized documents Court, by 15 votes to 1, decided that Australia should
and data by Australia against Timor-Leste’s interests not interfere in any way in communications between
and rights in the pending arbitration, and with regard Timor-Leste and its legal advisers in connection with
to other matters concerning the Timor Sea and its the pending arbitration under the 2002 Timor Sea
resources. Treaty, with any future bilateral negotiations concern-
Timor-Leste, accordingly, requested the Court to ing maritime delimitation, or with any other related
indicate as provisional measures that the documents procedure between the two States, including the case
and data seized by Australia on 3 December 2013 be under consideration.
immediately sealed and delivered into the Court’s cus- Appended to the order were dissenting opinions of
tody, and that Australia immediately deliver to Timor- two judges and one ad hoc judge; and separate opin-
Leste and to the Court a list of all documents and data ions by two judges.
or the information that it had disclosed or transmitted
to any person, as well as a list of the identities and Timor-Leste’s memorial by and Australia’s counter-
current positions held by such persons; deliver within memorial by were filed within the time limits fixed by
five days to Timor-Leste and to the Court a list of all the Court in its order of 28 January 2014 [ibid.] as,
copies that it had made of the seized documents and respectively, 28 April and 28 July 2014. On 3 Septem-
data; destroy all copies of the seized documents and ber 2014, the Court decided to grant the parties’ re-
data, secure the destruction of all copies that it had quest to postpone public hearings in the case in order
transmitted to any third party, and inform Timor- to enable them to seek an amicable settlement.
Leste and the Court of the steps taken in pursuance of By a letter of 25 March 2015, Australia indicated
that order for destruction; and give an assurance that that it wished to return the documents and data seized,
it would not intercept or cause or request the intercep- and requested the modification of the second provi-
tion of communications between Timor-Leste and its sional measure in the Court’s order of 3 March 2014,
legal advisers, whether within or outside Australia or asking the Court to authorize the removal of the ma-
Timor-Leste. terials from their current location where they had been
Timor-Leste further requested that, pending the kept under seal, and their return still sealed to Collaery
Court’s decision on its request for the indication of Lawyers. In its written observations, Timor-Leste in-
provisional measures, the President of the Court ex- dicated that it had no objection to Australia’s request.
ercise his power under article 74 of the Rules of Court By an order of 22 April 2015, the Court decided
to call upon Australia to act in such a way as would to grant Australia’s request for the modification of
enable any order the Court might make on the said provisional measures, and authorized the return, still
request to have its appropriate effects. sealed, to Timor-Leste of all the documents and data
In his 18 December 2013 communication to the seized on 3 December 2013 by Australia. By a joint
Prime Minister of Australia [ibid., p. 1280], the icj Pres- letter dated 15 May 2015, the two parties confirmed
ident drew the attention of the Australian Government that the documents and data had been returned by
to the need to act in such a way as to enable any order Australia on 12 May.
the Court would make on the request for provisional In a 2 June letter, Timor-Leste informed the Court
measures to have its appropriate effects, in particular, that it wished to discontinue the proceedings in the
to refrain from any act which might cause prejudice to case, explaining that with the return of the seized
the rights claimed by Timor-Leste in the current pro- documents and data, Timor-Leste had successfully
ceedings. By the same communication, the President achieved the purpose of its application, namely the
of the Court fixed 20–22 January 2014 as the dates return of its rightful property and therefore implicit
666 Part Four: Legal questions

recognition by Australia that its actions had been in internal waters areas of Costa Rica’s territorial sea and
violation of Timor-Leste’s sovereign rights. On 9 June, exclusive economic zone in the Caribbean Sea, and
Australia informed the Court that it had no objec- which was protested by Costa Rica in a letter to the
tion to the discontinuance of the case, while reiter- UN Secretary-General dated 23 October 2013. Costa
ating that Australia’s request to return the material Rica claimed that although Nicaragua accepted in
was an affirmation of its commitment to the peaceful 2013 the invitation to resume negotiations, it took no
settlement of the dispute in a constructive and posi- further action to restart the process.
tive manner, and that no other implication should be As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Costa Rica
drawn from Australia’s actions. invoked its own declaration of acceptance of the com-
On 11 June 2015, the President of the Court made pulsory jurisdiction of the Court, made on 20 Feb-
an order recording the discontinuance of the case and ruary 1973, and a declaration made by Nicaragua
directing its removal from the Court’s List. on 24 September 1929 (as amended on 23 October
2001), as well as article XXXI of the American Treaty
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea on Pacific Settlement of 1948 (Pact of Bogotá).
and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) By an order of 1 April 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1479], the
Court fixed 3 February 2015 and 8 December 2015 as
On 25 February 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1479], Costa the respective time limits for the filing of a memorial
Rica filed an application instituting proceedings by Costa Rica and a counter-memorial by Nicaragua,
against Nicaragua with regard to a dispute concern- which were filed within the time limits.
ing maritime delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and
the Pacific Ocean. Obligations concerning Negotiations
In its application, Costa Rica requested the Court relating to Cessation of the Nuclear
to determine the complete course of a single maritime Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament
boundary between all the maritime areas appertain- (Marshall Islands v. India)
ing, respectively, to Costa Rica and to Nicaragua in
the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, and the pre- On 24 April 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1479], the Marshall
cise geographical coordinates of the single maritime Islands filed an application instituting proceedings
boundaries in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific against India, accusing it of not fulfilling its obliga-
Ocean. According to Costa Rica, the coasts of the two tions with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms
States generated overlapping entitlements to maritime race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.
areas in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, In its application, the Marshall Islands, which ac-
and there had been no maritime delimitation between ceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
the two States in either body of water. It further main- Weapons (npt) on 30 January 1995, asserted that the
tained that the two States had exhausted diplomatic obligations enshrined in article VI of the npt were not
means to resolve their maritime boundary disputes, merely treaty obligations, but also existed separately
following various failed attempts to settle the issue be- and applied to all States under customary international
tween 2002 and 2005, and in 2013. law. It stated that India, by engaging in conduct that
According to Costa Rica, the divergence between directly conflicted with the obligations of nuclear
the proposals presented by the two States during ne- disarmament and cessation of the nuclear arms race at
gotiations with regard to a single maritime boundary an early date, had breached and continued to breach
in the Pacific Ocean to divide their respective terri- its legal duty to perform in good faith its obligations
torial seas, exclusive economic zones and continental under customary international law, even though it had
shelves demonstrated an overlap of claims. With re- not ratified the npt. The Marshall Islands requested
spect to the Caribbean Sea, both States focused on the the Court to order India to take all steps necessary to
location of the initial land boundary marker on the comply with the said obligations within one year of
Caribbean side, but were unable to reach agreement on the judgment, including the pursuit—by initiation if
the starting point of the maritime boundary. In Costa necessary—of negotiations in good faith aimed at con-
Rica’s view, the existence of a dispute between the two cluding a convention on nuclear disarmament in all its
States as to the maritime boundary in the Caribbean aspects under strict and effective international control.
Sea had been affirmed by the positions expressed by As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, the Mar-
both States during Costa Rica’s request to intervene shall Islands referred to the declarations, accepting
in the case Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicara- the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction, made by the
gua v. Colombia) [YUN 2010, p. 1277]; in exchanges of Marshall Islands on 24 April 2013 and by India on
correspondence following Nicaragua’s submissions 18 September 1974.
to the Commission on the Limits of the Continen- By its order of 16 June 2014 [ibid., p. 1480], the Court
tal Shelf; by Nicaragua’s publication of oil exploration decided that the written pleadings would first be ad-
and exploitation material; and by a 2013 decree declar- dressed to the question of the Court’s jurisdiction,
ing straight baselines, in which Nicaragua claimed as and fixed 16 December 2014 and 16 June 2015 as
Chapter I: International Court of Justice 667

the respective time limits for the filing of a memorial By a note verbale of 2 July 2015, Pakistan requested
by the Marshall Islands and a counter-memorial by a six-month extension of the time limit for the filing of
India. The memorial by the Marshall Islands was filed its counter-memorial. On 8 July, the Marshall Islands
within the time limit. informed the Court that it would be comfortable with
By a letter of 5 May 2015, India requested a three- the Court’s extending the initial six-month time limit
month extension of the time limit for the filing of to nine months in total, from the date of the filing of
its counter-memorial; on 8 May, the Marshall Islands the Marshall Islands’ memorial. By an order of 9 July,
informed the Court that it had no objection to the the President of the Court extended from 17 July 2015
granting of India’s request. By an order of 19 May, to 1 December 2015 the time limit for the filing of the
the Court extended from 16 June 2015 to 16 Septem- counter-memorial by Pakistan, which was filed within
ber 2015 the time limit for the filing of the counter- the extended time limit.
memorial by India, which was filed within the ex-
tended time limit. Obligations concerning Negotiations
relating to Cessation of the Nuclear
Obligations concerning Negotiations Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament
relating to Cessation of the Nuclear (Marshall Islands v. United Kingdom)
Arms Race and to Nuclear Disarmament
On 24 April 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1480], the Mar-
(Marshall Islands v. Pakistan) shall Islands filed an application instituting proceed-
On 24 April 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1480], the Marshall ings against the United Kingdom, accusing it of not
Islands filed an application instituting proceedings fulfilling its obligations with respect to the cessa-
against Pakistan, accusing it of not fulfilling its ob- tion of the nuclear arms race at an early date, and to
ligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear nuclear disarmament.
arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament. In its application, the Marshall Islands invoked
In its application, the Marshall Islands, which breaches by the United Kingdom of article VI of
acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear
Nuclear Weapons on 30 January 1995, asserted that Weapons, which provided that “each of the Parties
the obligations enshrined in article VI of the npt to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in
were not merely treaty obligations, but also existed good faith on effective measures relating to cessation
separately and applied to all States under customary of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear
international law. It stated that Pakistan, by engaging disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete
in conduct that directly conflicted with the obliga- disarmament under strict and effective international
tions of nuclear disarmament and cessation of the control”. The Marshall Islands contended that by not
nuclear arms race at an early date, had breached and pursuing such negotiations and engaging instead in
continued to breach its legal duty to perform in good conduct that directly conflicted with those legally
faith its obligations under customary international binding commitments, the United Kingdom had
law, although it had not ratified the npt. The Mar- breached and continued to breach its legal duty to
shall Islands requested the Court to order Pakistan to perform in good faith its obligations under the npt
take all steps necessary to comply with the said obliga- and customary international law. It requested the
tions within one year of the judgment, including the Court to order the United Kingdom to take all steps
pursuit—by initiation if necessary—of negotiations necessary to comply with its obligations under arti-
in good faith aimed at concluding a convention on cle VI of the npt and under customary international
nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and law within one year of the judgment, including the
effective international control. pursuit—by initiation if necessary—of negotiations
As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, the Mar- in good faith aimed at concluding a convention on
shall Islands referred to the declarations, accepting the nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and
Court’s compulsory jurisdiction, made by the Mar- effective international control.
shall Islands on 24 April 2013 and by Pakistan on As the basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, the Mar-
13 September 1960. shall Islands referred to the declarations, accepting
By an order of 10 July 2014 [ibid.], the President of the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction, made by the
the Court decided that the written pleadings would Marshall Islands on 24 April 2013 and by the United
first be addressed to the question of the Court’s ju- Kingdom on 5 July 2004.
risdiction and the admissibility of the application, By an order of 16 June 2014 [ibid.], the Court
and fixed 12 January 2015 and 17 July 2015 as the fixed 16 March 2015 and 16 December 2015 as the
respective time limits for the filing of a memorial respective time limits for the filing of a memorial by
by the Marshall Islands and a counter-memorial by the Marshall Islands and a counter-memorial by the
Pakistan. The memorial by the Marshall Islands was United Kingdom. The memorial by the Marshall Is-
filed within the time limit. lands was filed within the time limit.
668 Part Four: Legal questions

On 15 June 2015, the United Kingdom, referring compulsory jurisdiction, made by Somalia on 11 April
to article 79, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, 1963 and by Kenya on 19 April 1965, as well as article
raised certain preliminary objections in the case. In 282 of the Convention on the Law of the Sea ratified
accordance with paragraph 5 of the same article, the by both States in 1989.
proceedings on the merits were then suspended. By an order of 16 October 2014 [ibid., p. 1481], the
By an order of 19 June, the President of the Court President of the Court fixed 13 July 2015 and 27 May
fixed 15 October 2015 as the time limit for the fil- 2016 as the respective time limits for the filing of a
ing by the Marshall Islands of a written statement of memorial by Somalia and a counter-memorial by
its observations and submissions on the preliminary Kenya. The memorial by Somalia was filed within
objections raised by the United Kingdom, which was the time limit.
filed within the time limit. On 7 October 2015, Kenya raised certain prelimi-
nary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and
Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean the admissibility of the application. In accordance
(Somalia v. Kenya) with article 79, paragraph 5, of the Rules of Court,
the proceedings on the merits then were suspended.
On 28 August 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1480], Somalia By an order of 9 October 2015, the Court fixed
filed an application instituting proceedings against 5 February 2016 as the time limit for the filing by
Kenya with regard to a dispute concerning the de- Somalia of a written statement of its observations
limitation of maritime spaces claimed by both States and submissions on the preliminary objections raised
in the Indian Ocean. by Kenya.
In its application, Somalia contended that both
States disagreed about the location of the maritime
boundary in the area where their maritime entitle-
ments overlapped, and that the diplomatic nego- Other questions
tiations that took place between them had failed to
resolve that disagreement. It requested the Court to Trust Fund to Assist States
determine the complete course of the single maritime in the Settlement of Disputes
boundary dividing all the maritime areas appertain-
ing to Somalia and to Kenya in the Indian Ocean, In August [A/70/327], the Secretary-General re-
including the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical ported on the activities and status of the Trust Fund
miles, and the precise geographical coordinates of the to Assist States in the Settlement of Disputes through
single maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean. the icj since the submission of his 2014 report
Somalia expressed the view that the maritime [YUN 2014, p. 1481]. The Fund, established in 1989
boundary between the parties in the territorial sea, [YUN 1989, p. 818], provided financial assistance to
exclusive economic zone and continental shelf should States for expenses incurred in connection with a
be established in accordance with, respectively, arti- dispute submitted to the Court by way of a special
cles 15, 74 and 83 of the United Nations Convention agreement or by the application of its Statute, or the
on the Law of the Sea; the boundary line in the ter- execution of a judgment of the Court.
ritorial sea should be a median line as specified in During the period under review (1 July 2014 to
article 15, since no special circumstances existed to 30 June 2015), the Fund received no new applications.
justify departure from such a line; and the boundary It continued to be seized of applications from Bur-
in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf kina Faso and the Niger, received during the previous
should be established according to the three-step pro- reporting period and relating to a dispute between
cess the Court had consistently employed in its ap- the two States concerning a section of their common
plication of articles 74 and 83. According to Somalia, boundary [YUN 2014, p. 1481]. A panel of experts set up
Kenya maintained the position that the maritime in accordance with paragraph 9 of the Revised Terms
boundary should be a straight line emanating from of Reference continued to examine the applications
the parties’ land boundary terminus, and extending with a view to advising the Secretary-General on the
due east along the parallel of latitude on which the parameters of the financial assistance.
land boundary terminus sits, through the full extent One State contributed to the Fund, which as
of the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and con- at 30 June had a balance of $3.19 million. Noting
tinental shelf, including the continental shelf beyond that the number of contributions remained low, the
200 nautical miles. Secretary-General urged States and other entities
As basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Somalia to consider making substantial contributions to the
referred to the declarations, recognizing the Court’s Fund on a regular basis.
Chapter II

International tribunals and court

In 2015, the International Tribunal for the Prosecu-

tion of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Tribunal
International Humanitarian Law Committed in the for the Former Yugoslavia
Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 (icty)
continued to expedite its proceedings, in keeping In 2015, the International Tribunal for the Former
with its completion strategy. During the year, icty Yugoslavia (icty) established by Security Council
rendered two appeal judgements. There were no out- resolution 827(1993) [YUN 1993, p. 440] and based in
standing indictments for violations of core statutory The Hague, Netherlands, continued efforts to imple-
crimes. As the Tribunal moved towards the com- ment its completion strategy [YUN 2002, p. 1275], which
pletion of its mandate, its activities focused on the was endorsed by Council resolution 1503(2003)
completion of pending trials and appeals. [YUN 2003, p. 1330].
The International Criminal Tribunal for the The Tribunal continued to focus on the comple-
Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide tion of pending trials and appeals, rendering two ap-
and Other Serious Violations of International peal judgements. The Office of the Prosecutor made
Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of progress towards the completion of the mandate of
Rwanda and Rwanda Citizens Responsible for Gen- the Tribunal at both the trial and appellate levels
ocide and Other Such Violations Committed in the and continued to work closely with the authorities of
Territory of Neighbouring States between 1 Janu- the States of the former Yugoslavia to encourage co-
ary and 31 December 1994 (ictr) delivered its final operation with the Tribunal and to support domestic
judgement on 14 December in the Butare case— war crimes prosecutions. The Registry provided
largest-ever case of ictr—and formally closed on administrative and judicial support to the Tribunal
31 December, marking the first ad hoc international and coordinated the practical arrangements necessary
criminal tribunal to complete its mandate. for the ongoing process of downsizing the Tribunal’s
operations and the transfer of responsibilities to the
The International Residual Mechanism for International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tri-
Criminal Tribunals operated on two continents bunals (the Mechanism), established by Council reso-
and performed functions inherited from both icty lution 1966(2010) [YUN 2010, p. 1306].
and ictr, attending to judicial matters, providing
protection to witnesses, supervising the enforcement As at 31 July, Judge Theodor Meron and Judge
of sentences and managing archives. Carmel Agius continued to serve as President and
Vice-President, respectively. On 21 October, Judge
In December, the General Assembly welcomed Agius and Judge Liu Daqun were elected as President
the completion of the judicial work of ictr follow- and Vice-President of the Tribunal, respectively, and
ing delivery of its last judgement, acknowledged took office on 17 November. Serge Brammertz con-
the substantial contribution of the Tribunal to tinued to serve as Prosecutor and John Hocking as
the process of national reconciliation, and to the Registrar.
fight against impunity and the development of in- On 9 December, President Agius informed the
ternational criminal justice, especially in relation Security Council that the Tribunal continued to make
to the crime of genocide. The Assembly requested progress in completing its work [S/PV.7574]. On 14 De-
icty to complete its work and facilitate the closure cember, the Appeals Chamber delivered its judgement
of icty as expeditiously as possible and called on in one of the largest appeals cases ever, the Butare
States to cooperate fully with icty, as well as with case. The drafting of the judgement in the Karadžić
the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal trial was at a very advanced stage, and would come
Tribunals. to an end before the end of March 2016. Regarding
The International Criminal Court continued its the Prlić appeal, the most voluminous appeals case in
proceedings with respect to situations of concern the history of the Tribunal, it would require not only
in eight countries. The Office of the Prosecutor time, but adequate uninterrupted resources. The issue
conducted preliminary examination activities in 11 of staff attrition had been, and continued to be, ad-
situations. Twelve arrest warrants were outstanding dressed in the proceedings of the Prlić appeal, Mladić
at year’s end. and Šešelj by increasing the number of staff on the

669
670 Part Four: Legal questions

team and allowing for the possibility of promotion as with the defence case. In March, the Prosecution also
a staff-retention measure. To ensure that staff morale filed a proposal for expediting the presentation of the
was maintained, the Registrar had developed a fair defence case. In June, the defence filed a motion to
and transparent downsizing process in consultation terminate or, in the alternative, to stay the proceed-
with the Staff Union, and dialogue between staff and ings indefinitely, in the light of Mr. Hadžić’s health
management was ongoing. condition. On 26 October, the Trial Chamber de-
The Tribunal delivered two appeal judgements in cided to stay the proceedings for a period of three
2015. All 161 indicted individuals were accounted for, months considering by majority that, inter alia, while
and three appeals involving 10 persons and four trials Mr. Hadžić was fit to stand trial, his health condition
involving 4 persons were ongoing by the end of the year. precluded his detention at the United Nations Deten-
tion Unit in The Hague.
The activities of icty were covered in two reports to
the Security Council and the General Assembly, for the Radovan Karadžić was charged with 11 counts of
period from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015 [A/70/226– genocide, crime against humanity and violations of
S/2015/585] and from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016 the laws or customs of war, for acts allegedly com-
[A/71/263–S/2016/670]. The Assembly took note of the mitted in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992
2014/2015 report on 13 October (decision 70/506). and 1995. The trial commenced on 26 October 2009
[YUN 2009, p. 1282]. A variety of measures to expedite
On 14 September (decision 69/564), the General preparation of the trial judgement had been taken,
Assembly decided to include the item on icty in the including recruitment of additional staff members.
draft agenda of its seventieth (2015) session. On 23 De-
cember (decision 70/554), the Assembly decided that Vojislav Šešelj was charged with nine counts of
the agenda item on icty would remain for considera- crimes against humanity and violations of the laws
tion during its resumed seventieth (2016) session. or customs of war, for acts allegedly committed in
Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Vojvodina (Serbia)
between August 1991 and September 1993 [YUN 2003,
The Chambers p. 1311 & YUN 2004, p. 1277]. Trial proceedings con-
cluded on 20 March 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1271]. Fol-
During the year, the Tribunal’s three Trial Cham-
lowing Judge Niang’s familiarization with the trial
bers rendered no judgements [A/70/226–S/2015/585],
record, the Chamber commenced fresh deliberations
while the Appeals Chamber rendered two final
on 30 June 2015.
judgements. Judicial activities included first instance
and appeals proceedings against judgements, inter- Petar Jojić, Jovo Ostojić and Vjerica Radeta were
locutory decisions, State requests for review and con- charged with four counts of contempt of court in rela-
tempt cases. As at 31 July, icty had 20 judges from tion to alleged witness intimidation in the Šešelj case.
19 countries, including 13 permanent tribunal judges, The proceedings in this case were confidential until
four permanent judges of the International Criminal 1 December 2015. Arrest warrants had been pending
Tribunal for Rwanda (ictr) serving in the Appeals execution in Serbia since 19 January 2015 and it was
Chambers, and three ad litem (short-term) judges. not possible to estimate the exact commencement and
length of the case.
In the case Prosecutor v. Vujadin Popović et al.,
Ongoing cases, trials and appeals involving six appellants, the appeal judgement was
Ratko Mladić was charged with 11 counts of rendered on 30 January. The Appeals Chamber af-
genocide, crimes against humanity and violations firmed the majority of the defendants’ convictions,
of the laws or customs of war, all in relation to acts while granting certain grounds of appeal raised by
allegedly committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Appellants. The Appeals Chamber affirmed
between 12 May 1992 and 30 November 1995 Mr. Popović’s and Mr. Beara’s sentences to life impris-
[YUN 1995, p. 1314]. The trial commenced on 16 May onment; affirmed Mr. Nikolić’s sentence of 35 years
2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1270]. The preparation and presen- of imprisonment; reduced Mr. Miletić’s sentence
tation of the new evidence was completed on 8 July from 19 to 18 years of imprisonment; and affirmed
2015, and the defence case was expected to continue Mr. Pandurević’s sentence of 13 years of imprison-
until 2016. The projected date of the delivery of the ment.
judgment remained November 2017. In the case Prosecutor v. Zdravko Tolimir, the ap-
Goran Hadžić was charged with 14 counts of peal judgement was rendered on 8 April. The Appeals
crimes against humanity and violations of the laws Chamber affirmed Mr. Tolimir’s sentence of life impris-
or customs of war, all in relation to acts allegedly onment, while granting certain grounds of his appeal.
committed in Croatia and Serbia between 25 June In the Stanišić and Simatović case, the appeal
1991 and December 1993. The Trial commenced on judgement was rendered on 15 December. The Ap-
16 December 2012 [YUN 2012, p. 1270]. In March and peal Chamber, by majority, granted certain grounds
June 2015, the Prosecution filed motions to proceed of appeal lodged by the Office of the Prosecutor and
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 671

ordered that Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović be which they were assigned. The Assembly also reap-
retried on all counts of the indictment. pointed Serge Brammertz as the icty Prosecutor, for
One Appeals Chamber case was outstanding, a term with effect from 1 January 2016 until 31 De-
namely the Prlić et al. case. That was the most volu- cember 2016.
minous appellate case in the history of the Tribunal,
with seven appellants (including the Office of the Office of the Prosecutor
Prosecutor) and a combined total of over 500 grounds
and sub-grounds of appeal. The six defendants were In 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor remained
convicted by the Trial Chamber of crimes against focused on completing its work in the final trial and
humanity and war crimes committed in Bosnia and appeal proceedings, while managing its downsizing
Herzegovina between 1992 and 1994. Briefing in the process. The Office continued to reallocate staff and
appeal proceedings was completed on 29 May, and resources to ensure that all court-ordered deadlines
the projected time frame for delivery of the appeal were met. The Office continued to assist Mechanism
judgement remained November 2017. officials and personnel in transferring functions in
In the case Prosecutor v. Mićo Stanišić and Stojan accordance with the transitional arrangements.
Župljanin, the appeal hearing took place in late 2015, As at 31 July, judgements were issued in two
and the delivery of the appeal judgement was expected appeals (Popović et al. and Tolimir); two trials were in
in June 2016. the defence evidence presentation phase (Hadžić and
On 14 December, the ictr Appeals Chamber, on Mladić); in two trials the parties were awaiting judge-
which the icty judges also sat, delivered its judgement ment by the Trial Chamber (Karadžić and Šešelj). In
in the case Prosecutor v. Nyiramasuhuko et al., also one case on appeal, the parties were awaiting judge-
known as the Butare case—the final and largest-ever ment by the Appeal Chamber (Stanišić and Simatović);
case of ictr. and in two appeals the parties had completed written
submissions and were awaiting scheduling of the oral
hearing (Stanišić and Župljanin and Prlić et al.). On
Judges of the Court
15 December, the Appeals Chamber partially granted
Extension of terms of office and ad litem judges the Office’s appeal in the Stanišić and Simatović case,
ICTY request for extension. On 28 October revoked the Trial Chamber’s judgement and ordered
[A/70/547–S/2015/825], the Secretary-General transmit-
a retrial.
ted to the Security Council and the General Assembly The Office continued to rely on the full coopera-
identical letters dated 1 October from the icty Pres- tion of States to fulfil its mandate. The Office contin-
ident requesting the extension of the term of office of ued to have appropriate access to documents, archives
14 permanent judges and three ad litem judges until and witnesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia
the date set out therein or until the completion of the and Serbia. However, Serbia had failed to cooperate
cases to which they were assigned. with the Tribunal and to execute the Tribunal’s arrest
Nomination for reappointment. By a letter warrants for three Serbian indictees. Serbia had been
of 14 December to the Council [S/2015/969], the obligated to enforce these arrest warrants since Janu-
Secretary-General nominated Serge Brammertz for ary 2015. The Office called upon Serbian authorities
reappointment as the icty Prosecutor for a four-year to promptly arrest the three indictees and surrender
term. them to the Tribunal’s custody.
By General Assembly resolution 70/227 of 23 De- With respect to cooperation in judicial matters
cember (see p. 678), the Assembly extended the term between States of the former Yugoslavia, meaning-
of office of six permanent and ad litem judges who ful results were achieved in cooperation between
were members of the Trial Chambers and the Appeals regional prosecution offices in the investigation
Chamber, until 31 March 2016 or until the comple- and prosecution of war crimes. In March, Serbian
tion of the cases to which they were assigned, as well authorities, with the cooperation and support of
as the term of office of one permanent judge who was a Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities and the Office of
member of the Appeals Chamber, until 30 June 2016 the Prosecutor, arrested eight suspects on suspicion of
or until the completion of the cases to which he had participation in the Srebrenica genocide.
been assigned. It also extended the term of office of With respect to the transition from icty to national
three permanent and ad litem judges who were mem- war crimes prosecutions, the Office continued to assist
bers of the Trial Chamber, until 31 October 2016 or national judicial authorities in the former Yugoslavia
until the completion of the cases to which they had to handle their war crimes cases. Only a limited
been assigned, as well as the term of office of seven number of the outstanding cases at the national level
permanent judges who were members of the Trial had been prosecuted to date, due to the lack of fully
Chambers and the Appeals Chamber, until 31 De- adopted and implemented strategic approaches to the
cember 2016 or until the completion of the cases to investigation and prosecution of war crimes under
672 Part Four: Legal questions

national jurisdiction. However, progress was made in Mechanism and was responsible for detaining up to
the prosecution of the Srebrenica genocide with the 23 individuals in conditions exceeding the relevant in-
filing of an indictment against three former mid-level ternational standards. It facilitated detainees’ presence
police officials. There was also quantitative progress in at court hearings, ensured the care and security of
the processing of war crimes cases at the entity level. detained witnesses. In April, in line with the steady
The Office continued its efforts to transfer exper- decrease in the detainee population, the Unit de-
tise and information to national authorities in order commissioned one of its wings, thereby reducing the
to build capacity for national war crimes prosecutions number of cells from 52 to 32. The Conference and
in the former Yugoslavia, and also shared the lessons Language Services Section continued to provide inter-
learned and best practices developed from its work pretation, translation and court reporting services for
with national counterparts working across a range the Tribunal, resulting in approximately 45,000 pages
of criminal justice sectors in Africa, South America, of translation, 1,350 conference interpreter days and
Europe and Middle East. While remaining focused 28,000 pages of transcripts over the year.
on its core functions, the Office continued work on To transfer records and archives from the
a manuscript recording the fundamental insights of Tribunal to the Mechanism, the Registrar estab-
the Office regarding the prosecution of crimes of lished a high-level Records and Archives Working
sexual violence, crafted with a capacity-building fo- Group to coordinate and monitor the transfer pro-
cus in mind, which was scheduled for publication in cess. Through 29 high school and university lectures
early 2016. and presentations, the outreach programme of the
Communications Service reached around 1,000 stu-
The Registry dents and teachers across the region to inform people
in the former Yugoslavia about the Tribunal. The field
During the year, the Registry provided judicial, offices of the Tribunal in Belgrade (Serbia) and Sara-
diplomatic, operational and administrative support for jevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) organized 28 outreach
the Tribunal and managed its outreach programme. events, reaching more than 1,200 individuals.
The Immediate Office of the Registrar continued to As part of the overall liquidation plan, the
support the Registrar in his overall responsibility of Administrative Support Service Division remained
directing the Registry; in managing operations of the engaged in staff downsizing efforts and coordi-
Mechanism Registry in both Arusha and The Hague, nated the preparation of the proposed budgets for
and in the implementation of downsizing procedures. the Tribunal and Mechanism for the biennium
The Division of Judicial Support Services of the 2016–2017. The Division presented its first financial
Registry supported four cases on trial and five on ap- statements compliant with the International Public
peal, involving 20 accused persons, and filed approxi- Sector Accounting Standards (ipsas) and undertook
mately 180 legal submissions relevant to the Tribu- Umoja conversion activities. It also provided overall
nal’s ongoing or completed cases. As at 31 July 2015, administrative support and services to the Mecha-
the Victims and Witnesses Section had provided nism in the areas of human resources, general services,
operational and psychosocial assistance to 206 wit- procurement, finance, information technology and
nesses and accompanying support persons appearing security.
before the Tribunal. For its Pilot Study on the long-
term impact of giving testimony at the Tribunal, the
Section achieved its goal of completing 300 witness in- Financing
terviews. The Courtroom Operations Unit supported 2014–2015 biennium
four trials and five appeals and the Judicial Records
Unit, in cooperation with the Courtroom Operations Report of Secretary-General. In November, the
Unit, had processed approximately 90 requests for Secretary-General submitted the second performance
assistance submitted by national jurisdictions. More- report [A/70/554] on the icty budget for the 2014–2015
over, the Judicial Record Unit had processed 3,429 biennium, providing an estimate of the anticipated fi-
Tribunal filings (124,691 pages), 299 Mechanism fil- nal level of expenditure and income for the biennium.
ings (1,920 pages) and 622 transcripts (55,005 pages). It reflected a decrease of $11.9 million compared with
The Office for Legal Aid and Defence continued to the revised appropriation for the biennium, approved
administer the legal aid system of the Tribunal, over- by General Assembly resolution 69/255 [YUN 2014,
seeing more than 170 defence team members. Of the p. 1486]. The Assembly was requested to approve the
20 individuals in trial and appeal proceedings, 18 final appropriation for the biennium 2014–2015 of
were found unable or partially unable to remunerate $191,107,400 gross ($167,197,300 net) to the Special
counsel and were thus granted legal aid. Approxi- Account for icty.
mately half of those cases were ranked at the high- ACABQ report. In December [A/70/600],
est complexity level. The United Nations Detention the Advisory Committee on Administrative and
Unit continued to support both the Tribunal and the Budgetary Questions (acabq) recommended that
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 673

the Assembly take note of the second performance would deliver its forty-fifth and final judgement on
report and approve the final appropriation for the appeal in the Butare case involving six accused, which
2014–2015 of biennium. would mark the completion of the Tribunal’s core ju-
dicial functions. With the completion of that case,
2016–2017 biennium ictr would formally close its door on 31 December
2015, and only liquidation activities would remain
In September [A/70/397], the Secretary-General sub- to be completed during the first half of 2016. Ictr
mitted the icty resource requirements for the 2016– would become the first ad hoc international criminal
2017 biennium, which, before recosting, amounted to tribunal to complete its mandate and it would hand its
$113,609,500 gross. After adjustment for other income, remaining functions over to its residual mechanism,
the proposed resources amounted to $113,429,500 the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal
gross ($101,180,500 net), reflecting a decrease in real Tribunals.
terms of $87,730,800 gross (43.6 per cent), compared The Tribunal’s final report to the Council pro-
with the 2014–2015 resources at revised rates. vided an overview of the work of ictr, including
Acabq, in December [A/70/600], recommended 5,800 days of proceedings in which ictr brought
approval of resource requirements in the amount of indictments against 93 individuals, issued 55 first-
$113,583,900 gross ($101,154,900) for the 2016–2017 instance judgements and 45 appeal judgements and
biennium for icty. heard the accounts of more than 3,000 witnesses dur-
In December [A/70/606], the Secretary-General ing ictr trials. The evolution of the Tribunal’s referral
submitted revised estimates for the icty 2016–2017 programme, which culminated in the transfer of eight
proposed budget, arising from the effect of inflation cases from ictr to Rwanda, represented a significant
and changes in rates of exchange, which, after re- part of the Tribunal’s legacy, which were all aimed at
costing, amounted to $95,747,100 gross. Acabq had meeting international fair trial standards.
no objection to the revised estimates and transmit- The ictr President updated the Council on the
ted them to the General Assembly for consideration progress being made with respect to the issue of repa-
[A/70/7/Add.35]. rations for victims of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
The International Organization for Migration had
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION completed and submitted a draft assessment study to
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, the government of Rwanda, and the final report of
on the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative the study would be issued in due course. The Tribunal
and Budgetary) Committee [A/70/633], adopted reso- had transferred 80 per cent of its records to the Mech-
lution 70/242 (Financing of the International anism, and the remaining transfer of its records would
Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible be completed upon closure. In the final month of
for Serious Violations of International Humanita- operation, the Tribunal continued to ensure that the
rian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former knowledge gained and lessons learned throughout its
Yugoslavia since 1991) without a vote [agenda item 145]. existence were not only passed on to its successor, the
On 23 December, the Assembly decided that the Mechanism, but also shared with other national and
agenda item on icty financing would remain for international jurisdictions.
consideration during its seventieth (2016) session The ictr President made his final appearance be-
(decision 70/554). fore the Security Council, and expressed sincere hope
that, as ictr closed its doors, part of its legacy would
be the tremendous potential to dispense justice held
by the Council. The success of the Tribunal high-
International Tribunal for Rwanda lighted the possibilities for justice to address conflicts
and fight impunity and to provide at least some com-
The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda fort to the victims of heinous crimes.
(ictr), established by Security Council resolution In resolution 70/227 of 23 December (see p. 678),
955(1994) [YUN 1994, p. 299] and based in Arusha, the General Assembly welcomed the completion of
United Republic of Tanzania, completed its work at the judicial work of ictr, following delivery of its
the trial level in 2012. In 2014, the Tribunal marked last judgement on 14 December and the impending
the completion of its appeals work in all but one case, closure of ictr set for 31 December. The Assembly
with the final judgement on appeal in the Butare case, acknowledged the substantial contribution of ictr to
concerning six accused. The delivery on 14 December the process of national reconciliation and the restora-
2015 of the Butare judgement marked the completion tion of peace and security, and to the fight against
of the mandate of the Tribunal. impunity and the development of international
On 9 December [S/PV.7574], ictr President, Judge criminal justice, especially in relation to the crime of
Vagn Joensen, informed the Council that the Tribunal genocide.
674 Part Four: Legal questions

The 2015 activities of ictr were covered in a report denying most requests for relief except for allowing
to the Council and the Assembly, for the periods of the admission of two pieces of additional evidence
1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015 [A/70/218-S/2015/577]. on appeal. On 26 May, the prosecution filed rebuttal
The Assembly took note of the 2014–2015 report on evidence in response to the newly admitted evidence.
13 October (decision 70/505). The other principal litigation function completed
On 14 September (decision 69/563), the Assembly by the Office involved the review and update of dis-
decided to defer consideration of the item on ictr closure obligations in all completed cases. The Office
and to include it in the draft agenda of its seventi- prepared comprehensive records of all past disclo-
eth (2015) session. On 23 December, the Assembly sure, search criteria, and analysis for handover to the
decided that the agenda item on ictr would remain Office of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism. Legal
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) staff within the Office of the Prosecutor continued to
session (decision 70/554). assist on a double-hatting basis the Office of the Pros-
ecutor of the Mechanism in carrying out other key
transitional functions, including conducting ongoing
The Chamber
litigation and archiving official records. With regard
The Chambers were composed of nine permanent to the referral of cases to national jurisdictions, the
judges in the Appeals Chamber and one ad litem Office supported the Mechanism in investigating and
judge serving as President. The one remaining ad responding to requests for revocation of referral orders
litem judge was a member of the Trial Chamber. Nine filed by Bernard Munyagishari and Jean Uwinkindi.
permanent judges sat on the Appeals Chamber; four The Office continued to transfer to the Mecha-
of them were from ictr and five from icty. nism’s Office of the Prosecutor responsibility for the
management and preservation of its official records
Ongoing cases, trials and appeals and archives. In April 2015, the entire vault of the
Office containing the evidence collection was trans-
During the year, the substantive work before the ferred to the Arusha branch of the Mechanism’s
Trial Chamber was complete. Office of the Prosecutor. The total number of transfers
Deliberations were in progress in the final case, amounted to 3,423 boxes of archival paper records
Nyiramasuhuko et al. (Butare) case, which concerned measuring 489 linear metres. The Office had also
six convicted persons, in which the Appeals Chamber transferred a further 425 video tapes of evidence con-
heard oral arguments in April 2015. The Tribunal de- sisting of 402 hours, digitized and migrated in a new
livered judgement on 14 December 2015 in the Butare higher format for long-term preservation.
case, and that marked the completion of the mandate In terms of the preservation of lessons learned and
of ictr. best practices, on 11 February 2015, the Office released
a best practices manual on the referral of international
Judges of the Court criminal cases to national jurisdictions. An updated
digest of Appeals Chamber judgements of ictr and
Extension of terms of office and ad litem judges icty was completed in June 2015. Work on other proj-
Ictr held its twenty-fifth and final plenary session ects, including a summary of factual findings from all
on 13 May in The Hague. The session featured the re- Tribunal judgements, remained under way.
election of the President for a term until 31 December
2015 to coincide with his term of office as judge. The Registry
The Registry supported the judicial process by serv-
Office of the Prosecutor icing the Tribunal’s other organs and the defence, as
The work of the Office of the Prosecutor focused well as by seeking support from States, international
on three main areas: completion of remaining appeals organizations and other stakeholders in the conduct
and other ongoing litigation; support on a double- of proceedings.
hatting basis for core work undertaken by the Office The Office of the Registrar supported the hold-
of the Prosecutor of the Mechanism; and compila- ing of the oral hearing in the Butare case as well as
tion of lessons learned and best practices. As pro- judicial filings involving pending contempt cases. It
gress in completing its work continued, the Office also continued to provide administrative support to
implemented additional staff reductions, resulting in defence lawyers, including securing cooperation from
a further separation of nine staff members effective Member States. The Registrar transmitted more than
15 May 2015. 114 notes verbales and other correspondence related
Litigation in connection with the Tribunal’s last to the operations of the Tribunal, in particular, to
appeal, the Butare case, continued. The Appeals secure support and cooperation from Member States
Chamber decided all but one of the pending motions, with respect to the remaining appeal cases and the
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 675

relocation of the acquitted and released persons. Financing

The Registrar continued to work closely with the
President to deploy all efforts to find host countries 2014–2015 biennium
for the eight remaining acquitted persons and three Report of Secretary-General. In November,
released convicts. It also managed the wide dissemi- the Secretary-General submitted the second perfor-
nation of information about the Tribunal’s activities mance report [A/70/553] on the ictr budget for the
by means of press meetings, newsletters and press re- biennium 2014–2015, providing an estimate of the
leases as well as the website, films and information anticipated final level of expenditure and income for
brochures in English, French and Kinyarwanda. The the biennium. It reflected an increase of $72.4 mil-
Registrar maintained an open line of communication lion compared with the revised appropriation for the
with universities and other educational institutions in biennium, approved by General Assembly resolution
the region. In April 2015, the Tribunal participated 69/254 [YUN 2014, p. 1491]. The Assembly was requested
in an event held to commemorate the twenty-first to approve the final appropriation for the biennium
anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide in Dar es Sa- 2014–2015 of $169,348,100 gross ($160,753,400 net)
laam. The Tribunal also developed and implemented to the Special Account for ictr.
a strategic framework for the three components of the
ACABQ report. In December [A/70/600], acabq
archiving project, including digital/electronic records
recommended that the General Assembly take note of
management project, audiovisual redaction project,
the second performance report and approve the final
and physical records management project, in order to
appropriation for the biennium 2014–2015.
streamline the preparation and transfer of its records.
The Judicial and Legal Affairs Section provided
legal support to the appeal process, the Office of 2016–2017 biennium
the President and the Registrar and supervision In October [A/70/448], the Secretary-General sub-
of activities related to court management, defence mitted resource requirements for the period from
counsel, detainees at the United Nations Detention 1 January to 31 May 2016 for the ictr liquidation,
Facility and acquitted and convicted persons released which, before recosting, amounted to $2,376,900 net
in the United Republic of Tanzania. The Section ($2,503,800 gross).
worked closely with the Mechanism on matters re-
Acabq, in December [A/70/600], recommended
lated to witness and victims’ support by preparing
approval of the ictr resource requirements in the
witness files for handover in completed cases before
amount of $2,103,700 net ($2,207,700 gross) for the
the Tribunal. As at 30 June 2015, the UN Detention
biennium 2016–2017.
Facility housed a total inmate population of 13 de-
tained persons, including six convicted persons await- In December [A/70/606], the Secretary-General
ing appeals judgements and seven convicted persons submitted revised estimates for the ictr 2016–2017
awaiting orders for transfer for the enforcement of proposed budget, arising from the effect of inflation
sentences by the Mechanism. and changes in rates of exchange, which, after re-
The Division of Administrative Support Service was costing, amounted to $1,774,600 gross. Acabq had
involved in the preparations for the implementation of no objection to the revised estimates and transmit-
Umoja. It also continued to liquidate excess assets in ted them to the General Assembly for consideration
[A/70/7/Add.35].
line with the ictr liquidation plan. The retention pro-
cess centred on the following issues: determining who GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
would be retained, how such a determination would be
made, preventing essential staff from leaving en masse On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
and coping with the mass separations. To address the Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com-
situation, ictr adopted an ad hoc review mechanism mittee [A/70/632], adopted resolution 70/241 (Financ-
that entailed the establishment of a retention task force ing of the International Criminal Tribunal for the
to propose review criteria, the establishment of section Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Genocide
retention panels and the appointment of an advisory and Other Serious Violations of International
retention review committee to review contentious Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory
cases and make recommendations to the management. of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for
The Career Development and Counselling Unit was Genocide and Other Such Violations Committed
implementing a four-pronged strategy to support in the Territory of Neighbouring States between
the completion of the Tribunal’s mandate, including 1 January and 31 December 1994) without a vote
training programmes to support personal and profes- [agenda item 144].
sional transition of staff, programmes to support com- On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
pletion of operations, stress counselling and coaching decided that the agenda item on ictr financing would
support, and provision of welfare support to separating remain for consideration during its seventieth (2016)
and relocating staff and families. session.
676 Part Four: Legal questions

The Registry further translated 12,000 pages and pro-

Functioning of the Tribunals vided 600 conference interpreter days. The Registry
also facilitated and serviced 91 court days, in support
Working Group report. On 31 December of the ongoing trials and appeals.
[S/2015/1053], the Chair of the Informal Working The Registry’s Victims and Witnesses Section
Group on International Tribunals submitted to the assisted approximately 55 witnesses and support
Security Council President an account of the Group’s persons during the reporting period. The Office for
activities from the period 1 January to 31 December Legal Aid and Defence Matters continued to admin-
2015. The Working Group held three meetings, in- ister the Tribunal’s legal aid system, overseeing ap-
cluding with the Presidents and the Prosecutors of the proximately 130 defence team members, who worked
two Tribunals and the principals of the International with both represented and self-represented accused,
Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (the thereby safeguarding the defendants’ rights to legal
Mechanism) in preparation for their briefings to the representation.
Security Council. The Permanent Representative of
The Tribunal continued its planned downsizing
Chile, in his capacity as Chair, briefed the Council on
process for the biennium 2014–2015; with adjust-
the activities of the Working Group on 3 June (7455th
ments to timelines for downsizing of posts made in
meeting) and 9 December (7574th meeting). The
line with revisions to the trial and appeal schedule, the
Working Group also met on 7 December to consider
Tribunal would have approximately 400 posts, reflect-
the request for the extension of the terms of office of
ing a reduction of about 70 per cent of the peak staff-
the judges of icty and made recommendations to the
ing levels of approximately 1,300 posts in 2006. The
Security Council regarding the request.
comparative review process for abolishments of posts
for the 2016–2017 biennium was conducted during
Implementation of completion strategies the second and third quarters of 2015.
ICTY The Registry continued to provide the branch of
the Mechanism in The Hague with judicial support
In response to Security Council resolution services, which included assistance with the mainte-
1534(2004) [YUN 2004, p. 1292], the icty President re- nance of judicial records, legal aid, language services,
ported in May [S/2015/342] and November [S/2015/874] detention services and witness support services.
on progress made in implementing the icty comple- Assistance was also provided to the Mechanism in
tion strategy. completing its regulatory framework so as to reflect
As at 16 November, four trials, involving four indi- lessons learned and best practices from icty and ictr.
viduals, and three appeals, involving ten individuals, All sections of the Registry continued to support the
were ongoing. The Tribunal concluded proceedings Mechanism, including recruitment, communications,
against 147 of the 161 individuals it had indicted. It information technology support, and overall Registry
continued to implement measures to expedite its work, management. The outreach programme produced and
including planning additional training programmes distributed a short documentary entitled icty Remem-
for legal drafters in the Tribunal’s Chambers; provid- bers: the Srebrenica Genocide (1995–2015), which was
ing teams with additional staff resources; maintaining viewed by more than 120,000 people online. It also
rosters of qualified applicants; requesting flexibility reached a milestone in the Legacy Websites Project
in applying UN staff regulations; and addressing the with the integration of the redesigned website of icty
effects of downsizing on staff members’ morale. into a unified content management system, on which
The most critical challenge faced by icty was staff the websites of the Mechanism and ictr already
attrition. As the Tribunal’s closure date approached, operated.
the attrition rate had significantly accelerated, in par-
ticular among mid- and senior-level staff members ICTR
who had departed for more secure employment oppor-
tunities, depriving the Tribunal of their institutional In response to Security resolution 1534(2004)
knowledge and valuable experience in handling the [YUN 2004, p. 1292], the ictr President submitted
Tribunal’s complicated caseload. reports in May [S/2015/340] and November [S/2015/884]
The main priority of the Registry during the that assessed progress made in implementing the ictr
reporting period continued to be the provision of completion strategy.
full support to the judicial activities. The Registry As at 15 November, the Tribunal completed its
processed and disseminated over 1,828 internal and substantive work at the trial level for all 93 accused
external filings, amounting to 38,077 pages. In addi- indicted by the Tribunal, including 55 first-instance
tion, the Registry drafted and filed approximately 80 judgements involving 75 individuals. The Tribunal
legal submissions relating to the ongoing trials and concluded 5,824 days of proceedings, including initial
appeals, as well as completed cases, of the Tribunal. appearances, oral hearings of motions, status confer-
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 677

ences, judgement deliveries and appeal hearings. The ognized as acts of genocide, crimes against humanity,
Appeals Chamber issued 44 appeal judgements and and war crimes. The Office also secured the referral
appellate proceedings had been concluded in respect of ten genocide indictments to national jurisdictions
of 55 persons, disposing of all but the Butare case. for trial. The referral of those indictments marked an
The Tribunal continued to preserve lessons important milestone in the completion strategy of
learned and share best practices. During its mandate, the Tribunal. The Office actively supported Tribunal-
the Tribunal created a substantial body of jurispru- wide efforts to develop the capacity of regional justice
dence and rendered decisions on those accused of be- sectors, particularly in Rwanda. The Office helped
ing among the most responsible for the genocide in to organize and provided presenters for a Tanzanian
Rwanda, including judgements involving the former judicial conference on developments in international
Prime Minister, government ministers, high-ranking humanitarian law and human rights law that was
military leaders and many other high-ranking per- held in Arusha in August 2015. To coincide with the
sonalities. For instance, on 2 September 1998, the twentieth anniversary of the Tribunal, the Prosecutor
Tribunal issued the first judgement by an interna- convened the seventh Colloquium of Prosecutors of
tional court on the crime of genocide, when it con- International Criminal Tribunals and Special Courts
victed Jean-Paul Akayesu [YUN 1998, p. 1201]. In ren- to discuss developments in international criminal
dering its judgement, the Tribunal became the first justice. The focus of the colloquium was on domestic
international court to interpret the definition of gen- prosecution of international crimes.
ocide set forth in the Convention on the Prevention Icrc paid its last visit to the United Nations De-
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948. tention Facility on 7 November 2015 and concluded
The Tribunal further impacted the development that the Facility conformed to international standards
of international criminal law by providing the first and that the transition to the Residual Mechanism
modern examination of the role of the media with had been conducted smoothly. With more than 200
respect to direct and public incitement to commit staff members expected to separate from the Tribunal
genocide. in December 2015, the Division of Administrative
A key component in the completion strategy of Support Services addressed the challenges of ensur-
the Tribunal had been the referral of indictments to ing that staff were paid their entitlements in a timely
national jurisdictions for trial. The Tribunal referred manner. As the Tribunal approached closure, the
a total of ten cases to national jurisdictions, including Information Technology Services Section contin-
eight cases to Rwanda (two apprehended accused and ued to support the various downsizing activities of
six fugitives) and two cases to France. As at 15 No- the Tribunal and provide support to the information
vember, the six fugitives whose cases had been referred technology infrastructure of the Residual Mechanism
to Rwanda remained at large. Trial proceedings in in Arusha and Kigali.
relation to the two apprehended accused referred to
The Registry carried out outreach activities aimed
Rwanda were ongoing. Proceedings in relation to the
at strengthening the capacity of the Rwanda judici-
two apprehended accused referred to France remained
ary and raising awareness of the work of the Tribunal
in the pretrial or investigatory stage. In line with the
among the Rwanda public. Awareness-raising work-
transitional arrangements contained in the annex to
Security Council resolution 1966 (2010) [YUN 2010, shops were conducted in various communes in
p. 1307], the Residual Mechanism took over the
Rwanda for approximately 5,000 participants, as well
monitoring of all referred cases effective 1 July 2012. as for more than 20,000 students and teachers from
The judges of the Trial Chambers and the Appeals Rwandan schools. During its existence, the Tribunal
Chamber held their first plenary session from 26 to welcomed more than 48,000 visitors in Arusha.
30 June 1995 [YUN 1995, p. 109] and conducted the To assist the Office of the Prosecutor of the Re-
twenty-fifth and final plenary session on 13 May 2015 sidual Mechanism in assuming responsibility for on-
at The Hague. going disclosure obligations, the Office of the Prose-
The Office of the Prosecutor was responsible for cutor updated disclosure records and search criteria in
the investigation and prosecution of all cases falling all closed cases. The Tribunal transferred the human
within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal. Securing the resources, travel, procurement and about 80 per cent
arrest of persons indicted by the Tribunal was one of the finance functions it had to the Residual Mecha-
of the greatest challenges the Office faced. With the nism, and would transfer all remaining administrative
assistance of national authorities, the Office secured functions by the end of 2015.
the arrest or surrender of 83 fugitives from 27 dif- The ictr President concluded that since its es-
ferent jurisdictions in Africa, Europe and North tablishment by the Security Council in 1994, the
America. The prosecutions by the Office contrib- Tribunal had sought to contribute to peace and
uted to the development of international humanita- reconciliation in the Great Lakes region through
rian law through landmark decisions where rape and justice and through the capacity-building and out-
other forms of sexual violence were defined and rec- reach programmes it created. Over the course of the
678 Part Four: Legal questions

past 21 years, the Tribunal played a significant role try provided and coordinated an increasing range of
in the development of various facets of international administrative and judicial support services for the
criminal law and international humanitarian law. Mechanism. It also assisted in the conclusion of a host
In its final months, the Tribunal continued to en- state agreement with the Netherlands and was man-
sure that the knowledge gained and lessons learned aging the construction of the new premises for the
throughout its existence were not only passed on to Arusha branch.
its successor, the Residual Mechanism, but were also The third and fourth annual reports of the Mecha-
shared with other national and international jurisdic- nism covered the periods from 1 July 2014 to 30 June
tions. The legacy of the Tribunal was not limited to its 2015 [A/70/225–S/2015/586] and from 1 July 2015 to
judicial decisions or to the capacity-building and out- 30 June 2016 [A/71/262–S/2016/669]. The General
reach programmes it launched over the years. More Assembly took note of the reports on 13 October
importantly, the Tribunal would not be so close to (decision 70/507). On 23 December, the Assembly
complete its mandate without the contributions from decided that the agenda item on the Mechanism
the staff of the Tribunal and without the international would remain for consideration during its seventieth
cooperation and support from Member States. In (2016) session (decision 70/554).
order to commemorate more than two decades of ju-
dicial work, the Tribunal was planning events mark- SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
ing its closure, with a main closing event being held On 16 November [meeting 7559], following consulta-
on 1 December 2015, in Arusha. Those closing events tions among Security Council members, the President
once again reminded the international community of made statement S/PRST/2015/21 on behalf of the
the unspeakable atrocities that occurred in Rwanda Council.
in 1994, and would provide representatives from
Member States, government officials, judges, legal Report of International Residual Mechanism.
practitioners and scholars from across the world the Pursuant to statement S/PRST/2015/21 (see above),
opportunity to come together to discuss the legacy of the President of the Mechanism transmitted the
the Tribunal and to do so one last time in Arusha, the review report [S/2015/896] dated 20 November on
seat of the Tribunal for the past 21 years. the progress of the Mechanism’s work in the initial
period. On 23 December, the Assembly welcomed the
International Residual Mechanism report and the supplementary information.

The Security Council established the Interna- SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION

tional Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals On 22 December [meeting 7593], the Security
(the Mechanism) by resolution 1966(2010) [YUN 2010, Council adopted resolution 2256(2015) by vote (14-
p. 1306], with the mandate to execute the residual 0-1). The draft [S/2015/1005] was submitted by Chile.
functions of icty and ictr, following the closure of
those entities. The Mechanism had two branches: the VOTE ON RESOLUTION 2256(2015):
one for ictr was launched on 1 July 2012 and the In favour: Angola, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Lithuania,
one for icty commenced functioning on 1 July 2013. Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, United Kingdom,
United States, Venezuela.
In response to the same resolution, the President and Against: None.
the Prosecutor of the Mechanism submitted progress Abstaining: Russian Federation.
reports in May [S/2015/341] and November [S/2015/883]
on its work for the periods from 16 November 2014 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
to 15 May 2015 and from 16 May to 15 November On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
2015, respectively. Assembly adopted resolution 70/227 [A/70/L.39] (In-
The Mechanism was operating on two continents ternational Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution
and performing functions inherited from both ictr of Persons Responsible for Genocide and Other
and icty. Those functions included attending to ju- Serious Violations of International Humanitarian
dicial matters, providing protection to witnesses, su- Law Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and
pervising the enforcement of sentences and managing Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide and
archives. The President supervised matters related to Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory
the management of the Mechanism, coordinated the of Neighbouring States between 1 January and
work of the Chambers and issued orders and deci- 31 December 1994. International Tribunal for
sions on issues including the enforcement of sentences the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Seri-
and the monitoring of cases referred to Rwanda. The ous Violations of International Humanitarian
Prosecutor focused on the activities such as tracking Law Committed in the Territory of the Former
the remaining fugitives indicted by ictr, rendering Yugoslavia since 1991. International Residual
assistance to national authorities and prosecuting the Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals) without a vote
Mechanism’s first appeal from judgement. The Regis- [agenda items 126, 127 & 128].
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 679

The President and the Chamber of Dragan Nikolić. On 16 November, the Appeals
Chamber denied Ferdinand Nahimana’s request for
During the reporting period from 1 July 2014 review, and issued a confidential decision author-
to 30 June 2015, the President engaged in issues re- izing the assignment of counsel in relation to another
lated to the establishment and management of the potential request for review and a related order. On
Mechanism. In his judicial capacity, the President 8 December, the Appeals Chamber dismissed an ap-
had issued numerous assignment orders, including peal by Jean de Dieu Kamuhanda against a decision
on the assignment of panels to consider the revoca- taken by a single judge on an issue of jurisdiction.
tion of cases referred to Rwanda. With respect to the
enforcement of sentences, the President issued orders
and decisions relating to applications for early release, Office of the Prosecutor
sentence remission and other public and confidential In 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor continued
matters. In addition, the President presided over the to discharge its mandate with respect to a variety
Appeal Chamber and served as pre-appeal judge on of activities, including tracking fugitives, rendering
the Mechanism’s first appeal from judgement, in the assistance to national authorities, monitoring cases
case Augustin Ngirabatware v. the Prosecutor. referred to national jurisdictions, maintaining and
Single judges at the Arusha and The Hague updating fugitive files in anticipation of arrest and
branches rendered a large number of orders and deci- conducting litigation before the Mechanism.
sions on a range of matters, including the variation of The Arusha branch of the Office of the Prosecutor
protective measures. The President, on 13 May 2015, continued to focus its efforts on gradually taking full
assigned a trial chamber to consider Jean Uwinkindi’s responsibility for all remaining functions of the Tri-
oral request for the revocation of the referral of his bunal’s Office of the Prosecutor. The arrest and prose-
case to Rwanda. On 22 October, a trial chamber at cution of the three fugitives, Augustin Bizimana, Fél-
the Arusha branch issued a decision dismissing Jean icien Kabuga and Protais Mpiranya, remained a key
Uwinkindi’s request; and the Trial Chamber issued priority, and the Prosecutor continued efforts to track
nine additional decisions or orders in the course of the those fugitives, with particular emphasis on the south-
first-instance proceedings relating to the matter. On ern African and Great Lakes regions. The Prosecutor
17 December, the President assigned a Trial Chamber continued to render assistance to Rwanda in the track-
at The Hague branch to conduct the full retrial or- ing of the six fugitives whose cases had been referred
dered by the icty Appeals Chamber in December to Rwanda, namely Fulgence Kayishema, Phénéas
in the case Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović. On Munyarugarama, Aloys Ndimbati, Ladislas Ntagan-
18 December, Mr. Stanišić and Mr. Simatović pleaded zwa, Ryandikayo and Charles Sikubwabo; and jointly
not guilty at their initial appearance and, on 22 De- developed new initiatives with the Rwanda authorities
cember, the Trial Chamber authorized their provi- to facilitate those efforts. With the conclusion of the
sional release pending trial. Ngirabatware case, the ad hoc appeals team prosecut-
The Appeals Chamber delivered its first appeal ing it was disbanded and the four staff members were
judgement in the case Augustin Ngirabatware and separated from service by 31 January 2015. The Office
issued a number of decisions in that and other cases. serviced foreign request for assistance by responding
On 19 January, it denied a request from Aloys Nta- to 26 requests for assistance from eight Member States
bakuze for the assignment of counsel for purpose of and international organizations. The Prosecutor’s
filing a request for review, after the President issued a evidence vault, with a collection comprising 105.55
confidential related decision. On 7 July, the Appeals linear metres of documents, was transferred to the
Chamber denied Milan Lukić’s request for review and custody of the Arusha branch on 24 April; and for
issued two other decisions, including a decision on the efficient management of the Prosecutor’s records
13 November dismissing Mr. Lukić’s request to ap- and evidence collection, an associate records manager
peal the decision of 7 July. and an associate information manager were recruited
The Appeals Chamber was also seized with on an ad hoc basis.
requests for review filed by Sreten Lukić and Eliézer The Hague branch of the Office of the Prosecu-
Niyitegeka as well as another confidential matter re- tor responded to a request for review of judgement
lated to the Niyitegeka case. On 8 July, the Appeals by Sreten Lukić. The Prosecution made submissions
Chamber denied Sreten Lukić’s request for review. in two cases concerning the status of documents on
On 13 July, the Appeals Chamber denied Eliézer Ni- the record in cases completed by icty. The Hague
yitegeka’s request for review without prejudice, but branch received 335 requests for assistance from five
granted his request for the assignment of counsel to Member States and one international organization
assist him with a revised requested for review. and responded to requests for information from the
On 22 October, the Appeals Chamber dismissed Registrar of the Mechanism concerning the admin-
the Prosecution’s appeal of a decision taken by the istration of sentences for nine convicted persons. The
President in connection with the provisional release Hague branch, with the assistance, in Bosnia and
680 Part Four: Legal questions

Herzegovina, of the Organization for Security and international bodies and interim monitors provided
Cooperation in Europe, monitored the resentenc- by icty and the Mechanism. In March, following the
ing proceedings in the Milorad Trbić case, which conclusion of a memorandum of understanding with
was referred to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2007 the Mechanism on 15 January, the Kenyan section
[YUN 2007, p. 1336]. of the International Commission of Jurists started
monitoring the cases referred to Rwanda.
The Registry
Construction of a new facility
The Registry was responsible for the provision of
legal, judicial, policy, diplomatic and administrative Report of Secretary-General. In response to
support to the Mechanism’s operations. As at 30 June General Assembly resolution 68/267 [YUN 2014,
2015, a total of 171 staff (in both posts and providing p. 1497], the Secretary-General submitted a January
general temporary assistance positions) had been re- report [A/69/734] on the construction of a new facility
cruited for the Mechanism: 93 for The Hague branch for the Mechanism’s Arusha branch. The report up-
and 78 for the Arusha branch, including Kigali. The dated on the progress made on the project since the
Mechanism’s staff included nationals of 57 States. issuance of the previous report [YUN 2014, p. 1496].
Approximately 84 per cent of those recruited were The Secretary-General reported that on 5 February
current or former staff of the two Tribunals. In Feb- 2014, the Supplementary Agreement to the Agreement
ruary, the Mechanism concluded a contract with a between the UN and the United Republic of Tanzania
Tanzanian construction company based in Arusha, concerning the Headquarters of the International
and ground was broken in the same month. The Aru- Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals for the
sha branch was expected to move to that new premises Premises of the Mechanism was signed, formalizing
in early 2016. the grant of land from the Tanzanian Government to
The Registry continued to support judicial the UN and its commitment to provide temporary and
activities in both branches by preparing and manag- permanent access roads and utilities to the site of the
ing court hearings. Additional Registry support in- new facility, free of charge to the UN. On 26 February
cluded the processing of judicial filings, assigning and 2014, the Mechanism concluded an agreement with an
remunerating defence teams, and providing transla- architectural and engineering consulting firm to im-
tions of correspondence and judicial documents. The plement the project and a contract was concluded for
Witness Support and Protection Unit was fully opera- the provision of detailed design and tender documents,
tional at both branches of the Mechanism and pro- and construction management services once construc-
vided essential protection and support services to wit- tion was under way.
nesses. To maintain witness-related records received The project experienced a slight delay of approxi-
from the Tribunals, the Unit established a common mately two months in entering into a contract with
information technology platform for their respective the architectural and engineering design consultant.
witness databases, which became fully accessible to Strategic measures had been taken by the Mechanism
both branches in November 2015. The Archives and in an effort to overcome the delays. Negotiations
Records Section continued to work closely with the with the selected bidder were expected to commence
Tribunals on the preparation of their records and ar- soon and to be finalized in early 2015. Following the
chives for transfer to the Mechanism. The Section’s completion of the negotiations, construction work
library issued the latest edition of the International was anticipated to begin in February 2015, subject
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Special Bibliography in to the completion of a temporary access road and
November 2015. connection to utilities. Construction was expected to
During the reporting period, the Hague branch last 12 months, resulting in occupancy in early 2016.
transferred four convicted persons to enforcement As at 31 December 2014, expenditures amounted to
States. The Arusha branch was enforcing 29 sen- $1,194,235. The Secretary-General remained com-
tences in 2 States, and the Hague branch was en- mitted to allocating resources in the most effective
forcing 17 sentences in 11 States. In addition, seven and efficient manner during the implementation of
convicted persons at the United Nations Detention the remainder of the project to ensure that it was com-
Facility in Arusha and six convicted persons at the pleted within the overall budget.
United Nations Detention Unit in The Hague were ACABQ report. On 23 February [A/69/788],
awaiting transfer to an enforcement State. On 1 Oc- acabq reiterated its appreciation to the Government
tober, the Mechanism assumed responsibility for the of Tanzania for its provision of land, access roads and
management and operation of the United Nations connection to utilities to the new facility at no cost to
Detention Facility in Arusha. There was no disrup- the UN. It noted the progress made in the audit by the
tion in services provided to the detainees during or Office of Internal Oversight Services and stressed the
after the transition. The Mechanism monitored two of important roles played by the project governance and
the cases referred to Rwanda through monitors from oversight bodies. The Advisory Committee requested
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 681

that the Secretary-General provide the most up-to- 2016–2017 biennium

date information on the construction contract and the Report of Secretary-General. In September
related cost to the Assembly at the time of its consid- [A/70/378], the Secretary-General presented the pro-
eration. The Advisory Committee recommended that posed resource requirements for the Mechanism for
the Assembly request the Secretary-General: to follow the 2016–2017 biennium, which before recosting,
the best practice as recommended by the Board of amounted to $140,905,300 gross ($130,455,000 net),
Auditors with respect to project contingency provi- of which $76,883,900 related to the Arusha branch,
sions in future capital projects; to make every effort $63,623,100 to the Hague branch and $398,300 to
to absorb the higher-than-budgeted amount related Mechanism support in New York.
to the architect fees without charging it to the project
contingency provision; and to provide the value of In December [A/70/606], the Secretary-General
the assets identified in his next progress report to the submitted revised estimates for the Mechanism for
Assembly. Considering the remaining phases of the the 2016–2017 biennium, arising from the effect
project, the Advisory Committee recommended that of changes in rates of exchange, which after recost-
the Assembly request the Secretary-General to iden- ing, amounted to $133,522,300 gross. Acabq had
tify all mitigation measures with a view to absorb- no objection to the revised estimates and transmit-
ing cost escalations within the project construction ted them to the General Assembly for consideration
budget; to refrain, to the maximum extent possible, [A/70/7/Add.35].
from charging cost escalations to the contingency ACABQ report. A December report of acabq
provision; and to make every effort to ensure that [A/70/600], recommended approval of the proposed
the project would be completed within the budget resource requirements in the amount of $140,481,300
approved for the construction without recourse to the gross ($130,064,600 net) for the 2016–2017 bien-
contingency provision. nium for the Mechanism.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
[A/69/693/Add.1], adopted resolution 69/276 (Con- [A/70/634], adopted resolution 70/243 (Financing of
struction of a new facility for the International Re- the International residual mechanism for criminal
sidual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, Arusha tribunals) without vote [agenda item 146].
branch) without vote [agenda item 147]. On 23 December, the General Assembly decided
that the agenda item on the financing of the Mecha-
Financing nism would remain for consideration during its sev-
2014–2015 biennium entieth (2016) session (decision 70/554).
Report of Secretary-General. In November, the
Secretary-General submitted the second performance
report [A/70/558] on the budget of the International International Criminal Court
Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals for the
2014–2015 biennium, providing an estimate of the The International Criminal Court (icc), based at
anticipated final level of expenditure and income for The Hague, was established by the Rome Statute of
the biennium. The anticipated final level of expendi- the International Criminal Court [YUN 1998, p. 1209]
ture amounted to $71.6 million, reflecting a decrease as a permanent institution with jurisdiction over
of $43.9 million. The decrease was the result of the persons accused of the most serious crimes of interna-
strengthening of the dollar against the euro and the tional concern (genocide, crimes against humanity,
Tanzania shilling, lower inflation and decreases re- war crimes and the crime of aggression).
lated to post and non-post resources. The anticipated In 2015, the icc faced an unprecedented workload,
final level of income amounted to $5.0 million, re- with a number of cases simultaneously at trial and
flecting a decrease of $2.2 million. Consequently, several at other stages of proceedings. The Office of
the combined effect of the anticipated final level of the Prosecutor conducted preliminary examination
expenditure and income for amounted to $41.7 mil- activities in 11 situations and opened a new investi-
lion. The Assembly was requested to approve the gation into the situation in Georgia. The Court was
final appropriation for the biennium 2014–2015 of seized of 23 cases and 10 situations. Requests for ar-
$71,588,900 gross ($66,614,300 net). rest and surrender issued by the Court remained out-
ACABQ report. A December report of acabq standing against 13 individuals. On 14 December, the
[A/70/600] recommended that the Assembly take note Court moved to its new permanent premises in The
of the second performance report and approve the fi- Hague. Reports covering icc activities during the year
nal appropriation for the Mechanism. [A/70/350 & A/71/342] were submitted to the General
682 Part Four: Legal questions

Assembly. As at 31 December, 123 countries had rati- Oversight Committee and the Court to ensure that all
fied the Rome Statute. preparatory measures were adopted for the Court to
be ready to take occupation of the permanent premises
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION by no later than December 2015. It also requested the
On 8 May [meeting 89], the General Assembly Oversight Committee and the Project Director to en-
adopted resolution 69/279 [draft: A/69/L.61 & Add.1] sure that every effort was made to mitigate risks, seek
(Report of the International Criminal Report), opportunities for additional savings, and deliver the
without vote [agenda item 73]. project within the expected expenditure level of €204
million, and its current budget envelope. The reso-
lution decided that the project audit for 2015 would
Assembly of States Parties
be conducted so as to include in its scope the project
The Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Stat- accounts up to such a time as the costs had become
ute of the International Criminal Court adopted final, which was expected by the end of March 2016.
five resolutions at its fourteenth session (New York,
18–26 November) [ICC-ASP/14/20]. The Chambers
The Assembly approved appropriations total-
ling €139,590,600 for the Court’s 2016 programme The judicial activities of the Court were conducted
budget, resolved to maintain the Working Capital by the Chambers, which consisted of 18 judges, or-
Fund in the amount of €7,405,983, and decided to ganized in three divisions, including the Appeals
maintain the Contingency Fund at the notional level Division, the Trial Division and the Pre-Trial Division.
of €7 million [ICC-ASP/14/Res.1].
New arrests, warrants and summonses
In resolution on article 124 [ICC-ASP/14/Res. 2], the
Assembly adopted the amendment to article 124 of In the Paul Gicheru and Philip Kipkoech Bett case
the Rome Statute and urged all States to ratify or ac- (situation in Kenya), Pre-Trial Chamber II, on 10 Sep-
cept the amendment to article 124. tember, unsealed an arrest warrant against Gicheru
In a resolution on cooperation [ICC-ASP/14/Res.3], and Bett, initially issued on 10 March for alleged of-
the Assembly welcomed the relocation of persons at fences against the administration of justice by cor-
risk agreements concluded with the Court by States ruptly influencing witnesses in Kenya.
in 2015; invited the Bureau to discuss the feasibility On 18 September, Pre-Trial Chamber I issued a
of establishing a coordinating mechanism of national warrant of arrest against Mr. Al Mahdi for the war
authorities and to report to the Assembly in advance crimes of intentionally directing attacks against his-
of the sixteenth session; took note of the report on toric monuments and buildings dedicated to religion.
arrest strategies by the Rapporteur and of the draft
Action Plan on Arrest Strategies; urged the Bureau Ongoing cases, trials and appeals
to continue consideration of the recommendations of
the draft Action Plan on Arrest Strategies with a view On 27 February 2015, following an appeal by the
to its adoption; and requested the Bureau to maintain Prosecutor, the Appeals Chamber confirmed, by ma-
a facilitation of the Assembly of States Parties for co- jority, the judgment of 18 December 2012 of Trial
operation to consult with States Parties, the Court, Chamber II acquitting Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui of
other interested States, relevant organizations and charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes
non-governmental organizations in order to further [YUN 2012, p. 1289].
strengthen cooperation with the Court. The trial of the Bosco Ntaganda case (situation in
A resolution on strengthening icc and the Assembly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (drc)) began
of States Parties, addressed, among other issues, uni- on 2 September.
versality of the Rome Statute, the Agreement on Privi- In the Thomas Lubanga Dyilo case (situation in the
leges and Immunities, cooperation, relationship with drc), on 22 September, the Appeals Chamber decided
the UN and other international organizations and not to reduce the sentence of Lubanga who, at the
bodies, the activities of the Court, elections, legal aid, time, had four and a half years of his sentence left to
the Study Group on Governance, strategic planning, serve. On 8 December, the Presidency, taking note
victims and reparations, recruitment of staff, the prin- of Lubanga’s preference to serve his sentence in his
ciple of complementarity and programme budget. state of nationality, designated the drc as the state
A resolution on the Court’s permanent premises of enforcement. Reparation proceedings were pend-
[ICC-ASP/14/Res.5] welcomed that the completion of the ing following the 3 March 2015 Judgment of the
project, with cost within the overall financial enve- Appeals Chamber, which amended the Trial Cham-
lope of a maximum of €206 million, including both ber’s order for reparations and instructed the Trust
the construction budget of €194.7 million and the Fund for Victims to present a draft implementation
transition budget of €11.3 million. It requested the plan for collective reparations to Trial Chamber I. On
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 683

3 November, the Trust Fund for Victims submitted jected the Prosecutor’s request to make a finding that
its draft implementation plan for reparations to Trial Kenya had failed to comply with the Court’s request
Chamber II. for cooperation. The decision was remanded to Trial
In the Germain Katanga case (situation in the drc), Chamber V (b).
on 13 November, the Appeals Chamber decided to In the Paul Gicheru and Philip Kipkoech Bett case
reduce Katanga’s total sentence of 12 years’ imprison- (situation in the Kenya), on 10 September 2015, Pre-
ment by three years and eight months, setting the date Trial Chamber II unsealed an arrest warrant against
for the completion of his sentence as 18 January 2016. Gicheru and Bett, initially issued on 10 March for
On 8 December, the Presidency designated the drc as alleged offences against the administration of justice
the state in which Katanga would serve the remainder by corruptly influencing witnesses in Kenya.
of his sentence. On 11 March, Trial Chamber I joined the two
In the Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, Aimé Kilolo cases (situation in Côte d’Ivoire), Laurent Gbagbo and
Musamba, Jean-Jacques Mangenda Kabongo, Fidèle Charles Blé Goudé, in order to ensure the efficacy of
Babala Wandu and Narcisse Arido case (situation in proceedings. The opening of the trial was scheduled
the Central African Republic (car)), the trial opened for 10 November.
on 29 September with the delivery of the Prosecutor’s On 27 May, the Appeals Chamber confirmed
opening statements before Trial Chamber VII. the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I declaring the
In the Dominic Ongwen case (situation in Uganda), case Laurent Gbagbo admissible before the Court
Dominic Ongwen was surrendered to the Court’s cus- [YUN 2014, p. 1502].
tody on 16 January and transferred to the Court’s De-
tention Centre on 21 January. His initial appearance In the Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi case (situation in
took place on 26 January, and the opening of the Mali), on 18 September, Pre-Trial Chamber I issued
confirmation of charges hearing was scheduled for a warrant of arrest against Mr. Al Mahdi for the war
21 January 2016. Dominic Ongwen was the first sus- crimes of intentionally directing attacks against his-
pect to appear before the Court regarding the situa- toric monuments and buildings dedicated to religion.
tion in Uganda. Mr. Al Mahdi first appeared before the Court on
30 September.
In the Joseph Kony and Vincent Otti case (situation
in Uganda), on 10 September, Pre-Trial Chamber II Communications. On 20 March [S/2015/202],
decided to terminate the proceedings against Okot the Secretary-General transmitted to the Security
Odhiambo based on evidence that he had died in Council President a letter dated 9 March from the
October 2013. President of the Court conveying the decision on the
Prosecutor’s request for a finding of non-compliance
In the case Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain
(situation in the Darfur), on 3 March, the Appeals against the Sudan, issued by Pre-Trial Chamber II on
Chamber rejected Banda’s appeal against the decision 9 March in the Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir case.
replacing the summons to appear by a warrant of ar- On 13 August [S/2015/633], the Secretary-General
rest. On 19 November, Trial Chamber IV found that transmitted to the Security Council President the
the Sudan had failed to execute pending requests for decision issued by Pre-Trial Chamber II on the Pros-
the arrest and surrender of Banda. ecutor’s request for a finding of non-compliance
In the Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir case (situ- against the Sudan in the Abdel Raheem Muhammad
ation in Darfur), on 9 March, Pre-Trial Chamber II Hussein case.
found that the Sudan had failed to cooperate with
the Court by refusing to execute the pending requests Office of the Prosecutor
for the arrest and surrender of Omar Hassan Ah-
mad Al Bashir, and referred the finding of the non- Investigations
cooperation of the Sudan to the Security Council (see In 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor continued to
below). investigate situations in the drc, the car, Uganda,
On 26 June, Pre-Trial Chamber II found that the Darfur (the Sudan), Kenya, Libya, Côte d’Ivoire,
Sudan had failed to cooperate with the Court by re- Mali.
fusing to execute the pending requests for the arrest During the period from 1 August 2014 to 31 July
and surrender of Abdel Raheem Muhammed Hussein 2015, on the situation in the drc, the Office con-
and referred the finding of the non-cooperation of the ducted 44 missions to six countries in relation to its
Sudan to the Security Council (see below). investigation and trial preparation in the case against
On 13 March, the Trial Chamber V (b) decided Bosco Ntaganda to collect evidence, screen and in-
to terminate the proceedings in the Uhuru Muigai terview witnesses and secure continued cooperation.
Kenyatta case (situation in the Kenya). On 19 August, The Office also conducted missions to two countries
the Appeals Chamber reversed the decision of Trial for its investigation relating to alleged crimes com-
Chamber V (b) of 3 December 2014, which had re- mitted by the Forces démocratiques pour la liberation
684 Part Four: Legal questions

du Rwanda in the Kivu provinces. Furthermore, the The Registry

Office conducted several missions relating to the re-
quest for interim release filed by Thomas Lubanga. The Registry provided judicial and administrative
support to all organs of the Court and carried out
On the situation in the car, the Office focused its its responsibilities concerning victims, witnesses,
investigations on alleged crimes committed by vari- defence and outreach. The Registry sought to develop
ous actors, including by the armed groups known as understanding and awareness of icc and its activities
the Séléka and the anti-Balaka (see p. 84). The Office by strengthening the Court’s public information
conducted 35 missions to eight countries to collect capacity for outreach services in countries where the
evidence. Court was active. It provided security, administrative
The Office continued its investigation into the situ- and logistical support to the Court’s investigations.
ation in Uganda, conducting 29 missions to obtain The Registry transmitted 1,042 requests for visas
further evidence with a view to bringing additional and 251 requests for cooperation. In January, the Court
charges against Dominic Ongwen. concluded a memorandum of understanding with the
Regarding the situation in Darfur (the Sudan), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to increase
Office conducted 20 missions to nine countries and cooperation concerning the mandate of the Registry’s
continued to monitor trends that could constitute Victims and Witnesses Section in accordance with the
crimes under the Rome Statute, including alleged aer- Rome Statute. It also concluded a memorandum of
ial bombardments, ground attacks, common crimes, understanding on building the capacity of States to
killings, attacks on civilians, sexual violence, forced enforce, in accordance with international standards on
displacement, attacks on humanitarian aid workers the treatment of prisoners, sentences of imprisonment
and peacekeepers and arbitrary detentions. pronounced by the Court.
On the situation in Kenya, the Office continued
to receive information on the commission of crimes International cooperation
against humanity during the post-election violence
in 2007–2008 and conducted 19 missions to five A memorandum of understanding was signed be-
countries. tween the UN Ethics Office and the Court to ensure the
The Office conducted 13 missions in seven administration of the financial disclosure programme
countries and continued to monitor allegations of commenced by the Court in 2015. On 2 June, the
crimes committed by militias and armed groups in Court concluded an exchange of letters with the
Libya. UN enabling the United Nations Multidimensional
Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central
On the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, the Office con-
African Republic (minusca) to provide immediate
tinued its preparation for trial and conducted 42
assistance to the Court on an ad hoc basis, pending
missions to seven countries to collect additional evi-
the finalization of a more comprehensive agreement.
dence, screen and interview or re-interview witnesses
In connection with its investigative and prosecutorial
and secure the continued cooperation of partners.
activities, the Office of the Prosecutor addressed a total
On the situation in Mali, the Office conducted 46 of 366 requests for assistance to 58 different partners,
missions to nine countries to collect evidence, screen including States parties, non-States parties and inter-
and interview witnesses and secure the continued co- national and regional organizations, in addition to
operation of its partners, including States in the Sahel following up on the execution of pending requests.
region. The Court reinforced its involvement and presence in
international networks of judicial practitioners and law
Preliminary examination enforcement actors. Active cooperation was obtained
The Office of the Prosecutor opened a preliminary from such partners as Interpol, the European Union
examination of the situation in the State of Palestine, (European Commission, European External Action
continued preliminary examinations in Afghanistan, Service, Eurojust, Europol), the World Bank, the
Colombia, Georgia, Guinea, Honduras, Iraq, Nige- Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and
ria and Ukraine and concluded its preliminary ex- the Ibero-American Legal Assistance Network. Co-
amination in the car as well as in the “Gaza Freedom operation between the Office of the Prosecutor, the
Flotilla” incident, referred to the Prosecutor by the UN system, civil society and Guinea had borne tangi-
government of the Comoros. ble results for the progress of a national investigation
From 1 August 2014 to 30 June 2015, the Office regarding alleged crimes against humanity committed
received 520 communications relating to article 15 during the events of 28 September 2009.
of the Rome Statute, of which 383 were outside the Reports of Secretary-General. In accordance with
Court’s jurisdiction; 36 warranted further analysis; 68 Assembly resolution 69/279 (see p. 682), the Secretary-
were linked to a situation already under analysis; and General submitted an August report [A/70/346] on ex-
33 were linked to an investigation or prosecution. penses incurred and reimbursement received by the
Chapter II: International tribunals and court 685

UN in connection with assistance provided to icc. cluding reimbursable loans; satellite communications
From 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, the UN provided services; payroll costs for staff assigned to work ex-
facilities and services in the amount of $742,606, clusively on matters pertaining to the Court; access
which covered costs for staff, satellite communications, to the United Nations System Electronic Information
personnel training, conference and related services, Acquisition Consortium; field security services; air
field security, library services and others. and ground transportation services for Court person-
In accordance with the same resolution, the nel and equipment; provision of laissez-passer and
Secretary-General submitted a report [A/70/317] on certificates; and training services, including access
information relevant to the implementation of article to language proficiency examinations for Court staff
3 of the Relationship Agreement between the UN and members. In the field of cooperation and judicial
icc. From 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, the UN worked assistance, addressed in chapter III of the Agreement,
closely with the Court to further strengthen its rela- the UN provided extensive assistance to the Court,
tionship and to ensure the effective implementation of in particular in the form of access to the UN records
the Agreement. In the field of institutional relations, and archives and the making available of a number
addressed in chapter II of the Agreement, the UN pro- of UN personnel for interview by the prosecution in
vided to the Court a range of services and facilities, in- connection with certain situations before the Court.
Chapter III

International legal questions

In 2015, the International Law Commission con- legal obstacles faced by micro-, small- and medium-
tinued to examine topics relating to the progressive sized enterprises throughout their life cycle, and con-
development and codification of international law. sidered possible future work, especially in the area of
It adopted the final report on the Most-Favoured- public procurement and infrastructure development
Nation clause, thus concluding its work on the topic; and public-private partnerships. It provisionally
provisionally adopted three draft guidelines and four approved the draft revised uncitral Notes on Or-
preambular paragraphs on protection of the atmos- ganizing Arbitral Proceedings and parts of a draft
phere, four draft articles on crimes against humanity, Model Law on Secured Transactions.
and one draft conclusion on subsequent agreements The Special Committee on the Charter of the
and subsequent practice in relation to the inter- United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role
pretation of treaties; and took note of sixteen draft of the Organization considered, among other sub-
conclusions on identification of customary interna- jects, proposals relating to the maintenance of inter-
tional law, one subparagraph and one draft article national peace and security, with a view to strength-
on immunity of State officials from foreign criminal ening the Organization, and the implementation of
jurisdiction, and draft introductory provisions and Charter provisions on assistance to third States af-
six draft principles on protection of the environment fected by the application of sanctions.
in relation to armed conflicts. The Commission was The Committee on Relations with the Host
also informed of three draft guidelines provisionally Country addressed several issues raised by perma-
adopted by its drafting committee on the topic of nent missions to the UN, including delays in issu-
provisional application of treaties. In December, the ing visas and activities to assist members of the UN
General Assembly took note of the final report on community.
the topic of the Most-Favoured-Nation clause and
encouraged its widest possible dissemination. During 2015, the United Nations continued to
provide rule-of-law assistance to Member States and
The Assembly’s Sixth (Legal) Committee in Octo- ensure system-wide coordination and coherence in
ber established a working group with a view to finaliz- strengthening the rule of law at the national and
ing the process on a draft comprehensive convention international levels. In December, the Assembly
on international terrorism—on the basis of the work adopted the Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime
that had been pursued by the Ad Hoc Committee Prevention and Criminal Justice into the Wider
established by Assembly resolution 51/210 to elabo- United Nations Agenda to Address Social and
rate the draft convention. The Secretary-General Economic Challenges and to Promote the Rule of
in July reported on measures taken by States, UN Law at the National and International Levels, and
system entities and intergovernmental organizations Public Participation, recognizing the strong interre-
to implement the 1994 Declaration on Measures to lationship between sustainable development and the
Eliminate International Terrorism. In December, the rule of law.
Assembly condemned all acts, methods and practices
of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable, and called
on Member States to implement the United Nations
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in all its aspects. Legal aspects of international
Also in December, the Assembly urged States to be- political relations
come parties to the international conventions and
protocols against terrorism, and called for continued
assistance to Member States for the ratification and International Law Commission
implementation of those instruments; it also called The 34-member International Law Commission
on States to strengthen cooperation against the threat (ilc) held its sixty-seventh session in Geneva in two
of foreign terrorist fighters. parts (4 May–5 June and 6 July–7 August) [A/70/10].
The United Nations Commission on International During the second part, the International Law Semi-
Trade Law (uncitral) continued its work on arbi- nar held its fifty-first session, which was attended by
tration and conciliation, online dispute resolution, 24 participants from all regions of the world. They
electronic commerce, insolvency law, security inter- attended ilc meetings and specially arranged lectures
ests and international trade law aimed at reducing the and participated in working groups on specific topics.

686
Chapter III: International legal questions 687

Since its inception in 1965, 1,163 participants repre- The Planning Group established by the
senting 171 nationalities had taken part in the Semi- Commission held three meetings and reconstituted
nar, and 713 participants had received fellowships. the Working Group on the Long-term Programme
Ilc carried out its work with the assistance of of Work to consider possible topics for inclusion in
various working groups and a drafting committee. the work programme; the Chair of the Working
The Commission reconstituted the Study Group on Group presented an oral progress report on 30 July.
the most-favoured-nation (mfn) clause (see below), Ilc decided that its sixty-eighth session would be held
endorsed the Group’s summary conclusions and in Geneva from 2 May to 10 June and from 4 July
commended the final report to the attention of the to 12 August 2016.
General Assembly. On the topic of protection of the Topical summary report. Pursuant to Assembly
atmosphere (see p. 688), the Commission provision- resolution 69/118 [YUN 2014, p. 1512], the Secretariat
ally adopted three draft guidelines and four preambu- prepared a topical summary [A/CN.4/678] of the debate
lar paragraphs, together with commentaries thereto, held on the report of the Commission at the Assem-
relating to the use of terms, scope of the guidelines and bly’s sixty-ninth (2014) session.
international cooperation. It also took note of sixteen Assistance to special rapporteurs. At its sixty-
draft conclusions provisionally adopted by the Draft- seventh session, the Commission reiterated its views
ing Committee on the topic of identification of cus- expressed in its previous reports that Assembly resolu-
tomary international law (see p. 688), and of one sub- tion 56/272 [YUN 2002, p. 1402] affected the research
paragraph and one draft article provisionally adopted work of the ilc Special Rapporteurs. In December,
by the Drafting Committee on the topic of immu- the Assembly, in its resolution 70/236 (see p. 693),
nity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdic- requested the Secretary-General to continue efforts to
tion (see p. 691). Concerning the topic of subsequent identify support options for the work of special rap-
agreements and subsequent practice in relation to the porteurs, additional to those provided under its 2002
interpretation of treaties (see p. 690), the Commission resolution.
provisionally adopted one draft conclusion, together Casual vacancy. Following the resignation of ilc
with a commentary thereto, relating to constituent in- member Kirill Gevorgian (Russian Federation) due
struments of international organizations. On the topic to his election to the International Court of Justice,
of provisional application of treaties (see p. 692), ilc the Secretariat in April issued a note [A/CN.4/684 &
was informed of three draft guidelines provisionally Add.1] on filling the vacant seat according to the Com-
adopted by the Drafting Committee. mission’s Statute. On 8 May, the Commission elected
The Commission considered the first report of its Roman A. Kolodkin (Russian Federation) to fill the
Special Rapporteur on crimes against humanity (see casual vacancy occasioned by that resignation.
p. 689), and provisionally adopted four draft articles,
together with commentaries thereto, relating to the
Most-favoured-nation clause
scope, general obligation, definition of crimes against
humanity and obligation of prevention. It also exam- The Commission reconstituted the Study Group
ined the second report of its Special Rapporteur on on the Most-Favoured-Nation (mfn) clause [A/70/10],
protection of the environment in relation to armed which completed a substantive and technical review
conflicts (see p. 690) and took note of the draft intro- of its draft final report. The final report was divided
ductory provisions and six draft principles, provision- into five parts: Part I providing the background and
ally adopted by the Drafting Committee. an analysis of the Commission’s prior work, as well as
The Commission included in its programme of an analysis of mfn provisions in other bodies; Part II
work the topic “Jus cogens” (see p. 692) and appointed addressing the contemporary relevance of mfn clauses
a Special Rapporteur. Among its other decisions and issues concerning their interpretation, including
and conclusions, pursuant to Assembly resolution in the context of the General Agreement on Tariffs
69/123 [YUN 2014, p. 1536], the Commission reiterated and Trade and the World Trade Organization, other
its commitment to the rule of law in all its activities trade agreements and investment treaties, as well as
and its contribution to the rule of law through con- interpretative issues in relation to the mfn clauses in
sideration of such topics as protection of the atmos- bilateral investment treaties; Part III analyzing policy
phere, crimes against humanity, identification of cus- considerations in investment relating to the inter-
tomary international law, subsequent agreements and pretation of investment agreements, implications of
subsequent practice in relation to the interpretation investment dispute settlement arbitration as “mixed
of treaties, protection of the environment in relation arbitration”, and the contemporary relevance of the
to armed conflicts, immunity of State officials from 1978 draft articles on the mfn clause [YUN 1978,
foreign criminal jurisdiction, provisional application p. 948] to the interpretation of mfn provisions; Part
of treaties and the mfn clause; it also recalled its pre- IV providing guidance on the interpretation of mfn
vious work that had become subject to multilateral clauses, setting out a framework for the proper ap-
treaty processes. plication of the principles of treaty interpretation to
688 Part Four: Legal questions

mfn clauses and addressing the different approaches of sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas, the principle
in the case-law to the interpretation of mfn provi- of sustainable development (utilization of the atmos-
sions in investment agreements; Part V containing phere and environmental impact assessment), the
the conclusions by the Study Group underlining the principle of equity, special circumstances and vulner-
relevance of the 1969 Vienna Convention of the Law ability, in 2016; prevention, due diligence and pre-
of Treaties [YUN 1969, p. 730], as a point of departure, caution, in 2017; principles guiding interrelationships
in the interpretation of investment treaties. with other fields of international law, in 2018; as well
On 23 July, the Commission welcomed the Study as compliance and implementation, and dispute set-
Group’s final report, commended it to the attention tlement, in 2019.
of the General Assembly and encouraged its widest Following the debate on the report and a dialogue
possible dissemination. Ilc also adopted a resolution with scientists organized by the Special Rapporteur,
paying tribute to the Study Group and its Chairman the Commission, on 12 May, referred draft guidelines
Donald M. McRae (Canada). 1, 2, 3 and 5 to the Drafting Committee, with the
Also on 23 July, the Commission adopted the sum- understanding that draft guideline 3 be considered
mary conclusions, in which it noted that the 1978 in the context of a possible preamble. At the Special
draft articles continued to be the basis for the inter- Rapporteur’s request, the referral of draft guideline 4
pretation and application of mfn clauses but did not was deferred until 2016. On 2 June, the Commission
provide answers to all the interpretative issues that received the report of the Drafting Committee and
could arise with such clauses; the interpretation of provisionally adopted draft guidelines 1, 2 and 5 on
mfn clauses was to be undertaken on the basis of the the use of terms, scope of the guidelines and interna-
rules for the interpretation of treaties as set out in the tional cooperation, as well as four preambular para-
1969 Vienna Convention; the central interpretative graphs. On 5 and 6 August, the Commission adopted
issue in respect of the mfn clauses related to the scope the commentaries to the draft guidelines.
of the clause and the application of the ejusdem generis
principle, meaning that the scope and nature of the Identification of customary international law
benefit that could be obtained under an mfn provision
depended on the interpretation of the provision itself; Ilc [A/70/10] had before it the third report on iden-
the application of mfn clauses to dispute settlement tification of customary international law [A/CN.4/682]
provisions in investment treaty arbitration remained by Special Rapporteur Michael Wood (United King-
the matter of treaty interpretation, but brought a new dom), which proposed additional paragraphs to three
dimension to thinking about mfn provisions and of the draft conclusions included in the second report
consequences not foreseen by parties when they ne- [YUN 2014, p. 1509] and five new draft conclusions relat-
gotiated their investment agreements; it was up to the ing respectively to the relationship between the two
States negotiating mfn clauses whether such clauses constituent elements of customary international law,
encompassed dispute settlement provisions or whether the role of inaction, the role of treaties and resolutions,
it was left to dispute settlement tribunals to interpret judicial decisions and writings, the relevance of inter-
them on a case-by-case basis. national organizations, as well as particular custom
and the persistent objector.
Protection of the atmosphere The Special Rapporteur indicated that his report
sought to cover questions raised in 2014 regarding
The Commission [A/70/10] considered the second the two constituent elements (“a general practice” and
report by Special Rapporteur Shinya Murase (Japan) “accepted as law (opinio juris)”) as well as new issues
on the protection of the atmosphere [A/CN.4/681 & such as particular custom and the persistent objector,
Corr.1], which proposed five revised draft guidelines particular form of practice and evidence as well as
relating to the use of terms including a definition of exceptions to the general application of rules of cus-
the atmosphere, the scope of the draft guidelines and tomary international law. Concerning the relationship
the common concern of humankind, as well as an between general practice and opinio juris, the Special
analysis of the general obligation of States to protect Rapporteur concluded that it was necessary in every
the atmosphere and international cooperation for the case to verify the existence of each element separately
protection of the atmosphere. and the presence of both elements rather than their
The Special Rapporteur suggested that common temporal order, and indicated that there could be a
concern of humankind, the general obligation of States difference in application of the two-element approach
to protect the atmosphere and international coopera- in different fields of international law. He also stressed
tion were established in State practice and fundamen- that inaction could serve as evidence of opinio juris
tally interconnected, thereby forming a trinity for the when the circumstances called for some reaction, al-
protection of the atmosphere. He also presented a fu- though the circumstances in which inaction could be
ture plan of work estimated to be completed in 2020, relevant were not always obvious. According to the
following consideration of issues such as the principle Special Rapporteur, treaties and resolutions of inter-
Chapter III: International legal questions 689

national organizations and conferences constituted judicial decisions and writings were relevant for the
particular forms of practice and evidence of opinio identification of rules of customary international law.
juris, which related to customary international law in They also made comments regarding the relevance of
three ways: codification of existing law, crystallization international organizations and non-State actors as
of emerging law or as the origin of new law. Evidence well as particular custom, and discussed extensively
of existing or emerging law could also be provided the conditions of application of the persistent objec-
through resolutions adopted by States at international tor rule, as well as its consequences. The Special Rap-
organizations or conferences as State practice or as porteur emphasized that the aim of the work was to
evidence of opinio juris, while decisions of national assist in determining the existence or not of a rule of
and international courts and tribunals and judicial customary international law and its content. He rec-
writings—both reflecting existing law (lex lata) and ognized the need for further consideration of the role
put forward as emerging law (lex ferenda)—repre- of inaction, acknowledged that the role of resolutions
sented two ’subsidiary’ means for determining rules of international organizations and conferences could
of customary international law. be expressed more positively, and highlighted the im-
The Special Rapporteur emphasized the impor- portance of providing practitioners with guidelines on
tance of distinguishing between the practice of States the persistent objector rule. The Special Rapporteur
within international organizations and that of inter- indicated that a first reading of the draft conclusions
national organizations themselves, as well as between and commentaries could be completed by the end of
the practice of the organization that related to its the Commission’s next session.
internal operation from its practice in its relations with Following the debate, the Commission, on
States and others, and proposed to address also the 21 May, referred the draft conclusions to the Drafting
conduct of non-State actors other than international Committee. On 6 August, the Commission took note
organizations. Regarding “particular custom”—a of sixteen draft conclusions provisionally adopted by
term which covered special, regional, local or bilat- the Drafting Committee in 2014 and 2015. Also
eral customary rules— it was necessary to determine on 6 August, the Commission requested from the
whether there was a general practice among the States Secretariat a memorandum on the role of national
concerned that was accepted by each of them as law courts’ decisions in the case-law of international
(opinio juris), the binding nature of particular custom courts and tribunals of a universal character, for the
only on a limited number of States. The Special Rap- purpose of determining customary international law.
porteur also stressed the importance of addressing the
persistent objector rule, whereby a State which had Crimes against humanity
persistently objected to an emerging rule of customary
international law, and maintained its objection after The Commission [A/70/10] considered the first report
the rule had crystallized, was not bound by it. by Special Rapporteur Sean D. Murphy (United States)
Members reiterated their support for the two- on crimes against humanity [A/CN.4/680 & Corr.1], which
element approach and agreed that the outcome proposed two draft articles relating respectively to the
of the work should be a set of practical and simple prevention and punishment of crimes against human-
conclusions, with a commentary, aimed at assisting ity and to the definition of crimes against humanity.
practitioners in the identification or rules of custom- In his report, the Special Rapporteur assessed the po-
ary international law. Support was expressed for the tential benefits of developing a convention on crimes
conclusion that each of the two constituent elements against humanity; provided a general background
was to be separately ascertained, which required an synopsis with respect to crimes against humanity; ad-
assessment of specific evidence for each element; it dressed some aspects of the existing multilateral con-
was also stated that a uniform standard in applica- ventions that promoted prevention, criminalization
tion of the two-element approach had to be upheld and inter-State cooperation with respect to crimes;
regarding different fields of international law. There and examined the general obligation that existed in
was broad support to the proposed criteria for inac- various treaty regimes for States to prevent and punish
tion to serve as evidence of acceptance as law; support such crimes, as well as the definition of crimes against
was also expressed regarding the role of treaties as humanity. The report also provided information on
evidence of customary international law, and it was the future programme of work on the topic.
suggested to address article 38 of the 1969 Vienna Following a debate in plenary, the Commission, on
Convention on the Law of Treaties, as well as to estab- 28 May, referred the two draft articles to the Drafting
lish criteria for determining the relevance of a treaty Committee. On 5 June, the Commission considered
provision as evidence of a rule of customary interna- the report of the Drafting Committee and provision-
tional law. Members generally agreed that resolutions ally adopted four draft articles on the scope, general
of international organizations and conferences could obligation, definition of crimes against humanity
not constitute sufficient evidence of the existence of and obligation of prevention. On 3 and 4 August, the
a customary rule, and welcomed the conclusion that Commission adopted the commentaries to the draft
690 Part Four: Legal questions

articles. Also on 3 August, the Commission requested distinction between property, livelihood, nature, land
from the Secretariat a memorandum on existing and natural resources, which entailed a clear link to
treaty-based monitoring mechanisms which could be human rights, especially where indigenous peoples
of relevance to its future work on the present topic. were affected. The Special Rapporteur also examined
the legal framework with regard to demilitarized
Subsequent agreements and subsequent zones, nuclear-weapon-free zones and natural herit-
practice in relation to the interpretation age zones and areas of major ecological importance,
of treaties analyzing the relationship between environmental
and cultural heritage zones, as well as the right of in-
Ilc [A/70/10] had before it the third report of Special digenous peoples to their environment as a cultural
Rapporteur Georg Nolte (Germany) on subsequent and natural resource. She drew attention to further
agreements and subsequent practice in relation to the issues to be covered in her future work, including the
interpretation of treaties [A/CN.4/683], which analyzed Martens clause, multilateral operations, the work of
the role of such agreements and practice in relation to the UN Compensation Commission and situations
treaties that were the constituent instruments of inter- of occupation, as well as the law applicable in post-
national organizations and proposed draft conclusion conflict situations and proposals for post-conflict
11 on the issue. The Special Rapporteur addressed in measures including cooperation, information-sharing
particular Article 5 of the 1969 Vienna Convention and reparative measures.
on the Law of Treaties dealing with treaties constitut- The debate in plenary addressed, among other
ing international organizations and treaties adopted issues, scope, methodology and purpose, use of terms,
within an international organization, and examined and the five proposed draft principles. The importance
the application of the rules of the Vienna Convention was reiterated to achieve a proper balance between
regarding treaty interpretation to such constituent in- safeguarding legitimate rights that existed under the
struments of international organizations. law of armed conflict and protecting the environment,
Following a debate in plenary, the Commission, and an in-depth analysis was suggested of the notion
on 4 June, referred the draft conclusion to the Draft- of “widespread, long-term and severe damage” as well
ing Committee. On 8 July, the Commission received as of the standards used for those criteria. It was noted
the report of the Drafting Committee and provision- that the law of armed conflict applied, in principle,
ally adopted draft conclusion 11 on constituent in- as lex specialis during armed conflict but that legal
struments of international organizations. On 4 and gaps would be avoided by not ruling out the paral-
6 August, the Commission adopted the commentary lel applicability of international environmental law.
to the draft conclusion. While there was broad agreement that both interna-
tional and non-international armed conflict should
Protection of the environment in relation be covered, the need to clarify how the differences
to armed conflict between those types of conflict were reflected was
also noted. Divergent views were expressed whether
The Commission [A/70/10] considered the second or not the draft principles would apply, as a matter of
report of Special Rapporteur Marie G. Jacobsson existing law, to nuclear weapons and other weapons of
(Sweden) on the protection of the environment in mass-destruction, and the importance of differentiat-
relation to armed conflicts [A/CN.4/685], which ex- ing between the human environment and the natural
amined the existing rules of armed conflict directly environment was also highlighted. The Special Rap-
relevant to the protection of the environment, and porteur was encouraged to examine further the rel-
proposed five draft principles and three preambular evance of other legal fields such as human rights,
paragraphs relating to the scope and purpose of the and to address the relationship between international
draft principles as well as the use of terms. humanitarian law and human rights law. The Special
The Special Rapporteur provided an analysis of Rapporteur recognized the need to address further
the directly applicable treaty provisions and relevant the question of what other rules could apply during
principles of the law of armed conflict, such as the an armed conflict, including rules and principles of
principles of distinction, proportionality and precau- international environmental law.
tion in attack, as well as the rules on military neces- Following the debate, the Commission, on
sity, seeking to establish whether the application of 14 July, referred the draft preambular paragraphs
those provisions also covered measures aimed at pro- and the draft principles to the Drafting Committee,
tecting the environment. She noted that the majority with the understanding that the provision on the
of regulations on peacetime military obligations was use of terms was referred to facilitate discussions
of recent date and that multilateral operations were and to be left pending. On 30 July, the Commission
increasingly undertaken within a framework of rela- received the report of the Drafting Committee and
tively newly adopted environmental regulations, and took note of the draft introductory provisions on
drew attention to the challenges with regard to the the scope and purpose of the principles and draft
Chapter III: International legal questions 691

principles I-(x) to II-5, provisionally adopted by the be held responsible; (b) State immunity and immu-
Drafting Committee and relating to designation of nity ratione materiae of a State official, where the act
protected zones, general protection of the [natural] was attributable to both the State and the individual.
environment during armed conflict, application of The Special Rapporteur noted that the immunity of
the law of armed conflict to the environment, en- State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction ra-
vironmental considerations, prohibition of reprisals tione materiae was individual in nature and distinct
and protected zones. from the immunity of the State stricto sensu; accord-
ing to her, for the exercise of immunity ratione ma-
Immunity of State officials teriae to be justified, there had to be a link between
the State and the act carried out by a State official,
Ilc [A/70/10] had before it the fourth report on which implied the possibility of attributing the act to
the immunity of State officials from foreign criminal a State. As for the temporal scope, the Special Rap-
jurisdiction [A/CN.4/686] by Special Rapporteur Con- porteur pointed to broad existing consensus on the
cepción Escobar Hernández (Spain), which examined “indefinite” or “permanent” nature of the immunity
the remaining aspects of the material scope of im- ratione materiae.
munity ratione materiae and its temporal scope, and The debate in plenary focused on methodology
proposed a subparagraph to draft article 2 defining an and issues related to the concept of an “act performed
“act performed in an official capacity” as well as draft in an official capacity”. Members generally welcomed
article 6 on the scope of immunity ratione materiae. the Special Rapporteur’s approach, recognizing the
The Special Rapporteur highlighted the basic legal complexity and political sensitivity of the sub-
characteristics of immunity ratione materiae, namely ject matter; a view was expressed that it was necessary
that it was granted to all State officials and only in to strike a balance between fighting impunity and
respect of “acts performed in an official capacity” preserving stability in inter-State relations. While
and that it was not time-limited, and noted that the some members recognized the differences among the
distinction between “acts performed in an official various rules and regimes governing the international
capacity” and “acts performed in a private capacity” legal system, they cautioned that the Commission
was not equivalent to the distinction between acta risked establishing a regime inconsistent with the
iure imperii and acta iure gestionis, or to the distinc- one under the Rome Statute of the International
tion between lawful and unlawful acts. Noting that Criminal Court; some others recalled that the pre-
only acts performed by State officials in their official sent topic was based on a “horizontal relationship”
capacity were under the cover of immunity from among States, while the international criminal juris-
foreign criminal jurisdiction, the Special Rappor- diction established a “vertical relationship” among
teur provided criteria for identifying such acts based them. According to another view, the proper test for
on the analysis of national and international judi- granting the official immunity for an act performed
cial practice, treaty practice and the Commission’s in an official capacity should depend upon the benefit
previous work; those criteria included the criminal of the act to his or her State and upon ensuring the
nature of the act, the attribution of the act to the effective exercise of its function. It was also suggested
State, and the exercise of sovereignty and elements of that certain acts were potentially beyond the benefit
governmental authority when the act was performed. of immunity ratione materiae, such as acts involving
According to the Special Rapporteur, the criminal allegations of serious international crimes, ultra vires
nature of the act performed in an official capacity acts, acta jure gestionis, or acts performed in an official
could conceivably occasion two different types of re- capacity but exclusively for personal benefit, as well
sponsibility, one criminal in nature attributable to the as acts performed on the territory of the forum State
perpetrator, and another civil in nature attributable to without its consent; it was further suggested to ad-
the perpetrator or to a State; that “single act, dual re- dress those matters as limitations or exceptions. There
sponsibility” model entailed several scenarios relevant was general support for the distinction between “act
for immunity, including (a) exclusive responsibility of performed in an official capacity” and “acts per-
the State in cases where the act was not attributable formed in a private capacity” and the assertion that
to the individual by whom it was committed; (b) re- the distinction between an “act performed in an
sponsibility of the State and the individual criminal official capacity” and an “act performed in a private
responsibility of an individual, when the act was at- capacity” had no relation to the distinction between
tributable to both; and (c) exclusive responsibility of lawful and unlawful acts. Members made further
the individual when the act was solely attributable comments with regard to the criminal nature of the
to such individual, even though he or she acted as act, attribution of the act to the State, sovereignty and
a State official. Following those scenarios, a claim exercise of elements of governmental authority, and
of immunity could be invoked based on: (a) State the scope of immunity ratione materiae. The Special
immunity, in the event that the act could only be Rapporteur responded to various questions raised by
attributed to the State and only the State alone could members, and indicated that she would address in her
692 Part Four: Legal questions

next report the question of limitations and exceptions Members generally agreed that the provisional ap-
to immunity as well as procedural issues. plication of treaties had legal effects and created rights
Following the debate, the Commission, on and obligations and endorsed the Special Rapporteur’s
24 July, referred the two draft articles to the Drafting assessment that the legal effects of a provisionally ap-
Committee. On 4 August, the Commission received plied treaty were the same as those stemming from
the report of the Drafting Committee and took note a treaty in force; a provisionally applied treaty was
of draft articles 2, subparagraph (f), and 6, provision- subject to the pacta sunt servanda rule in article 26
ally adopted by the Drafting Committee. of the 1969 Vienna Convention. The need was rec-
ognized for further analysis to determine whether
acquiescence in the form of silence or inaction could
Provisional application of treaties
represent agreement for the provisional application
The Commission [A/70/10] considered the third of the treaty. It was proposed that the Special Rap-
report on the provisional application of treaties porteur focus in his future work on the legal regime
[A/CN.4/687] by Special Rapporteur Juan Manuel and modalities for the termination and suspension of
Gómez-Robledo (Mexico), which contained an provisional application; seek to identify the type of
analysis of State practice, examined the relationship treaties, and provisions in treaties, which were often
of provisional application to other provisions of the the subject of provisional application, and whether
1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties or not certain kinds of treaties addressed provisional
[YUN 1969, p. 730] as well as the question of provisional application similarly; and analyze limitation clauses
application with regard to international organizations, used to modulate the obligations in order to comply
and proposed six draft guidelines. Further to its 2014 with internal law, or conditioning provisional ap-
request [YUN 2014, p. 1511], the Commission also had plication on respect for internal law. Some members
before it a Secretariat memorandum [A/CN.4/676] cautioned against developing model clauses on the
on provisional application under the 1986 Vienna provisional application of treaties, which could prove
Convention on the Law of Treaties between States complex due to the differences between national legal
and International Organizations or between Interna- systems. It was observed that the provisional appli-
tional Organizations [YUN 1986, p. 1006]. cation of treaties with the participation of interna-
The Special Rapporteur recalled his assessment tional organizations was different as it was designed
that, subject to the specific characteristics of the to ensure the greatest participation simultaneously of
treaty in question, the rights and obligations of the the organization’s members and of the organization
State which had consented to provisionally apply a itself; it was also observed even if a treaty was nego-
treaty were the same as the rights and obligations that tiated within an international organization, or at a
stemmed from the treaty itself as if it were in force; diplomatic conference convened under the auspices
and that a violation of an obligation stemming from of an international organization, the conclusion of
the provisional application of a treaty activated the the treaty was an act of the States concerned and not
responsibility of the State. His analysis of the provi- of the international organization. Members generally
sions of the 1969 Vienna Convention focused on ar- supported the Special Rapporteur’s approach to pre-
ticles 11 (Means of expressing consent to be bound pare draft guidelines to provide States and interna-
by a treaty), 18 (Obligation not to defeat the object tional organizations with a practical tool. The Special
and purpose of a treaty), 24 (Entry into force), 26 Rapporteur indicated his intention to consider in his
(Pacta sunt servanda) and 27 (Internal law and obser- next report the termination of provisional application
vance of treaties). He also addressed three aspects of and its legal regime, together with a study of other
the provisional application of treaties with regard to relevant provisions in the 1969 Vienna Convention,
the practice of international organizations: (1) inter- including articles 19, 46 and 60.
national organizations or international regimes cre- On 28 July, the Commission referred the six draft
ated through the provisional application of treaties; guidelines to the Drafting Committee. On 4 Au-
(2) the provisional application of treaties negotiated gust, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee pre-
within international organizations, or at diplomatic sented for information an interim oral report on draft
conferences convened under the auspices of interna- guidelines 1 to 3, provisionally adopted by the Draft-
tional organizations; and (3) the provisional applica- ing Committee.
tion of treaties of which international organizations
were parties. According to the Special Rapporteur, Jus cogens
the task before the Commission was to develop a
series of guidelines for States wishing to resort to the Further to its 2014 decision on its long-term
provisional application of treaties; he proposed that programme of work [YUN 2014, p. 1506], the Commission
the Commission could also consider within those [A/70/10], on 27 May 2015, included the topic “Jus co-
guidelines the preparation of model clauses to guide gens” in its work programme and appointed Dire
negotiating States. D. Tladi (South Africa) as Special Rapporteur.
Chapter III: International legal questions 693

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION The 1986 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, between States and International Organizations or
on the recommendation of the Sixth (Legal) Committee between International Organizations [YUN 1986,
[A/70/509], adopted resolution 70/236 (Report of the p. 1006] had 43 parties, including 12 international
International Law Commission on the work of its organizations. It would enter into force when ratified
sixty-seventh session) without vote [agenda item 83]. by 35 States.

International State relations Succession of states

and international law The 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of
States in Respect of Treaties [YUN 1978, p. 951], which
Principle of universal jurisdiction entered into force in 1996 [YUN 1996, p. 1214], had 22
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/124 States parties as at 31 December 2015.
[YUN 2014, p. 1514], the Secretary-General issued a The 1983 Vienna Convention on Succession of
July report [A/70/125] on the scope and application States in Respect of State Property, Archives and
of the principle of universal jurisdiction, on the Debts [YUN 1983, p. 1119], which would enter into force
basis of information and observations received from when ratified by 15 parties, had 7 States parties.
11 Member States and five observers.
Working Group. Pursuant to resolution 69/124, Jurisdictional immunities of states
the Sixth Committee, on 12 October, established a and their property
working group to discuss the scope and application
of the principle of universal jurisdiction [A/70/512]. The General Assembly, by resolution 59/38
The Working Group held three meetings (21, 23 and [YUN 2004, p. 1304],adopted the Convention on Ju-
29 October). The Chair of the Working Group deliv- risdictional Immunities of States and Their Property.
ered an oral report to the Sixth Committee on 13 No- As at 31 December, the Convention had 21 States
vember [A/C.6/70/SR.27]. parties, with the accession of the Czech Republic
on 12 March, Liechtenstein on 22 April, Mexico on
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION 29 September, Iraq on 2 December and Slovakia on
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly, 29 December. The Convention would enter into force
on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee when ratified by 30 parties.
[A/70/512], adopted resolution 70/119 (The scope and
application of the principle of universal jurisdic- International terrorism
tion) without vote [agenda item 86].
Convention on international terrorism
Law of treaties Working Group. Pursuant to General Assembly
resolution 69/127 [YUN 2014, p. 1517], the Sixth
The 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Committee [A/70/513], on 12 October, established
Treaties [YUN 1969, p. 730], which entered into force in a working group to finalize the process on a draft
1980 [YUN 1980, p. 1141], had 114 parties as at 31 De- comprehensive convention on international ter-
cember 2015. rorism as well as discussions on convening a high-
level conference under UN auspices to formulate a
Special missions collective response to terrorism in all its forms and
The General Assembly, by resolution 2530(XXIV) manifestations. The Working Group held five meet-
[YUN 1969, p. 750], adopted the Convention on Special
ings (26 and 30 October and 9, 11 and 13 November)
Missions and its Optional Protocol on the compul- as well as informal consultations. The Chair of the
sory settlement of disputes. The Convention, which Working Group provided an oral report to the Sixth
entered into force in 1985, had 38 States parties as Committee on 13 November [A/C.6/70/SR.27].
at 31 December 2015. The Optional Protocol, which The Working Group had before it the report of the
also entered into force in 1985, had 17 States parties. Ad Hoc Committee established by Assembly resolu-
tion 51/210 [YUN 1996, p. 1208] at its sixteenth (2013)
Treaties involving international organizations session [YUN 2013, p. 1331]. Delegations reiterated the
importance of concluding the draft convention and
The 1975 Vienna Convention on the Representa- emphasized the need for a renewed push towards that
tion of States in their Relations with International objective. Concerning the outstanding issues sur-
Organizations of a Universal Character [YUN 1975, rounding the draft convention, several delegations
p. 879], which would enter into force when ratified reiterated their concerns over the legal definition of
by 35 parties, had 34 States parties as at 31 De- terrorism, the scope of the convention and the need
cember 2015. to distinguish between acts of terrorism and the le-
694 Part Four: Legal questions

gitimate struggle of peoples under foreign occupation During its twenty-fourth session (Vienna, 5 De-
and colonial or alien domination in the exercise of cember 2014, 18–22 May and 10–11 December 2015),
their right to self-determination. The Group dis- the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal
cussed a comparative table of the existing proposals, Justice [E/2015/30 & Add.1] considered the question of
highlighting the differences and similarities between ratification and implementation of the international
them. While the view was expressed that the way to instruments to prevent and combat terrorism. The
proceed was for delegations to come to a common Commission had before it a report of the Secretary-
understanding as to the meaning of the terms, it General on assistance in implementing the interna-
was also recalled that it was not for the legislators to tional conventions and protocols related to terrorism
provide detailed interpretations of the specific terms [E/CN.15/2015/4], which provided information on the
used in a convention; rather, that was the task of the progress made by the United Nations Office on Drugs
judiciary, based on the circumstances at hand. Some and Crime (unodc) in delivering technical assistance
delegations reiterated the view that the proposal made on counter-terrorism.
by the Bureau of the Ad Hoc Committee was a sound In 2014, legal technical assistance to Member States
compromise which took into account the concerns ex- contributed to 23 new ratifications of the international
pressed by delegations over the years; others stressed legal instruments and the drafting or adoption of 12
that the Bureau’s proposal had not fully met their con- new counter-terrorism legislation. Legislative draft-
cerns with regard to the questions of foreign occupa- ing sessions were undertaken in Solomon Islands and
tion and the right to self-determination. Vanuatu, and advisory services on incorporating the
On the proposed convening of a high-level provisions of the international legal instruments into
conference, Egypt, as sponsor delegation, recalled domestic legislation were provided to Afghanistan,
that it had initially submitted the proposal in 1999, Cambodia, Djibouti, Guatemala, the Lao People’s
more than a decade earlier, and stated that rais- Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Na-
ing negotiations to the level of Heads of State and mibia, the Philippines, Somalia, the United Republic
Government might mobilize the political will needed of Tanzania and Yemen. New technical assistance
to reach an agreement on the draft convention. The action plans on the legal and criminal justice aspects
proposed conference would also provide an oppor- of counter-terrorism were developed for Afghanistan,
tunity to strengthen coordination in addressing all Algeria, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco,
issues related to the fight against terrorism, and ensure the Philippines and Uzbekistan; unodc also contrib-
common agreement and understanding among States. uted to the preparation of several regional and country
Egypt recalled that the proposal had been supported programmes, including for Central Asia and the Lao
by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Non- People’s Democratic Republic. Capacity-building
Aligned Movement and the African Group. assistance to apply counter-terrorism legislation was
In his oral report, the Chair of the Working Group provided to 69 Member States through 99 workshops
noted that the Group had completed its work with- at the national, subregional and regional levels and the
out adopting any recommendation, and expressed his training of more than 2,700 criminal justice officials.
conviction that work should continue in a different Unodc developed capacity-building training
framework that would allow for continuous consul- and assistance programmes and organized national,
tations to bring a fresh impetus to the process. He regional and international workshops on a broad range
encouraged delegations to continue exploring ways of of terrorism-related offences and criminal justice top-
overcoming their differences. ics such as suppressing the financing of terrorism,
On 20 November, the Chair of the Sixth Committee countering the Internet use for terrorist purposes, ad-
announced that the Committee’s Bureau had decided dressing transport-related terrorism offences, improv-
to hold informal consultations during the intersessional ing the criminal justice response in support of victims
period in 2016. of terrorism and countering chemical, biological, ra-
diological and nuclear terrorism, as well as rein-
Measures to eliminate international terrorism forcing the principle of complementarity between
counter-terrorism measures and protection of human
In accordance with Assembly resolution 50/53 rights, in accordance with the United Nations Global
[YUN 1995, p. 1330] and resolution 69/127, the Counter-Terrorism Strategy [YUN 2006, p. 65], and re-
Secretary-General in July issued his annual report sponding to the emerging challenges of foreign terror-
[A/70/211] on measures taken by 20 States and 6 UN ist fighters and kidnapping for ransom by terrorists.
system entities and international organizations to im- Unodc launched three new tools in 2014 to prevent
plement the 1994 Declaration on Measures to Elimi- and combat terrorism and its financing, and contin-
nate International Terrorism, adopted by Assembly ued using its technical assistance tools developed since
resolution 49/60 [YUN 1994, p. 1293]. The report listed 2003 such as the online Counter-Terrorism Learning
42 international instruments pertaining to terrorism, Platform launched in 2011 and its Electronic Legal
including 19 universal and 23 regional. Resources on International Terrorism database con-
Chapter III: International legal questions 695

taining the national counter-terrorism legislation of further called for stronger cooperation at interna-
over 150 Member States, the texts of international tional level and within the UN system, including with
legal instruments and their ratification status, a list the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee
of counter-terrorism conventions adopted by regional and its Executive Directorate, and with the Counter-
organizations and relevant case law. It continued Terrorism Implementation Task Force, in the technical
strengthening its partnerships with national training assistance delivery and the implementation of the
institutions and supporting international coopera- United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
tion among Member States in criminal matters. That Also on 17 December, in its resolution 70/178
work was carried out through the Counter-Terrorism (see p. 635), the Assembly called on Member States to
Implementation Task Force, comprising 34 UN enti- strengthen cooperation at the international, regional,
ties and interpol, and in partnership with the UN subregional and bilateral levels to counter the threat
Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee posed by foreign terrorist fighters, including through
and its Executive Directorate as well as with several enhanced information-sharing, logistical support
regional and international organizations. and capacity-building activities such as those pro-
The Commission called on unodc, in co- vided by unodc, and reiterated its request to unodc
operation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee to enhance its technical assistance in preventing and
Executive Directorate and the Counter-Terrorism combating terrorism, including the phenomenon of
Implementation Task Force, to further enhance its foreign terrorist fighters and its financial sources.
technical assistance to Member States in addressing
the ongoing and emerging terrorist threats, includ-
ing the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, the financ- Diplomatic relations
ing of terrorism, the growing links between terror- Protection of diplomatic and consular
ism and transnational organized crime, the use of the missions and representatives
Internet for terrorist purposes, violent extremism and
radicalization, trafficking in cultural property as well As at 31 December, the States parties to the follow-
as kidnapping and hostage-taking for ransom. ing conventions relating to the protection of diplomatic
and consular relations numbered: 190 States parties to
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly, [YUN 1961, p. 512], 51 parties to the Optional Protocol
on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee concerning the acquisition of nationality [ibid., p. 516]
[A/70/513], adopted resolution 70/120 (Measures and 70 parties to the Optional Protocol concerning the
to eliminate international terrorism) without vote compulsory settlement of disputes [ibid.].
[agenda item 108]. The 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
[YUN 1963, p. 510] had 177 parties, the Optional Protocol
By resolution 2015/22 (see p. 639), the Economic concerning acquisition of nationality [ibid., p. 512] had 41
and Social Council recommended to the General and the Optional Protocol concerning the compulsory
Assembly the adoption of a draft resolution on settlement of disputes [ibid.] had 51.
technical assistance for implementing the interna- Parties to the 1973 Convention on the Prevention
tional conventions and protocols related to counter- and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally
terrorism. Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents
On 17 December, in its resolution 70/177 (see [YUN 1973, p. 775] numbered 178, with the accession
p. 639) on that topic, the Assembly called on States to of the State of Palestine on 2 January.
become parties to the international conventions and
protocols against terrorism. It requested unodc to
continue providing its technical assistance to Member
States for the ratification and implementation of those International economic law
instruments, as well as enhancing its assistance related
to international legal cooperation in combating ter- In 2015, legal aspects of international economic
rorism and building the Member States’ capacity law continued to be considered by the United Nations
to implement international conventions, includ- Commission on International Trade Law (uncitral)
ing through targeted programmes and training. and by the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly.
The Assembly also requested unodc to continue
developing specialized knowledge, in particular with Commission on International Trade Law
regard to criminal justice responses to terrorism and
the use of Internet for terrorist purposes, and to pro- At its forty-eighth session (Vienna, 29 June–
vide assistance in addressing the threat of foreign ter- 16 July) [A/70/17], the Commission continued its work
rorist fighters, kidnapping and hostage-taking and on arbitration and conciliation, online dispute reso-
the destruction of cultural heritage by terrorists. It lution, electronic commerce, insolvency law, security
696 Part Four: Legal questions

interests and international trade law aimed at reduc- The Commission was informed of the steps taken
ing the legal obstacles faced by micro-, small- and by the Secretariat to establish and operate a repository
medium-sized enterprises throughout their life cycle, of published information under the uncitral Rules
and considered possible future work, especially in on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbi-
the area of public procurement and infrastructure tration, adopted in 2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1337], further to
development and public-private partnerships. It pro- its 2013 opinion that the uncitral Secretariat should
visionally approved the draft revised uncitral Notes fulfil the role of the transparency repository [ibid.,
on Organizing Arbitral Proceedings and parts of a p. 1338]. It noted that the Secretariat was formalizing
draft Model Law on Secured Transactions. funding arrangements with donors, which would al-
Uncitral reviewed the status of the conventions low it to operate the repository as a pilot project on a
and model laws emanating from its work [A/CN.9/843] temporary basis until the end of 2016, and empha-
and a bibliography of writings relating to its work sized that the repository should be fully operational as
[A/CN.9/839]. It also reviewed the implementation of soon as possible. The Commission reiterated its strong
the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and unanimous opinion that the uncitral secretariat
and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (the should establish and operate the repository, initially as
New York Convention) [YUN 1958, p. 391] and the a pilot project to be funded by voluntary contributions.
work on the collection and dissemination of case law Further to its 2014 decision that Working Group
on uncitral texts (clout), as well as training and II should consider the issue of enforcement of interna-
technical assistance activities. tional settlement agreements resulting from concilia-
Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/123 [YUN 2014, tion proceedings and report in 2015 on the feasibility
p. 1536], the Commission continued to comment on of work in that area [YUN 2014, p. 1525], uncitral had
its role in promoting the rule of law, and held a panel before it a compilation of comments by Governments
discussion on the role of uncitral multilateral treaty [A/CN.9/846 & Add.1–5] and the Working Group’s report
processes in promoting and advancing the rule of law. at its sixty-second session [A/CN.9/832] recommending
It reiterated its conviction that the promotion of the it be given a mandate to work on the issue. During
rule of law in commercial relations should be an in- discussion, it was suggested that a possible approach
tegral part of the broader UN agenda to promote the could be to introduce a mechanism to enforce interna-
rule of law at the national and international levels, tional settlement agreement modelled on article III of
and recalled that most treaties developed through its the 1958 New York Convention [YUN 1958, p. 391]. The
work had been adopted by the General Assembly. The Commission agreed that Working Group II should
Commission stressed that its treaty processes needed commence work on the issue of enforcement of set-
increased participation of all countries in its rule- tlement agreements to identify relevant issues and de-
formulating work, further coordination mechanisms velop possible solutions, including the possible prep-
among rule-formulating bodies in international trade aration of a convention, model provisions or guidance
law at the international and regional levels, greater texts, taking into account various approaches and
representation in its work of professional associations, concerns.
arbitral institutions and other end users from under- Uncitral also considered a note [A/CN.9/848] by the
represented regions and groups of countries, as well Secretariat on concurrent proceedings in investment
as increased participation of States in development, arbitration, prepared in response to the Commission’s
implementation and application of treaties; those issues 2014 request [YUN 2014, p. 1525] and outlining various
were brought to the Genera Assembly’s attention. situations that led to concurrent proceedings, options
available to address those issues, and a possible form
of any instrument to be developed in that area. The
Arbitration and conciliation Secretariat was requested to explore the issue further
Uncitral [A/70/17] noted that Working Group II and report at a future session with a detailed analysis
(Arbitration and Conciliation), at its sixty-first (Vi- of possible work. The Commission further consid-
enna, 15–19 September 2014) [A/CN.9/826] and sixty- ered a proposal by Algeria [A/CN.9/855] on a code of
second (New York, 2–6 February 2015) [A/CN.9/832] ethics for arbitrators in investment arbitration. The
sessions, had completed its revision of the uncitral Secretariat was requested to assess the feasibility of
Notes on Organizing Arbitral Proceedings (1996) work in that area and report to the Commission at
[YUN 1996, p. 1240], as agreed by the Commission in a future session. It was noted that work on concur-
2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1525]. The Commission had before rent proceedings as well as a code of ethics/conducts
it a Secretariat note [A/CN.9/844] transmitting draft re- should be considered in the context of both commer-
vised Notes based on the Working Group’s delibera- cial and investment arbitration.
tions and decisions. After consideration and further The Commission noted the coordination efforts
revision, uncitral provisionally approved the draft of the uncitral Secretariat with organizations active
revised Notes and requested their finalization for adop- in the field of international arbitration and concilia-
tion at the Commission’s forty-ninth (2016) session. tion in relation to the various types of arbitration to
Chapter III: International legal questions 697

which uncitral standards were applicable, includ- Security interests

ing a study to determine whether the 2014 United
Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-Based The Commission [A/70/17] noted that Working
Investor-State Arbitration (the Mauritius Convention Group VI (Security Interests), at its twenty-sixth
on Transparency) [YUN 2014, p. 1525] could provide a (Vienna, 8–12 December 2014) [A/CN.9/830] and
model for possible reforms in investor-State arbitra- twenty-seventh (New York, 20–24 April) [A/CN.9/836]
tion, and requested the Secretariat to report at a future sessions, had completed the second reading of a draft
session with an update on that matter. It also took model law on secured transactions, based on the rec-
note of the statements made on behalf of the United ommendations of the uncitral Legislative Guide
Nations Conference on Trade and Development on Secured Transactions (the Secured Transactions
(unctad), the International Centre for Settlement of Guide) adopted by uncitral in 2007 [YUN 2007,
p. 1378] and the General Assembly in 2008 [YUN 2008,
Investment Disputes (icsid), the Permanent Court of
p. 1474], and consistent with all texts prepared by
Arbitration (pca), the Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (oecd) and the Energy uncitral on secured transactions. The Commission
Charter Secretariat. also noted that the Working Group had recom-
mended the preparation of a Guide to Enactment to
At its sixty-third session (Vienna, 7–11 September) the future Model Law.
[A/CN.9/861], Working Group II commenced work on
Uncitral had before it two Secretariat notes
enforceability of settlement agreements to identify entitled “Draft Model Law on Secured Transac-
relevant issues and develop possible solutions, includ- tions” [A/CN.9/852 & A/CN.9/853], which were con-
ing the possible preparation of a convention, model sidered by the Committee of the Whole established
provisions or guidance texts. The Working Group by the Commission. On 16 July, the Commission
discussed the issues of settlement agreements result- adopted the report of the Committee of the Whole
ing from conciliation, agreement to submit a dispute and approved the substance of article 26 of the draft
to conciliation, recognition of settlement agreements, Model Law pertaining to the registry system and arti-
direct enforcement or a review mechanism as a pre- cles 1 to 29 of the draft Registry Act. It also referred to
requisite for enforcement, defences to enforcement of Working Group VI the task of preparing the Guide to
settlement agreements and a possible form of the in- Enactment, to be considered together with the draft
strument. The Secretariat was requested to prepare a Model Law to ensure consistency between the two
document setting out possible draft provisions. texts, and requested that the draft Model Law be sub-
mitted for adoption at its forty-ninth (2016) session.
Implementation of the 1958 New York Convention Further to its 2010 decision on the future work
Uncitral, at its forty-eighth session [A/70/17], programme [YUN 2010, p. 1343], the Commission
was informed of the progress made by the Secretariat agreed to consider at a future session the preparation
in promoting the uniform application of the of a contractual guide on secured transactions in par-
Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of ticular for small- and medium-sized enterprises and
Foreign Arbitral Awards [YUN 1958, p. 391] by making enterprises in developing countries, and a uniform law
available details on its judicial interpretation by States text on intellectual property licensing, after a collo-
parties. A website established in cooperation between quium or expert group meeting on those issues.
the Secretariat of uncitral and international legal The Commission noted the coordination efforts of
scholars provided summaries of 1,137 cases on the the uncitral Secretariat in the field of security inter-
Convention’s implementation in different jurisdic- ests, including the revision of the World Bank Insol-
tions and included 1,051 original-language decisions vency and Creditor Rights Standard, and cooperation
and 119 English-language translations, as well as with the European Commission to ensure a coordi-
briefing notes on 44 countries and various articles nated approach to the issue of the law applicable to
of the Convention not yet included in the Guide to the third-party effects of assignments of receivables
the Convention whose preparation was being coordi- that would take into account the United Nations
nated by the Secretariat; the database complemented Assignment Convention and the Secured Transactions
reporting case law on the New York Convention in Guide. It further took note of uncitral cooperation
clout, according to a Secretariat note [A/CN.9/840]. with the International Institute for the Unification
A bibliography on the Convention, providing the of Private Law (Unidroit), the International Finance
database of publications relating to the Convention’s Corporation and the Organization of American States
application and interpretation, contained 655 books in the area of security interests. It renewed the Secreta-
and articles from over 50 countries in 11 different riat’s mandate to continue with such efforts.
languages. At its twenty-eighth session (Vienna, 12–16 Oc-
The Commission noted with appreciation the tober) [A/CN.9/865], Working Group VI continued
performance of the website and its successful coordi- the preparation of the draft Model Law and the
nation with the clout system. draft Guide to Enactment consistent with relevant
698 Part Four: Legal questions

uncitral texts, including the United Nations Working Group, which envisaged a single set of rules,
Convention on the Assignment of Receivables in had not yet led to consensus on the issue of whether
International Trade (the Assignment Convention) binding pre-dispute agreements to arbitrate concluded
[YUN 2001, p. 1261], the Supplement on Security Rights with consumers were to be given effect under the
in Intellectual Property (the Intellectual Property Sup- Rules.
plement) [YUN 2010, p. 1340] and the uncitral Guide The Commission considered a proposal by Israel
on the Implementation of a Security Rights Registry [A/CN.9/857] to develop a non-binding instrument for
(the Registry Guide) [YUN 2013, p. 1340]. The Working use by odr providers and neutrals, aimed at assisting
Group considered a Secretariat note entitled “Draft and supporting odr practitioners. Another proposal,
Model Law on Secured Transactions” [A/CN.9/WG.VI/ submitted by Colombia, Honduras and the United
WP.65 & Add.1–4], focusing on the scope of application States [A/CN.9/858], envisaged a non-binding descrip-
and general provisions, creation of a security right, tive instrument of a technical and explanatory nature.
effectiveness of a security right against third parties, The Commission agreed that any future text should
priority of a security right, conflict of laws and transi- build upon the progress on the third proposal and
tion. The Secretariat was requested to revise the draft other proposals, and instructed Working Group III to
Model Law and the draft Guide to Enactment based continue its work towards elaborating a non-binding
on the Working Group’s deliberations and decisions. descriptive document reflecting elements of an odr
process. It was also agreed that the Working Group
Micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises would be given a time limit of one year or no more
than two Working Group sessions, after which its
Further to its 2013 decision to entrust Working work would come to an end.
Group I with work aimed at reducing the legal ob- At its thirty-second session (Vienna, 30 Novem-
stacles faced by micro-, small- and medium-sized en- ber–4 December) [A/CN.9/862], the Working Group
terprises (msmes) throughout their life cycle, in par- continued its work on draft non-binding descriptive
ticular in developing economies [YUN 2013, p. 1344], document reflecting elements and principles of an
the Commission [A/70/17] had before it the Working odr process, based on the Secretariat’s note [A/CN.9/
Group’s reports on its twenty-third session (Vienna, WG.III/WP.137]. It requested the Secretariat to revise
17–21 November 2014) [A/CN.9/825] and twenty-fourth the draft outcome document based on the Working
(New York, 13–17 April 2015) [A/CN.9/831] sessions. Group’s deliberations.
It noted the progress made by the Working Group
in the analysis of the legal questions surrounding the Electronic commerce
simplification of incorporation and good practices in
business registration, as well as its consideration of Uncitral [A/70/17] welcomed the progress made
possible alternative legislative models to assist msmes by Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) in
and of a draft model law on a simplified business preparing draft provisions on electronic transferable
entity. The Commission confirmed the Working records at its fiftieth (Vienna, 10–14 November 2014)
Group’s mandate and agreed to include for the [A/CN.9/828] and fifty-first (New York, 18–22 May
Working Group’s consideration observations by Co- 2015) [A/CN.9/834] sessions. The Commission noted
lombia [A/CN.9/WG.I/WP.83] on a new type of business the Working Group’s decision that its work would
entity known as “simplified corporation”. take the form of a draft model law on electronic trans-
At its twenty-fifth session (Vienna, 19–23 Octo- ferable records, and its focus on domestic aspects of
ber) [A/CN.9/860], Working Group I continued dis- the use of electronic transferable records equivalent to
cussing the preparation of legal standards aimed at paper-based transferable documents or instruments,
creating an enabling legal environment for msmes, in with international aspects of the use of those records
particular the simplification of incorporation and re- as well as the use of transferable records existing only
lated matters. It considered key principles of business in electronic form to be addressed at a later stage.
registration, based on the Secretariat’s note [A/CN.9/ The Commission also noted cooperation in the field
WG.I/WP.93 & Add.1, 2], as well as a draft model law on of paperless trade, including legal aspects of electronic
a simplified business entity. single window facilities, carried out with the United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (escap), as well as technical assistance
Online dispute resolution and coordination activities in the field of electronic
Uncitral [A/70/17] had before it the reports of commerce, including through the uncitral Regional
Working Group III (Online Dispute Resolution) Centre for Asia and the Pacific (see p. 700).
on its thirtieth (Vienna, 20–24 October 2014) With regard to possible future work, the
[A/CN.9/827] and thirty-first (New York, 9–13 Febru- Commission expressed support for proposals by Aus-
ary) [A.CN.9/833] sessions. It noted that a third proposal tria, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland on legal issues
for Online Dispute Resolution (odr) Rules before the related to identity management and trust services
Chapter III: International legal questions 699

[A/CN.9/854]; by Canada on contractual issues in the world. The Commission also noted the steps to facili-
provision of cloud computing services [A/CN.9/856]; tate close coordination with the Hague Conference on
and by Colombia on issues relating to mobile com- Private International Law regarding recognition and
merce and payments effected with mobile devices enforcement of insolvency-related judgements.
[A/CN.9/WG.IV/WP.133]. It was indicated that the work The Commission also considered a Secretariat note
on identity management and trust services could deal on insolvency treatment of financial contracts and
with the use of public trust frameworks for commer- netting and sovereign debt restructuring [A/CN.9/851],
cial relations; work in the field of cloud computing providing information on recent developments of rel-
could take the form of guidance material and cov- evance to the provisions of the uncitral Legislative
ered the perspectives of service providers, users and Guide on Insolvency Law [YUN 2010, p. 1341]. It
concerned third parties; while matters relating to agreed that Working Group V should focus on the
payments with electronic means had great relevance issues currently before it and that work on updating
for international trade and it might be desirable to the Legislative Guide in relation to the insolvency
update existing uncitral texts in that field, any work treatment of financial contracts should not be taken
proposal required further illustration given the com- up at that time.
plexity of the subject. The Commission instructed At its forty-eighth session (Vienna, 14–18 Decem-
the Secretariat to conduct preparatory work in those ber) [A/CN.9/864], Working Group V commenced its
areas, including through the organization of colloquia deliberations on the texts concerning key principles
and expert group meetings, and to share the results of a regime to address insolvency in the context of
with Working Group IV, for consideration by the enterprise groups [A/CN.9/WG.V/WP.133], revised draft
Commission at its forty-ninth (2016) session. legislative provisions on the cross-border insolvency
Noting that the current work of the Working of enterprise groups [A/CN.9/WG.V/WP.134] as well
Group would greatly assist in facilitating electronic as the cross-border recognition and enforcement of
commerce in international trade, the Commission en- insolvency-related judgements [A/CN.9/WG.V/WP.135].
couraged the Working Group to finalize its work and
submit the results at the Commission’s forty-ninth Procurement and public-private partnerships
session. It was also proposed to consider at a later
stage the possibility of supporting the effective use of The Commission [A/70/17] had before it a
a model law on electronic transferable records by pro- Secretariat note on procurement and infrastructure
viding additional guidance for its implementation in development [A/CN.9/850], which addressed suspension
the fields of carriage of goods and of financing. and debarment in public procurement and public-
At its fifty-second session (Vienna, 9–13 No- private partnerships (ppps) as two possible areas of
vember) [A/CN.9/863], Working Group IV engaged legislative development. The Commission supported
in discussions on a draft Model Law on Electronic the proposal that the Secretariat should engage in
Transferable Records, based on the Secretariat’s note preparatory work towards the possible development
[A/CN.9/WG.IV/WP.135 & Add.1]. The Secretariat was of a legislative text in the area of procedural rules for
requested to revise the draft provisions on electronic supplier exclusion (suspension and debarment) in
transferable records based on the Working Group’s public procurement, noting that it could support the
deliberations and decisions. The Secretariat was also use of the uncitral Model Law on Public Procure-
asked to explore the possibility of holding a collo- ment [YUN 2011, p. 1291]; the Secretariat was instructed
quium on legal issues related to identity management to report to the Commission at its 2016 session on the
and trust services. results of its exploratory work on the question.
Further to its 2014 decision [YUN 2014, p. 1531],
Insolvency law uncitral discussed further the possibility of future
work in ppps, in the light of the recommendation of
Uncitral [A/70/17] noted the progress made by the 2014 colloquium [ibid.] to develop a Model Law
Working Group V (Insolvency Law) at its forty-sixth and accompanying Guide to Enactment on ppps
(Vienna, 15–19 December 2014) [A/CN.9/829] and and based on the Secretariat’s proposal further to its
forty-seventh (New York, 26–29 May) [A/CN.9/835] preparatory work in the area of privately-financed
sessions with regard to facilitating cross-border in- infrastructure projects. The Commission decided to
solvency of multinational enterprise groups, obliga- keep the topic on its agenda and asked the Secretariat
tions of directors of enterprise group companies in to continue following the situation and report further
the period approaching insolvency, and recognition to the Commission in 2016.
and enforcement of insolvency-related judgements.
It observed that reaching consensus on a text on International contract law
enterprise groups would be a significant step in the
development of cross-border insolvency law that could Further to its 2014 decision [YUN 2014, p. 1532] to
assist in maximizing value for creditors around the hold a colloquium to recognize the thirty-fifth an-
700 Part Four: Legal questions

niversary of the 1980 United Nations Convention on the United Nations Sales Convention, the Model Law
Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (United on Arbitration, the New York Convention [YUN 1958,
Nations Sales Convention) [YUN 1980, p. 1131] in 2015, p. 391], the 1974 Convention on the Limitation Period
the Commission [A/70/17] had before it a note by the in the International Sale of Goods [YUN 1974, p. 853]
Secretariat entitled “Current trends in the field of in- and the Convention on the Limitation Period in the
ternational sale of goods law” [A/CN.9/849]. The note International Sale of Goods as amended by the Pro-
provided information on regional and national events tocol of 11 April 1980 [YUN 1980, p. 1132].
on the United Nations Sales Convention and its 35th Uncitral was also informed of the progress in
anniversary, organized in 2014–2015; reviewed cur- finalizing the digest of case law on uncitral Model
rent trends in the Convention’s adoption and use, as Law on Cross-Border Insolvency [YUN 1997, p. 1379]
well as both uncitral and non - uncitral texts com- and noted the translation of the third edition of the
plementary to the Convention; and presented a sum- digest on the United Nations Sales Convention into
mary of related discussions on possible future work all UN official languages. It welcomed progress made
in that area. in upgrading the uncitral website to facilitate the
During an expert panel discussion organized at the functioning of the clout database, and reiterated its
forty-eighth session, it was recognized that the United appeal to States to assist the Secretariat in the search
Nations Sales Convention had been the model for a for additional funding to ensure sustained operation
number of legislative texts at the regional and national of clout.
level, and the desirability of coordinating the prep-
aration of treaties and other texts on international
sales law at the global and regional level was stressed. Technical cooperation and assistance
It was added that further work might be possible in Uncitral [A/70/17] considered a Secretariat note
some areas on which consensus could not be achieved [A/CN.9/837] describing technical cooperation and
at the time of the conclusion of the Convention, but assistance activities undertaken since 2014. The
which were dealt with in subsequent uniform texts. Commission noted that the number of activities re-
It was further noted that the Convention was par- mained limited due to the lack of resources, and
ticularly suitable as a model for national law since it reiterated its appeal for either multi-year or specific-
compiled provisions that might otherwise be scattered purpose contributions to the uncitral Trust Fund
in different texts and made reference to the desirabil- for Symposia to enable the Secretariat to meet the in-
ity of taking into account the developments in legal creasing number of requests from developing countries
thinking and business practice since the Convention’s and economies in transition. The Secretariat was
adoption, including the importance of enabling the requested to continue exploring alternative sources of
use of new technologies. extrabudgetary funding, and was encouraged to seek
The Commission asked the Secretariat to report cooperation with international organizations and bi-
at its forty-ninth (2016) session on further activities lateral partners in the provision of technical assistance.
to celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the United
In response to its 2010 request to consider ways
Nations Sales Convention, and to report periodi-
of better integrating its technical cooperation and
cally on promotional and capacity-building activities
assistance into UN activities conducted on the
aimed at supporting the Convention implementation.
ground, the Commission had before it a note by
the Secretariat [A/CN.9/845] proposing draft guiding
Case law on UNCITRAL texts principles on strengthening UN support to States
The Commission [A/70/17] considered a Secretariat to implement sound commercial law reforms as well
note on the promotion of ways and means of ensuring as an operational framework. After discussion, the
a uniform interpretation and application of uncitral Secretariat was requested to revise the draft guidance
legal texts [A/CN.9/840], which provided information note based on comments to be received from States.
on the current status of the case law on uncitral The Commission also considered a Secretariat
texts (clout) system and an update on work under- note [A/CN.9/842] on the activities undertaken by the
taken by the Secretariat on digests of case law relat- uncitral Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific.
ing to the United Nations Sales Convention and the The Regional Centre ensured coordination and co-
uncitral Model Law on International Commercial operation with regionally-based institutions such as
Arbitration (Model Law on Arbitration) [YUN 1985, escap, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
p. 1192]. (asean), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
The Commission noted the increasing number of (apec) and the Asian Development Bank, and insti-
uncitral legal texts represented in the clout system. tuted subregional and national seminars promoting
As at 11 May, 155 issues of compiled case-law abstracts several international trade law topics, enhancing
from the clout system had been prepared for publi- regional engagement with the Commission’s cur-
cation, dealing with 1,454 cases related to, inter alia, rent work, stimulating exchange of implementation
Chapter III: International legal questions 701

capabilities and assisting States in implementing uncitral activities in legislative development,

uncitral texts. implementation, use and understanding of uncitral
The Commission recognized the Regional Centre’s texts, as well as proposed prioritization and allocation
innovative approaches that had promoted the harmo- of uncitral resources. It took note of the progress of
nization and modernization of international trade law its Working Groups, confirmed their mandates and
standards in the context of economic integration and requested the Secretariat to continue support activities
cooperation frameworks. Support was expressed for to the extent that its resources permitted.
the Secretariat’s aim to cooperate more closely with The Commission agreed to hold a third uncitral
apec to improve the business environment in the Congress to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary in
Asia-Pacific region and to promote uncitral texts. 2017 and requested the Secretariat to make proposals
The Secretariat was requested to assess the feasibility to the Commission at its forty-ninth (2016) session.
of holding a session of a working group in the Asia- Uncitral approved the holding of its forty-ninth
Pacific region, and to pursue consultations regarding session in New York from 27 June to 15 July 2016. It
the possible establishment of other uncitral regional also approved the schedule of meetings for its working
centres. The Commission was informed of the offer groups up to and after its forty-ninth session.
to establish a uncitral regional centre in Colombia.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Coordination and cooperation On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,

on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee
Uncitral [A/70/17] considered a Secretariat note
[A/70/507], adopted resolution 70/115 (Report of
[A/CN.9/838] prepared pursuant to General Assembly
the United Nations Commission on International
resolution 34/142 [YUN 1979, p. 1132] and providing
Trade Law on the work of its forty-eighth session)
information on the activities of other international
without vote [agenda item 81].
organizations active in the field of international
trade law in which the uncitral Secretariat had
participated since 2014. The Commission noted that
the Secretariat had engaged in activities with sev- Other questions
eral organizations, including unctad, the United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Rule of law at the national
United Nations Environment Programme, the United
and international levels
Nations Inter-Agency Cluster on Trade and Produc-
tive Capacity, the World Bank, the World Trade In July, pursuant to General Assembly resolution
Organization, apec, the Hague Conference on Private 69/123 [YUN 2014, p. 1536], the Secretary-General sub-
International Law (the Hague Conference), oecd mitted his annual report [A/70/206] on strengthening
and Unidroit. The Secretariat participated in expert and coordinating UN rule-of-law activities. The report
groups, working groups and plenary meetings of those analyzed the role of multilateral treaty processes in
organizations to share information and expertise and advancing the rule of law at the international level,
avoid duplication of work. highlighting the development and promotion of the
The Commission took note of the statements made international framework of norms and standards, and
on behalf of Unidroit, the Hague Conference and the summarized activities to foster the rule of law relat-
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Num- ing to action by international and hybrid courts and
bers (icann). At the Hague Conference’s request, tribunals as well as non-judicial dispute resolution
uncitral considered endorsement of the Principles and accountability mechanisms such as commissions
on Choice of Law in International Commercial Con- of inquiry or fact-finding missions. The Secretary-
tracts (“the Hague Principles”). Taking note of the General noted that UN assistance to strengthen the
usefulness of the Hague Principles in facilitating in- rule of law at the national level sought to enhance
ternational trade, the Commission, by its decision of Member States’ capacities in implementing interna-
8 July, noted that they complemented several interna- tional norms and standards, in particular through the
tional trade law instruments and commended their Rights up Front initiative to prevent or respond to
use by courts and arbitral tribunals, both as a model human rights or humanitarian law violations; support
for national, regional, supranational or international for constitution-making and law reform; strength-
instruments and to interpret, supplement and develop ening judicial systems and improving access to justice;
rules of private international law. reforming security sector, police services and prison
systems; and supporting transitional justice processes
Future work and action against impunity, with special attention
to the problem of statelessness and the right to a na-
The Commission [A/70/17] considered a Secretariat tionality, refugees and internally displaced persons,
note [A/CN.9/841] on current and possible future gender-based violence and conflict-related sexual
702 Part Four: Legal questions

violence, protection of children, combating corrup- adopted resolution 70/118 (The rule of law at the
tion and transnational organized crime, countering national and international levels) without vote
terrorism as well as fighting human trafficking and [agenda item 85].
the smuggling of migrants. The rule of law was also
in the centre of UN activities to ensure sustainable On 21 July, the Economic and Social Council, by
urbanization and protection of the environment. resolution 2015/19 (see p. 633), recommended to the
Efforts continued to enhance coordination and General Assembly the adoption of a draft resolution
coherence within the UN system both at Headquar- on the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime
ters and at country levels, within the framework Prevention and Criminal Justice, containing the
[YUN 2013, p. 1349]. The Rule of Law Coordination Doha Declaration on Integrating Crime Prevention
and Resource Group, supported by the Rule of Law and Criminal Justice into the Wider United Nations
Unit, facilitated the sharing of Member States’ expe- Agenda to Address Social and Economic Challenges
riences in advancing specific areas of the rule of law. and to Promote the Rule of Law at the National and
In addition to the Group, a number of inter-agency International Levels, and Public Participation.
working groups and task forces also fostered coor- On 17 December, the Assembly adopted resolu-
dination around specific issues. The Department tion 70/174 (see p. 634) on that topic, which con-
of Peacekeeping Operations (dpko) and the United tained the Doha Declaration acknowledging that
Nations Development Programme (undp) continued sustainable development and the rule of law were
to serve as the joint global focal point for the police, strongly interrelated and mutually reinforcing and
justice and corrections in the rule of law in crisis and recognizing the importance of crime prevention and
post-crisis situations. The global focal point benefited criminal justice systems as a central component of
from co-located partners from the Office of the UN the rule of law. The Assembly requested unodc, in
High Commissioner for Human Rights (ohchr) and the development and implementation of its technical
UN-Women, and the engagement of other United cooperation programmes, to aim for sustainable and
Nations rule of law entities. long-lasting results when assisting Member States in
Since its inception in September 2012, the global fo- rebuilding, modernizing and strengthening criminal
cal point had provided support in 19 crisis-affected situ- justice systems as well as promoting the rule of law.
ations, including those in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Also on 17 December, in its resolution 70/178,
Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Darfur, the Assembly further requested unodc to continue
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, providing technical assistance to Member States to
Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Jamaica, Liberia, Libya, Mali, strengthen the rule of law, taking also into account
Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and the work undertaken by other UN entities, and to en-
Yemen; between August 2014 and May 2015, it sup- sure coordination and coherence, including through
ported 14 joint visits and nine technical experts, as well the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group.
as joint planning efforts in eight countries. The global
focal point also made progress in operationalizing Strengthening the role
deployment across entities, such as using the dpko
Standing Police Capacity for non-mission settings in of the United Nations
Chad, Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka. In Special Committee on United Nations Charter
Mali, it deployed experts from the dpko, undp, ohchr,
UN-Women and unodc to develop a joint programme In accordance with General Assembly resolution
to support the reform of the criminal justice chain. At 69/122 [YUN 2014, p. 1540], the Special Committee
the country level, joint strategies developed with the on the Charter of the United Nations and on the
assistance of the global focal point, such as in Mali and Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, at
Darfur, enabled a more unified approach in response its seventieth session (New York, 17–25 February)
to locally identified priorities; a rule-of-law framework [A/70/33], considered proposals relating to the mainte-
implemented in the Central African Republic mo- nance of international peace and security; the peaceful
bilized funding in excess of $20 million to support settlement of disputes; the status of the publications
national prosecutors and investigative judges; and in Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and
a number of settings, funds raised by the global focal Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council; and
point contributed to increased community security, working methods of the Committee and identifica-
such as through a joint project in countries affected tion of new subjects.
by the Ebola crisis and by providing support to the Regarding the maintenance of international peace
Narcotics Brigade in Bamako. and security, the Committee considered the question
of the implementation of the Charter provisions relat-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ing to assistance to third States affected by sanctions.
On 14 December [meeting 75], the Assembly, on the Many delegations stated that the issue of sanctions re-
recommendation of the Sixth Committee [A/70/511], mained of concern and reiterated that sanctions should
Chapter III: International legal questions 703

not be used as blunt instruments designed to punish group to study the proper implementation of the
the population of the target country; sanctions were Charter of the United Nations with respect to the
not applicable as a response to all violations of interna- functional relationship of its organs”, submitted by
tional obligations. Concern was also expressed over the Venezuela in 2011 [YUN 2011, p. 1301]. Several del-
imposition of unilateral sanctions in violation of inter- egations reiterated their concern that the Security
national law. For several delegations, sanctions applied Council had encroached on the functions and pow-
in accordance with the UN Charter and in a targeted ers of the General Assembly and the Economic and
fashion had reduced the possibility of adverse con- Social Council by addressing issues that fell within
sequences for civilian populations and third parties; their competence; there was a need to establish the
other delegations noted that targeted sanctions might right balance of functions and powers among each
still have unintended effects on civilian populations principal organ of the UN. Some delegations ex-
and on third States. Several delegations emphasized pressed support for the proposal and maintained that
that sanctions should be applied in conformity with the Special Committee was a proper forum to con-
the UN Charter and international law, and imposed sider it; others maintained that the responsibilities
as a last resort when there existed a threat to interna- of the principal UN organs were adequately defined
tional peace and security, a breach of peace or an act of in the UN Charter and that the proposal duplicated
aggression; the Security Council’s power to implement other efforts aimed at revitalizing the Organization.
sanctions should not exceed its own authority under Venezuela announced that it would continue to hold
the UN Charter and there should be a mechanism bilateral discussions on the proposal.
for the Council to promptly lift all sanctions when The Special Committee considered the further
there were no grounds for having them. The view was revised working paper submitted by Belarus and the
expressed that sanctions should have clearly defined Russian Federation in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1538], in
objectives and a specified time frame, should be held which it was recommended that an advisory opinion
under continuous review and should be lifted as soon be requested from the International Court of Justice
as their objectives had been achieved; their imposition (icj) as to the legal consequences of the resort to the
must be based on tenable legal grounds. use of force by States without prior authorization by
Some delegations expressed support for providing the Security Council, except in the exercise of the right
possible compensation to targeted or third States for to self-defence. The co-sponsors pointed out that the
damage caused by unlawfully imposed sanctions and advisory opinion would contribute to the clarification
reiterated that the International Law Commission of the provisions of the Charter regarding the use of
consider the legal consequences of sanctions imposed force and to the strengthening of the principle of the
arbitrarily by the Security Council. Several delegations non-use of force. Several delegations expressed their
noted that none of the sanctions committees had been support for the proposal; some others reiterated that
approached by Member States with regard to special they could not support it.
economic problems arising from the implementation The Special Committee also considered a working
of sanctions since 2003. They also noted that in 2014, paper entitled “Strengthening of the role of the
neither the Assembly nor the Economic and Social Organization and enhancing its effectiveness: adop-
Council had found it necessary to take any action tion of recommendations”, submitted by Cuba in 2012
relating to that matter. Therefore, the question of [YUN 2012, p. 1324]. Cuba underlined that the objec-
assistance to third States affected by the application tive of the working paper was to look for formulas to
of sanctions should not be a matter of priority for the achieve the balance envisaged in the Charter between
Committee and did not merit further discussion. the mandates of the principal organs, in particular
The Special Committee had before it Libya’s re- those of the General Assembly and of the Security
vised proposal on strengthening the role of the UN in Council. It reiterated that the working paper included
the maintenance of international peace and security five recommendations for consideration, including a
[YUN 1998, p. 1233]. Libya reiterated its willingness study of Chapter IV of the Charter and of its Articles
to engage in a discussion on the proposal, recalling 10 to 14, which pertained to the functions and pow-
that it recommended considering ways and means to ers of the Assembly. While some delegations voiced
bolster the role of the General Assembly and to en- support for the proposal, clarification was sought as to
hance the relationship between the Assembly and the the content and purpose of the recommendations. The
Security Council, elaborating criteria to ensure that view was also expressed that the Special Committee
the Council’s composition reflected the UN member- should not pursue activities duplicating or inconsistent
ship and an equitable geographical distribution, and with the roles of the principal organs as set forth in the
formulating a definition of what constituted a threat Charter, and that a legal study was not needed. Cuba
to international peace and security under Chapter VII indicated that it would present a revised working paper
of the Charter. at a future session of the Special Committee.
The Special Committee also discussed a further The Special Committee considered the question
revised working paper entitled “Open-ended working of an appropriate commemoration of the seventieth
704 Part Four: Legal questions

anniversary of the Charter, based on a document Repertory, progress had been made in preparing studies
entitled “Full validity of the Charter of the United pertaining to volume III, Supplements 7 to 9 covering
Nations on its seventieth anniversary” [A/AC.182/L.139] the period from 1985 to 1999 as well as Supplement
presented by Cuba. Following an exchange of views 10 for the period from 2000 to 2009. With regard to
and comments by several delegations, it was proposed the Repertoire, Supplement 17, covering the years 2010
that the commemoration should also include an and 2011 had been completed, and work continued
intergovernmental component, taking into account on Supplement 18, covering the period from 2012 to
the steps and activities already carried out or planned 2013. The Special Committee recommended that the
by the Organization, and that the Chair should trans- Assembly call on the Secretary-General to continue
mit the section of the Special Committee’s report on efforts to update the two publications and make them
the item to the President of the General Assembly. available in all language versions, and to address, on a
On the item entitled “Peaceful settlement of dis- priority basis, the question of the backlog in the prep-
putes”, delegations reiterated the central role of the aration of volume III of the Repertory.
icj in the peaceful settlement of disputes and the sig- Regarding the identification of new subjects, some
nificance of the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful delegations suggested examining legal matters relating
Settlement of International Disputes, approved by the to the Organization’s reform and revitalization; others
Assembly in 1982 and annexed to its resolution 37/10 called for the consideration of the proposals submitted
[YUN 1982, p. 1372]. The Russian Federation recalled at previous sessions. It was also suggested that no new
its 2014 proposal [YUN 2014, p. 1539] for establishing proposals should be considered that might envis-
a website on the peaceful settlement of disputes and age amendments to the Charter without the express
updating the United Nations’ 1992 Handbook on the mandate of the General Assembly; any new subjects
Peaceful Settlement of Disputes between States. Several should be practical and non-political. The Special
delegations expressed the view that such endeavours Committee considered a proposal entitled “Concept
would be beneficial to Member States in providing paper by Ghana on strengthening the relationship and
access to the latest information on mechanisms for cooperation between the United Nations and regional
the peaceful settlement of disputes, while others organizations or arrangements in the peaceful set-
questioned the added value and feasibility of those tlement of disputes” [A/AC.182/L.137], introduced by
proposals. Ghana and aimed at filling existing gaps between
The Special Committee also considered a pro- the UN and regional organizations with regard to
posal entitled “Pacific settlement of disputes and its the coordination of their activities, for example in
impact on the maintenance of peace” [A/AC.182/L.138], such areas as regional security, preventive diplomacy,
submitted by Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned peacekeeping and post-conflict peacebuilding. Several
Movement and aimed at assessing the current use of delegations voiced support for the proposal; others
peaceful means for the settlement of disputes. Iran stressed the importance of avoiding duplication with
suggested that an annual review of the issue by the discussions pertaining to the relationship between the
Special Committee would contribute to the more UN and regional organizations being held in other
efficient and effective use of such peaceful means, forums of the Organization. Ghana indicated that it
in accordance with Chapter VI of the Charter, and would submit a revised proposal at the Committee’s
pointed out that the proposal was intended to ensure next session.
that the Security Council exhausted the measures Reports of Secretary-General. In response
set out in Chapter VI, while avoiding the resort to to General Assembly resolution 69/122 [YUN 2014,
Chapter VII in the absence of an actual threat to p. 1540], the Secretary-General in June submitted a
international peace and security. Several delegations report [A/70/119] on implementation of the provisions
expressed their support for the proposal, while others of the Charter related to assistance to third States
requested more time for reflection and consultation. affected by the application of sanctions. The report
Concern was expressed that the proposal overlapped highlighted operational changes that occurred due
with discussions under way in other forums of the to the shift in focus in the Security Council and its
Organization and that the Special Committee should sanctions committees towards targeted sanctions;
avoid considering questions relating to the recourse to recent developments concerning the activities of the
force, which were already dealt with in the Charter. Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in
Following the discussions, Iran stated that the Non- the area of assistance to third States affected by the
Aligned Movement would present a revised proposal application of sanctions; and Secretariat arrangements
at the Committee’s next session. related to assistance to such States.
Delegations commended ongoing Secretariat Also in response to Assembly resolution 69/122,
efforts to update the Repertory of Practice of United the Secretary-General reported in August [A/70/295]
Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of on progress made in updating the Repertory of Practice
the Security Council and eliminate the backlog in the of United Nations Organs and Repertoire of the Practice
preparation of those publications. Concerning the of the Security Council.
Chapter III: International legal questions 705

With respect to the Repertory, the Secretary- venues for regional courses in international law for,
General recommended that the Assembly note the respectively, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America
progress made in the preparation of Repertory studies and the Caribbean. In response to Assembly resolu-
and their posting on the Internet in English, French tion 69/117, ola provided guidance to the African
and Spanish; consider the recommendations of the Institute of International Law in Arusha in building
Special Committee—including the increased use of its research library for African scholars and practi-
the UN internship programme, expanded coopera- tioners as well as for its training seminars on specific
tion with academic institutions for the preparation of topics of international law and African Union law
the studies and the sponsoring, on a voluntary basis for government officials and practitioners, and co-
and with no cost to the UN; note the progress made operated in launching in February a training course
towards the elimination of the backlog of the Reper- on bilateral investment treaties and arbitration. The
tory through use of the trust fund; and strongly en- United Nations Audiovisual Library of International
courage States to make additional contributions to it. Law had been accessed by more than 1.3 million in-
With regard to the Repertoire, the Secretary- dividuals and institutions in 193 Member States since
General recommended that the Assembly note the its creation in 2008; it offered almost 400 lectures by
progress made towards updating the publication and more than 300 eminent international law scholars and
posting it in electronic form in all language versions practitioners on a broad range of subjects relating to
on the UN website; call for voluntary contributions international law, archival materials on almost 100
to the trust fund for the updating of the Repertoire; legal instruments, as well as an extensive online collec-
note with appreciation the sponsoring by Switzerland, tion of treaties, jurisprudence, publications, scholarly
on a voluntary basis, of an associate expert to assist in writings, training materials and law journals. Ola
the preparation of the Repertoire, and encourage other provided UN legal publications and training mate-
States to consider providing such assistance. rials on CD-ROMs and USB flash drives and was
preparing a handbook on international law in Eng-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION lish and French, with legal materials for its training
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly, courses, for distribution to academic institutions and
on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee government training centres. It continued disseminat-
[A/70/510], adopted resolution 70/117 (Report of the ing materials through the Internet and maintained
Special Committee on the Charter of the United 24 websites.
Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the The report also provided guidelines and recom-
Organization) without vote [agenda item 84]. mendations for the execution of the Programme of
Assistance for the 2016–2017 biennium, and out-
UN Programme for the teaching and study lined administrative and financial implications of
of international law UN participation in the Programme during 2015 and
2016–2017.
In response to General Assembly resolution 69/117 The Advisory Committee on the Programme held
[YUN 2014, p. 1542], the Secretary-General submitted its fiftieth session on 13 October.
an October report [A/70/423] on the United Nations
Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of Interna- On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,
tional Law, which covered implementation of the on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee
Programme in 2015. Activities included the hold- [A/70/508], adopted resolution 70/116 (United
ing of the fifty-first session of the International Law Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching,
Seminar (Geneva, 6–24 July) and the convening of Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of
the International Law Fellowship Programme (The International Law) without vote [agenda item 82].
Hague, 22 June–31 July). The Hamilton Shirley Am-
erasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea
(see p. 713) was also awarded in 2015, with funding Host country relations
provided by voluntary contributions. At five meetings held in New York (11 February,
Lectures, seminars and study visits were organ- 1 May, 30 July, 5 and 30 October), the 19-member
ized by the UN Office of Legal Affairs (ola). The Committee on Relations with the Host Country con-
Office organized regional courses in international sidered the following aspects of relations between the
law, including one for African lawyers (Addis Ababa, UN diplomatic community and the United States, the
2–27 February) and prepared an International Law host country: entry visas issued by the host country;
Seminar for Arab States (Cairo, 15–19 November). host country activities to assist members of the UN
Due to the increasing demand for international law community; and other matters. The recommenda-
training, host country agreements were concluded tions and conclusions on those items, approved by
with Ethiopia, Thailand and Uruguay as permanent the Committee at its 30 October meeting, were in-
706 Part Four: Legal questions

corporated into its report [A/70/26]. The Committee the conditions for their functioning and to promote
expressed appreciation for the host country’s efforts compliance with international norms concerning dip-
to maintain appropriate conditions for delegations lomatic privileges and immunities.
and missions accredited to the UN and anticipated The Committee anticipated that the host country
that all issues raised at its meetings would be settled would enhance its efforts to ensure the issuance, in
in a spirit of cooperation and in accordance with in- a timely manner, of entry visas to representatives of
ternational law. Member States to travel to New York on official UN
Noting the importance of the observance of privi- business, and noted that a number of delegations had
leges and immunities, the Committee emphasized the requested shortening the time frame applied by the
need to solve, through negotiations, problems that host country for issuance of entry visas, since the
might arise in that regard for the normal functioning existing time frame posed difficulties for the full-
of accredited delegations and missions. It urged the fledged participation of Member States in UN meet-
host country to continue to take appropriate action, ings. It remained seized of particular entry visa-related
such as the training of police, security, customs and issues raised at its meetings and anticipated that those
border control officers, with a view to maintaining issues would be duly addressed in a spirit of coopera-
respect for diplomatic privileges and immunities. tion and in accordance with international law. The
In case of violations, the Committee urged the host Committee urged the host country to remove the
country to ensure that such cases were investigated remaining travel restrictions for personnel of certain
and remedied, in accordance with applicable law. missions and staff members of the Secretariat of
Considering that the security of missions and the certain nationalities. It also stressed the importance of
safety of their personnel were indispensable for their permanent missions, their personnel and Secretariat
effective functioning, the Committee appreciated the personnel meeting their financial obligations.
host country’s efforts to that end and anticipated that The Committee expressed concern over the diffi-
the host country would continue to take all meas- culties experienced by some permanent missions in
ures necessary to prevent any interference with the obtaining suitable banking services, which affected
missions’ functioning. those missions’ ability to perform their functions,
The Committee noted that the missions continued and welcomed the host country’s efforts to facilitate
to implement the Parking Programme for Diplomatic the opening of bank accounts for permanent missions
Vehicles, in force since 2002 [YUN 2002, p. 1338]. It with other financial institutions.
would remain seized of the matter to ensure its proper
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
implementation in a manner that was fair, nondis-
criminatory, effective and therefore consistent with in- On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,
ternational law. It also requested that the host country on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee
continue to bring to the attention of New York City [A/70/515], adopted resolution 70/121 (Report of the
officials reports about other problems experienced by Committee on Relations with the Host Country)
permanent missions or their staff, in order to improve without vote [agenda item 167].
Chapter IV

Law of the sea

In 2015, the United Nations continued to promote law of the sea for 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1567] and 2015
universal acceptance of the 1982 United Nations (see p. 712). The Meeting took note of the report of
Convention on the Law of the Sea and its two imple- the Tribunal for 2014 [SPLOS/278], the report of the
menting Agreements on the implementation of Part external auditor for the financial period 2013–2014
XI of the Convention, and on the conservation and [SPLOS/279], and the report on budgetary matters
management of straddling fish stocks and highly mi- for the financial periods 2013–2014 and 2015–2016
gratory fish stocks, respectively. [SPLOS/280]. It approved the report of the Credentials
The three institutions created by the Convention— Committee [SPLOS/285]; adopted the decision regard-
the International Seabed Authority, the International ing the conditions of service of the members of the
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Commission Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
on the Limits of the Continental Shelf—held sessions by consensus [SPLOS/286]; and decided that the open-
during the year. ended working group continue to consider issues re-
lated to the conditions of service of the members of the
Highlighting the need for a comprehensive global Commission, in particular issues related to working
regime to better address the conservation and sustain- space and medical insurance coverage. The Meeting
able use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond also elected one member of the Commission to fill the
national jurisdiction, the General Assembly in June vacancy from the date of election until 15 June 2017.
decided to develop an international, legally binding
instrument under the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustain- Agreement relating to the Implementation
able use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond of Part XI of the Convention
national jurisdiction; and, to that end, decided to es- During 2015, the number of parties to the 1994
tablish a preparatory committee to make recommen- Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part
dations to the Assembly on the elements of a draft text XI of the Convention (governing exploitation of sea-
and requested the preparatory committee to start its bed resources beyond national jurisdiction), adopted
work in 2016. by General Assembly resolution 48/263 [YUN 1994,
p. 1301], reached 147, with the State of Palestine ac-
ceding to the treaty [A/70/74/Add.1]. The Agreement,
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea which entered into force on 28 July 1996 [YUN 1996,
p. 1215], sought to address certain difficulties with the
seabed mining provisions contained in Part XI of the
Signatures and ratification
Convention, which had been raised primarily by the
In 2015, the State of Palestine acceded to the United industrialized countries. The Agreement was to be in-
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (unclos), terpreted and applied together with the Convention
bringing the number of parties to the Convention to as a single instrument; and in the event of any in-
167. The Convention, which was adopted by the Third consistency between the Agreement and Part XI of
United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in the Convention, the provisions of the Agreement
1982 [YUN 1982, p. 178], entered into force on 16 No- would prevail. Any ratification of, or accession to, the
vember 1994 [YUN 1994, p. 1301]. Convention after 28 July 1994 represented consent
to be bound by the Agreement also. Parties to the
Meeting of States Parties Convention prior to the Agreement’s adoption had to
deposit a separate instrument of ratification of, or ac-
The twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to cession to, the Agreement.
the Convention (New York, 8–12 June) [SPLOS/287]
discussed the 2014 activities of the International Agreement relating to conservation
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea [YUN 2014, p. 1547]. and management of straddling fish stocks
Also discussed were the activities of the International and highly migratory fish stocks
Seabed Authority (see p. 708) and of the Commission
on the Limits of the Continental Shelf [SPLOS/283] As at 31 December, the number of parties to the
(see p. 709) during the previous 12 months, as well 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provi-
as the Secretary-General’s reports on oceans and the sions of the United Nations Convention on the Law

707
708 Part Four: Legal questions

of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Con- lic nodules, 5 for exploration for polymetallic sulphides
servation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and 3 for exploration for cobalt-rich ferromanganese
and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks [YUN 1995, p. 1334] crusts. On 15 July, the Council [ISBA/21/C/21] consid-
remained 82 during the year [A/70/74/Add.1]. Referred ered the report of the Secretary-General on the status
to as the Fish Stocks Agreement, it entered into force of contracts for exploration in the Area [ISBA/21/C/8/
on 11 December 2001 [YUN 2001, p. 1232]. Rev.1]. The Council approved the application for the ap-
proval of a plan of work for exploration for polymetallic
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION nodules submitted by China Minmetals Corporation,
On 8 December [meeting 69], the General Assembly and requested the Secretary-General to issue the plan
adopted resolution 70/75 [draft: A/70/L.19 & Add.1] of work in the form of contract between the Authority
(Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 and China Minmetals Corporation [ISBA/21/C/17].
Agreement for the Implementation of the Provi- It adopted a decision relating to the procedures and
sions of the United Nations Convention on the criteria for the extension of an approved plan of work
Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the for exploration [ISBA/21/C/19]. The Council took note of
Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish the Commission’s work on the framework for the ex-
Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and re- ploitation regulations and requested the Commission
lated instruments) without vote [agenda item 79 (b)]. to continue its work on exploitation regulations as a
matter of priority. It also requested the Commission to
consider the document [ISBA/21/C/13] submitted by the
Netherlands on addressing serious harm to the marine
Institutions created environment, in the context of its work on developing
by the Convention the exploitation regulations. The Council endorsed
the Commission’s list of priority deliverables for the
International Seabed Authority development of the exploitation regulations over the
next 12 to 18 months, and approved the agreement
Through the International Seabed Authority, es- of cooperation between the International Maritime
tablished by unclos and the 1994 Implementation Organization (imo) and the Authority [ISBA/21/C/10],
Agreement [YUN 1994, p. 1301], States organized and and the memorandum of understanding between the
conducted exploration of the resources of the sea- Authority and the Pacific Community [ISBA/21/C/11].
bed and ocean floor and subsoil beyond the limits of The Legal and Technical Commission [ISBA/21/C/16]
national jurisdiction. In 2015, the Authority, which considered the application for approval of a plan of
had 167 members as at 30 May, held its twenty-first work for exploration for polymetallic nodules by the
session (Kingston, Jamaica, 13–24 July) [ISBA/21/A/11]. China Minmetals Corporation, and reviewed and
Its subsidiary bodies, namely, the Assembly, the evaluated 18 annual reports submitted by contrac-
Council, the Legal and Technical Commission and tors [ISBA/21/LTC/16]. The Commission took note that
the Finance Committee, also met during the session. 22 contracts for exploration had been issued by the
The Assembly considered the annual report Authority as at 30 June. The Commission reviewed
[ISBA/21/A/2] of the Authority’s Secretary-General, the recommended template for annual reports of con-
which reviewed the Authority’s work since the twen- tractors and adopted draft recommendations [ISBA/21/
tieth session [YUN 2014, p. 1564]. The report covered the LTC/15], which would be applied by all contractors with
membership of the Authority, relations with the host effect from 1 January 2016.
country, the Protocol on the Privileges and Immuni- The Finance Committee [ISBA/21/A/6] took note of
ties of the Authority, financial and administrative mat- the balance of the Endowment Fund in the amount
ters, and the voluntary trust fund and the Endowment of $3,468,750, and of the balance of the Voluntary
Fund for Marine Scientific Research in the Area. The Trust Fund in the amount of $225,462, as at 30 June.
Assembly decided to undertake, pursuant to article 154 It also took note of the status of the Working Capital
of the Convention, a general and systematic review of the Fund as at 30 June, with advances of $559,601 out of
manner in which the international regime of the Area a ceiling of $560,000. The Committee recommended
had operated in practice [ISBA/21/A/9]. The Assembly to the Council that the fee for processing an applica-
adopted decisions relating to financial and budgetary tion for extension of a contract be fixed at $67,000. It
matters including the appointment of kpmg, an exter- also recommended that the Council and the Assembly
nal consultant firm, as independent auditor for 2015 request the Secretary-General to endeavour to allocate
and 2016 [ISBA/21/A/10]. The Assembly also adopted the sufficient resources in the budget for 2015–2016 to
report of the Credentials Committee [ISBA/21/A/7] and the priority deliverables identified in the draft action
decided that the twenty-second session of the Assembly plan and to report to the Committee on the progress
would be held from 11 to 22 July 2016. made and resources used. The Committee developed
As at 1 June, 22 contracts for exploration had entered a new budget format and requested the Authority’s
into force, including 14 for exploration for polymetal- Secretary-General to use it for the preparation of the
Chapter IV: Law of the sea 709

budget proposal for the financial period 2017–2018. limited to the exclusive economic zones of the srfc
The Committee recommended to the Assembly that member States. The Tribunal decided to respond to
kpmg be appointed for two more years to complete its the request.
four-year term. On 26 June, Italy instituted arbitration proceedings
As at 31 December, the 1998 Protocol on the in the “Enrica Lexie” Case (Italy v. India). The dispute
Privileges and Immunities of the International Seabed concerned an incident involving the M/V Enrica Lexie,
Authority [YUN 1998, p. 1226], which entered into force an oil tanker flying the Italian flag, and India’s subse-
in 2003 [YUN 2003, p. 1353], had 28 signatories and 37 quent exercise of jurisdiction over the incident. Pend-
parties. Albania acceded to it during the year. ing the constitution of the arbitral tribunal and after
expiry of the two-week time limits, Italy, on 21 July,
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea submitted a request to the Tribunal for the prescription
of provisional measures in respect of the dispute. By an
The International Tribunal for the Law of the order dated 24 July, the President fixed 10 August as
Sea held its thirty-ninth (9–20 March) and fortieth the date for the opening of the hearing. India filed with
(21 September–2 October) sessions in Hamburg, Ger- the Tribunal a statement in response on 6 August. The
many [SPLOS/294]. Tribunal held initial deliberation on 8 August. Oral
By an order dated 12 January, the Tribunal decided statements were presented at four public sittings held
to accede to the request of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire to on 10 and 11 August, and the final submissions were
form a Special Chamber to deal with the case concern- presented at the hearing on 11 August. The Tribunal
ing delimitation of the maritime boundary between delivered its order on 24 August. The Tribunal further
those countries in the Atlantic Ocean (Ghana/Côte decided that each party had to submit an initial report
d’Ivoire), and determined the composition of the to the Tribunal not later than 24 September; each
Special Chamber with their approval. On 18 Febru- party submitted an initial report on the measures
ary, the President of the Special Chamber held con- taken within the prescribed time limit.
sultations with the representatives of the parties in In the M/V “Norstar” Case (Panama v. Italy), Pan-
order to ascertain their views with regard to questions ama, on 17 December, filed with the Tribunal an ap-
of procedure. On 24 February, the President adopted plication in a dispute with Italy regarding the arrest
an order fixing 4 September as the time limit for the and detention of the M/V Norstar, a Panamanian-
filing of the memorial by Ghana and 4 April 2016 as flagged vessel. In its application, Panama claimed
the time limit for the filing of the counter-memorial by compensation from Italy for damage caused by the
Côte d’Ivoire; and, should the Special Chamber find it illegal arrest of the vessel by Spanish officials, at the
necessary to authorize the presentation of a reply and request of Italy, in the bay of Palma de Mallorca on
a rejoinder, 4 July 2016 as the time limit for the filing 24 September 1998. The dispute had been submitted
of the reply by Ghana and 4 October 2016 as the time to the Tribunal pursuant to the declarations made by
limit for the filing of the rejoinder by Côte d’Ivoire. Panama and Italy under article 287 of the Convention.
On 27 February, Côte d’Ivoire filed a request for the As at 31 December, the Agreement on the Privi-
prescription of provisional measures by the Special leges and Immunities of the International Tribunal
Chamber in accordance with article 290, paragraph for the Law of the Sea, which was adopted by the sev-
1, of the Convention. By an order dated 6 March, the enth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention in
President fixed 29 March as the date for the opening of 1997 [YUN 1997, p. 1361] and entered into force in 2001
the hearing. Ghana filed its written statement with the [YUN 2001, p. 1235], had 21 signatories and 41 parties.
Special Chamber on 23 March. The Special Chamber
held initial deliberations on 28 March, prior to the Commission on the Limits
opening of the hearing. Oral statements were pre- of the Continental Shelf
sented at four public sittings held on 29 and 30 March,
and the final submissions were presented at the hearing In 2015, the Commission on the Limits of the
on 30 March. The Special Chamber delivered its order Continental Shelf, established in 1997 [YUN 1997,
on 25 April. The Special Chamber further decided that p. 1362], held its thirty-seventh (2 February–20 March)
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire each had to submit an initial [CLCS/88], thirty-eighth (20 July–4 September)
report not later than 25 May to the Special Chamber; [CLCS/90] and thirty-ninth (19 October–4 December)
each party submitted an initial report on the measures [CLCS/91] sessions in New York.
taken within the prescribed time limit. At its thirty-seventh session, the Commission’s
With respect to the request for an advisory opinion subcommissions considered the submissions made by
submitted by the Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission Uruguay; the Cook Islands, in respect of the Manihiki
(srfc) [YUN 2013, p. 1375], the Tribunal delivered its Plateau; Argentina; Pakistan; Norway, in respect of
advisory opinion on 2 April. It decided that it had ju- Bouvetøya and Dronning Maud Land; South Africa, in
risdiction to give the advisory opinion requested by respect of the mainland of the territory of the Republic
srfc and that, in the case before it, its jurisdiction was of South Africa; the Federated States of Micronesia,
710 Part Four: Legal questions

Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, in respect The subcommission decided to continue con-
of the Ontong Java Plateau; France and South Africa, sideration of the submissions made by Uruguay; by
in respect of the area of the Crozet Archipelago and Norway, in respect of Bouvetøya and Dronning Maud
the Prince Edward Islands; and Mauritius, in respect Land; by South Africa, in respect of the mainland of
of the region of Rodrigues Island. The Commission the territory of the Republic of South Africa; by the
received a presentation of submission by Tonga, in re- Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea
spect of the western part of the Lau-Colville Ridge, and Solomon Islands, in respect of the Ontong Java
and decided that the submission would be considered Plateau; by France and South Africa, in respect of the
at a future session by way of a subcommission to be area of the Crozet Archipelago and the Prince Ed-
established as queued in the order. The Commission ward Islands; by Mauritius, in respect of the region of
approved “Recommendations of the Commission on Rodrigues Island; and by Nigeria at the Commission’s
the Limits of the Continental Shelf in regard to the thirty-ninth session.
submission made by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan At its thirty-ninth session, the subcommissions
on 30 April 2009”, with amendments. Regarding the carried out the initial examination of the submissions
submission made by Iceland, in respect of the Ægir made by Brazil, in respect of the Brazilian Southern
Basin area and the western and southern parts of Rey- Region, and by Kenya, and decided to continue its
kjanes Ridge, it decided to continue further consid- consideration of the submissions during the fortieth
eration of the draft recommendations prepared by the session. The subcommission presented its prelimi-
subcommission to its next session. nary views on a number of issues, with consideration
At its thirty-eighth session, the Commission re- of the submission made by South Africa, in respect
ceived presentations of submissions from Brazil, in re- of the mainland of the territory of the Republic of
spect of the South Region; Angola; Cabo Verde, the South Africa, and decided to continue its considera-
Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Sene- tion of the submission. The subcommission contin-
gal and Sierra Leone, jointly, in respect of areas in the ued the main scientific and technical examination of
Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the coast of West Africa; the joint submission made by the Federated States of
and Spain, in respect of the area west of the Canary Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands
Islands. The Commission decided to consider the sub- concerning the Ontong Java Plateau, and decided to
mission by Brazil, in respect of the South Region, by continue its consideration of the joint submission. The
subcommission continued the preliminary analysis
way of a subcommission and proceeded to reconstitute
of the submission by Nigeria, proceeded to the main
the subcommission for the examination of the submis-
scientific and technical examination of the submis-
sion by Brazil. The Commission decided that it would
sion, and decided to continue consideration of the
establish subcommissions when the submissions were
submission. The subcommissions decided to continue
next in line for consideration, including submissions consideration of the submissions made by Norway,
made by Cabo Verde, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea- in respect of Bouvetøya and Dronning Maud Land;
Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone, jointly, and by France and South Africa, in respect of the
in respect of areas in the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to area of the Crozet Archipelago and the Prince Ed-
the coast of West Africa; and by Spain, in respect of ward Islands during the next session. Regarding the
the area west of the Canary Islands. It also decided to submission made by Uruguay, the subcommission fi-
defer further consideration of the submission and the nalized the draft recommendations, which would be
communications by Angola as queued in the order, in presented to the Commission at the fortieth session.
order to take into account any further developments The subcommission decided to continue its consid-
that might occur in the intervening period. Regard- eration of the submission made by Mauritius, in the
ing the submissions made by the Cook Islands, in re- region of Rodrigues Island during the fortieth session,
spect of the Manihiki Plateau, and by Argentina, the and would proceed to prepare its recommendations to
Commission decided to defer further consideration of the Commission at its forty-first session.
the draft recommendations to its fortieth session, in
order to allow sufficient time for its member to con-
sider the submissions and the draft recommendations.
Regarding the submission made by Iceland, in respect
Other developments related
of the Ægir Basin area and the western and southern to the Convention
parts of Reykjanes Ridge, the Commission continued
its consideration of the draft recommendations by its Pursuant to resolution 69/245 [YUN 2014, p. 1568]
subcommission at the thirty-fourth session [YUN 2014, and article 319 of the Convention [YUN 1982, p. 237],
p. 1565], and decided to further explore the possibility the Secretary-General in September submitted his an-
of reaching agreement on substantive matters by way nual report [A/70/74/Add.1] covering developments and
of consensus and to continue further consideration issues relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea,
of the draft recommendations at its fortieth session. including the implementation of the resolution. The
Chapter IV: Law of the sea 711

report reviewed the Convention and its implementing ing implications for the ocean of climate change and
bodies established thereunder and peaceful settlement related changes in the atmosphere; challenges faced
of disputes; maritime spaces; developments relating by marine biota; food security and safety; biodiversity
to international shipping activities; ocean and climate hotspots as magnets for human activities; increasing
change and ocean acidification; people at sea, includ- and conflicting demands for ocean space; increasing
ing maritime workers, and unsafe mixed migration inputs of harmful materials; cumulative impacts of
by sea; and maritime security, including piracy and human activities on biodiversity; uneven distribu-
armed robbery at sea, illicit traffic in narcotic drugs tion of ocean benefits and disbenefits; integrated
and psychotropic substances, illicit traffic in firearms, management of human activities; and the urgency of
and smuggling and trafficking of persons. The report addressing threats to the ocean. The Working Group
further reviewed sustainable development of oceans also considered the lessons learned in conjunction
and seas, including developing marine science and with the way forward for the Regular Process. It took
scientific information in support of decision-making; note of the letters of 11 May and 7 September from the
assessments in support of decision-making; conser- Joint Coordinators to the Co-Chairs, and requested
vation and management of living marine resources; the secretariat of the Regular Process to provide a brief
conservation and sustainable use of marine bio- overview of the lessons learned.
diversity; pressures on the marine environment; and The Working Group recommended that the
management tools. It also covered issues related to sup- Assembly: approve the first global integrated marine
porting small island developing States and landlocked assessment including the summary; launch the second
developing countries; building the capacity of States cycle of the Regular Process; request the Bureau to
to implement the legal regime for the oceans and seas; continue the consideration of lessons learned from
as well as strengthening international cooperation and the first cycle of the Regular Process with a view to
coordination. the implementation of the second cycle; request the
The Secretary-General concluded that the General Secretary-General to convene the seventh meeting
Assembly continue to provide firm guidance for of the Working Group in 2016; review the resource
effective action by States and other stakeholders. The requirements for the second cycle of the Regular Pro-
Assembly was best placed to foster an integrated, cess and invite the Chairs of the regional groups to
interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to oceans constitute a group of experts for the duration of the
and the law of the sea issues, as well as cross-sectoral second cycle of the Regular Process. The working
cooperation and coordination. The United Nations group also recommended that the Assembly re-
system remained ready to provide its support, includ- quest the secretariat of the Regular Process to com-
ing in the area of capacity-building, which was crucial pile an inventory of available information on recent
for achieving sustainable development and for ena- and ongoing assessments and other processes at the
bling developing countries to realize benefits from the regional and global levels relevant to the Regular Pro-
oceans and resources, in a sustainable manner and in cess, and to submit it to the Bureau by the end of
accordance with the Convention. February 2016.

Assessment of global marine environment Marine biological resources

Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/245 The Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working
[YUN 2014, p. 1568], the Ad Hoc Working Group Group to study issues relating to the conservation
of the Whole on the Regular Process for Global and sustainable use of marine biological diversity be-
Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Ma- yond areas of national jurisdiction, established pursu-
rine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects ant to General Assembly resolution 59/24 [YUN 2004,
(the Regular Process) held its sixth meeting (New p. 1333], held a meeting (New York, 20–23 January)
York, 8–11 September) [A/70/418]. Representatives [A/69/780] to provide Co-Chairs’ summary of dis-
of 51 Member States, one non-member State, nine cussions and recommendations to the Assembly, as
intergovernmental organizations and other bodies requested in resolution 69/245 [YUN 2014, p. 1568].
and three non-governmental organizations attended The meeting was attended by representatives of
the meeting. The Working Group adopted the agenda 104 Member States, two non-Member States,
and agreed on the organization of work, as proposed 17 intergovernmental organizations and other bodies
by the Co-Chairs. The Working Group considered the and 11 non-governmental organizations.
first global integrated marine assessment, including its The Working Group recommended that the
summary [A/70/112]. The Group of Experts provided Assembly reaffirm the commitment to address the
a brief history of the Regular Process, outlined the issue of the conservation and sustainable use of ma-
main conclusions from the assessment and enumer- rine biological diversity of areas beyond national ju-
ated the knowledge gaps and the capacity-building risdiction, including by taking a decision on the de-
gaps. The summary covered the main themes, includ- velopment of an international instrument under the
712 Part Four: Legal questions

Convention before the end of the sixty-ninth session United Nations Open-ended Informal
of the Assembly. In that regard, it decided to develop Consultative Process
an international, legally binding instrument on the
conservation and sustainable use of marine biological Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 69/245
diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. To that [YUN 2014, p. 1568], the sixteenth meeting of the United
end, it decided to establish a preparatory committee to Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on
make substantive recommendations to the Assembly Oceans and the Law of the Sea (New York, 6–10 April)
on the elements of a draft text of an international, [A/70/78] discussed the topic “Oceans and sustainable
legally binding instrument. The Assembly would development: integration of the three dimensions of
decide on the convening and on the starting date of sustainable development, namely, environmental,
an intergovernmental conference, under the auspices social and economic”. The meeting was attended by
of the UN, to consider the recommendations of the representatives of 68 States, nine intergovernmental
preparatory committee and to elaborate the text of an organizations and other bodies and entities and seven
international, legally binding instrument under the non-governmental organizations.
Convention. The Working Group also recommended The meeting had before it a March report [A/70/74] of
that the Assembly decide that negotiations address the Secretary-General on the oceans and the three di-
the topics identified in the package agreed in 2011, mensions of sustainable development, which described
namely the conservation and sustainable use of ma- oceans and each dimension of sustainable development
rine biological diversity of areas beyond national juris- and integration in the outcomes of sustainable devel-
diction, in particular, together and as a whole, marine opment meetings. It also reviewed opportunities for,
genetic resources, including questions on the sharing and challenges to, the enhanced integration of the three
of benefits, measures such as area-based management dimensions of sustainable development in relation to
tools, including marine protected areas, environ- oceans, including the integration of the three dimen-
mental impact assessments and capacity-building, sions in selected areas of ocean affairs, such as shipping,
and the transfer of marine technology. exploitation of marine living resources, exploitation of
The Working Group also considered the scope, non-living resources, marine renewable energy, lay-
parameters and feasibility of an international instru- ing of submarine cables, tourism, natural and cultural
ment under the Convention, and further considered heritage, conservation and sustainable use of marine
and adopted the draft recommendations to the sixty- biodiversity, and oceans and climate change and ocean
ninth session of the Assembly. acidification. It also addressed specific challenges to
achieve sustainable development facing the most vul-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION nerable countries, in particular, African countries, least
On 19 June [meeting 96], the General Assembly developed countries, landlocked developing countries
adopted resolution 69/292 [draft: A/69/L.65 & Add.1] and small island developing States, and discussed legal
(Development of an international legally binding framework for enhanced integration of the three di-
instrument under the United Nations Convention mensions in relation to oceans.
on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and Representatives highlighted the importance of rec-
sustainable use of marine biological diversity of ognizing the interlinkages between, and integrating the
areas beyond national jurisdiction) without vote three dimensions of, sustainable development in order to
[agenda items 74 (a)]. ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth, social
On 22 December [meeting 81], the General development and environmental protection. Represent-
Assembly adopted resolution 70/226 [draft: A/70/472/ atives recalled that the United Nations Convention on
Add.9] (United Nations Conference to Support the Law of the Sea provided the legal framework for all
the Implementation of Sustainable Development activities in the oceans and seas and highlighted the
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, importance of its implementation for achieving sustain-
seas and marine resources for sustainable develop- able development. They further stressed the importance
ment) without vote [agenda items 20 & 79 (a)]. of enhancing cooperation and coordination at all lev-
els and across sectors for an integrated approach to the
By resolution 70/1 (see p. 396) of 25 September management of ocean activities.
on “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development”, the Assembly established Piracy
a number of goals relating to the conservation and
sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources The International Maritime Organization (imo),
for sustainable development (Goal 14), and called on 12 June [MSC.1/Circ.1333/Rev.1], issued recommen-
for enhancing the conservation and sustainable dations to Member Governments for preventing and
use of oceans and their resources by implementing suppressing piracy and armed robbery against ships.
international law as reflected in the United Nations Imo also issued an annual report [MSC.4/Circ.219/Rev.1]
Convention on the Law of the Sea. on acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships in
Chapter IV: Law of the sea 713

2014, including a regional analysis. As reported to coordination mechanism on ocean and coastal issues
imo, 291 acts of piracy and armed robbery against within the UN system which was established in 2003
ships occurred or were attempted during 2014, com- by Assembly resolution 57/141 [YUN 2002, p. 1322],
pared to 298 such cases in 2013 [YUN 2014, p. 1568]. continued to give priority attention to the develop-
The Security Council addressed the issue of piracy ment of an online searchable database for an inventory
and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia by of mandates and activities.
resolution 2246(2015) of 10 November (see p. 137). The fourteenth meeting of UN-Oceans was held
on 20 March in London. UN-Oceans agreed that
doalos/ola would convene a meeting in the mar-
Division for Ocean Affairs gins of the sixteenth meeting of the Open-ended In-
and the Law of the Sea formal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law
During 2015, the Division for Ocean Affairs and of the Sea to facilitate a further exchange of views
the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs on the inventory of member organizations’ activities
(doalos/ola) continued to fulfil its role as the substan- and mandates. It also agreed that the next meeting
tive unit of the UN Secretariat responsible for review- of UN-Oceans would be held the following year in
ing and monitoring all developments related to the law New York.
of the sea and ocean affairs, as well as for the implemen-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
tation of the United Nations Convention on the Law
of the Sea and related General Assembly resolutions. On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly
The Division, at the request of the Government adopted resolution 70/235 [draft: A/70/L.22 & Add.1]
of the Islamic Republic of Iran, participated in a (Oceans and the law of the sea) by recorded vote
joint seminar on the Convention on the Law of the (143-1-4) [agenda item 79 (a)].
Sea and related issues for lawmakers and academics, RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 70/235:
held in Tehran in May. It also organized a five-day In favour: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Bar-
workshop in July in Mogadishu for the Somali Federal buda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bang-
Government and regional officials on ocean and the ladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
law of the sea. During the year, the Division adminis- and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bul-
tered eight voluntary trust funds and was in the process garia, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Can-
ada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte
of establishing a new trust fund pursuant to General d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic
Assembly resolution 69/292 (see p. 712) to assist People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican
developing countries, in particular, the least developed Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Esto-
countries, landlocked developing countries and small nia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,
island developing States, in attending the meetings of Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland,
India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
the preparatory committee and the intergovernmental Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People’s Democratic
conference on the development of an international, le- Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,
gally binding instrument under the Convention on the Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mar-
conservation and sustainable use of marine biological shall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Monaco, Mon-
diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. tenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Neth-
erlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Oman,
The Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fel- Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines,
lowship on the Law of the Sea, established in 1981 Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova,
[YUN 1981, pp. 130 & 139], had trained 30 individuals Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Ne-
from 26 Member States since its establishment. Eric vis, Saint Lucia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Teiniu (Solomon Islands) was awarded the 2015 Fel- Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden,
lowship. The United Nations-Nippon Foundation Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former
Fellowship Programme had trained 110 individuals Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tu-
from 67 Member States since its establishment in nisia, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United King-
2004. Ten individuals were undertaking fellowships dom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay,
and ten new awards would be made in October for the Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
2016 cycle. Through the first Special Strategic Award, Against: Turkey.
Abstaining: Central African Republic, El Salvador, Mali, Ven-
a customized four-month programme was also being ezuela.
provided to a government official of Somalia.
Also on the same day (decision 70/554), the
UN-Oceans General Assembly decided that the agenda item on
“Oceans and the law of the sea” would remain for
As requested by General Assembly resolution consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
67/78 [YUN 2012, p. 1353], UN-Oceans, an inter-agency session.
 PART FIVE

Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

Chapter I

United Nations restructuring and institutional matters

In 2015, the General Assembly continued its efforts to status to 284 ngos, providing them with access to
strengthen the accountability architecture throughout various UN bodies.
the UN system. The Secretary-General submitted his
fourth progress report on the accountability system
in the UN Secretariat. The Ad Hoc Working Group Restructuring matters
on the Revitalization of the Work of the General
Assembly focused on the Assembly’s working meth-
ods and authority, the selection and appointment Programme of reform
of the UN system’s leadership and strengthening Accountability architecture
the institutional memory of the Office of the As-
sembly President. Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
The General Assembly resumed its sixty-ninth General Assembly resolution 68/264 [YUN 2014,
p. 1596], the Secretary-General submitted the fourth
session in January and opened its seventieth session
on 15 September. It held the Sustainable Development progress report [A/69/676] on the accountability
Summit and a high-level meeting on the maintenance system in the UN Secretariat. The report reviewed
of international peace and security. The Assembly the implementation of enterprise risk management,
granted observer status to three regional organizations including the results of the initial Secretariat-wide
to participate in its work. risk assessment, and described progress made in sev-
eral areas. Issues reviewed included results-based
The Security Council held 245 formal meetings management; enterprise risk management and internal
and considered 45 questions dealing with regional control; personal accountability, including new perfor-
conflicts, peacekeeping operations and other issues mance management-related accountability tools;
related to the maintenance of international peace and strengthening accountability in field missions and in
security. In October, the Council held an open debate procurement; International Public Sector Accounting
on its working methods. Standards and Umoja; and ethics and accountability.
The Economic and Social Council held its regu- The Secretary-General requested the Assembly to take
lar organizational and substantive meetings, as well note of the progress of the Secretariat in strengthening
as a high-level meeting with the World Bank, the its accountability system, as described in the report.
International Monetary Fund, the World Trade ACABQ report. The Advisory Committee on
Organization and the United Nations Conference on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq), in
Trade and Development. March [A/69/802], welcomed the progress achieved, in-
The United Nations System Chief Executives cluding the conduct of a risk assessment exercise, the
Board for Coordination (ceb)—the main instru- establishment of a risk register, the identification of crit-
ment for strengthening the coordination role of the ical risks, the formalization of a governance structure
UN intergovernmental bodies on social, economic for enterprise risk management and the designation of
and related matters—met in two regular sessions that a corporate risk owner for each of the six critical risks
promoted exchanges with Member States and sought identified. It emphasized that continued commitment
to enhance the effectiveness of the UN system by fos- at all governance levels was required to ensure that a
tering coherence and coordination. culture of accountability was embedded in the Sec-
The Committee for Programme and Coordina- retariat’s working habits; looked forward to receiving
tion considered the ceb annual overview report for results on the pilot for strengthening the Department of
2014, the proposed programme budget for 2016– Management self-evaluation capacity; stressed the need
to address the application of personal and financial re-
2017, as well as questions related to evaluation and
sponsibility of UN staff members for the management
coordination.
of resources placed under their stewardship; reiterated
Cooperation between the United Nations and 22 the importance of taking timely action to impose meas-
regional and other organizations was highlighted in a ures in all cases of non-compliance with the financial
consolidated report of the Secretary-General. disclosure programme; and recommended the intro-
On the recommendation of the Committee duction of additional objectives and indicators in the
on Non-Governmental Organizations (ngos), the senior manager compacts and the provision of a base-
Economic and Social Council granted consultative line for the assessment of institutional accountability.

717
718 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION gust [A/69/972/Add.1] presented the status of documen-

On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly, on tation for that session as at 6 August.
the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative and Ad Hoc Working Group report. As requested
Budgetary) Committee [A/69/702/Add.1], adopted reso- in Assembly resolution 68/307 [YUN 2014, p. 1597], the
lution 69/272 (Progress towards an accountability Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the
system in the United Nations Secretariat) without Work of the General Assembly in September reported
vote [agenda item 131]. [A/69/1007] on its activities and made recommenda-
tions for further progress. The Working Group held six
Strengthening of UN system meetings, addressing the role and authority of the As-
sembly, the Assembly’s working methods, the selection
On 23 October [A/70/PV.38], the General Assembly and appointment of the Secretary-General and other
considered agenda item 122 on strengthening of the executive heads of the UN system and the strength-
United Nations system and a declaration on the occasion ening of the institutional memory of the Office of
of the seventieth anniversary of the Organization. the Assembly President. The Working Group recom-
mended that the Assembly adopt the draft resolution
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION on revitalization of the Assembly’s work (see below).
On 10 September [meeting 102], the General As- Communication. Finland transmitted to the
sembly adopted resolution 69/316 [draft: A/69/L.74/ Secretary-General the summary and programme of
Rev.1 & Add.1] (Commemoration of the seventieth action from a high-level retreat it had organized, en-
anniversary of the United Nations) without vote titled “Towards a stronger General Assembly” (New
[agenda item 32]. York, 16 June), which was aimed at contributing to the
On 23 October [meeting 38], the General Assembly revitalization of the work of the Assembly [A/70/666].
adopted resolution 70/3 [draft: A/70/L.4] (Declaration
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of
the United Nations) without vote [agenda item 122]. On 11 September [meeting 103], the General As-
On 3 November, the General Assembly adopted sembly adopted resolution 69/321 [draft: A/69/1007]
resolution 70/6 on strengthening of the United (Revitalization of the work of the General As-
Nations system (see p. 59). sembly) without vote [agenda item 118].
On 23 December, the Assembly decided that the By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the General
item on strengthening the UN system would remain Assembly decided that the item on revitalization of
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) its work would remain for consideration during the
session (decision 70/554). Assembly’s resumed seventieth (2016) session.

Assembly sessions and meetings

Institutional matters The General Assembly met throughout the year.
It resumed and concluded its sixty-ninth session and
General Assembly held the majority of its seventieth session. The sixty-
ninth session resumed through plenary meetings
Revitalization of the work of the General on 16 January and continued until its suspension
Assembly on 14 September. The seventieth session opened on
Reports of Secretary-General. In February 15 September and continued until its suspension on
[A/69/793], the Secretary-General recalled that the 23 December.
General Assembly, by resolution 68/307 [YUN 2014, High-level meetings held by the General Assembly
p. 1597], had established an Ad Hoc Working Group on included the Sustainable Development Summit
the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, (25–27 September) and the thematic debate on the
requesting him to submit to the Working Group an maintenance of international peace and security
update on the provisions of the Assembly resolutions (1–2 October).
on revitalization that had not been implemented. The
Secretary-General informed the Assembly that all such Agenda
provisions had been implemented.
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 58/316 Resumed sixty-ninth (2015) session
[YUN 2004, p. 1374], the Secretary-General in July During the resumed sixty-ninth (2015) session, the
submitted a report [A/69/972] on the revitalization of General Assembly, by decision 69/504 B, decided to
the work of the Assembly, which contained the draft include additional items in the agenda of that session
programme of work of the plenary for the seventieth to be considered directly in plenary and to reopen
session of the Assembly. An addendum issued in Au- consideration of a number of items and sub-items.
Chapter I: United Nations restructuring and institutional matters 719

On 8 and 19 June, respectively, the Assembly ap- [A/70/L.15] (see p. 398). On 23 December, it decided to
proved the updated proposed programme of work and reopen consideration of the agenda item “International
timetable of the Fourth Committee for its seventieth Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals” and to
(2015) session [A/69/463/Add.1] (decision 69/525 B) proceed immediately with the consideration of a draft
and the revised provisional programme of work and resolution [A/70/L.39] (see p. 679).
timetable of the First Committee for 2015 [A/69/946] On 7 December, the General Assembly, on the
(decision 69/520 B). recommendation of the First Committee [A/70/459],
On 14 September, the Assembly deferred considera- included in the provisional agenda of its seventy-first
tion of the item entitled “The situation in the occupied (2016) session the item entitled “Role of science and
territories of Azerbaijan” to its seventieth (2015) session technology in the context of international security
(decision 69/561) and included the item entitled and disarmament” (decision 70/514).
“Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte” in the On 22 December, the General Assembly decided
agenda of that session (decision 69/562). By decision to convene, on 19 September 2016, a high-level ple-
70/554 of 23 December, the Assembly decided that nary meeting on addressing large movements of
the item on the “Question of the Comorian island of refugees and migrants (decision 70/539).
Mayotte” would remain for consideration during the On 23 December, the Assembly, apart from
Assembly’s resumed seventieth (2016) session. organizational matters and items that might have to
be considered by operation of the rules of procedure
Seventieth (2015) session of the Assembly, decided that several items remained
By decision 70/501 of 15 September, the General for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016)
Assembly authorized a number of subsidiary bodies to session (decision 70/554).
meet during the main part of the Assembly’s seventi-
eth (2015) session. Programme of work for 2016 Assembly
On 18 September, by decision 70/502, the As- Committees
sembly adopted a number of provisions concerning In December, the General Assembly adopted
the organization of the seventieth session, as recom- decisions on the programme of work of its Main
mended by the General Committee [A/70/250]. By Committees for the seventy-first (2016) session.
decision 70/503 of the same date, the Assembly de- On 7 December, the Assembly approved the provi-
cided that the general debate would begin on 28 Sep- sional programme of work and timetable of the First
tember and continue on 3 October. (Disarmament and International Security) Com-
The Assembly took a number of actions in respect mittee [A/70/516] (decision 70/516) and took note of
of its seventieth session agenda, as listed in decision the Committee report [A/70/517] (decision 70/517).
70/504 A. On 18 September, on the recommendation On 9 December, it approved the proposed programme
of the General Committee [A/70/250], the Assembly of work and timetable of the Fourth (Special Political
adopted the agenda [A/70/251] and the allocation of and Decolonization) Committee [A/70/528] (decision
agenda items [A/70/252]; included in the agenda of its 70/521) and took note of the Committee report
seventieth session the item entitled “Question of the [A/70/529] (decision 70/522). On 14 December, the
Comorian island of Mayotte”; and deferred considera- Assembly noted the provisional programme of work
tion to its seventy-first (2016) session the item entitled adopted by the Sixth (Legal) Committee [A/70/526]
“Question of the Malagasy islands of Glorieuses, Juan (decision 70/527) and took note of the Committee’s
de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India”. On 3 Octo- report [A/70/527] (decision 70/528). On 17 Decem-
ber, on the recommendation of the General Com- ber, it approved the programme of work of the Third
mittee [A/70/250/Add.1], it decided to include in the (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) Committee
agenda of its seventieth session the sub-item entitled [A/70/522] (decision 70/537) and took note of the
“Appointment of the Under-Secretary-General for Committee report [A/70/523] (decision 70/538). On
Internal Oversight Services” and to consider it directly 22 December, it approved the programme of work
in plenary meeting; and to include an item entitled of the Second (Economic and Financial) Committee
“Observer Status for the Union for the Mediterranean [A/70/518] (decision 70/549), took note of the Com-
in the General Assembly” and allocate it to the Sixth mittee report [A/70/519] (decision 70/550) and decided
(Legal) Committee. On 19 November, it decided to that the Committee would convene a meeting early in
consider directly in plenary meeting the sub-item 2016 to continue its discussion on the revitalization of
“Implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Committee’s work (decision 70/548 A).
the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the
outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable De- Credentials
velopment and of the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development” and to proceed expedi- The Credentials Committee [A/70/573], at its meeting
tiously with the consideration of a draft resolution on 24 November, had before it a memorandum from
720 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

the Secretary-General stating that 117 Member States enhance the Council’s efficiency, transparency and
had submitted formal credentials of representatives to interaction with non-Council members, referenc-
the seventieth session of the General Assembly and 76 ing the Council President’s note of 28 August 2013
had submitted credentials by facsimile, letter or note [S/2013/515] and drawing on lessons from the previous
verbale. The Committee adopted a draft resolution five years of developments in the Council’s working
proposed by the Chair accepting the credentials of the methods.
Member States concerned without a vote, and recom- Security Council debate. On 20 October
mended to the Assembly a draft resolution (see below) [meeting 7539], the Security Council held a meeting
on the credentials of representatives to the seventieth on implementation of the Council President’s 2010
session. note (see above), during which some 58 speakers
participated in the discussion, including the Deputy
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Secretary-General. In closing, the Council President
On 3 December [meeting 66], the General Assembly noted the six main themes raised in the debate: the
adopted resolution 70/18 [draft: A/70/573] (Creden- importance of the Security Council’s working meth-
tials of representatives to the seventieth session of ods; practical implementation of various presidential
the General Assembly) without vote [agenda item 3 (b)]. notes; transparency in the Council’s work; coopera-
tion with other UN entities and with regional bodies;
the appointment of the next Secretary-General; and
Security Council
follow-up on the debate. On follow-up, the Council
Review of Security Council membership President stated that Spain would prepare a summary
and related matters of the recommendations made during the debate with
the aim of guiding the Informal Working Group on
On 14 September, by decision 69/560, the General Documentation and Other Procedural Questions,
Assembly decided to continue intergovernmental ne- and welcomed Member States’ contributions.
gotiations on Security Council reform in informal
plenary at its seventieth (2015) session, building on SECURITY COUNCIL ACTION
the informal meetings held during its sixty-ninth On 30 October [meeting 7547], following consulta-
session, as well as the positions of and proposals made tions among Security Council members, the President
by Member States; decided to convene the Open- made statement S/PRST/2015/19 on behalf of the
ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Council.
Representation on and Increase in the Membership of
the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council President note. In a 10 De-
Security Council during its sixty-ninth (2015) session; cember note [S/2015/944], the Security Council Pres-
and included in the agenda of that session an item ident stated that the Council had decided: to continue
entitled “Question of equitable representation on and submitting its annual report to the General Assembly
increase in the membership of the Security Council in a single volume; that the report to the Assembly’s
and other matters related to the Security Council”. resumed seventy-first (2017) session would cover the
The Assembly on 23 December decided that the period from 1 August 2015 to 31 December 2016
agenda item on the question of equitable represen- and reports thereafter would cover the period from
tation on and increase in the membership of the 1 January to 31 December; that the report would con-
Security Council and related matters would remain sist of an introduction approved by members of the
for consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) Council serving on the Council during the reporting
session (decision 70/554). period and completed no later than 31 January; that
the remainder of the report would be prepared by
Working methods the Secretariat as set out in paragraph 72 (a)-(e) of
presidential note S/2010/507; that the information
During 2015, the working methods of the Security in the report pertaining to the work of the Council’s
Council continued to be an important issue for the subsidiary bodies would be presented by references
UN membership at large. In a 15 October letter and hyperlinks to the reports of those bodies; that the
[S/2015/793] to the Secretary-General, Spain transmit- draft report would be submitted to Council members
ted a concept note for the open debate of the Council no later than 15 March, following the period covered;
on implementation of the measures set out in the that the report would continue to be adopted at a
26 July 2010 note by the President of the Security public meeting of the Council and posted on the UN
Council [S/2010/507], which aimed to enhance the ef- website; and that web pages would be updated to pro-
ficiency and transparency of the Council’s work, as vide information as necessitated under future notes
well as its interaction and dialogue with non-Council issued by the Council President with respect to the an-
members. The concept paper proposed that the de- nual report. The Secretariat was encouraged to advise,
bate could focus on implementation of measures to at least once a year, the Informal Working Group on
Chapter I: United Nations restructuring and institutional matters 721

Documentation and Other Procedural Questions on its 2015 session from 21 July 2014 to 23 July 2015
the preparation of the draft annual report, including [E/2015/99]. The Council [A/70/3] held its organizational
ways to improve its structure in a cost-efficient way session for 2015 in New York on 21 and 22 July and
and taking into account the publication of relevant 18 November 2014, and on 13 January, 4 March,
information on the UN website. 15 May and 10 June 2015. The substantive session, held
in New York, included the operational activities for
Security Council session development segment (23–25 February and 29 June);
the integration segment (30 March–1 April); the high-
During 2015, the Security Council held 245 for- level segment (6–10 July); and the coordination and
mal meetings, of which 228 were public meetings management meetings (8–10 April; 8–10 June; and
(including twelve high-level meetings) and 17 were 20–23 July). It also included the humanitarian affairs
private meetings (16 of which were meetings with segment, held in Geneva (17–19 June).
police- and troop-contributing countries) and 151 In January 2014, the Council elected its Bureau
were consultations. It considered 45 agenda items (a President and four Vice-Presidents) for 2014
(see appendix iv); adopted 64 resolutions; and issued [YUN 2014, p. 1603] to serve until their successors were
26 presidential statements and 13 notes of the Presi- elected, which was expected to be at the beginning of
dent who also made 128 press statements on behalf the new cycle in July 2015. In the interim, three Vice-
of the Council members. The Council also sent two Presidents were elected to complete terms of office on
missions to the Americas (Haiti) in January and to 27 June and 21 July 2014 and on 13 January 2015 (see
Africa (Central African Republic, Addis Ababa, appendix iii). On 20 July, it decided on the docu-
Ethiopia, and Burundi) in March (see p. 68). mentation in connection with the implementation
Monthly assessments of the Council’s work in of and follow-up to major United Nations confer-
2015 were issued by successive Council Presidents ences and summits (decision 2015/220). On 21 and
[S/2015/601, S/2015/199, S/2015/420, S/2015/615, S/2015/573, 22 July 2014, the Council decided on a number of
S/2015/628, S/2015/621, S/2015/783, S/2016/436, S/2017/336]. organizational matters, including its working arrange-
The Council held an open debate on its working ments (decision 2015/205) and provisional agenda
methods on 20 October (see above). [E/2015/1] (decision 2015/202) for its 2015 session, and
On 1 September [A/70/300], the Secretary-General, the themes for its 2015 and 2016 sessions, respectively
in accordance with Article 12, paragraph 2 of the “Managing the transition from the Millennium De-
UN Charter and with the consent of the Council, velopment Goals to the sustainable development goals:
notified the General Assembly of 66 matters relative what it will take” and “Implementing the post-2015
to the maintenance of peace and security that were development agenda: moving from commitments to
being dealt with by the Council since his previous results” (decision 2015/203).
annual notification [YUN 2014, p. 1602]. Items which On 10 June and 22 July 2015, the Council approved
the Council had ceased to deal with since the previous the list of ngos to be heard by the Council at the high-
notification had been deleted and recorded in a sum- level segment of its 2015 session [E/2015/80] (decision
mary statement of 2 March by the Secretary-General 2015/217) and the provisional calendar of conferences
[S/2015/10/Add.9], as were items subject to deletion in and meetings in the economic, social and related fields
2015, which would remain on the list of items of for 2016 and 2017 [E/2015/L.8] (decision 2015/256).
which the Council was seized for one additional year. On 24 July and 17 September 2015, the Council de-
The Assembly took note of the Secretary-General’s cided on organizational matters for its 2016 session, re-
notification on 12 November (decision 70/511). spectively, on its provisional agenda [E/2016/1] (decision
The General Assembly, on 12 November, took 2016/202) and on special responsibilities of its Bureau
note of the Council’s report [A/70/2 & Corr.1] on the (decision 2016/203) [E/2016/99].
period from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015 (decision The Council held a special high-level meeting with
70/512). On 23 December, the Assembly decided that the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund,
the item on the Council’s report would remain for the World Trade Organization and the United Nations
consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) Conference on Trade and Development (20–21 April)
session (decision 70/554). and its annual special meeting on international coopera-
tion in tax matters (22 April) (decision 2015/205).
Economic and Social Council During the year, the Council adopted 35 resolu-
tions and 58 decisions [E/2015/99].
Council sessions and meetings
By decision 69/558 of 26 February and decision
Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 68/1 70/509 of 19 October, the General Assembly, respect-
[YUN 2013, p. 1413], the programme of work of the ively, took note of the report of the Council for 2014
Economic and Social Council was adjusted to a July- [A/69/3/Rev.1] and for 2015 [A/70/3]. On 23 December,
to-July cycle [YUN 2014, p. 1603]. The Council convened the Assembly decided that the agenda item on the
722 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

report of the Economic and Social Council would re- Committee on Programmes held its twenty-ninth (Ge-
main for consideration during its resumed seventieth neva, 11–12 March) [CEB/2015/4] and thirtieth (New
(2016) session (decision 70/554). York, 12–13 October) [CEB/2015/6] sessions.
In its annual overview report for 2015 [E/2016/56],
Themes of Council segments and meetings ceb highlighted its activities in fostering a coherent
On 21 July 2014, the Economic and Social Council approach on policy, operations and management to
decided that the theme for the integration segment enhance UN system-wide coordination in support of
of its 2015 session would be “Achieving sustainable intergovernmental mandates. It also reviewed efforts
development through employment creation and de- to enhance coherence and coordination on system-
cent work for all” (decision 2015/204). On 18 No- wide preparation and follow-up to UN conferences
vember, the Council decided that the theme for the and summits. Ceb continued its efforts to accelerate
thematic discussion item for the 2015 session would the implementation of the Millennium Development
be “Strengthening and building institutions for policy Goals, support the transition to the 2030 Agenda for
integration in the post-2015 era” (decision 2015/206). Sustainable Development (see p. 396) and promote
The Council on 15 May 2015 decided that the theme youth employment. Through its High-level Com-
for the humanitarian affairs segment for the 2015 session mittee on Programmes, the Board contributed to
would be “The future of humanitarian affairs: towards the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk
greater inclusiveness, coordination, interoperability and Reduction (see p. 442) and the twenty-first session of
effectiveness” (decision 2015/210) and the title of the the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework
event to discuss the transition from relief to develop- Convention on Climate Change (see p. 515). The
ment for that session would be “Supporting the transi- report also highlighted coordination between ceb and
tion from relief to development: promoting recovery other jointly financed bodies.
and resilience” (decision 2015/211). Ceb, through the UN Development Group,
prioritized the implementation of the quadrennial
Working arrangements for 2016 session comprehensive policy review of operational activities
The Economic and Social Council, in considera- for development of the UN system. On administrative
tion of General Assembly resolutions 61/16 [YUN 2006, and management issues of system-wide concern, ceb,
p. 189] and 68/1 [YUN 2013, p. 1413], decided on its through its High-level Committee on Management,
working arrangements for its 2016 session during its focused on the simplification and harmonization of
organizational session on 24 July 2015 [E/2016/99]. business practices.

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ACTION CEB report

On 24 July [meeting 1], the Economic and Social CPC Consideration. The Committee for Pro­
Council adopted resolution 2016/1 [draft: E/2016/L.1] gramme and Coordination (cpc) [A/70/16] considered the
(Working arrangements for the 2016 session of the ceb annual overview report for 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1603]
Economic and Social Council) without vote [agenda during its fifty-fifth session (New York, 1–26 June).
item 2]. The Committee reiterated its 2014 recommenda-
tions to the General Assembly to bring various con-
cerns to the attention of the Secretary-General, in his
Coordination, monitoring capacity as Chair of ceb [YUN 2014, p. CEB], including
and cooperation increasing the coherence, coordination, effectiveness,
accountability and credibility of the UN system. It rec-
ommended that the Assembly request the Secretary-
Institutional mechanisms General to: continue to promote good practices among
participating organizations; promote the strategic use
CEB activities
of long-term agreements with regard to UN system
The United Nations System Chief Executives procurement activities; enhance collaboration on
Board for Coordination (ceb), the main instrument procurement activities, including increasing the op-
for strengthening the coordination role of the UN portunities for vendors from developing countries and
intergovernmental bodies on social, economic and re- countries with economies in transition; include in the
lated matters, held two regular sessions in 2015: the first ceb report to the Committee’s fifty-sixth (2016) session
in Paris (29–30 April) [CEB/2015/1] and the second in information on ways and means of strengthening ceb’s
New York (18–19 November) [CEB/2015/2]. Its principal role in fostering policy coherence in the UN system
subsidiary bodies met as follows: the High-level Com- to ensure action on issues linked to the post-2015
mittee on Management held its twenty-ninth (Paris, global development agenda; continue mainstreaming
19–20 March) [CEB/2015/3] and thirtieth (London, support for South-South cooperation into the regular
5–6 October) [CEB/2015/5] sessions; and the High-level country-level programming of operational activities
Chapter I: United Nations restructuring and institutional matters 723

for development; present the system-wide input to the Task Force on Peace and Security continued to meet
new urban agenda in advance of the third session of regularly to advance a common understanding of
the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on the causes of conflict in Africa and to promote joint
Housing and Sustainable Urban Development to be approaches to resolving them. During the reporting
held in July 2016; and foster a coordinated approach period, the United Nations Office to the African
to multilingualism in the UN system, in accordance Union continued to work with the African Union
with relevant Assembly resolutions. (au) on the operationalization of the African Standby
The Economic and Social Council took note of the Force as one of the key pillars of the African Peace
ceb annual overview report for 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1603] and Security Architecture, which included implemen-
on 21 July (decision 2015/232). tation of the African Standby Force Road Map II.
UN system-wide cooperation with the au con-
Programme coordination tinued in areas including peacebuilding, mediation
processes, terrorism, electoral assistance, humanita-
Cpc held its organizational meeting (23 April) and rian assistance, women, au Agenda 2063, drug control
its fifty-fifth session (1–26 June) in New York [A/70/16]. and crime prevention, child protection, sustainable
The Committee considered reports of the Secretary- development and the environment.
General pertaining to the proposed programme budget
for the 2016–2017 biennium (see p. 732); the report Association of Southeast Asian Nations
of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (oios)
on strengthening the role of evaluation and the ap- As noted by the Secretary-General in his con-
plication of evaluation findings on programme de- solidated report (see above), UN system-wide co-
sign, delivery and policy directives (see p. 739); seven operation with the Association of Southeast Asian
oios programme evaluation reports (see p. 739); and Nations continued in areas including peace and rec-
the oios report entitled “Thematic evaluation of onciliation, economic and sociocultural cooperation,
monitoring and evaluation of the Millennium Devel- disarmament, terrorism, transnational crime, disaster
opment Goals: lessons learned for the post-2015 era” management, labour and food security.
(see p. 739). Under coordination questions, cpc dealt
with the ceb annual overview report for 2014 and with Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization
the Secretary-General’s report on UN support for the
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
New Partnership for Africa’s Development (see p. 739).
dated report (see above), UN system-wide coopera-
The Economic and Social Council took note of the tion with the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
cpc report on its fifty-fifth session on 21 July (decision Organization continued in areas such as political
2015/232). stability, peace and conflict resolution, regional co-
operation on economic and development issues, in
Other matters particular climate change and the post-2015 Agenda,
as well as a number of transportation-related areas.
Follow-up to international conferences
On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the Caribbean Community
General Assembly decided that the agenda item on
the integrated and coordinated implementation of As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN con- dated report (see above), the eighth general meeting
ferences and summits in the economic, social and re- between the Caribbean Community (caricom) and
lated fields would remain for consideration during its the UN system (Georgetown, July 2015) discussed
resumed seventieth (2016) session. climate change, small island developing States, renew-
able energy, the post-2015 development agenda and
financing for development, citizen security and non-
communicable diseases. UN system-wide cooperation
UN and other organizations with caricom continued in areas including gender
equality, commemoration of the victims of slavery
Cooperation and the Transatlantic slave trade, and humanitarian
matters.
African Union
By a 2 March letter [A/69/825], Ecuador, on behalf
As noted by the Secretary-General in a later con- of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean
solidated report [A/71/160-S2016/621], the Security States (celac) transmitted to the Secretary-General
Council and the African Union Peace and Security the outcome document of the Third Summit of Heads
Council held their ninth annual consultative meeting of State and Government of celac (Belén, Costa
in 2015. The United Nations–African Union Joint Rica, 28–29 January), which included the political
724 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

declaration of Belén, the 2015 action plan and 26 rights, democracy and the rule of law, regional
special declarations adopted by the Community. issues, terrorism prevention, demographic statistics,
population issues and refugee law.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

On 16 January [meeting 78], the General Assembly Economic Community of Central African States
adopted resolution 69/265 [draft: A/69/L.51 & Add.1]
(Cooperation between the United Nations and the As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
Caribbean Community) without vote [agenda item 123 (e)]. dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide coopera-
tion with the Economic Community of Central
Central European Initiative African States continued in areas including regional
issues, mediation capacity, peacebuilding, conflict
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- prevention, disaster management and prepared-
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation ness, counter-terrorism, green economy development
with the Central European Initiative continued with support and the illegal wildlife trade.
the World Health Organization’s participation in the
meeting of the national coordinators of the Central
European Initiative with other regional and international Economic Cooperation Organization
organizations (Vienna, Austria, May 2015). As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
Collective Security Treaty Organization with the Economic Cooperation Organization contin-
ued in areas such as national accounts and statistics,
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- forest management, renewable energy services and
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation resources, sustainable development and sustainable
with the Collective Security Treaty Organization con- tourism.
tinued in areas including peace and security and peace-
keeping issues, conflict prevention, early warning,
humanitarian matters and emergency response. Eurasian Economic Community
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
Commonwealth of Independent States dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
with the Eurasian Economic Community continued
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation with the Community and the Food and Agriculture
with the Commonwealth of Independent States con- Organization of the United Nations (fao) implement-
tinued in areas including counter-terrorism, industrial ing the 2015–2018 Plan of Action.
safety and health issues.
International Organization of la Francophonie
Community of Portuguese-speaking As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
Countries dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- with the International Organization of la Francophonie
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide coopera- continued in areas such as mediation, gender equality
tion with the Community of Portuguese-speaking and the empowerment of women, counter-terrorism
Countries continued in areas including eliminating and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
child labour and trafficking in persons.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly
On 6 July [meeting 98], the General Assembly adopted resolution 69/270 [draft: A/69/L.58 & Add.1]
adopted resolution 69/311 [draft: A/69/L.78 & Add.1] (Cooperation between the United Nations and the
(Cooperation between the United Nations and the International Organization of la Francophonie)
Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries) without vote [agenda item 123 (m)].
without vote [agenda item 123 (h)].
Latin American and Caribbean
Council of Europe Economic System
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide coopera- dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
tion with the Council of Europe continued in areas with the Latin American and Caribbean Economic
including protection and strengthening of human System continued in the area of trade facilitation.
Chapter I: United Nations restructuring and institutional matters 725

League of Arab States tion with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation

(oic) included the areas of electoral partnerships and
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- processes, counter-terrorism, humanitarian response
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation and coordination, health and polio eradication.
with the League of Arab States (las) continued in areas
including conflict prevention, mediation, elections, By a 1 July letter [A/69/979–S/2015/497], Kuwait, as
women, peace and security issues, international law, Chair of the oic, transmitted to the Secretary-General
human rights, emergency preparedness and response, the Kuwait Declaration, adopted by the oic Council
humanitarian coordination, refugees and irregular of Foreign Ministers at its forty-second session
migration, sustainable development, impact of climate (Session of joint vision for the promotion of tolerance
change, socioeconomic vulnerability, family health and denunciation of terrorism) (Kuwait, 27–28 May).
and human trafficking. GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
By a 15 September note verbale [S/2015/721] to On 10 September [meeting 102], the General As-
the Security Council President, the las Permanent sembly adopted resolution 69/317 [draft: A/69/L.79 &
Observer transmitted the resolutions adopted by the Add.1] (Cooperation between the United Nations
144th Ministerial Meeting of the las Council (Cairo, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation)
13–14 September). without vote [agenda item 123 (t)].

Organization for Democracy and Economic Pacific Islands Forum

Development–GUAM
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation with the Pacific Islands Forum included areas such
with the Organization for Democracy and Economic as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
Development–guam continued in areas such as data climate change, internal displacement issues, terror-
exchange and customs. ism, land management, integrated pest management,
agricultural statistics, atoll agriculture and oceanic
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
fisheries management.
On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
adopted resolution 69/271 [draft: A/69/L.59 & Add.1]
(Cooperation between the United Nations and the On 10 September [meeting 102], the General Assembly
Organization for Democracy and Economic De- adopted resolution 69/318 [draft: A/69/L.90 & Add.1]
velopment–GUAM) without vote [agenda item 123 (p)]. (Cooperation between the United Nations and the
Pacific Islands Forum) without vote [agenda item 123 (u)].
Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe Shanghai Cooperation Organization
As noted by the Secretary-General in his con- As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
solidated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide co- dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
operation with the Organization for Security and with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization contin-
Cooperation in Europe was strengthened in the areas ued in areas such as counter-terrorism, economic de-
of mediation, electoral matters, and country-specific velopment, regional cooperation and health matters.
issues. The two organizations also continued to work
together on counter-terrorism, crime risk assessment, Southern African Development Community
policing and environment and security challenges.
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli-
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation
Organization of American States with the Southern African Development Community
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- was carried out in areas including mediation support
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide cooperation and training, regional issues, counter-terrorism, crime
with the Organization of American States continued in and drugs, humanitarian coordination, emergency
areas such as political affairs, mediation-related training preparedness and regional response, disaster risk
and sharing, electoral initiatives, fighting corruption, reduction, and environment and climate change.
counter-terrorism, Haiti elections and food security.
National parliaments
Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Inter-Parliamentary Union
As noted by the Secretary-General in his consoli- Note by General Assembly President. Pursuant
dated report (see p. 723), UN system-wide coopera- to General Assembly resolution 65/123 [YUN 2010,
726 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

p. 1417], the General Assembly President in July sub- deferred a decision on the request for observer status
mitted a note [A/70/137–E/2015/86] summarizing the until its seventy-first (2016) session (decision 70/524).
2014 parliamentary hearing (New York 19–20 No-
vember 2014) that was jointly organized by the Inter- Community of Democracies
Parliamentary Union (ipu) and the Assembly Pres- By a 10 July letter [A/70/142] to the Secretary-
ident, bringing together some 200 parliamentarians General, El Salvador requested the inclusion in the
from a diverse set of countries under the theme “En- agenda of the seventieth (2015) session of the As-
suring a people-centred approach to the new sustain- sembly of an item entitled “Observer status for the
able development goals: a shared responsibility”. Community of Democracies in the General As-
Communications. During 2015, outcome docu- sembly”. An annexed memorandum stated that the
ments adopted by the 132nd Assembly of ipu (Ha- Community, established in 2000 and comprising 106
noi, Vietnam, 31 March) were transmitted to the member States, aimed to support both a democratic
Secretary-General on 26 June on: the report of the transition at the national level within participating
Standing Committee on UN Affairs [A/70/126]; cy- States and democratic consolidation worldwide,
berwarfare and the threat to peace and global security and help bridge the gap between the principles of
[A/70/127]; international law and national sovereignty democracy and universal human rights and practice.
[A/70/128]; water and sanitation [A/70/129]; combating By obtaining observer status in the Assembly, the
terrorist acts [A/70/130]; and the sustainable develop- Community would strengthen its international vis-
ment goals [A/70/131]. On 16 December, the outcome ibility, by sharing the most important platform for
document [A/70/629] adopted by ipu (Paris, 6 Decem- democracy-oriented dialogue with other States. A
ber) on the occasion of the twenty-first session of draft resolution was also annexed to the report.
the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework On 14 December, the General Assembly, on the
Convention on Climate Change was transmitted to recommendation of the Sixth Committee [A/70/532],
the Secretary-General. deferred a decision on the request for observer status
On 23 December, the Assembly decided that the until its seventy-first (2016) session (decision 70/525).
item on interaction between the United Nations,
national parliaments and ipu would remain for International Civil Defense Organization
consideration during its resumed seventieth (2016) By a 29 July letter [A/70/191], the Russian Federation
session (decision 70/554). requested the inclusion in the provisional agenda of the
seventieth (2015) session of the General Assembly of
an item entitled “Observer status for the International
Participation in UN work Civil Defense Organization in the General As-
Observer status sembly”. An annexed explanatory note stated that
the Organization, established in 1996 and made up
Eurasian Economic Union of 54 member States, aimed to promote the develop-
By a 30 April letter [A/70/141] to the Secretary- ment of governmental bodies and mechanisms for the
General, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan protection of people, property and the environment
and the Russian Federation requested the inclusion in the event of natural and man-made disasters; bring
in the agenda of the seventieth (2015) session of the together national civil defence services, including
Assembly of an item entitled “Observer status for the search and rescue units; and develop cooperation,
Eurasian Economic Union in the General Assembly”. exchanges and coordination among them. By obtain-
An annexed memorandum said that the Union, es- ing observer status in the Assembly, the Organization
tablished in 2014 and comprising four countries would further strengthen institutional dialogue be-
(Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of tween the Organization and the United Nations,
Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation), aimed to expand the capacity of both institutions to promote
foster stable economic development in the member peace and security, and develop effective cooperation
States to raise their standard of living, establish a in the field of humanitarian response. Also annexed to
single market for goods, services, capital and labour the report was a draft resolution (see below).
within the Union, and increase the national econo- The Sixth Committee on 29 October [A/70/533] rec-
mies’ competitiveness in the global economy. Obtain- ommended adopting the draft resolution.
ing observer status in the Assembly would enable the
Union and the United Nations to cooperate effectively GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
in a regular and structured way, in the interests of On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,
both entities and of their member States. A draft reso- on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee
lution was also annexed to the report. [A/70/533], adopted resolution 70/122 (Obser­ver status
On 14 December, the General Assembly, on the for the International Civil Defense Organization in
recommendation of the Sixth Committee [A/70/531], the General Assembly) without vote [agenda item 171].
Chapter I: United Nations restructuring and institutional matters 727

Indian Ocean Rim Association Assembly of an item entitled “Observer status for
By a 6 August letter [A/70/192], Australia requested the Union for the Mediterranean in the General As-
the inclusion in the provisional agenda of the seventi- sembly”. An annexed memorandum stated that the
eth (2015) session of the General Assembly of an item Union, established in 2008 and made up of 43 Euro-
entitled “Observer status for the Indian Ocean Rim Mediterranean countries, aimed to increase the poten-
Association in the General Assembly”. An annexed tial for regional integration and cohesion among Euro-
memorandum stated that the Association, established Mediterranean countries. It constituted a framework
in 1997, comprised 20 littoral and island States around for political, economic and social relations between
the Indian Ocean. Created as a vehicle for fostering the European Union and the southern and eastern
economic cooperation in the region, the Association Mediterranean countries. By obtaining observer
had evolved into the peak regional grouping span- status in the Assembly, the Union would achieve its
ning the Indian Ocean region. By obtaining observer goals, enhance its ability to contribute to the well-
status in the Assembly, the Association would both being of the nations of the Mediterranean, uphold its
consolidate links between the United Nations and commitments to global efforts and the global agenda
the Association and facilitate opportunities for greater and provide operational support to the work of the
mutually beneficial cooperation. Also annexed to the UN departments, programmes and agencies. A draft
report was a draft resolution (see below). resolution was also annexed to the report.
The Sixth Committee on 29 October [A/70/534] The Sixth Committee on 16 November [A/70/536]
recommended adopting the draft resolution. recommended adopting the draft resolution.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly, On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly,
on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee on the recommendation of the Sixth Committee
[A/70/534], adopted resolution 70/123 (Observer [A/70/536], adopted resolution 70/124 (Observer
status for the Indian Ocean Rim Association in status for the Union for the Mediterranean in the
the General Assembly) without vote [agenda item 172]. General Assembly) without vote [agenda item 174].
International Conference of Asian Political Parties Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States
By an 11 August letter [A/70/194] to the Secretary- Pursuant to General Assembly decision 69/527
General, Australia, Cambodia, Japan, Nepal, the Phil- [YUN 2014, p. 1623], the item on observer status for the
ippines, the Republic of Korea and Sri Lanka requested Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States was
the inclusion in the agenda of the seventieth (2015) included in the Assembly’s seventieth (2015) session.
session of the Assembly of an item entitled “Observer
On 14 December, the General Assembly, on the
status for the International Conference of Asian Political
recommendation of the Sixth Committee [A/70/530],
Parties (icapp) in the General Assembly”. An annexed
deferred a decision on the request for observer status
memorandum stated that icapp, established in 2000
until its seventy-first (2016) session (decision 70/523).
and comprising more than 360 eligible political parties
in 52 States and one territory in Asia, aimed to build
bridges of political cooperation and establish networks Non-member observer States
of mutual benefit among mainstream political parties
in Asia. By obtaining observer status in the Assembly, Raising the flags
icapp would play a role in Asia’s movement to build GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
an Asian community, in the global quest for a more On 10 September [meeting 102], the General As-
peaceful and prosperous world, and in forging coopera- sembly adopted resolution 69/320 [draft: A/69/L.87/
tion between the United Nations and political parties, Rev.1 & Add.1] (Raising the flags of non-member
not only in Asia, but also in Latin America, Africa, and observer States at the United Nations) by recorded
the three continents of the emerging democracies. A vote (119-8-45) [agenda item 120].
draft resolution was also annexed to the report.
RECORDED VOTE ON RESOLUTION 69/320:
On 14 December, the General Assembly, on the
In favour: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and
recommendation of the Sixth Committee [A/70/535], Barbuda, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Be-
deferred a decision on the request for observer status larus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,
until its seventy-first (2016) session (decision 70/526). Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde,
Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa
Union for the Mediterranean Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El
By an 18 September letter [A/70/232] to the Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gabon,
Secretary-General, Jordan requested the inclusion Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Ice-
in the agenda of the seventieth (2015) session of the land, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
728 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s On the same day, the Council took note of the
Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Mada- request for withdrawal of consultative status by two
gascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauri-
tius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,
ngos (decision 2015/208) and of the Committee’s
Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, report on its 2015 regular session (decision 2015/209).
Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russian
Federation, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Resumed session
Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Sene-
gal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, At its resumed session, the Committee considered
Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, 388 applications for consultative status. It recom-
Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, mended 160 applications, deferred 200 for further
United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, consideration, closed consideration without prejudice
Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zimbabwe. of 27 applications and recommended that one not be
Against: Australia, Canada, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
Palau, Tuvalu, United States.
granted consultative status. The Committee recom-
Abstaining: Andorra, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bosnia mended granting four requests for reclassification,
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Central African deferred consideration of two and closed one without
Republic, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, prejudice. It took note of five requests for change of
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, name, deferring two, and took note of 168 quadren-
Hungary, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco, nial reports. The Committee recommended reinstat-
Myanmar, Nauru, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Papua New
Guinea, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, ing the consultative status of 24 ngos that had sub-
Romania, Samoa, Singapore, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand, mitted their outstanding quadrennial reports, and
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and To- recommended suspending for a year the consultative
bago, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vanuatu. status of 165 ngos that had failed to submit such
reports. The Committee heard 15 representatives of
Non-governmental organizations the 40 ngos attending the session and recommended
eight draft decisions for action by the Council.
Committee on NGOs
Economic and Social Council action. On
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organiza­ 20 July, the Council granted consultative status to
tions (ngos) held its 2015 regular session (26 Janu- 160 ngos; reclassified three to special consultative
ary–4 February and 6 and 13 February) [E/2015/32 status and one from special to general consultative
(Part I)] and its resumed session (26 May–3 June and status; noted the change of name for three ngos and
12 June) [E/2015/32 (Part II)] in New York. the quadrennial reports of 168 organizations for the
period 2010–2013 and earlier; and closed without
Regular session prejudice consideration of the requests for consulta-
At its regular session, the Committee on ngos tive status made by 28 ngos after those had failed—
considered 330 applications for consultative status, after three reminders—to respond to queries posed by
including 153 applications deferred from previous Committee members (decision 2015/223).
sessions. It recommended 124 applications for con- On the same day, the Council suspended for one
sultative status, deferred consideration of 176 to its year the consultative status of 165 ngos with out-
resumed session and closed consideration without standing quadrennial reports (decision 2015/226),
prejudice of 29 applications of organizations that had reinstated the consultative status of 24 ngos that
not responded to queries over two consecutive sessions had submitted their outstanding quadrennial reports
of the Committee. It also took note of one ngo that (decision 2015/227), and withdrew the consultative
had withdrawn its application. The Committee also status of 85 ngos that had failed to submit outstand-
had before it five requests for reclassification of consul- ing quadrennial reports after suspension (decision
tative status, of which it recommended granting two. 2015/228). It also granted special consultative status
It took note of five requests for change of name and to the ngo Freedom Now (decision 2015/222) and
deferred consideration of five. The Committee also withdrew the consultative status of two ngos: the
took note of 172 quadrennial reports and deferred 38. African Technical Association (decision 2015/224)
Economic and Social Council action. On 8 April, and the African Technology Development Link
the Council granted consultative status to 124 ngos (decision 2015/225).
and reclassified two from special to general consulta- The Council decided that the Committee’s 2016
tive status. It took note of the change of name for five regular session would be held from 25 January to
ngos and the quadrennial reports submitted by 172 3 February 2016 and on 16 February, and its resumed
ngos for the reporting period 2010–2013 and earlier. It session from 23 May to 1 June and on 10 June, and
noted that the Committee had closed consideration of approved the provisional agenda for that session
29 applications after failure by the ngos to respond to (decision 2015/229). It also took note of the Com-
queries by Committee members and the withdrawal of mittee’s report on its 2015 resumed session (decision
the application of one ngo (decision 2015/207). 2015/230).
Chapter II

United Nations financing and programming

The overall financial situation of the United Nations

was generally sound in 2015, although there was Financial situation
cause for concern. Cash balances were positive for
peacekeeping operations, the international tribunals In an October report on improving the financial
and the capital master plan by year’s end, but the last situation [A/70/433], the Secretary-General provided
quarter continued to be a difficult period for regular an update on the basis of the four main financial
budget cash and it was necessary to draw on regular indicators: assessments issued, unpaid assessments,
budget reserves during the final months of 2015. As available cash resources and the Organization’s out-
at 31 December, the regular budget shortfall stood at standing payments to Member States. Overall the
$217 million; unpaid assessments were lower than at financial indicators for 2015 were sound and posi-
the end of 2014 in all categories except the tribunals; tive, but the regular budget cash position was a major
the number of Member States that had paid their regu- concern with unpaid assessments at a significant level
lar budget assessments in full totalled 142; and unpaid and highly concentrated among Member States. The
assessments were significantly reduced to $533 million. final outcome for the year depended on those States
The General Assembly adopted the final budget meeting their financial obligations in full and on time.
appropriations for the 2014–2015 biennium of Assessments in 2015 included $2.8 billion for the
$5,808563,500, a decrease of $23,353,800 from regular budget, $159 million higher than 2014 level;
the appropriations approved in 2014 and April and $6.2 billion for peacekeeping operations; and $1.9 bil-
June 2015 totalling $5,831,919,300, and the final lion for the capital master plan (cmp). Assessments
income estimate of $574,655,800, an increase of issued for the international tribunals were at a lower
$27,822,300. It approved budget appropriations level than in 2014.
totalling $5,401,794,400 and income estimates of As at 2 October 2015, unpaid assessments for
$531,347,800 for the 2016–2017 biennium. the regular budget, peacekeeping and the tribunals
The Committee on Contributions continued to totalled $2.6 billion, which included $1.5 billion for
review the methodology for preparing the scale of peacekeeping (compared to $2.6 billion in 2014);
assessments of Member States’ contributions to the $1,050 million for the regular budget ($16 million
UN budget and to encourage the payment of arrears higher than in 2014); $69 million for the tribunals
through multi-year payment plans. The Assembly ($9 million higher than in 2014); and $300,000
granted five Member States exemptions under Article for cmp. Member States that had paid their regular
19 of the UN Charter so that they would be permitted budget assessments in full as at 2 October 2015, num-
to vote in the Assembly until the end of its seventieth bered 128, three more than in 2014. Cash available for
(2015) session and resolved that the Holy See and the peacekeeping operations was approximately $4.3 bil-
State of Palestine would contribute to the expenses of lion and cash available for the regular budget, con-
the Organization for the period 2016–2018 on the sidering the reserves, totalled $276 million. A total
basis of notional assessment rates. of $1,038 million was owed to Member States: $314
Progress was achieved in the implementation of the million for troops and formed police units, $638
International Public Sector Accounting Standards, million for contingent-owned equipment claims for
with all 24 United Nations system organizations hav- active missions and $86 million for closed missions.
ing successfully migrated to the standards. The review The level of outstanding payments was projected to
of the efficiency of the administrative and financial decrease to $577 million by the end of the year.
functioning of the United Nations remained on the In his end-of-year review of the Organization’s
General Assembly’s agenda. financial situation [A/70/433/Add.1], the Secretary-
The Assembly endorsed the recommendations of General reported that it was generally sound. Unpaid
the Committee for Programme and Coordination on assessments were lower than at the end of 2014 in all
proposed revisions to the Regulations and Rules Gov- categories except the tribunals. As at 31 December
erning Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects 2015, unpaid assessments for peacekeeping operations
of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and were $976 million, $306 million lower than in De-
the Methods of Evaluation; on proposals to improve cember 2014; and $65 million for the tribunals, com-
the implementation of results-based budgeting; and pared to $40 million at the end of 2014. Despite the
on evaluation. significant reduction of unpaid assessments for the

729
730 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

regular budget (from over $1 billion to $533 million), The net decrease of $51.5 million reflected the
the last quarter of 2015 continued to be a difficult following components: projected additional require-
period and it was necessary to draw on regular budget ments of $34.4 million for commitments entered into
cash reserves during those months. under the provisions of Assembly resolution 68/249
As at 31 December, cash balances were positive for [YUN 2013, p. 1461] on unforeseen and extraordinary
peacekeeping operations, the tribunals and cmp. Total expenses and in respect of policymaking organs; and
cash available for peacekeeping was nearly $3 billion, reductions of $85.9 million owing to changes in ex-
comprising approximately $2.6 billion in the accounts change rates ($41.1 million) and changes in inflation
of active missions, $217 million in the accounts of rates ($11.1 million); variations in post costs and ad-
closed missions and $139 million in the Peacekeeping justments to other objects of expenditure based on
Reserve Fund. The final cash position for the regular actual and anticipated requirements ($5.9 million);
budget reflected a shortfall of $217 million, which was and an increase in income ($27.8 million).
covered by the Working Capital Fund and the Special ACABQ report. In December [A/70/619], the
Account. Debt owed to Member States for troops, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary
formed police units and contingent-owned equipment Questions (acabq) requested the Secretary-General
totalled $824 million. The number of Member States to provide further detail in assessing the application of
paying their regular budget assessments in full was the forward purchasing methodology in future perfor-
142, two fewer than in 2014. mance reports and to provide details on the composi-
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the General tion of the $9.9 million increase in other staff costs
Assembly decided that the agenda item on improving under safety and security; reiterated the need to ac-
the financial situation of the United Nations would curately forecast additional costs of the new mobility
remain for consideration during its resumed seventi- policy; and recommended that the Assembly take note
eth (2016) session. of the Secretary-General’s report and approve the re-
vised estimates therein, after taking into account addi-
tional resources of $88,700 for the extension of an ap-
UN budget pointment of the Delegate of the Secretary-General to
the Subcommission on End-of-Conflict Issues within
the Colombian Peace Process.
Budget for 2014–2015
Final appropriations GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

In 2015, the General Assembly adopted final On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly,
budget appropriations for the 2014–2015 biennium, on the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative
decreasing the amount of $5,831,919,300 approved in and Budgetary) Committee [A/70/631], adopted resolu-
resolutions 69/263 A [YUN 2014, p. 1425] and 69/274 A tion 70/240 A and resolution 70/240 B (Programme
and B (see p. 731), by $23,353,800 to $5,808,565,500 budget for the biennium 2014–2015) without vote
[agenda item 133].
and increasing income estimates of $546,833,500 by
$27,822,300 to $574,655,800. On the same date, the Assembly decided that the
Report of Secretary-General. In his second agenda item on the 2014–2015 programme budget
performance report on the 2014–2015 programme would remain for consideration during its resumed
budget [A/70/557], the Secretary-General provided an seventieth (2016) session (decision 70/554).
estimate of the anticipated final level of expenditure
and income for the biennium, based on actual ex- Questions relating to the 2014–2015
penditure for the first 21 months, projected require- programme budget
ments for the last three months, changes in inflation
and exchange rates, and cost-of-living adjustments. In March, the Fifth Committee considered special
The anticipated final level of expenditure and income subjects related to the 2014–2015 programme budget
represented a net decrease of $51.5 million compared concerning estimates in respect of special political
with the revised appropriation and estimate of income missions, good offices and other political initia-
approved by the General Assembly in resolutions tives authorized by the General Assembly and/or
69/263 A to C [YUN 2014, p. 1626] and 69/274 A and B the Security Council (see p. 731), revised estimates
(see p. 731). Projected expenditure for the 2014–2015 resulting from Economic and Social Council action
biennium was estimated at $5,808.3 million, repre- (see p. 731) and/or Human Rights Council action (see
senting a decrease of $23.6 million compared with the p. 732), fluctuations in exchange rates and inflation
revised appropriation of $5831.9 million. Projected (see p. 731), and operational arrangements and condi-
income was estimated at $574.7 million, an increase tions of service of acabq (see p. 731).
of $27.8 million over the revised income estimate Other subjects included a subvention to the
of $546.8. Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
Chapter II: United Nations financing and programming 731

(see p. 182); the strategic capital review (see p. 755); use forward exchange rates in preparing future budget
programme criticality (see p. 767); standards of ac- estimates, commencing with the proposed 2016–2017
commodation for air travel (see p. 775); the enterprise programme budget, and requested the Secretary-
resource planning project, Umoja (see p. 732); flex- General to report on the impact of their use in the
ible workplace strategies at the United Nations (see context of the preparation of that budget.
p. 756); and the cmp (see p. 754).
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Revised estimates in respect of special political On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly, on
missions, good offices and other political initiatives the recommendation of the Fifth Committee [A/69/422/
Reports of Secretary-General. In a February Add.2], adopted resolution 69/274 A (Special sub-
report [A/69/363/Add.6], the Secretary-General pro- jects relating to the programme budget for the
posed resource requirements for 2015 of $48,117,700 biennium 2014–2015) without vote [agenda item 132].
for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
(unsmil) and additional resources of $65,300 for Operational arrangements for ACABQ
the United Nations Observer Mission in Burundi In 2015, pursuant to General Assembly resolu-
(menub). He requested the General Assembly to ap- tion 68/246 [YUN 2013, p. 1448] and decision 68/549 A
propriate those amounts and an additional amount [ibid.], the Assembly considered the 2013 letter from
of $8,359,800 under the procedures provided for in the General Assembly President to the Chair of the
resolution 41/213 [YUN 1986, p. 1024] taking into ac- Fifth Committee on operational arrangements and
count the unencumbered balance of $14,963,100 conditions of service of acabq [YUN 2013, p. 1446].
for 2014 and $24,860,100 for unsmil appropriated In section V of resolution 69/274 B (see below), the
by Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p 1634]. In Assembly recognized the increasing workload and
March [A/69/363/Add.7], the Secretary-General proposed complexity of issues considered by acabq. It requested
resource requirements for 2015 of $187,972,000 for acabq to prepare a comprehensive assessment of its
the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan operational arrangements and to formulate recom-
(unama) and requested the Assembly to appropriate mendations for improving the conditions of service
an additional amount of $84,698,800 considering the of its members, in particular their health insurance
unencumbered balance of $9,733,700 for 2014 and coverage, privileges and immunities and conditions
$93,539,500 appropriated in resolution 69/262. Also of remuneration, and measures for strengthening the
in March [A/69/363/Add.8], he requested the Assembly efficiency of its working practices. It requested the
to appropriate proposed resource requirements of Secretary-General to transmit the outcome of the
$947,500 for the Panel of Experts on South Sudan for assessment no later than the first part of the Assem-
the period from 1 May to 31 December 2015. bly’s resumed seventieth (2016) session.
ACABQ reports. Acabq, in May [A/69/628/Add.1],
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
recommended approval of the resources requested
for menub and a reduction of $293,300 in the over- On 25 June [meeting 97], the General Assembly, on
all requirements for unsmil, and thereby, requested the recommendation of the Fifth Committee [A/69/422/
the Assembly to appropriate an additional amount of Add.3], adopted resolution 69/274 B (Revised esti-
$8,066,500 for unsmil. Also in May [A/69/628/Add.2], mates relating to the programme budget for the
acabq recommended reductions of $501,900 to the biennium 2014–2015 for the Office of the Special
unama budget, requesting the Assembly to appropri- Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ebola and the
ate an additional amount of $84,196,900 for unama United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency
[A/69/628/Add.2]; and recommended reductions of Response) without vote [agenda item 132].
$72,700 to the budget for the Panel of Experts on South
Sudan, requesting the Assembly to appropriate an addi- Revised estimates resulting from Economic and
tional amount of $874,800 for the Panel [A/69/628/Add.3]. Social Council action
In an October report [A/70/430], the Secretary-
Recosting and fluctuations in exchange rates General submitted additional requirements result-
and inflation ing from resolutions and decisions adopted by the
In 2015, pursuant to section XII of General Economic and Social Council during its 2015 session
Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p. 1638], the in the amount of $3,347,000, of which $89,500 related
Assembly considered the 2014 independent study of to the 2014–2015 programme budget and would be
the High-level Panel of Experts on recosting and op- accommodated within the approved appropriations.
tions for the Organization in dealing with fluctua- In a November report [A/70/7/Add.23], acabq stated
tions in exchange rates and inflation and the related that $262,900 had been accommodated in the 2014–
acabq report [YUN 2014, p. 1631]. In section IX of reso- 2015 programme budget, which included require-
lution 69/274 A (see below), the Assembly decided to ments pertaining to resolution 2015/18.
732 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

Revised estimates resulting from Human Rights (see p. 515). The Organization was working towards
Council action an appropriate framework for implementing them and
In a November report [A/70/562], the Secretary- as it assessed the financial implications, he would pre-
General provided estimated resource requirements sent any cost estimates to the General Assembly. He
resulting from resolutions and decisions adopted by also expressed his commitment to implementing the
the Human Rights Council at its 2015 sessions in the sustainable development goals (see p. 394).
amount of $30,588,100, of which $10,711,400 related GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
to activities of a perennial nature and had already
been included in the 2014–2015 programme budget; On 23 December [meeting 82], the General
$4,827,600 related to new requirements that com- Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth
mitment authorities approved in 2015 under General Committee [A/70/648] adopted resolution 70/247
Assembly resolution 68/249 on unforeseen and (Questions relating to the proposed programme
extraordinary expenses [YUN 2013, p. 1461] and were budget for the 2016–2017 biennium) without vote
being sought in the context of the second performance [agenda item 134].
report; and $3,681,800 related to new requirements
that had been accommodated within the approved ap- Appropriations
propriations for the 2014–2015 biennium.
In his proposed programme budget for the 2016–
In December, acabq noted the accommodation 2017 biennium [A/70/6], the Secretary-General recom-
of $3,681,800 within the appropriations for the mended expenditures of $5,693.5 million, income of
2014–2015 biennium [A/70/7/Add.28]. $42.4 million and staff assessment income of $513.2
million, an increase of $10.9 million, resulting in a net
Programme budget for 2016–2017 budget estimate of $5,137.9 million, or a 0.3 per cent
real growth over the 2014–2015 budget.
Introducing the proposed programme budget for
Extrabudgetary resources for the 2016–2017 bien-
the 2016–2017 biennium [A/70/6] before the Fifth
nium were estimated at $18,900.9 million, compris-
Committee on 12 October, the Secretary-General said
ing $560.8 million for support activities, $3,077.7
that the proposed budget, which amounted to approxi-
million for substantive activities and $15,262.4 mil-
mately $5,568.6 million before recosting, represented a
lion for operational activities.
1.6 per cent reduction ($90.8 million) compared with
the amount appropriated for the 2014–2015 biennium Acabq, in its first report on the 2016–2017
and $10.2 million over the figure endorsed by the programme budget [A/70/7], made specific recommen-
General Assembly in resolution 69/264 [ibid., p. 1644]. dations in areas where economies could be achieved,
The increase resulted mainly from requirements for the resulting in an overall reduction of $54,794,100 before
ongoing costs of Umoja. Adjustment to the staffing recosting. Those recommendations included an adjust-
table would result in a net decrease of 56 posts due to ment in resources totalling $13,711,900, pending the
the freezing of 68 posts. Priorities for the 2016–2017 submission of detailed information on the total cost
biennium included: promotion of sustained economic estimates for the proposed renovation of Africa Hall
growth and sustainable development, in accordance in the annual progress report, as requested in General
with the relevant General Assembly resolutions and Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p. 1631].
recent United Nations conferences; maintenance of In December [A/70/603], the Secretary-General pro-
international peace and security; the development of vided the updated projections for inflation and the
Africa; promotion of human rights; effective coordina- effect of the evolution of rates of exchange in 2015 on
tion of humanitarian assistance efforts; promotion of the proposed 2016–2017 programme budget. The re-
justice and international law; disarmament; and drug costed level of expenditure amounted to $5,447.6 mil-
control, crime prevention and combating international lion and total income was revised to $535.7 million.
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Based on Also, in December [A/70/606], the Secretary-
a review of outputs delivered in 2014–2015, some 596 General presented, after recosting, resource require-
outputs would be discontinued in 2016–2017. Other ments for the 2016–2017 programme budget in the
areas to be addressed included assessed contributions; amount of $1.8 million for the International Criminal
extrabudgetary contributions; and activities related to Tribunal for Rwanda, $95.7 million for the Interna-
monitoring and evaluation. tional Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and $133.5
The Secretary-General said that his budget pro- million for the International Residual Mechanism for
posals did not reflect financial implications for Criminal Tribunals.
achieving goals related to the Addis Ababa Action Acabq, in its thirty-sixth report on the 2016–2017
Agenda (see p. 458), the 2030 Agenda for Sustain- programme budget [A/70/7/Add.35], had no objections
able Development (see p. 396) or the commitment to to the Secretary-General’s revised estimates in the two
a universal climate agreement in Paris in December reports and transmitted them to the Fifth Committee.
Chapter II: United Nations financing and programming 733

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION 2015 session; revised estimates resulting from reso-
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, lutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee Council at its twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and thirti-
[A/70/648], adopted resolution 70/249 A, resolution eth (2015) sessions and its twenty-third special (2015)
70/249 B and resolution 70/249 C (Programme session; the effects of changes in rates of exchange and
budget for the biennium 2016–2017) without vote inflation; and the contingency fund.
[agenda item 134]. Other subjects considered included the Inter-
national Public Sector Accounting Standards (see
Limited budgetary discretion p. 738); subvention to the United Nations Institute for
Disarmament Research (see p. 245); subvention to the
In response to General Assembly resolution 68/246 Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia;
[YUN 2013, p. 1448], the Secretary-General submitted a UN information and communications technology
September report [A/70/396] on the implementation (see p. 747); administrative expenses of the United
of Assembly resolution 60/283 [YUN 2006, p. 1580] on Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (see p. 785); subven-
limited budgetary discretion, which was applied on tion to the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
an experimental basis during the 2006–2007 and (see p. 103); revised estimates resulting from the de-
2008–2009 bienniums and extended to the 2010– cisions contained in General Assembly resolution
2011, 2012–2013 and 2014–2015 bienniums. That 69/292 (see p. 712); office facilities at the Economic
discretion authorized the Secretary-General to enter Commission for Africa (see p. 758); strategic heritage
commitments up to $20 million in each biennium for plan for offices in Geneva; estimates resulting from
positions and non-post requirements for the purpose the decisions in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda;
of meeting the evolving needs of the Organization in seismic mitigation retrofit and life-cycle replacements
attaining its mandated programmes and activities, as project at the Economic and Social Commission for
well as ensuring the safety of personnel. Asia (see p. 471); administrative and financial impli-
Based on the experience gained during the previous cations of the decisions and recommendations con-
five bienniums, the Secretary-General proposed the tained in the report of the International Civil Service
continuation of the limited discretionary mechanism Commission for the year 2015 (see p. 763); Interna-
in 2016–2017. Although no recourse was made to the tional Trade Centre (see p. 737); enterprise resource
discretionary authority in the 2012–2013 and 2014– planning project, Umoja; study on the long-term ac-
2015 bienniums, the Secretary-General still saw merit commodation needs at United Nations Headquarters
in continuing the mechanism to fund requirements to for the period from 2015 to 2034 (see p. 756); and the
overcome unforeseen obstacles; enable the resumption framework for a global service delivery model of the
of operations in a safe and secure environment fol- United Nations Secretariat (see p. 753).
lowing natural or man-made disasters and crises; and
address disasters, crises or requirements of a one-time Revised estimates in respect of matters
nature and specific to the current biennium. of which the Security Council was seized
In a November report [A/70/7/Add.5], acabq, while In October [A/70/348], as a result of action taken
it questioned the utility of the mechanism and was or expected to be taken by the General Assembly
not convinced that it continued to have merit, par- and/or the Security Council, the Secretary-General
ticularly compared with other funding mechanisms, submitted proposed resource requirements for the
recommended that the General Assembly authorize period up to 31 December 2016 for 35 special political
the mechanism’s exceptional continuation for the missions, which was estimated at $566,321,700 net
2016–2017 biennium only; and that the Secretary- ($603,321,700 gross). Six addenda [A/70/348/Add.1–6]
General submit a comprehensive justification for to the report were issued.
its subsequent retention should he consider that the
mechanism was required beyond that date. Acabq, in its eleventh report on the 2016–2017
proposed programme budget [A/70/7/Add.10], recom-
mended that the Assembly approve the resources
Special subjects relating to the requested by the Secretary-General, subject to the
programme budget Committee’s observations and recommendations
In 2015, the Fifth Committee considered a in that report, as well as in its other reports [A/70/7/
Add.11-16].
number of special subjects relating to the 2016–2017
programme budget, among them estimates in re-
spect of special political missions, good offices and Revised estimates resulting from Economic
other political initiatives authorized by the General and Social Council action
Assembly and/or the Security Council; revised es- In an October report [A/70/430], the Secretary-
timates resulting from resolutions and decisions General submitted estimates of $3,257,500 in addi-
adopted by the Economic and Social Council at its tional requirements for the 2016–2017 programme
734 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

budget—of which $173,400 could be accommodated Review of fund utilization. In response to

within or had been included in the proposed budget General Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p. 1631],
and $3,084,100 would represent a charge against the the Secretary-General in September submitted a report
contingency fund—resulting from Economic and [A/70/395] on the review of the experience of the utiliza-
Social Council resolutions 2014/32 [YUN 2014, p. 1147], tion of the contingency fund since its inception, which
2014/35 [ibid., p. 1156], 2015/18 (see p. 449), 2015/30 discussed aspects of the experience, such as the size of
(see p. 483) and 2015/33 (see p. 520). the fund, the utilization of the fund and the applica-
In November [A/70/7/Add.23], acabq recommended tion of alternatives in cases where it was not possible
reductions of $36,000 and approval of an appropria- to finance all or part of the fund’s additional require-
tion of $3,048,100 as a charge against the contingency ments. No predetermined level existed for the fund;
fund. It also recommended that the Assembly take note instead, a percentage was proposed by the Secretary-
that additional requirements of $118,300 had already General for application to the programme budget out-
be en included in the proposed programme budget. line. At the time of approving the outline the General
Assembly would also approve the percentage, thereby
Revised estimates resulting from Human Rights determining the level of the contingency fund.
Council action The Secretary-General observed that since the
In a November report [A/70/562], the Secretary- fund’s establishment in the 1990–1991 biennium,
General submitted estimates of $11,367,300 in ad- with the exception of the 2006–2007, 2012–2013 and
ditional requirements for the 2016–2017 programme 2014–2015 bienniums, the level of the fund had been
budget, all of which would represent a charge against sufficient to cover additional requirements reflected
the contingency fund, resulting from resolutions and in the consolidated statement of programme budget
decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council at implications and revised estimates. In cases where it
its twenty-eighth, twenty-ninth and thirtieth (2015) had not been possible to stay within the contingency
sessions and its twenty-third special (2015) session (see fund, additional amounts were appropriated by the
p. 291). General Assembly outside of the contingency fund.
In December [A/70/7/Add.28], acabq recommended In November [A/70/7/Add.7], acabq stressed that
approval of the Secretary-General’s proposals, subject every effort should be made to incorporate additional
to its recommendation against approval of the pro- requirements into the initial budget proposals and in
posed post for a Web content manager (P-3) and the the event of constraints being faced, the Secretary-
related resource adjustment. General should bring those matters to the attention
of the Assembly in a timely manner. It also expressed
Contingency fund the view that the contingency fund was an essen-
tial budgetary instrument for addressing additional
The contingency fund, established by General resource requirements.
Assembly resolution 41/213 [YUN 1986, p. 1024], accom-
modated additional expenditures relating to each bien- On 23 December, by decision 70/553 A, the
nium that derived from legislative mandates not pro- General Assembly deferred consideration of the
vided for in the proposed programme budget or from Secretary-General’s report on the review of the con-
revised estimates. Guidelines for its use were annexed tingency fund and the related acabq report until
to Assembly resolution 42/211 [YUN 1987, p. 1098]. its seventy-first (2016) session. On the same date,
it noted by resolution 70/248 A, that a balance of
The Fifth Committee considered the Secretary-
$24,007,067 remained in the contingency fund.
General’s December report [A/C.5/70/19 & Corr.1] con-
taining a consolidated statement of all programme GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
budget implications and revised estimates fall-
ing under the guidelines for use of the fund. The On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly,
consolidated amount of $34,094,800 would be on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee
within the approved level of the fund and an available [A/70/648], adopted resolution 70/248 A (Special sub-
balance of $7,593,167 would remain in the fund. jects relating to the proposed programme budget for
the biennium 2016–2017) without vote [agenda item 134].
Acabq, in its thirty-fifth report on the 2016–2017
programme budget [A/70/7/Add.34], noted that the
Unforeseen and extraordinary expenses
pending revised estimates and programme budget
implications would give rise to additional resource Under the terms of General Assembly resolution
requirements relating to decisions taken prior to 68/249 [YUN 2013, p. 1461], the Secretary-General was
the General Assembly’s adoption of the 2016–2017 authorized, with the prior concurrence of acabq,
programme budget. Therefore, the list of potential to enter into commitments to meet unforeseen and
charges to the contingency fund would need to be extraordinary expenses arising either during or subse-
updated and finalized to reflect the Committee’s re- quent to the 2014–2015 biennium, without reverting
maining recommendations. to the Assembly for approval.
Chapter II: United Nations financing and programming 735

By resolution 70/250 (see below), the Assembly nex II of the report, as a supplement to the bulletin;
authorized the Secretary-General to enter into com- approve as a transitional measure the option to serve
mitments during the 2016–2017 biennium to meet out the remainder of their terms of office under the
unforeseen and extraordinary expenses arising either conditions currently applicable to each member, as set
during or subsequent to the biennium. out in paragraph 22 of the report; or take a related
decision concerning the additional resource require-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ments under section 1 of the 2016–2017 programme
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General budget as proposed by the Secretary-General in part
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- two of the report.
mittee [A/70/648], adopted resolution 70/250 (Un- On 23 December, by decision 70/553 A, the
foreseen and extraordinary expenses for the bien- Assembly deferred consideration of the acabq Chair’s
nium 2016–2017) without vote [agenda item 134]. report until the first part of its resumed seventieth
(2016) session.
Working capital fund
The General Assembly, in December, established
the Working Capital Fund for the 2016–2017 bien- Contributions
nium at $150 million, the same level as for the 2014–
2015 biennium [YUN 2013, p. 1461]. The Fund was to
be used to finance appropriations, pending the receipt According to the Secretary-General’s report on the
of assessed contributions, to pay for unforeseen and financial situation of the United Nations [A/70/433/
extraordinary expenses, as well as for miscellaneous Add.1], unpaid assessed contributions from Member
self-liquidating purchases and advance insurance pre- States to the UN budget at the end of 2015 totalled $533
miums, and to enable the Tax Equalization Fund to million (compared to $535 million in 2014); outstand-
meet current commitments pending the accumula- ing peacekeeping arrears totalled $976 million (com-
tion of credits. pared to the $1,282 million in 2014); and total unpaid
assessments to the international tribunals amounted to
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION $65 million (compared to 40 million in 2014).
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General Assembly, The number of Member States paying their regular
on the recommendation of the Fifth Commit­tee budget assessment in full by the end of the year de-
[A/70/648], adopted resolution 70/251 (Working creased to 142 (compared to 144 at the end of 2014).
Capital Fund for the biennium 2016–2017) without
vote [agenda item 134]. Assessments
By decision 70/554 of the same date, the Assembly
decided to retain the agenda item on the 2016–2017 The Committee on Contributions, at its seventy-
proposed programme budget for consideration during fifth session (New York, 1–26 June) [A/70/11], con-
its seventieth session. sidered a number of issues related to the payment of
assessments, including the methodology for preparing
Operational arrangements for ACABQ the scale of assessments for the period 2016–2018, the
application of Article 19 of the Charter of the United
By a 6 November note [A/70/544], pursuant Nations, multi-year payment plans to eliminate ar-
to Assembly resolution 69/274 A (see above), the rears and assessment of non-member States. The
Secretary-​General transmitted to the Assembly the Committee decided to hold its seventy-sixth (2016)
report of the acabq Chair on operational arrangements session from 6 to 24 June 2016. The General Assembly
and conditions of service of the Advisory Committee took action on the Committee’s recommendations in
(part one), accompanied by the comments and views of October and December.
the Secretary-General on the recommendations relat-
ing to the conditions of service of Committee members
(part two). Application of Article 19
The report concluded that the Assembly might wish Committee on Contributions. The Committee
to decide that acabq members should have the status on Contributions [A/70/11] reviewed requests for ex-
of officials other than Secretariat officials performing emption under Article 19 of the UN Charter, whereby
functions for the Organization on a full-time basis; ap- a Member State would lose its vote in the General
prove the amount of the annual net compensation and Assembly if the amount of its arrears should equal or
other conditions of service for acabq members other exceed the amount of contributions due from it for
than the Chair as proposed in the report; determine the preceding two full years. The Committee noted
that the Secretary-General’s Bulletin [ST/SGB/2002/9] the Members’ written and oral representations and
should govern the conduct of acabq members and evaluated them against their payment records and
endorse the draft code of conduct, contained in an- economic and political circumstances.
736 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

The Committee considered requests for exemption assessed contributions of Sao Tome and Principe as at
from seven Member States and noted that subsequent 31 December 2014 amounted to $881,533.
to the transmission of their letters of request, Tonga and The Committee on Contributions, at its June
Vanuatu had made the minimum payments required session [A/70/11], welcomed the payments made by Sao
to restore their voting rights and no further action was Tome and Principe in May 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1646]
required. The Committee concluded that the failure of and June 2015 and the indication that the country
the remaining five Member States—Comoros, Guinea would review the plan and revise the terms as soon
Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia and Yemen— as possible. The Committee noted that no new multi-
to pay the minimum amount necessary to avoid ap- year payment plans had been submitted. It reiterated
plication of Article 19 was due to conditions beyond its recommendation that the General Assembly en-
their control and recommended that they be permitted courage those Member States in arrears under Article
to vote in the Assembly until the end of its seventieth 19 to consider submitting multi-year payment plans.
session. It encouraged those Member States to make
annual payments exceeding current assessment to avoid
Other matters related to the payment of
further accumulation of debt and to consider the sub-
mission of a multi-year payment plan. assessed contributions
Reports of Secretary-General. During the Scale methodology
year, the Secretary-General reported to the General Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 58/1 B
Assembly on payments made by certain Member States [YUN 2003, p. 1424], the Committee on Contributions
to reduce their level of arrears below that specified in [A/70/11] continued to review the different elements
Article 19, so that they could vote in the Assembly. As of the methodology for preparing future scales of
at 12 January [A/69/722], 13 Member States were below assessments focusing on elements for making com-
the gross amount assessed for the preceding two full parative estimates of national income; relief meas-
years (2013–2014). By a series of letters from January ures; limits to the scale; large scale-to-scale changes
to May [A/69/722/Add.1–8], that number was reduced to in rates of assessment and discontinuity; and annual
five and remained at that number through 10 Septem- recalculations. In the absence of guidance from the
ber when the Secretary-General reported [A/70/374] Assembly, the Committee decided to review the scale
on the minimum payments necessary to reduce the of assessments for the period 2016–2018. With regard
amounts owed by those five Member States so that to income measure, the Committee reaffirmed its rec-
they remained below the gross amount assessed for ommendation that the scale should be based on the
the preceding two full years. most current, comprehensive, and comparable gross
national income (gni) data and recommended that
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the Assembly encourage States to submit the required
On 12 October [meeting 29], the General Assembly, national accounts questionnaires under the 1993
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee System of National Accounts (sna) [YUN 1993, p. 1112]
[A/70/416], adopted resolution 70/2 (Scale of or 2008 sna [YUN 2009, p. 1258] on a timely basis. It
assessments for the apportionment of the expenses also reaffirmed its recommendation for the use of con-
of the United Nations: requests under Article 19 of version rates based on market exchange rates, except
the Charter) without vote [agenda item 138]. where it would cause excessive fluctuations and distor-
tions in gni, and agreed that there were advantages
Multi-year payment plans in using the same base period for as long as possible.
Pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 57/4 B Scale of assessments for 2016–2018
[YUN 2002, p. 1385] and 67/238 [YUN 2012, p. 1450], the
Secretary-General, in a March report [A/70/69], pro- The General Assembly decided to conduct its review
vided information on the multi-year payment plan of the scale of assessments for the period 2016– 2018
submitted earlier by Sao Tome and Principe and on on the basis of the elements of the methodology for
the status of the plan’s implementation as at 31 De- the scale of assessments for the period 2013–2015 (see
cember 2014. Under the plan, each year a Member above). Meanwhile, to identify the impact of the inclu-
State would pay for the current year’s assessment sion of new gni data in calculations for the 2016–2018
and a part of its arrears, so as to eliminate the ar- scale, the Committee on Contributions considered the
rears within six years. The plan, which had a duration application of new data to the methodology used in
of eight years (2002–2009), would involve payments preparing the current scale of assessments [A/70/11].
totalling $694,411, if fully implemented. Payments
by Sao Tome and Principe, however, had fallen be- Assessment of non-member States
low the level foreseen during the periods 2002–2009 Following the adoption of General Assembly
and 2010–2014, with payments and credits totalling resolution 67/19 [YUN 2012, p. 1426], which accorded
$34,254 and $55,533, respectively. The outstanding Palestine non-member observer State status in the
Chapter II: United Nations financing and programming 737

United Nations, the Committee on Contributions fore it, for the period ended 31 December 2014, the
[A/70/11] decided that the same assessment procedure financial reports and audited financial statements
applied to the Holy See should be applied to the and the reports and audit opinions of the Board
State of Palestine. For the 2013–2015 period, both of Auditors on the following entities: the United
the Holy See and the State of Palestine were assessed Nations [A70/5 (Vol. I) & Corr.1], the International
at a flat annual fee of 50 per cent of their notional Trade Centre [A/70/5 (Vol. III) & Corr.1], the United
rates of assessment as adopted in General Assembly Nations University [A/70/5 (Vol. IV)], the United
resolution 67/238 [YUN 2012, p. 1450] and decision Nations Development Programme [A/70/5/Add.1], the
68/548 [YUN 2013, p. 1464]. For that period, the no- United Nations Capital Development Fund [A/70/5/
tional rate of assessment of the Holy See had been Add.2], the United Nations Children’s Fund [A/70/5/
fixed at 0.001 per cent, and for the State of Palestine Add.3], the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
at 0.005 per cent. for Palestine Refugees in the Near East [A/70/5/Add.4 &
The Committee recommended that non-member Corr.1], the United Nations Institute for Training and
States be called upon to contribute for the period Research [A/70/5/Add.5], the voluntary funds admin-
2016–2018 based on a flat annual fee fixed at istered by the United Nations High Commissioner
50 per cent, which would be applied to notional rates for Refugees [A/70/5/Add.6], the Fund of the United
of assessment fixed at 0.001 per cent to the Holy See Nations Environment Programme [A/70/5/Add.7], the
and 0.007 per cent to the State of Palestine. United Nations Population Fund [A/70/5/Add.8], the
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Payment in currencies other than [A/70/5/Add.9], the United Nations Office on Drugs
the United States dollar and Crime [A/70/5/Add.10 & Corr.1], the United Nations
Office for Project Services [A/70/5/Add.11 & Corr.1], the
The General Assembly, by resolution 67/238 United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
[YUN 2012, p. 1450], authorized the Secretary-General to
Empowerment of Women [A/70/5/Add.12], the Inter-
accept, at his discretion and after consultation with the national Tribunal for Rwanda [A/70/5/Add.13], the
Chair of the Committee on Contributions, a portion International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
of the contributions of Member States for the calendar [A/70/5/Add.14 & Corr.1] and the International Re-
years 2013–2015 in currencies other than the United sidual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals [A/70/5/
States dollar. The Committee on Contributions noted Add.15]. The Assembly also had before it a note by
[A/70/11] that, in 2014, the Secretary-General had ac-
the Secretary-General [A/70/322 & Corr.1 & 2] trans-
cepted the equivalent of $3,190,011 from Cyprus, mitting the concise summary of the principal find-
Ethiopia, Morocco and the Sudan in non-United ings and conclusions of the Board of Auditors for
States dollar currencies acceptable to the Organization. 2014; the reports of the Secretary-General on the
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION implementation of the Board’s recommendations for
2014 on the United Nations and the capital master
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General plan [A/70/338 & Corr.1] and on the UN funds and
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- programmes [A/70/338/Add.1]; and the related acabq
mittee [A/70/416/Add.1], adopted resolution 70/245 report on the financial reports, audited financial
(Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the statements and Board reports for 2014 (see below).
expenses of the United Nations) without vote [agenda
item 138]. ACABQ report. In October [A/70/380], acabq
noted with satisfaction that all entities had received
unmodified audit opinions from the Board; wel-
comed the high quality and easy-to-read structure
Accounts and auditing of the concise summary report and of the individual
audit reports, but encouraged the Board to ensure
The General Assembly, at its resumed sixty-ninth that its audit reports followed a consistent outline and
(2015) session, considered the report of the Board format to facilitate comparison across different enti-
of Auditors on UN peacekeeping operations for the ties; and concurred with the Board on the need to
period from 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014 [A/69/5 address the unimplemented Board recommendations
(Vol. II)], together with the Secretary-General’s report in a timely manner. Acabq further concurred with
on the implementation of the Board’s recommenda- the Board that sustained deficits could have a nega-
tions [A/69/781] and the related acabq comments and tive impact on the ability of entities to meet liabilities;
recommendations [A/69/838]. that liquidity continued to be a challenge for some
entities; and that the Administration should estab-
On 25 June, the General Assembly, in resolution lish a formal approach to managing and improving
69/249 B, endorsed the Board’s report (see p. 64). operations to enable continuous reform and enhance
Board of Auditors reports. The General capability to coordinate ongoing transformation
Assembly, at its seventieth (2015) session, had be- projects.
738 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION Review of UN administrative

On 23 December [meeting 82], the General and financial functioning
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth
Committee [A/70/624], adopted resolution 70/238 A In December, the Fifth Committee continued its
(Financial reports and audited financial state- consideration of the agenda item entitled “Review of
ments, and reports of the Board of Auditors) with- the efficiency of the administrative and financial func-
out vote [agenda item 131]. tioning of the United Nations”. In resolution 70/111
(see p. 743), the General Assembly noted with appre-
On the same date, by decision 70/554, the ciation the work of the Independent Audit Advisory
Assembly decided that the agenda item on financial Committee (see below) and reaffirmed its terms of
reports and audited financial statements and report reference, as contained in the annex to resolution
of the Board of Auditors remained for consideration 61/275 [YUN 2007, p. 1471].
during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
On 23 December, by decision 70/554, the
Assembly decided that the item remained for consid-
Financial management practices eration during its resumed seventieth (2016) session.
International Public Sector Accounting
Independent Audit Advisory Committee
Standards
In accordance with General Assembly resolution
In August [A/70/329], the Secretary-General
61/275 [YUN 2007, p. 1471], the Independent Audit
submitted the eighth progress report on the adop-
Advisory Committee submitted an annual report
tion of the International Public Sector Accounting
in August [A/70/284], which covered its activities
Standards (ipsas) by the United Nations, which was
from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015 and advised the
approved by General Assembly resolution 60/283
Assembly on issues pertaining to the compliance
[YUN 2006, p. 1580]. The report announced the success-
of management with audit and other oversight rec-
ful implementation of ipsas; provided an outlook on
ommendations; the overall effectiveness of the risk
longer-term ipsas sustainability for the Organization;
management procedures and deficiencies in the UN
and reviewed the progress of ipsas implementation
internal control framework; the operational implica-
throughout the UN system from 1 September 2014
tions of the financial statements and reports of the
to 31 August 2015.
Board of Auditors; and the appropriateness of the
All 24 UN system organizations had successfully accounting policies and disclosure practices in the
migrated to ipsas and were focused on sustainability Organization. The report also contained the Com-
of ipsas compliance. The United Nations had issued mittee’s observations and recommendations on the
its first full set of ipsas -compliant financial state- effectiveness and impact of the Office of Internal
ments covering the performance of 13 reporting Oversight Services (oios) and provided an overview
entities for the 2014 fiscal year and was preparing of the Committee’s workplan for 2016.
its second ipsas -compliant financial statements for During the reporting period, the Advisory Com-
peacekeeping operations for the fiscal year 2015. mittee held four sessions and submitted three reports
This achievement marked the beginning of the ipsas to the Assembly: on the proposed budget of oios
post-implementation phase, triggering the launch of under the support account of peacekeeping operations
activities to support long-term sustainability of ipsas for the period 1 July 2015–30 June 2016 [A/69/791];
compliance. Five major work pillars of the sustain- on the proposed budget for internal oversight for the
ability efforts were captured in the ipsas sustainability 2016–2017 biennium [A/70/86]; and its annual report
plan, which had been endorsed by the Management to the Assembly for the period 1 July 2013–30 June
Committee: management of ipsas benefits; strength- 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1652].
ening of internal controls; management of the ipsas
regulatory framework; management of the transi- In resolution 69/307 of 25 June (see p. 65), the
tion to ipsas -compliant accounting and reporting Assembly invited the Committee to examine the op-
through Umoja; and training and skills development erational independence of oios, in particular in the
to support a repositioned finance function within the area of investigation functions.
Organization.
ACABQ report. In October [A/70/7/Add.2],
acabq recommended that the General Assembly take Programme planning
note of the progress made since the seventh report
[YUN 2014, p. 1650] and that it request the Secretary- The Committee for Programme and Coordination
General to continue to report on the status of ipsas (cpc), at its fifty-fifth session (New York, 1–26 June)
implementation projects in the United Nations and [A/70/16] recommended that the General Assembly ap-
throughout the UN system. prove the revisions to the Regulations and Rules Gov-
Chapter II: United Nations financing and programming 739

erning Programme Planning, the Programme Aspects evaluation reports. It recommended that Secretariat
of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and entities develop an evaluation policy and establish key
the Methods of Evaluation proposed by the Secretary- evaluation procedures, such as an evaluation work-
General [YUN 2013, p. 1467], subject to certain modi- plan, an action plan for implementing evaluation
fications; and approve the proposed changes to the recommendations and a dissemination plan for
2016–2017 biennial programme plan [A/70/80] narra- evaluation results. It further recommended that the
tive under programme 8, Least developed countries, Department of Management improve the existing
land-locked developing countries and small island guidelines on planning and formulating the estimated
developing States, programme 19, Economic and resources for monitoring and evaluation activities in
social development in Western Asia, and programme time for consideration in formulating the 2018–2019
25, Management and support services. The Com- budget.
mittee made further recommendations on programme Cpc recommended that the General Assembly
objectives, expected accomplishments and indicators endorse those recommendations and took note of
of achievement; improving results-based budgeting the positive developments regarding the Secretariat’s
implementation; the annual overview report of the evaluation functions. It expressed concern that the
United Nations System Chief Executives Board for overall quality of reports had not improved and that
Coordination for 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1063]; and the major obstacles to strengthening the evaluation func-
report of the Secretary-General on UN system support tions persisted. The Committee also recommended
to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development that the Assembly request the Secretary-General to
[E/AC.51/2015/10]. take further, concrete measures to develop evaluation
On 21 July, the Economic and Social Council capacity within the Secretariat programmes; make
took note of the report of cpc on its fifty-fifth session better use of in-house expertise, including of oios, to
(decision 2015/232). carry out evaluations in the different Secretariat enti-
On 7, 9, 14, 17 and 22 December, the Assembly ties; ensure that senior managers’ compacts presented
took note, respectively, of the reports on “Programme adequate programme objectives and performance
planning” of the First Committee [A/70/517] (decision measures to fulfil given mandates; and ensure that
70/517), the Fourth Committee [A/70/529] (decision the significant gaps in evaluation coverage and lack of
70/522), the Sixth Committee [A/70/527] (decision evaluative evidence on performance were addressed.
70/528), the Third Committee [A/70/523] (decision The Committee reviewed and made recommenda-
70/538), and the Second Committee [A/70/519] tions on seven oios reports, evaluating the programme
(decision 70/550). of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly [E/AC.51/2015/2]; the United Nations Conference on
decided that the agenda item on programme planning Trade and Development [E/AC.51/2015/4]; the Office of
would remain for consideration during its seventieth the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
session. [E/AC.51/2015/5]; the Economic Commission for Latin
America and the Caribbean [E/AC.51/2015/6]; the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Programme evaluation Asia and the Pacific [E/AC.51/2015/7]; the International
At its 2015 session [A/70/16], cpc considered Trade Centre [E/AC.51/2015/8]; and the United Nations
the Office of Internal Oversight Services (oios) Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
March report [A/70/72] on strengthening the role of Women [E/AC.51/2015/9]. Cpc also made recommenda-
evaluation and the application of evaluation findings tions on the oios report on the thematic evaluation of
on programme design, delivery and policy directives, monitoring and evaluation of the Millennium Devel-
which assessed the Secretariat’s evaluation capacity, opments Goals: lessons learned for the post-2015 era
quality and utility for the 2012–2013 biennium. The [E/AC.51/2015/3].
report also presented the oios evaluation workplan
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
for 2016–2017 and summarized the implementation
of prior cpc recommendations aimed at improving On 13 November [meeting 52], the General
the quality of Secretariat evaluations. Oios noted that Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth
improvements in the Secretariat’s evaluation function Committee [A/70/439], adopted resolution 70/8
in 2012–2013 did not translate into higher-quality (Programme planning) without vote [agenda item 135].
Chapter III

Administrative and staff matters

In 2015, the United Nations continued its efforts to period from 2014 to 2023, authorizing the renovation
strengthen the organizational and administrative func- and construction phase to begin. The Assembly also
tioning of the Organization, with a view to implement- approved the project scope, schedule and maximum
ing the decisions and mandates of its legislative bodies overall cost for the renovation of the conference facili-
more efficiently. The General Assembly and its subsid- ties of the Economic Commission for Africa (eca) in
iary bodies, including the Office of Internal Oversight Addis Ababa, including Africa Hall, in the amount
Services (oios), the Independent Audit Advisory Com- of $56.9 million.
mittee and the Joint Inspection Unit (jiu) examined The International Civil Service Commission (icsc)
issues of managerial reform and external and internal considered the conditions of service applicable to Pro-
oversight. The Assembly approved the recommenda- fessional and General Service categories of staff, lo-
tions of those bodies for improving internal controls, cally recruited staff, and staff in the field by, among
accountability mechanisms and organizational effi- others, continuing its review of the common system
ciency, including for promoting effective information compensation package.
and technology governance and procurement. Reform of human resources management contin-
The year marked the tenth year of planning and ued, encompassing a number of issues that included
implementation of a new enterprise resource planning the new mobility and career development framework,
system (Umoja) throughout the Secretariat, a com- the assessment of the system of desirable ranges and
plex, high-value project aimed at modernizing a wide performance management. The General Assembly
range of business processes and systems that were approved a refined managed mobility framework, and
crucial to the efficient and effective management of preparations continued for its phased implementation
the Organization. The Secretary-General put forward slated to begin in 2016. To promote multilingualism
a status update on the implementation of the re- and strengthen efforts to ensure parity among the
vised information and communications technology six official languages, the Secretary-General in June
(ict) strategy endorsed by the General Assembly in appointed the Under-Secretary-General (usg) for
2014. The use of new communications platforms General Assembly and Conference Management as
was at the focus of the discussion in the Committee the new Coordinator for Multilingualism.
on Information. In line with his goal of creating a Staff of the UN Secretariat and related entities
truly global UN Secretariat, the Secretary-General of the UN system totalled 76,115, with the number
proposed the development of a global service deliv- of global Secretariat staff numbering 41,081 as at
ery model that would deliver high-quality, timely 30 June, comprising all categories of staff holding
and standardized administrative services under one permanent/continuing, fixed-term and temporary
common set of rules. contracts, recruited both internationally and locally
The Capital Master Plan (cmp), the project to reno- from 189 Member States.
vate the United Nations Headquarters complex, was United Nations personnel continued to work in
almost completed in 2015, although some residual environments with unprecedented significant security
works still needed to be done and the renovation of challenges as armed conflict had become intertwined
the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Building and of the with terrorism and violent extremism. The evolving
South Annex Building remained still outstanding. global security environment had profound impacts
The Assembly reaffirmed its commitment to the ren- on the Organization, both in terms of risks to per-
ovation of both buildings, requesting the Secretary- sonnel and programme implementation. Although
General to ensure the commemorative value of the the number of attacks against UN premises had risen
Dag Hammarskjöld Library. in the first six months of 2015, enhanced security
Planning moved forward on the strategic heritage measures and practices had strengthened the safety
plan project, which aimed to renovate the facilities at and security of personnel around the globe, thereby
the Palais des Nations in Geneva and to construct a enabling the United Nations to stay and deliver its
new building on the premises. Welcoming the contin- programmes. A significantly improved security risk
ued support of the Government of Switzerland for the management process was nearly complete, with its
project, the General Assembly approved the proposed roll-out set for December 2015.
project scope, schedule and estimated cost in the max- Despite a general downward trend in the number
imum amount of 836,500,000 Swiss francs for the of allegations, instances of sexual exploitation and

740
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 741

abuse by UN personnel persisted, but sustained from transactional purchasing to supply chain
efforts were made to implement the policy of zero- management, which entailed strategic interaction
tolerance and strengthen inter-agency activities to across departments, locations, operational mandates
prevent acts of sexual exploitation and abuse. The and budget cycles. It was expected that the full imple-
Secretary-General remained fully committed to a mentation of Umoja, the enterprise resource planning
zero-tolerance policy and put forward a number of system, throughout the Secretariat would comple-
proposals for strengthening protective and preventive ment that procurement strategy by enhancing the co-
measures, based on wide-ranging recommendations ordination of several interrelated business processes,
of an interdepartmental and inter-agency working resulting in improved efficiency and a reduction in
group whose report was considered in January 2015 duplicative administrative processes. The Secretary-
at a high-level meeting of UN senior leaders. General indicated that the Procurement Division was
The Ethics Office continued to promote the highest undertaking several key initiatives that would further
standards of integrity and to foster a culture of respect, advance the strategic approach to UN procurement
transparency and accountability across the Organiza- and modernize the acquisition process. Those initia-
tion. The Office also administered the financial dis- tives included: using Umoja business intelligence as
closure programme; as at 31 July, a total of 5,488 staff a strategic business tool; changing the procurement
members of the Secretariat, peacekeeping missions process for air charter services, in order to increase
and UN entities were enrolled in the programme. competition and ensure alignment with industry best
practices; continuously professionalizing the Procure-
The UN system of justice, which became opera-
ment Practice Group; implementing an electronic ten-
tional in 2009, served the staff in the Secretariat and
dering (e-tendering) option; and planning a tailored
the separately administered funds and programmes.
The system offered an informal (Office of the Om- procurement strategy for modularization of global
budsman and Mediation Services) and a formal field support.
(Management Evaluation Unit, Dispute Tribunal, The report also dealt with the next generation
Appeals Tribunal, Office of Staff Legal Assistance) op- of mission-critical contracts for food rations and
tion to address grievances and solve staff-management fuel, and featured the Regional Procurement Office,
disputes. An Interim Independent Assessment Panel, which had been established in 2013 as a pilot project
appointed in March 2015, found that the new system in Entebbe, Uganda to consolidate procurement re-
to a great extent met the objectives set by the General quirements of several UN peacekeeping missions.
Assembly, but further improvement was possible and The Secretary-General noted that there was a need
necessary. for further consideration of sustainable procurement,
To examine and assess the probative value of new one which would integrated requirements, specifica-
information regarding the investigation into the death tions and criteria compatible with and supportive of
and circumstances resulting in the tragic death in the protection of the environment, social progress and
1961 of Dag Hammarskjöld and of the members of economic development, by seeking resource efficiency,
the party accompanying him, the Secretary-General improving the quality of products and services and
in March appointed an independent panel of experts. ultimately optimizing costs. In order to effectively
The panel found significant new information as hav- move forward towards implementing sustainable pro-
ing sufficient probative value to further pursue the curement, the thorough analysis of cost and non-cost
hypothesis of aerial attack or other interference as the benefits had to be undertaken, and segments of the
possible cause of the crash. UN procurement market had to be defined; should
The United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund Member States approve that approach in principle,
(unjspf) recorded 126,892 active participants at the the Procurement Division would, in cooperation with
end of 2015. other Secretariat stakeholders, initiate a low-impact
pilot project. The Secretary-General also highlighted
existing tools and a vision for rapid response, which
allowed for emergency delegation of procurement
Administrative matters authority to speed up the delivery of urgently needed
goods and services in force majeure situations.
Managerial reform and oversight In its leadership capacity, the Procurement
Division would continue to extend its support and
Procurement guidance to global procurement activities and identify
Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to areas for inter-agency cooperation.
resolution 68/263 [YUN 2014, p. 1657], the Secretary- In March [A/69/809], the Advisory Committee on
General submitted a comprehensive report [A/69/710] Administrative and Budgetary Questions (acabq)
on UN procurement activities. The Secretary-General commented on the Secretary-General’s report and
described the transformation of UN procurement made a number of recommendations.
742 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION The Committee recommended that oios finalize

On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly, on the investigation manual without delay as the lack of
the recommendation of the Fifth (Administrative and such a manual could create confusion about the Office’s
Budgetary) Committee [A/69/702/Add.1], adopted res- procedures and methods of operation. It considered it
olution 69/273 (Procurement) without vote [agenda important that all involved, namely oios, management,
item 131]. the General Assembly and other interested parties, had
a common and clear understanding of how the Office
Oversight operated across the full range of services that it offered
and the important contributions that it made. Progress
Internal oversight needed to be made in two areas: advice and public com-
OIOS activities ments, and investigations procedures.
OIOS reports. In August [A/70/318 (Part I) & Corr.1], The Committee was not aware of any formal re-
in conformity with General Assembly resolutions views, other than the Committee’s own work, that
48/218 B [YUN 1994, p. 1362], 54/244 [YUN 1999, p. 1274], had systematically examined oios as a whole and the
59/272 [YUN 2004, p. 1370], 64/263 [YUN 2010, p. 1449] working relationship across the divisions. It believed
and 69/253 [YUN 2014, p. 1660], the Office of Internal that a central intake system was essential in ensuring
Oversight Services (oios) submitted a report on its the completeness of reporting of the universe of all po-
activities from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. The oversight tential and actual investigations; this would contribute
of peacekeeping operations and political missions was to a more accurate reporting of fraud and presump-
covered in a separate report [A/70/318 (Part II)]. tive fraud, an issue that the Board of Auditors, the
Joint Inspection Unit (jiu) and oios had raised as a
During the reporting period, oios issued 324 serious problem. The Committee recommended that
oversight reports, including 12 reports to the Assembly the Assembly mandate a holistic review of the Office,
and 46 closure reports. The reports included 1,031 rec- which should have a strong implementation mandate
ommendations to improve internal controls, account- to strengthen and streamline the operations and
ability mechanisms and organizational efficiency and structure of all three oios divisions, and assess long-
effectiveness, of which 109 were classified as critical to standing issues such as opportunities to improve col-
the Organization. laboration across the investigation, audit and inspection
The financial implications of oios recommenda- and evaluation functions; the high vacancy rate; and
tions issued during the reporting period amounted to inter- and intra-office dynamics, particularly in the
approximately $10.5 million. The recommendations Investigations Division.
were aimed at cost savings, recovery of overpayments,
efficiency gains and other improvements. The financial The Advisory Committee reported that it had been
implications of recommendations issued in prior peri- engaged in discussions with the Board of Auditors, the
ods that were satisfactorily implemented during the Under-Secretary-General for Management, the Con-
reporting period totalled approximately $90,000. An troller and the Project Director of Umoja on a number
addendum to the report [A/70/318 (Part I)/Add.1)] pro- of related issues, such as: the status of implementa-
vided an analysis of the status of implementation of tion of the International Public Sector Accounting
the recommendations, a breakdown of recommenda- Standards (ipsas) in the United Nations; benefit real-
tions with financial implications and a list of all reports ization plans for both ipsas and Umoja; implementa-
issued for all areas of oios work issued between 1 July tion of Umoja, the interdependence of Umoja and full
2014 and 30 June 2015, including those relating to ipsas implementation, the progress made following the
peacekeeping. launch of Umoja cluster 3 and the challenges ahead,
Appointment. On 12 October (decision 70/402), including the launch of Umoja cluster 4; and internal
the General Assembly approved the appointment by control system and UN fraud policy.
the Secretary-General of Heidi Mendoza (Philippines) The Committee welcomed the progress that the
as Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Secretariat had made in implementing ipsas and
Services, for one fixed term of five years beginning on Umoja. It looked forward to receiving details of the
15 November 2015 and ending on 14 November 2020. benefits from ipsas, which were to be realized in con-
Independent Audit Advisory Committee junction with the full implementation of Umoja, and
report. In an August report [A/70/284] on its activities reiterated its recommendation that management con-
from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015 (see p. 738), tinue to monitor rigorously key milestones and the over-
the Independent Audit Advisory Committee, as per all timeline for Umoja implementation by identifying
Assembly resolution 68/21 [YUN 2013, p. 1473], provided and managing current and any emerging key risks to
comments, views and opinions on the audit activities the achievement of the objectives of the Umoja project.
and other functions of oios, focusing its assessment on The Committee commended the progress made in
the operational independence, effectiveness, internal improving the internal control system and stressed the
management and efficiency of the Office. significance of educating managers and all affected staff
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 743

on the importance of strong internal controls. It urged 2017. This was largely owing to the proposed increase
management to draft a manual on internal control to in funding from other UN organizations (3.8 per cent)
provide guidance to managers and staff on implement- and support for substantive activities (34.3 per cent).
ing and maintaining the forthcoming framework. The proposed regular programme budget was es-
With regard to the coordination among UN timated at $42,520,000 (after recosting), which was
oversight bodies, the Committee, having reviewed the an increase of $1,887,900, or 4.6 per cent, compared
oios report “Thematic evaluation of monitoring and with the 2014–2015 appropriation. The regular budget
evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals: for 2016–2017 was estimated at $41,482,600 before
lessons learned for the post-2015 era” (see p. 739), recosting, which was an increase of $850,500, or
was encouraged that such monitoring and evaluation 2.1 per cent, compared with the previous biennium,
efforts appeared to be well under way. The Com- primarily due to a proposed transfer of the resident
mittee urged oios, as part of the central role that it auditor functions for the United Nations Assistance
played in the Meeting of Representatives of Internal Mission in Afghanistan (unama) and the United
Audit Services of the United Nations Organizations Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (unami) to the
and Multilateral Financial Institutions and the United Internal Audit Division of oios. The Committee noted
Nations Evaluation Group, to work with its counter- the efforts that oios had been putting into the recruit-
parts in other UN audit and evaluation organizations ment process, but reiterated that particular attention
to develop a coordinated strategy for monitoring and should be made to address vacancy rates.
assessment of UN performance in delivering on its The proposed budget for programme support for
commitments as part of the implementation of the 2016–2017 amounted to $2,540,400 (before recost-
forthcoming sustainable development goals. ing), which represented a net decrease of $130,200,
The Committee believed that opportunities might or 4.9 per cent, compared with the appropriation
exist for UN internal audit and evaluation organizations of $2,670,600 for 2014–2015, a reduction that was
to coordinate with the International Organization of mainly attributable to the reduction of the number of
Supreme Audit Institutions and interested member posts from eight to seven.
institutions, so that individual reviews would provide The Committee welcomed the progress made by
the UN and national decision makers with a more oios in implementing the web-based tracking and
complete picture of progress towards the sustainable audit management system. It believed that combating
development goals. fraud, especially by implementing partners, should fea-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
ture prominently in the workplan of the Office.
The Committee endorsed the workplan and related
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General budget for the Inspection and Evaluation Division,
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- which called for the maintenance of the same level of
mittee [A/70/563], adopted resolution 70/111 (Report resources as during the previous biennium.
on the activities of the Office of Internal Oversight
Services) without vote [agenda items 132 & 142]. Taking into account that the proposed programme
budget for investigations for 2016–2017 continued to
On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
be based on the five-year trend analysis of the intake
decided that the agenda items on the review of the effi-
rather than a combination that would include a risk-
ciency of the administrative and financial functioning
based workplan, as the Committee had long advanced,
of the UN and on the report on the activities of oios,
as well as the high vacancy rate, and without prejudice
would remain for consideration during its seventieth
to the ongoing process of strengthening the investiga-
(2015) session.
tion function in the Secretariat, the Committee could
OIOS programme budget for 2016–2017 not provide an overall assurance as to the adequacy of
the proposed level of investigation resources.
In a May report [A/70/86], the Independent Audit
Advisory Committee presented its comments, advice External oversight
and recommendations on the proposed programme
budget of oios for the 2016–2017 biennium. Joint Inspection Unit
Projected resources for 2016–2017 from the At its resumed sixty-ninth (2015) session, the
regular budget, combined with other assessed and Assembly had before it jiu’s 2014 annual report
extrabudgetary funds, totalled $126,906,300, com- [YUN 2014, p. 1661], including its programme of work
pared with $122,657,100 for the previous biennium, for 2015.
which was an increase of 3.5 per cent. The Committee Note of Secretary-General. In response to
noted that while the total budget had increased over- Assembly resolution 65/270 [YUN 2011, p. 1409], the
all, the extrabudgetary component had increased by Secretary-General in January submitted a note
a higher rate, of 8.8 per cent, from $20,109,500 for [A/69/747] on support provided by the United Nations
2014–2015 to an estimated $21,869,300 for 2016– System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (ceb)
744 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

member organizations in the preparation of jiu reports, them were kept in mind, as was the need for mak-
notes and confidential letters. The Secretary-General, ing practical and actionable recommendations to the
in his capacity as chair of ceb and through the ceb legislative/governing bodies and the executive heads
secretariat, provided substantive support to the Unit. of the participating organizations.
The ceb secretariat continued to work closely with The value of the web-based tracking system
jiu on the preparation of its annual work programme developed and used by jiu for monitoring the accept-
and maintained a constant dialogue with the Unit to ance and implementation of its recommendations
ensure a smooth report preparation and to identify had been recognized by Member States and the year
methods for enhancing the value of jiu reports. witnessed an increase in the number of its users. The
issue of ongoing support for its periodic upgrade and
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
maintenance, however, remained a challenge.
On 2 April [meeting 84], the General Assembly, on the The Unit also maintained the momentum of its
recommendation of the Fifth Committee [A/69/846], internal reform by updating its internal working pro-
adopted resolution 69/275 (Joint Inspection Unit) cedures. The revised version contained several new
without vote [agenda item 138]. features, such as strengthening the quality assurance;
At its seventieth (2015) session, the Assembly paying greater attention to the need for more effective
on 18 September (decision 70/504 A) adopted its management; oversight and accountability practices
agenda items and allocated item 140 on jiu to the and procedures; suggesting new ways for the presen-
Fifth Committee. tation of reports to the legislative/governing bodies;
JIU activities. In its annual report to the and defining the guidelines for dealing systematically
Assembly [A/70/34], jiu reviewed its activities in 2015, with comments and observations from participating
during which it published five system-wide reports, organizations.
one covering several organizations, on the following In resolution 70/247 of 23 December (see p. 732),
topics: mainstreaming of full and productive employ- the General Assembly requested the Secretary-
ment and decent work [A/70/678, JIU/REP/2015/1]; pa- General to consider options for hosting the jiu website
rameters of a comprehensive UN system support for in-house and to report on that matter in the context
small island developing States [A/69/921, JIU/REP/2015/2]; of the forthcoming report on the implementation of
public information and communications policies and the information and communications strategy for the
practices in the UN system [JIU/REP/2015/4]; review Secretariat.
of activities and resources devoted to address climate On the same date (decision 70/554), the Assembly
change in the UN system organizations [A/70/627, JIU/ decided that the agenda item on jiu would remain
REP/2015/5]; and review of the organizational ombuds- for consideration during its seventieth (2015) session.
man services across the UN system [JIU/REP/2015/6].
One report was prepared to review the cooperation
among the UN regional commissions [JIU/REP/2015/3]. Conference management
A series of management letters were issued on: staff Committee on Conferences
safety and security [JIU/ML/2015/1]; the World Tourism
Organization (untwo) efforts towards ipsas compli- The Committee on Conferences held its organiza­
ance [JIU/ML/2015/2]; assessment of post-award contract tional session on 22 April (reconvened on 29 June), and
management processes in 14 UN system organizations; its substantive session from 8 to 14 September [A/70/32].
and review of the acceptance and implementation of At its organizational session, the Committee elected its
jiu recommendations [JIU/ML/2015/3–5]. officers to serve in 2015 and adopted its provisional
The Unit carried out a number of other activities, agenda [A/AC.172/2015/L.1] and decided to include in its
including the continuation of the reform process, programme of work for the year, prior to its substan-
strengthening the outreach and resource mobilization tive session or upon request, informal briefings by the
activities and enhancing its cooperation with various Secretariat on issues relating to conference management
management and oversight forums. Jiu also under- of interest to Member States.
took two pilot projects mandated by the Assembly for At the same session, the Committee reviewed the
independent system-wide evaluation in the context provisional calendar of conferences and meetings in
of the quadrennial policy review of the operational the economic, social and related fields for 2016 and
activities of the development system. 2017 [E/2015/L.8] and recommended its adoption to the
In selecting and carrying out its work programme Economic and Social Council. The Chair transmitted
over the year, the Unit focused both on the strategic the Committee’s recommendation by a letter of 1 July
and the operational dimensions of the activities of the [E/2015/85] to the President of the Council.
participating organizations. The paramount objec- On 8 September, the Committee adopted the draft
tives of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness within biennial calendar of conferences and meetings for
the organizations themselves and coordination among 2016 and 2017 [A/AC.172/2015/L.2]. Following approval
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 745

by the Assembly in resolution 69/250 [YUN 2014, with the intergovernmental bodies whose utilization
p. 1665], the revised calendar of conferences and meet- rate had fallen below the 80 per cent benchmark
ings of the UN in 2015 was issued in February as a over the past three years, namely, the Committee on
Committee document [A/AC.172/2015/2]. Information, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping
At its substantive session, the Committee also Operations and its Working Group, the Special Com-
discussed meetings management, including the uti- mittee on the Charter of the United Nations and
lization of conference-servicing resources and facili- on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organiza-
ties and the impact of the capital master plan (cmp) tion, and the Executive Board of the United Nations
(phased approach) [YUN 2005, p. 1555] on meetings held Children’s Fund (unicef), and the letter sent to the
at UN Headquarters; integrated global management; President of the United Nations Commission on In-
matters related to documentation and publications; ternational Trade Law (uncitral), outlining possible
and matters related to translation and interpretation. measures for improving utilization rates. As a result of
The Committee approved requests from four bod- those efforts, the Committee on Information and the
ies for additional meetings, extended meetings, an President of the unicef Board agreed to make greater
extended session and a meeting outside of regular efforts to improve their utilization rate, and notable
meeting hours. It recommended that the General improvements were recorded in the utilization rates
Assembly explicitly authorize six bodies to meet in of uncitral, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping
New York during the main part of its seventieth Operations and the Special Committee on the Char-
(2015) session, on the understanding that all such ter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening
meetings would be allocated conference services on of the Role of the Organization.
an “as available” basis, in such a way that the work The Committee also considered the provision of
of the Assembly and its Main Committees would not services to meetings of bodies entitled to meet “as
be impeded. Those bodies were listed in a letter dated required” and meetings of regional and other major
8 September [A/70/366] from the Committee Chair to groupings of Member States, and the utilization of
the Assembly President. conference facilities at the United Nations Office of
On 15 September (decision 70/501), the Assembly Nairobi (unon) and of the conference centre of the
authorized those subsidiary organs to meet as Economic Commission for Africa (eca).
requested. The Advisory Committee, in its October report
[A/70/432], commented on the Secretary-General’s
Meetings management report and made a number of recommendations.
In his July report on the pattern of conferences
[A/70/122], the Secretary-General provided statistical
Integrated global management
data and an analysis of the utilization of conference As indicated by the Secretary-General [A/70/122],
resources allocated to a core sample of bodies that met single information technology (it) systems were
in Geneva, Nairobi, New York and Vienna, as well as operational, with maintenance work and enhance-
supplementary information. He noted that the overall ments continuing as part of the stabilization phase
utilization for the meetings of the core sample with [YUN 2014, p. 1663].
interpretation at all four duty stations in 2014 was A governance mechanism had been established to
86 per cent, an improvement of 4 percentage points coordinate it initiatives by cultivating effective re-
over 2013, as a result of fewer cancellations and less lationships between the business and it units at the
time lost owing to late starts and early conclusions, in four major duty stations. A steering group, chaired by
addition to more successful reassignments in 2014. the Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly
At the four duty stations, the number of meetings and Conference Management and comprising senior
with interpretation in the core sample increased by management at all duty stations, had been established
8 per cent, from 1,846 in 2013 to 1,996 in 2014. to approach priority issues systematically. Its respon-
The total number of meetings with interpretation sibilities included overseeing the harmonization of
increased by 6 per cent, from 6,695 in 2013 to 7,114 workflows and the exchange of best practices within
in 2014. The utilization factor for all meetings with and among duty stations, the mainstreaming of global
interpretation serviced by the four duty stations in- it systems and the streamlining of global reporting
creased from 77 per cent in 2013 to 80 per cent in structures and procedures to ensure clarity and to
2014. That was attributed to a decrease in cancella- contribute to the achievement of the Department’s
tions by 11 per cent and a reduction in time lost by integrated global management objectives.
8 per cent. In response to Assembly resolutions 68/251
On 8 September, the Committee on Confer- [YUN 2013, p. 1478] and 69/250, the Under-Secretary-
ences considered the data and analysis presented in General for General Assembly and Conference
the Secretary-General’s report. The Committee also Management and the Directors General of the UN
heard a report by the Chair on the consultations held Offices at Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna had agreed
746 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

on a clear delineation of their responsibilities concern- ments was at 92 per cent, although only 71 per cent
ing conference management policies, operations and of the submitters met the benchmark of 90 per cent,
resource utilization and had proposed revisions to the given that many offices responsible for relatively few
bulletins of the Secretary-General that defined the documents fell short. Of the documents submitted on
organization of the Department and of the Offices. time and within word limits, 98 per cent were pro-
The report noted that the total amount of transla- cessed in a timely manner. Consequently, 75 per cent
tion work shared continued to be modest owing to of all pre-session documents issued in New York met
limited space capacity at the four main duty stations. the mandated timely issuance benchmarks, up from
The Department adhered scrupulously to the principle 71 per cent in 2013 and 72 per cent in 2012.
of equal treatment of all language services in terms of At unog, the timely submission rate was 88 per cent,
working conditions and allocation of resources, while up from 87 per cent in 2013 and 85 per cent in 2012.
taking due account of the specificities of each service. Owing to capacity constraints, however, the timely
New initiatives to strengthen integrated global processing rate fell to 41 per cent for Secretariat reports
management included centralization of the roster and 21 per cent for non-Secretariat reports, compared
of contractual translators to which all duty stations with 50 and 22 per cent, respectively, in 2013.
would have access henceforth. The steering group had Unov recorded a timely submission rate of
also endorsed the recommendation that all duty sta- 93 per cent in 2014, down from 98 per cent in 2013.
tions be invited to participate in the organization and The number of slotted documents increased markedly,
conduct of the language competitive examinations. though, from 162 in 2013 to 214 in 2014, while timely
Recommendations had been made to harmonize work processing rate rose to 76 per cent. Consequently,
processes and standardize best practices across duty overall compliance with the mandated time frame
stations. Estimated savings through implementa- was 88 per cent, compared with 77 per cent in 2013.
tion of the integrated global management rule were At unon, the rate of timely submission rose sharply
$1,735,000, which accrued most often to the host from 22 per cent in 2013 to 73 per cent in 2014. In to-
countries or to the substantive departments. tal, 22 documents were slotted for the United Nations
The report noted that Umoja was launched at Environment Assembly of the United Nations
unon on 1 June, while the Department prepared for Environment Programme (unep), which was the
the launch of Umoja on 1 November. only calendar meeting serviced by the Environment
The bulletins of the Secretary-General on the or- Programme. The processing compliance rate was
ganization of the Department and the UN Offices at 81 per cent. Only 3 of 16 documents submitted on
Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna had been submitted to time and within their word limit missed their pro-
the Department of Management for review and con- cessing deadlines owing to the high vacancy rates and
sultation; they would be completed by the end of 2015. consequent lack of capacity in some language units.
Regarding compliance with the simultaneous dis-
Performance measurement tribution policy, in New York official documents were
E-survey. The Secretary-General reported generally distributed both electronically and in hard
[A/70/122]that the global e-survey captured feedback copy only when they were available in all the official
from Member States on common indicators cover- languages. Unog, however, was yet to overcome the
ing meeting services, translation and interpretation systemic challenges created by the establishment of
services and the overall quality of conference services the universal periodic review process. The situation
at the four major duty stations. In New York, ad- required careful analysis aimed at reducing the rate
ditional information and ratings were collected on of non-simultaneous issuance without significantly
technical Secretariat services, though the response increasing costs.
rate remained low. To complement the e-survey, the The Secretary-General also reported that the
Division of Conference Management of the UN Department of Public Information (dpi) and the
Office at Geneva (unog) identified six meetings at Department for General Assembly and Conference
which participants were invited to provide additional Management (dgacm) were working together to in-
views and comments. More than 93 per cent of the 62 crease online access to historical UN documents. An
respondents gave a rating of “good” or “very good” for estimated 17 million paper documents existed in UN
the overall quality of conference services in Geneva. repositories, mostly from the pre-digital era before
1993; some 3 million of those had been identified as
Documentation and publications particularly important and in need of urgent digitiza-
tion The complementary skills and resources of both
Documents management and digitization Departments had been melded into a single team to
The Secretary-General reported [A/70/122] on the address that challenge. As at April 2015, 360,000
timely submission of documents in New York, where documents had been digitized, catalogued and made
the overall rate of timely submission by author depart- available.
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 747

Translation and interpretation GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION

Enhancing the capacity of language professionals On 13 November [meeting 52], the General
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com-
In his report [A/70/122], the Secretary-General mittee [A/70/450], adopted resolution 70/9 (Pattern of
stated that competitive examinations for the recruit- conferences) without vote [agenda item 137].
ment of candidates to fill language posts were held
as needed, depending on the status of the rosters of On 21 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
successful candidates and the projected staffing needs decided that the agenda item on pattern of confer-
of the service or section in question. ences would remain for consideration during its sev-
entieth (2015) session.
Collaboration with partner universities in the
memorandum of understanding network contin-
ued to be strengthened, culminating in the hold- UN information systems
ing of the Fourth Conference of Memorandum Information and communications technology
of Understanding Universities (Saint Petersburg,
Russian Federation, April). Potential candidates for Report of Secretary-General. In September
[A/70/364 & Corr.1], the Secretary-General reported
traineeships continued to be identified through ad
hoc testing and outreach efforts. on the status of implementation of the information
and communications technology (ict) strategy for
Other initiatives included enhancement of the the UN. The revised ict strategy submitted by the
form and content of the online careers portal, with Secretary-General in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1672] had been
support from the universities in the memorandum of endorsed by Assembly resolution 69/262 [ibid., p. 1631].
understanding network in translating content into all The Secretary-General’s report responded to the As-
the official languages; use of social media to announce sembly’s decisions as set out in that resolution.
the holding of language competitive examinations;
The Office of Information and Communications
initiatives to raise the Department’s profile; targeting
Technology (oict) had conducted a comprehensive
of prospective freelancers through professional bodies
assessment to determine the baseline of ict assets and
such as the International Association of Conference
resources; all ict entities across the Secretariat had
Translators; and more frequent exchanges of staff
been asked to participate in surveys and interviews.
with sister international organizations. An analysis of
The output of the assessment informed the exhaus-
the outreach programme showed that 56 per cent of
tive project management of the ict strategy, its bench-
the successful examination candidates in 2010–2014 marking and governance, and its five-year investment
had attended at least one of the universities in the forecast. The results enabled the development of the
network. human capital management strategy and investment
Further expansion of the network of universities planning and the plan for system retirements, stand-
would be governed by the projected staffing needs ardization, consolidation and harmonization; they
of individual language services, the capacity of those also informed the strategy’s risk management for ict
services to provide cooperation and support to ad- in the UN.
ditional universities and the desirability of ensuring In his status update on key initiatives, the
equitable geographical coverage of the network. Out- Secretary-General reported on the mainstreaming of
reach to universities in Africa was continuing under Umoja. The Office and the Umoja team continued to
the Africa project and with pedagogical and other ensure a successful transition and was conducting a
forms of assistance from unon. In order to iden- detailed assessment to identify the total cost of owner-
tify potential partner universities in other regions, ship for ict. As a result of the assessment, the five-year
including Central America and the Caribbean, the budget planning assumptions for 2015−2019 had been
assistance of permanent missions had been solicited. determined, taking into account staffing and support,
Dgacm ensured the quality, and in particular the connectivity, upgrades and enhancements, and soft-
accuracy, of its translation output by maintaining a ware licence and maintenance. The assessment identi-
rigorous selection process for its language staff, pro- fied 461 applications for decommissioning through
viding intensive in-house training and mentoring to Umoja deployment; over five years, the potential
new recruits during a two-year probationary period, reduction from assessment decommissioning was es-
editing all documents submitted in English to facili- timated at $37.6 million.
tate accurate translation into the other official lan- The Secretary-General also put forward a 10-point
guages and providing written guidelines and instruc- action plan to strengthen information security, which
tions, terminological databases, reference support included an updated standard security configuration
and computer-assisted and machine translation tools. for all workstations; a comprehensive email gateway
In October [A/70/432], acabq commented on filtering system; mandatory information security
translation and interpretation activities and made a awareness training; segmentation of network zones;
number of recommendations. deployment of an intrusion detection system; sub-
748 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

scription to a cybersecurity service/feed; approval centres at unon (for Africa), in New York (for the
and promulgation of pending draft policies; a high- Americas), at the Economic and Social Commission
level policy on information sensitivity, classification for Asia and the Pacific (escap) (for Asia) and at
and handling; implementation of minimum require- unog (for Europe).
ments for public websites; and mandatory reporting With regard to global monitoring, enterprise
of information security incidents. network monitoring centres had been established and
Turning to the implementation of operational would be staffed to provide an end-to-end, around-
resilience management across the Secretariat, the the-clock visibility of the global network across
Secretary-General reported that 171 critical systems technical and administrative domains. Comprehen-
and applications supporting critical processes had sive ict and infrastructure monitoring across the
been identified. An internal review in July 2015 had Organization would be achieved in a phased manner
revealed a systemic weakness in disaster recovery. over the next four years. Network monitoring had
Most duty stations had basic disaster recovery that already been deployed for the Department of Field
allowed for local recovery of critical systems in 24 Support (dfs) networks.
hours; this capability was fragmented and inefficient The enterprise data centres were fully operational
and did not consistently ensure resilience. A small with data-hosting capacity. The information security
number of enterprise applications, including Umoja, infrastructure had been migrated and fully upgraded
were hosted in enterprise data centres, with success- and was being administered from the enterprise
ful annual disaster recovery tests. Continued efforts data centres. Core enterprise systems servicing ict
were being made to improve disaster recovery in the across the Secretariat had been established at the
enterprise data centres and the number of critical ap- enterprise service data centres. Umoja, iNeed and
pliances would be reduced. Significant investment e-mail secure gateways had also been established,
and substantially increased annual operations and with disaster recovery and business continuity in
maintenance costs would be required to provide ad- place and tested. The provisioning and operations of
vanced disaster recovery capabilities. and support for core infrastructure services had been
Inroads had been made to harmonize UN web- centralized. The Enterprise Service Desk provided
sites, with the goal to move towards a customer-centric global, around-the-clock coverage from five enterprise
approach in which websites had full accessibility across service desks located in Bangkok; Brindisi, Italy; Ge-
a wide range of devices globally, while migrating to a neva; Nairobi; and New York. The principal objec-
shared secure platform approach that would reduce tives of the Enterprise Service Desk were to consti-
costs and ensure standards. A technology platform tute a cost-effective and more efficient shared-service
had been established that ensured that websites could global model, serve as a single point of contact for
be multilingual and that all official languages could service requests, and achieve scale and facilitate in-
readily be used. house development of Umoja support expertise. All
Work had proceeded rapidly on migrating from the application help desks were being consolidated into
unmanaged legacy network to the standardized global the Enterprise Service Desk, which would allow for
network, which serviced 106 Secretariat site locations target reductions to be reached.
and 15,025 users. Peacekeeping missions, due to their The Secretary-General reported that during the
environment, operated a different satellite-based 2014–2015 biennium, the UN was spending $5,427
network which, when coupled with the standardized per user, if 10,278 regular budget posts and 123,945
global network, formed the integrated network for the personnel deployed in peacekeeping operations were
Secretariat. taken into account. Exclusive of the resources allo-
The regional technology centres had been es- cated to Umoja, the Organization would be spending
tablished and were partially operational, comple- 2.9 per cent of its regular budget, 5.5 per cent of its
menting the regions established for peacekeeping peacekeeping budget, 4.3 per cent of resources al-
operations. They played a pivotal role in facilitating located to special political missions, 0.1 per cent of
the cohesive implementation of the Organization’s extrabudgetary resources and 9.1 per cent of support
strategic initiatives. Regional technology centres ad- account resources towards ict during the 2016–2017
hered to a governance model and an annual regional biennium. The planning assumptions for 2018–2019
technology centre work plan with goals to implement used the 2016–2017 biennium baseline, in which the
information security initiatives; harmonize service UN would be spending approximately 3.0 per cent of
delivery; standardize the global ict network; support its budget financed from various sources towards ict
successful Umoja delivery; and establish procedures programmes and activities. The benchmarking data
to better utilize global contracts. Existing capacities would be considered in the creation of future state
at UN Headquarters and at key offices away from (both short- and long-term) objectives to quantify
Headquarters had been leveraged to assign regional 2018–2019 ict budget proposals, subject to a budget
technology centre status to the existing regional outline to be established by Member States.
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 749

The Secretary-General estimated that, with the nance, infrastructure and technical ability required
implementation of the road map and measures out- for the Administration to implement the strategy suc-
lined in the strategy, the increase in itc investment cessfully. Important steps, however, had been taken to
requirements would be contained to between plus improve information security, and progress had been
13 per cent and plus 27 per cent over the 2016–2017 made in defining structures and policies. Work had
budget proposals. also been undertaken to examine the budget baseline
The Secretary-General observed that progress for the existing ict landscape, to provide an indicative
had been made in less than a year to modernize and five-year budget projection and to begin establishing
transform ict in the UN. Governance and project the Organization’s future ict funding priorities.
assurance frameworks were firmly in place; the The Administration had reported that implementa-
mainstreaming of Umoja was proceeding on sched- tion of critical ict projects was 45 per cent complete
ule; activities to strengthen information security and only eight months into strategy implementation. The
disaster recovery had advanced; improvements had figure of 45 per cent, however, related only to those
been made to application management, the network projects and phases of projects underway in 2015
and infrastructure, and global engineering and con- and did not represent overall progress. While some
ferencing; the enterprise application centres, regional initiatives had been implemented, for example estab-
technology centres, Enterprise Service Desk and lishing an enterprise data centre and a global service
global monitoring were established; the consolidation help desk, in the main, delivery of the strategy had
of ict functions across the Organization was ongoing; yet to fully move beyond the preparatory phase into
and business intelligence and analytics had been inau- implementation and realization of benefits. Overall
gurated. The assessment of ict budget and resources progress towards achieving its three main aims had
indicated future investment requirements, and a joint been limited. All projects being run by oict in support
analysis of the ict workforce had taken place ahead of Umoja were expected to finish later than originally
of the development of proposals, which would be planned in 2013. Regional structures had been estab-
presented to the General Assembly at its seventy-first lished and harmonization activities were progressing
(2016) session. Implementation of the strategy in its but considerably slower than planned, and innovation
first year had positioned ict as an active partner in remained a lower-priority future aspiration.
aligning with the goals of the UN to achieve fully
Any revised ict strategy would need to evolve and
the strategy’s mission of a unified global provision of
adapt over time, and a global ict strategy would un-
ict to enable the successful delivery of UN mandates.
likely be successful without the full collaboration and
In November [A/70/7/Add.18], acabq commented on support of all heads of business units. The strategy
the Secretary-General’s report and made a number of itself recognized that it was dependent on clear gover-
recommendations. nance, strong leadership and optimal use of resources.
Report of Board of Auditors. In a December Significant improvements were needed in all three of
note [A/70/581], the Secretary-General transmitted to those areas.
the General Assembly a report of the Board of Audi- The Board identified the following key findings:
tors on progress in the handling of ict affairs in the the revised ict strategy was pragmatic and focused
Secretariat. The report provided a succinct list of key on standardization of ict policies, applications and
facts of ict, such as time line, budget and resources, procedures, and harmonization of various support
and strategy. The estimated annualized ict budget, structures; the Board was unable to assure that overall
excluding Umoja, amounted to $663.7 million during implementation of the revised strategy was on sched-
the biennium 2014–2015, 72 per cent of which related ule and within budget; governance and management
to peacekeeping operations. Estimated total ict work structures for ict affairs had been revised, but ac-
force was 4,398. Applications in use across the UN countability and authorities had not been formally
were 2,200, down from 2,400 in 2013. Locations in updated; the Administration had taken steps to im-
which ict was used numbered 376, and estimated us- prove information security, but there was a lack of
ers of ict were 70,030. formal authority and capacity to ensure compliance
The Board noted that the Administration had with policies and procedures, particularly beyond
taken action to respond to the Board’s 2012 report and Headquarters; the Administration had attempted a
recommendations [YUN 2012, p. 1472]. It had developed five-year indicative budget projection for ict, but it
and agreed to a revised ict strategy and had begun was based on incomplete data.
restructuring oict to support its implementation. The To maximize the chances of successful implemen-
strategy was a pragmatic first step in responding to the tation of the strategy and the achievement of its aims,
Board’s concerns. It focused on standardization of ict the Board made a number of recommendations, all
policies, applications and procedures, and harmoniza- of which had been accepted by the Administration:
tion of various support structures. Such activities had clarify the role and authority of the Chief Information
been necessary as oict sought to establish the gover- Technology Officer in field operations by setting out
750 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

clearly the activities that required strong central that a more detailed articulation of specific func-
control and those that required or merited operational tions related to the day-to-day operations should be
freedom; reassess the realism of the timetable for im- promulgated.
plementing the strategy and strengthen the project The Administration accepted the recommenda-
management approach, including the introduction of tion that it assess the realism of the timetable for im-
independent assurance arrangements; as a matter of plementing the strategy and strengthen the project
urgency, formalize corporate ict policies and proce- management approach; specific actions in line with
dures, including governance structures and appropri- the recommendation were already under way and
ate delegations of authority, to ensure that the nec- would be continued throughout strategy implemen-
essary authorities and accountabilities were in place tation, and the timetable for implementation would
to support implementation of the strategy; establish be reassessed.
a robust compliance framework with the necessary
authorities to ensure adherence to Secretariat-wide ict In response to the recommendation regarding the
policies, including peacekeeping operations; further formalization of ict policies and procedures, a com-
refine and improve the quality of data underpinning prehensive set of guidelines, policies and technical
procedures had been formulated and documenta-
the five-year forecast of ict expenditure by increasing
tion establishing ict governance arrangements was
visibility of actual expenditure and the status of ict
being prepared. A compliance framework had been
assets across the Secretariat, including peacekeeping
developed in accordance with another of the Board’s
operations; develop a statement of the expected costs
recommendation. As to a forecast of expenditures
and benefits of implementing the revised strategy,
and the status of ict assets, the Administration had
to enable strategic activities to be prioritized and re-
started eliciting the information required and would
sourced appropriately; and increase the visibility of
include a refined forecast, inclusive of peacekeeping
senior management in leading ict strategy implemen-
operations and missions. Further, specific actions in
tation, to ensure that all departments were committed
line with the recommendation to develop a statement
to implementing the revised strategy as mandated by
of expected costs and benefits had been initiated; the
the General Assembly, and that any disagreements
costs associated with enabling strategic activities had
or impediments were addressed and resolved in a
been included in the regular budget submission for
timely manner.
the 2014–2015 (see p. 730) fiscal period and were
Report of Secretary-General. In December consistent with the estimates provided in the revised
[A/70/607], the Secretary-General reported on the im-
ict strategy. A statement of benefits would be sub-
plementation of the Board’s recommendations (see mitted as part of subsequent progress reports on the
p. 749). He noted that the Administration recognized strategy. Lastly, the Administration had taken steps in
that a number of differences remained between the response to the Board’s recommendation that senior
Department of Management and dfs as to the scope management play a more visible role in leading ict
and implementation of the ict strategy. There were, strategy implementation by having it included in se-
however, ongoing and active efforts by both Depart- nior managers’ compacts. Ict governance bodies, such
ments to reach agreement on the areas in question as the ict Executive Committee and the Management
and to move forward with implementing the strategy Committee, provided effective forums for address-
as mandated by General Assembly resolution 69/262 ing and overcoming impediments to strategy imple-
[YUN 2014, p. 1631].
mentation. Significant communications and change
The Secretary-General reported that the Adminis- management efforts had been undertaken and would
tration had accepted all of the Board’s recommenda- continue to ensure understanding of the strategy.
tions (one partially). The Administration expressed its In resolution 70/248 A (sect. V) of 23 December
sincere appreciation to the Board for its comprehen- (see p. 734), the Assembly endorsed the conclusions
sive audit, in particular the spirit of cooperation with and recommendations of acabq and underlined the
which it had conducted the audit. The Administration importance of ict in strengthening oversight and
also appreciated the Board’s efforts to advance and accountability and in increasing the availability of
accelerate the time frame for the audit with a view to accurate and timely information to support decision-
enabling a better synchronization of its report issu- making. It noted the progress in implementing ele-
ance with the consideration of the Secretary-General’s ments of the ict strategy and emphasized the impor-
report on the status of the ict strategy implementa- tance of its implementation across the Organization,
tion (see p. 747). but expressed concern at the lack of information and
In response to the Board’s recommendation that analysis on ict resources for peacekeeping, and un-
the Administration clarify the role and authority derlined the need for full application of a common
of the Chief Information Technology Officer, the security policy, with enhanced disaster recovery ca-
Secretary-General said that the Administration par- pabilities. It requested the Secretary-General to con-
tially accepted the recommendation and concurred tinue to foster deeper coordination and collaboration
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 751

in implementing the strategy and emphasized the foundation, a phase which comprised mainly finance
importance of ensuring the availability of appropriate and procurement processes essential to supporting the
in-house expertise. requirements of the International Public Accounting
Standards (ipsas), and which had been implemented
Enterprise resource planning in peacekeeping operations from November 2013
and in 17 field-based special political missions as
In resolution 69/274 A (sect. VI) of 2 April from March 2014, and would be implemented in the
(see p. 731), the General Assembly took note of the remaining UN entities starting in June 2015; exten-
Secretary-General’s sixth annual progress report on sion 1, a phase which mainly involved payroll and
Umoja’s enterprise resource planning (erp) project, human resources management processes, including
submitted in September 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1675]. It travel, due to be implemented across UN entities
approved the recommendations of the Board of Au- and peacekeeping operations in two clusters, as from
ditors in its third annual progress report on the im- June and November 2015; extension 2, a phase that
plementation of Umoja [ibid., p. 1676] and endorsed involved other important administrative processes
the conclusions and recommendations in the related to be implemented as from early 2016, including
acabq report [ibid.]. The Assembly welcomed the budget formulation, force planning and programme
progress made in the implementation of Umoja, but management, supply chain planning, and conference
expressed concern about delays and the additional and event management.
funding requirements. It stressed the centrality of
the leadership and oversight of the Secretary-General The Board observed that the UN was delivering
and senior management and of the commitment by Umoja in accordance with the schedule set out in the
all departments to complete the project and requested Secretary-General’s sixth progress report. It had im-
the Secretary-General to take proactive measures to proved project governance and management structures
address the remaining challenges and risks relating to and demonstrated strong leadership and commitment
Umoja implementation and to ensure that the project to achieving the project schedule. In order to achieve
was fully deployed by December 2018, in line with the aggressive implementation timetable for clusters 3
the revised timeline approved by the Assembly. The and 4, however, some key project activities had been
Assembly further noted with concern the significant curtailed, including testing routines and data conver-
increase over the initially approved budget and the sion exercises. Significant challenges were encountered
additional resource requirements of $54.3 million for with previous deployments of Umoja owing to a lack of
the biennium 2016–2017. It decided to appropriate organizational readiness, and there was a high risk that
$5,538,200 of the 2014–2015 programme budget, similar problems would emerge in 2015. The Adminis-
representing the regular budget share for the addi- tration was therefore bearing an unknown overall level
tional Umoja project costs to 31 December 2015, and of risk in deploying Umoja in 2015.
noted that the resource requirements of $22,891,500 Notwithstanding the risks related to implementa-
would be included in the subsequent requirements for tion, the Board said, Umoja continued to represent
the support account for peacekeeping operations for a unique opportunity to drive more cost-efficient
the period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016, and that delivery of mandates by increasing the operational
requirements of $8,492,100 would be funded from effectiveness of administrative functions through
extrabudgetary resources in the period from 1 Janu- modern, improved ways of working and improved
ary to 31 December 2015. decision-making by exploiting better management
Board of Auditors report. By a July note [A/70/158], information.
the Secretary-General transmitted to the Assembly the In order to maximize the chances of successfully
fourth progress report of the Board of Auditors on the completing the project and achieving its aims, the
implementation of the new UN enterprise resource Board made a number of recommendations, includ-
planning system (Umoja). Annexes to the report pro- ing increasing the degree to which Umoja was actively
vided an overview of the status of implementation of led by all heads of business units, with support from
the Board’s recommendations; of the organizations process owners and Umoja project management and
deploying Umoja; and of the functionalities being de- assessing the risks attached to Umoja’s deployment
ployed through Umoja. schedule in order to consider contingency and other
The report noted that 2015 marked the tenth year measures to mitigate those risks.
of planning and implementation of Umoja. Difficul- Report of Secretary-General. In September
ties had been encountered at the start of the project, [A/70/369 & Corr.1, 2], pursuant to Assembly resolution
as noted by the Board of Auditors (see below), and 64/243 [YUN 2009, p. 1395], the Secretary-General sub-
implementation plans had been substantially re- mitted his seventh progress report on the enterprise
vised on several occasions. The deployment strategy resource planning project. Steady progress had been
was to roll out the system to different parts of the made, with the roll-out of the Umoja real estate
Organization (clusters) in three functional phases: functionality to all Secretariat entities completed by
752 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

November 2014, while Umoja’s Integration solution revision of the budget. It reiterated that the successful
(Umoja Foundation and Extension 1) was deployed implementation of Umoja required the full support
to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and commitment of senior management as well as
and the Pacific (escap), the Office for the Coordi- close engagement with key stakeholders and stressed
nation of Humanitarian Affairs (ocha), the United the importance of effective training. The Assembly
Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, unep, noted that insufficient progress had been made in
the United Nations Human Settlement Programme developing benefit realization plans and requested
(UN Habitat) and unon. the Secretary-General to accelerate their development.
The project to complete the implementation of the It authorized the Secretary-General to postpone the
Umoja Integration solution throughout the Secretariat downsizing of the Umoja project team until 31 De-
by the end of 2015 remained on track. cember 2016 and approved an amount of $8,143,700,
Given the tight timeline between the June and representing the regular budget share for the Umoja
November 2015 roll-outs and the large number of project for 2016–2017. It noted that requirements in
entities to roll out to in November, a new approach the amount of $12,487,100 would be funded from
was adopted, in which responsibilities were extended extrabudgetary resources in the financial period from
to a broader base of stakeholders throughout the Or- 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017.
ganization. Development groups had been constituted
at Headquarters, in Geneva and Vienna and by dfs United Nations records and archives
for its field missions. The groups were leading their JIU report. By an August note [A/70/280], the
entities towards readiness to go live and ensuring the Secretary-General transmitted to the General
proper adoption and stabilization of the common Assembly the jiu report on records and archives
operating model. management (ram) in the UN. Jiu found that UN
The Umoja training approach had been reviewed policies and procedures and the related organizational
and further improved after every roll-out. The Umoja arrangements did not allow for effective ram either
Academy continued to deliver training to manag- at Headquarters or in the field. It had looked into
ers, process experts and local process experts to en- the issue not only in terms of preserving institutional
sure that the users gained comprehensive knowledge memory, but also from the perspective of efficiency of
of Umoja. Business intelligence “power users” were working processes, accountability and transparency
being trained to harness the data made available by of business transactions, decision-making and risk
Umoja and support fact-based, data-driven decision- management.
making throughout the Organization. One of the main challenges was to ensure that the
The Secretary-General’s report provided an update policy and procedures in place allowed for all rec-
of the projected direct resource requirements for the ords (paper-based, digital and those based on other
project until 31 December 2015, which remained technologies) to be processed in accordance with
unchanged at $385,060,300. The resource require- the same principles, despite the obvious differences
ments for the biennium 2016–2017 also remained in their format and features. The tools necessary to
unchanged at $54,291,700. capture, manage and store them were quite different,
Following consideration of the Secretary-General’s but in order to ensure corporate consistency in their
November report [A/70/7/Add.19], the Advisory Com- use, all records had to be subject to the same pro-
mittee, made a number of recommendations. cessing principles. This had been achieved by some
In resolution 70/248 A (sect. XVII) of 23 De- international organizations because of a strong com-
cember (see p. 734), the Assembly endorsed acabq’s mitment on the part of both their senior management
recommendations, subject to the provision of the pre- and Member States.
sent resolution and approved the recommendations Practices for both physical paper and digital records
of the Board of Auditors. It welcomed the progress needed to be improved significantly. Ram arrange-
in implementing Umoja, but regretted the delays in ments were fragmented and policy principles were
the implementation of extension 2 and cluster 5. It inconsistently implemented. It was not clear whether
requested the Secretary-General to continue to imple- or not records of substantive, administrative, legal or
ment the project within the approved timeline and historical value were captured and transformed to a
budget, to conduct an objective assessment of the corporate repository to preserve them adequately, or
organizations readiness for business change and to en- whether they were simply lost.
sure that the project was fully deployed by December The absence of dynamic management of digital
2018. The Assembly reiterated its request for clear and records and the lack of application of ram principles
transparent procedures and for a detailed accounting to such records (unless they were printed), exposed
of indirect costs, which should be absorbed within the the entities concerned to major risks in terms of in-
approved budget of each department, and requested tegrity. Significant improvement was indispensable in
the Secretary-General to avoid any further upward the deployment of electronic document and records
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 753

management systems to ensure dynamic management specific examples of organizations having implemented
of those records (recommendation 4). In order to build those measures would have made the recommenda-
the future archives of UN entities, digital preservation tions more concrete and constructive.
was a key issue for immediate conservation. The organizations agreed that the recommenda-
The Inspector recommended undertaking a coher- tions provided a road map for improvement in the core
ent project to establish the appropriate conditions for operational functions and, if effectively implemented
the implementation of a ram programme at the corpo- and monitored, would help improve the records
rate level of each entity. The principles of such a project management and archives practices across all UN en-
had to include key dimensions, such as: approval of tities that participated in the evaluation. They also gen-
Member States, convinced by a solid cost-benefit erally agreed that the recommendations be addressed
analysis of the direct and/or medium- and long-term as joint projects, in line with the High-level Com-
benefits of the project, including terms of easy retrieval mittee on Management Strategic Plan 2013–2016,
of related records, which would enhance administrative with the voluntary merging of resources and efforts
efficiency, organizational effectiveness and financial to tackle such challenges as digital preservation. That
savings; commitment from senior management to fos- would be especially critical because resources for ram
ter a culture of compliance among all managers and functions were extremely limited.
staff; project governance at an appropriate level to pro- Some organizations, however, noted that business
vide overall vision, responsibility and authority on the requirements were driving the adoption of information
various components of information management and systems that were compatible with ram on a timetable
to ensure a multidisciplinary approach (ram, knowl- that might not be compatible with the development
edge management and ict); entity-wide coverage at of a common UN approach. They also stressed that
headquarters and field offices to ensure meaningful the ram process reflected just one essential element
and timely dialogue on ram requirements. of a business solution intended to meet the broader
The Inspector also encouraged the UN system needs of an organization as a whole and that, therefore,
organizations and entities to merge their efforts and ram solutions adopted by any individual organization
resources on a voluntary basis to ensure a common should also be viewed from a holistic perspective. That
approach to ram matters, particularly with regard to approach would ensure that the adopted solution was
the key issue of digital preservation of records (recom- fully integrated within the broader it systems already
mendation 5). in place, specifically enterprise resource planning, mes-
Note of Secretary-General. In September saging and collaboration platforms. Such a broad per-
[A/70/280/Add.1], the Secretary-General transmitted to spective was considered essential to ensuring that ram
the Assembly his comments and those of the United was mainstreamed in order to capture all aspects of
Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordina- documents, communications and records. In such an
tion (ceb) on the jiu report. UN organizations viewed approach, ram would be mainstreamed into existing
the report as a valuable contribution to strengthening systems rather than considered a peripheral, even sec-
the ram process through improved governance, in- ondary, activity.
creased accountability and transparency and enhanced Lastly, organizations agreed with jiu that ram was a
knowledge management, including better records critical component of a wider information management
preservation and institutional memory, which would framework and that the commitment to information
lead to stronger, more efficient decision-making and management practices had to remain strong.
risk management. The organizations noted, however,
that the report would have been strengthened by addi- Global service delivery model
tional elaboration on context and cost-benefit consid-
erations and risk mitigation measures put in place. The Report of Secretary-General. In August
organizations agreed with jiu on the viability of the [A/70/323], pursuant to General Assembly resolution
survey results used to derive some conclusions, which 67/246 [YUN 2012, p. 1434], the Secretary-General sub-
incorporated a potential bias that might have affected mitted a report outlining a framework for a global
the results. They also noted that a further limitation service delivery model of the UN Secretariat. The
of the methodology and scope of the report was its enterprise-wide approach would deliver high-quality,
focus on institutional arrangements and management; timely and standardized administrative services across
as acknowledged in the report, digital records were not the Secretariat under one common set of Financial and
addressed, even though they made up 98 per cent of Staff Regulations and Rules. Administrative support
the total number of records. In addition, organizations functions would be organized to put client needs, op-
noted that the report would have benefited from erational imperatives and results first, while also en-
highlighting good practices, especially in the area of suring control, oversight and cost-effectiveness. Mod-
internal control mechanisms in decentralized opera- ular solutions would accommodate diverse business
tional contexts. They agreed with the suggestion set needs and the complexities of different operating en-
out in the report calling for such measures, adding that vironments at Headquarters and in the field.
754 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

Subject to Member States’ approval of the p. 1678], the report of the Board of Auditors on cmp
framework, the Secretary-General would present a for the year ended 31 December 2013 [ibid.] and the
detailed proposal for administrative support services, Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of
including a business case and location options, for the Auditors’ recommendations [ibid.] as well as the
consideration by the Assembly at its seventy-first related report of acabq [ibid.]. The Assembly endorsed
(2016) session. In the meantime, the Assembly was the Advisory Committee’s conclusions and recom-
requested to authorize resources to establish a small mendations and approved the Auditors’ recommen-
temporary project team and secure expert consultancy dations. It noted the final costs of cmp as presented
to develop the proposal in full. by the Secretary-General, in the amount of $2,304.8
The Secretary-General requested the Assembly: to million and, recognizing the need to fund the final
endorse the framework as a basis for the preparation shortfall of $154,852,400, appropriated that amount
of a full business case, with a detailed proposal to be to the General Fund, to be financed through contri-
submitted at the Assembly’s seventy-first session; to ap- butions by Member States ($85,239,000); applying
prove the establishment of two temporary positions, at the credit of $33 million resulting from the cancel-
the D-1 and at the P-5 level, respectively, in the Office lation of prior-period obligations corresponding to
of the usg for Management with effect from 1 January the biennium 2012–2013; and by authorizing the
2016, initially for a one-year period; and to approve an Secretary-General to credit from the Special Ac-
additional appropriation of $1,162,600 in the proposed count established by resolution 3049 A (XXVII)
programme budget for the 2016–2017 biennium, as [YUN 1972, p. 710] on an exceptional basis $36,613,000
project costs for the preparation of a business case. to the General Fund. The Assembly further author-
In October [A/70/436], acabq commented on the ized the Secretary-General to credit to the cmp fund
Secretary-General’s report and made recommendations. $154,852,400 from the General Fund.
On 23 December, the Assembly, in resolution Review of CMP
70/248 A (sect. XIX) (see p. 734), endorsed the con-
clusions and recommendations of acabq, and noted Report of Board of Auditors. In its report on
with appreciation the Secretary-General’s initiative to cmp for the year ended 31 December 2014 [A/70/5
establish a global service delivery model. The Assembly (Vol. V)], the Board of Auditors said that substantial
stressed that the development of the global service completion of cmp by September 2014 was a signifi-
delivery model should be limited to the provision of cant achievement given the project’s complexity and
administrative support services, and that functions difficult size. The impact of unforeseen events and a
primarily involving direct interactions with Member history of inaccurate cost estimates had contributed
States, including troop-contributing countries, would to significant cost and time overruns over the life of
continue to be located at Headquarters. It recalled that the project. The Administration needed to manage
any changes to the existing and future service delivery closely delivery of the remaining $49 million of works
model had to be approved by it, and emphasized the for completion by December 2016. Issues regarding
importance of drawing on the experience and knowl- financing of the remaining cost overrun had been re-
edge of the Umoja team, as well as the need to de- solved by the General Assembly. The Administration
velop and maintain in-house capacity with regard to had developed a plan to retain staff from the Office
shared service delivery. The Assembly requested the of the Capital Master Plan to help deliver the remain-
Secretary-General to review his proposal for taking ing scope.
February 2016 as a baseline for the development of The Auditors noted, however, that the Administra-
the global service delivery model business case, tak- tion had not quantified the financial and other benefits
ing into account the necessary stabilization period expected from cmp, nor were benefit realization plans
for Umoja, and to report on the development of the in place to manage and secure their achievement. The
model at the main part of the seventy-first Assembly Administration was confident that in the short term
session, taking into account the use of all existing expected energy savings would be achieved but that
UN infrastructure and providing proposals for a cost- was not yet evidenced. To derive full benefit from the
sharing formula for future requirements related to the investment, the Board considered it necessary to ex-
implementation of the model. ploit fully the medium- and long-term savings that
could be obtained from more effective utilization of
UN premises and property space and flexible working practices.
Capital master plan Among the Board’s key findings were that the
decision of the Assembly to remove the Library and
On 2 April, the General Assembly in resolu- South Annex Buildings from the projects’ scope re-
tion 69/274 A (sect. VIII) (see p. 731), dealt with duced the total anticipated final cost of cmp to $2,309
the Capital Master Plan (cmp), taking note of the million and anticipated construction costs to amount
Secretary-General’s twelfth progress report [YUN 2014, to $2,150 million. The $65 million budgeted for the
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 755

Library and South Annex Buildings was used to meet furbished buildings. The Board noted that as at June
cost increases of other buildings that remained in 2015, 11 of 24 contracts remained open, which the
scope to avoid an additional assessment on Member Administration expected to close by October 2015,
States. The project had exhausted the available con- four months later than planned.
tingency funds and was therefore reliant on financial Among the benefits of cmp, the Board considered
savings from contracts to meet any unforeseen costs that the strategic capital review, a 20-year rolling plan
arising in the future. As at June, the Board noted, for asset maintenance, was a significant step towards
the Administration estimated an overall savings of developing a proactive long-term asset management
$39.5 million from obligations to the main contractor, strategy. The renovated campus offered a great oppor-
which would be applied or was already earmarked to tunity to apply flexible workplace strategies and secure
meet construction costs. Until all contracts were final- further benefits from the significant investment in
ized and work completed, it was likely that anticipated cmp. The Board noted that the Administration had not
final costs would fluctuate, but the Administration yet produced a benefits statement which confirmed to
was confident that sufficient funds were in place to the General Assembly that the stated outcomes of the
complete the remaining scope. project had been achieved. With the project coming
As planned, the general debate in 2014 was held to a close, the next progress report of the Secretary-
in the refurbished General Assembly Building, which General would be a good opportunity to confirm to
was a significant achievement given the disruption Member States that the renovated campus was energy-
caused by earlier project delays and the impact of efficient; free of hazardous materials; compliant with
Storm Sandy in 2012. Against a compressed timetable the host city’s building, fire and safety codes; provided
the Administration was able to substantially complete full accessibility to all persons; met all reasonable,
the building in September 2014, with residual work modern-day security requirements; and preserved the
on the north basement area substantially completed in original architecture to the greatest extent possible.
December 2014. As at March 2015, the contract value The Board recommended that the Administration
of renovating the building was $186 million against an manage cmp to successful completion by: continuing
estimated cost of $143 million. to manage the remaining works to ensure delivery by
The project, including all residual capital work, December 2016 within the $49 million budget; man-
was now expected to be completed in December aging and reporting that the project’s outcomes had
2016, approximately three years later than originally been delivered, including financial and non-financial
planned in accelerated strategy IV. The Office of the benefits expected and achieved from the investment
Capital Master Plan would close in July 2015, hav- in cmp; accelerating closure of the remaining cmp
ing substantially completed the three main buildings, contracts to increase certainty regarding final project
while the Office of Central Support Services would costs and to release any potential savings; reporting
assume responsibility for completing the remaining the full amount of any savings arising from contract
elements. Those included the demolition of the North closure and introducing appropriate governance
Lawn Building and landscaping, which were affected mechanisms to determine the use that could be made
by the decision to retain the temporary building for the of such savings, including specific consideration of re-
general debate of the seventieth Assembly session and turning savings to Member States; and applying wider
by delays in receiving planning permits. Those residual learning from cmp.
works had an estimated total cost of $35 million. Lastly, the Board stated that the Administration
The Board noted that the project would end with- had accepted all of the Board’s recommendations.
out renovating the Library and South Annex Buildings Report of Secretary-General. In August [A/70/338
as initially envisaged, but interim proposals had been & Corr.1], the Secretary-General reported in detail on
submitted. The Assembly, in resolution 69/274 A (see the Administration’s response to and implementation
p. 731), had requested that their renovation be under- of the Board’s recommendations. The report also con-
taken as separate projects through established proce- tained updated information on the status of imple-
dures. The proposed interim arrangements for reloca- mentation of recommendations for prior periods that
tion of the functions of the South Annex Building, were reported by the Board as not having been fully
which included the cafeteria, and for limited works implemented.
to the Library Building, at an estimated cost of $14 In October [A/70/441], following consideration of the
million, would be met from within the existing cmp report of the Board of Auditors and the related report
budget. of the Secretary-General, acabq made a number of
With regard to handover arrangements, the Board recommendations.
stated that the Administration was following com-
prehensive processes and procedures for handing over Implementation of CMP
the refurbished buildings; a well-managed handover Report of Secretary-General. In August
was essential to securing the benefits of the newly re- [A/70/343], the Secretary-General, pursuant to Assembly
756 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

resolution 69/274 A (see p. 731), submitted his Headquarters accommodation needs

thirteenth annual progress report on the implementa-
tion of cmp. Cmp was substantially completed in Sep- Report of Secretary-General. Pursuant to
tember 2014, in time for the opening of the sixty-ninth General Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014,
p. 1631], the Secretary-General, in September [A/70/398],
Assembly session. Since then, the Office of the Capital
Master Plan had continued with the post-renovation provided information on the long-term accommoda-
activities and the financial and administrative close- tion needs of the UN in New York, as well as a com-
out of the project. prehensive analysis of options deemed to be viable by
the Assembly.
Following the closure of the Office of the Capital
Master Plan in July 2015, responsibility for imple- The report described the key assumptions and
menting the remaining activities of cmp—the removal estimated space requirements used in the financial
of the North Lawn Building, final landscaping and analysis over a 50-year period, including population
the security-related work at two street entrances—and projections and the possible impact of flexible work-
any remaining financial and administrative close-out place strategies, Umoja and the global service delivery
tasks had been transferred to the Office of Central model in New York. It also described other factors
Support Services. The cost of all the post-renovation included in the study, such as the architectural in-
construction and close-out activities would be met tegrity of the UN Headquarters complex, schedule
from within the existing approved resources of the considerations and credit rating.
cmp project. The options deemed viable by the Assembly
Cmp had achieved its objective of renovating and included: the North Lawn, funded through an
modernizing the Headquarters compound during the assessment; the North Lawn, funded through financ-
construction phase, which ran from 2008 to 2014, ing; the United Nations Development Corporation
despite the challenge of engineering a major upgrade (dc - 5), funded through a lease-to-own arrange-
of security standards in 2010, which required an ad- ment; and the status quo (commercial leasing). The
ditional year of redesign and construction work. The Secretary-General noted that the dc- 5 option was the
project also had to cope with the effects of Storm most effective, providing the Organization with the
Sandy in 2012. The renovation of the Headquarters opportunity to consolidate in one building the vast
substantially completed by September 2014, rather majority of its staff currently housed in commercial
than in mid-2013 as originally planned, meant a de- leasing space and offering ownership rights and a sale-
lay of one year, which reflected the enhanced security able asset at the end of a 30-year lease term.
upgrade as well as the time spent to address the effects Following consideration of the Secretary-General’s
of Storm Sandy. report, the Advisory Committee, in November [A/70/7/
As at 30 June 2015, the cost to complete the cmp Add.22], made a number of recommendations to the
project was projected to be $2,150.4 million (exclud- General Assembly.
ing the renovation of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library On 23 December, the Assembly, in resolution
Building and the South Annex Building), in line with 70/248 A (sect. XVIII) (see p. 734), endorsed the
approved resources in the same amount. Approved conclusions and recommendations of acabq.
resources comprised the original budget of $1,876.7
million and donations of $114.3 million, plus interest Application of flexible workplace strategies
income and the working capital reserve fund of $159.4 Report of Secretary-General. In a January report
million, excluding associated costs and the cost of the [A/69/749], submitted in accordance with Assembly
secondary data centre in the amount of $158.9 mil- resolution 68/247 B [YUN 2014, p. 1639], the Secretary-
lion. At the time of the closure of Office of the Capital General provided a comprehensive business case for
Master Plan, and with over 99 per cent of the funds the application of flexible workplace arrangements at
expended, the final cost overrun of cmp was $159.4, UN Headquarters. The report summarized the main
representing an 8 per cent overrun compared to the findings of a flexible workplace study undertaken dur-
approved original budget and donations. ing 2014, including the results of a flexible workplace
Following review of the Secretary-General’s pro- pilot project at UN Headquarters and the findings of
gress report, the Advisory Committee, in October a review by external consultations, as well as a detailed
[A/70/441], made a number of recommendations to the cost-benefit analysis and an implementation proposal.
General Assembly. By defining work as an activity rather than a place,
the vision of a flexible workplace directly supported
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
the wider management goal of the Secretary-General
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General to create a modern, agile business model for the
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- Secretariat, and one that increased effectiveness across
mittee [A/70/631], adopted resolution 70/239 (Capital different work processes. A flexible workplace would
master plan) without vote [agenda item 133]. provide staff the necessary flexibility to work where
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 757

they would be most effective. Furthermore, giving Other office/conference facilities

staff the it tools and flexibility they needed to work
in different locations would have the added benefit Geneva
of enhancing the Organization’s business continuity In September [A/70/394 & Corr.1], pursuant to
preparedness. Assembly resolution 69/262 [YUN 2014, p. 1631], the
By implementing a flexible workplace, the UN Secretary-General submitted his second annual pro-
would work to allocate space in such a way as to maxi- gress report on the strategic heritage plan of the United
mize the effectiveness and well-being of its staff. The Nation Office at Geneva (unog). He also provided re-
types of space provided should be appropriate to the vised cost estimates for the project and information on
work that staff performed. Flexible workplace strate- the results of the negotiations with the host country
gies required a coherent and integrated approach to in relation to the loan package offer, as well as on
staff management, technology and workspace needs. possible alternative funding mechanisms, including
The business case provided in the report addressed utilization of future rental income and valorisation of
each of those components. UN-owned land.
The Secretary-General noted that he had estab- Several key project tasks had been accomplished
lished an interdisciplinary working group to ensure during the reporting period, including completion of
that the flexible workplace programme was developed in-depth size assessment and surveys; confirmation
in a holistic way, taking fully into consideration the of the project scope; completion of the design master
human resources technology and facilities aspects. plan and feasibility study; completion of the project
The Secretary-General recommended, among other design; and completion of a revised cost estimate
things, that the Assembly; approve the proposed scope based on the aforementioned tasks.
of the UN Headquarters flexible workplace project, The Secretary-General was pleased to report that
including the implementation schedule for the period the feasibility of the project had been confirmed and
from 2015 to 2018; authorize the Secretary-General was proceeding in accordance with the time, cost
to enter into commitments up to the amount of and scope targets described in his previous report
$5,819,000 in respect of the project costs through [YUN 2014, p. 1680]. In order to ensure that the project
2015; authorize the Secretary-General, on an excep- proceeded within the cost estimates and proposed
tional basis, to make use of the Working Capital Fund schedule, it was recommended that the General
and the Special Account established by Assembly reso- Assembly approve the project during the year.
lution 3049 A (XXVII) [YUN 1972, p. 710] to fund the The Assembly was requested to approve the project
project in the above amount, on a cash-flow basis. scope, schedule and estimated cost in the amount of
Following review of the Secretary-General’s report, chf 836.5 million (of which chf 41.2 million was
the Advisory Committee, in March [A/69/810], made a projected expenditure under the regular budget for
number of recommendations to the General Assembly. the biennium 2014–2015); to make a decision on the
loan package offered by the host country; and to de-
On 2 April, the Assembly, in resolution 69/274 A
cide on the scheme of appropriation and currency of
(sect. VII) (see p. 731), took note of the Secretary-
assessment. The Assembly was also requested to estab-
General’s report and endorsed the Advisory-
lish a multi-year special account for the project and a
Committee’s conclusions and recommendations. The
working capital reserve in the amount of $20 million.
Assembly noted the progress made since the issuance
of the 2013 report [YUN 2013, p. 1489] on the implemen- Report of Board of Auditors. By a November
tation of a flexible workplace at UN Headquarters and note [A/70/569], the Secretary-General transmitted to
commended his efforts. It requested the Secretary- the Assembly a report of the Board of Auditors on the
General to review the costs of implementation of the strategic heritage plan.
project and present information on the possibilities The Board noted that the project was projected to
of cost recovery. It encouraged the Secretary-General cost chf 836.5 million ($869.5 million) and was ex-
to seek complementarities between flexible workplace pected to be completed in 2023. It was proposed to
strategies and flexible working arrangements, and be implemented in two phases: the construction of
requested him to provide information on arrange- the new building was targeted to commence in 2017
ments for staff to work in remote locations, with an and to be completed by 2019, and the renovation of
emphasis on addressing the requirements of staff with the existing buildings would be completed in 2023.
special needs. It further requested him to incorporate Among the key findings were that deliverables
flexible workplace strategies in the ongoing design of targeted for completion in 2015 had not been fully
the strategic heritage plan (see p. 756). The Assembly achieved. There were significant gaps in respect of the
authorized the Secretary-General to enter into com- concept design and certain essentials remained to be
mitments up to an amount of $5,819,000 in respect delivered. The detailed design stage commenced on
of project costs through 2015, making every effort to 28 September 2015 and initiation of preparatory ac-
seek efficiencies with the aim of reducing costs. tivity for tender documentation was expected to com-
758 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

mence in May 2016; such slippages might have an Following consideration of the Secretary-General’s
adverse effect in terms of project timelines and firm- progress report, the Advisory Committee, in November
ing up of the cost estimates. [A/70/7/Add.8], made a number of recommendations.
In view of the delays in the completion of several Report of Secretary-General. In December
activities, such as completion of the design master [A/70/585], the Secretary-General reported on the im-
plan (by 28 days), concept design completion (by plementation of the recommendations of the Board
45 days), initiation of a detailed design for phase I of Auditors.
of the new building (by 42 days) and initiation of a The Secretary-General reported that the Project
detailed design for phase I of the renovation (by 56 Manual was substantially complete; the development
days), the Board underlined the imperative need for of the overall procurement strategy was in progress;
a robust mechanism of internal control in order to the security standards that were within the scope of
reduce the overall impact on the cost and schedule the new and existing buildings had been included in
of the project. Development of a project manual was the design; and extensive consultations with stake-
in progress. The existence of an updated manual was holders had taken place and would continue during
an important element of internal control and was ex- the entire length of the project. Specific risk mitiga-
tremely significant for creating documentation with tion plans had either been or were being developed
respect to such critical issues as justifications, pro- for all identified risks in the project risk register. Re-
cedures and mechanisms adopted for changes with sponding to the Board’s recommendation to refine
respect to project scope, cost and schedule. and update the preliminary budget estimates on the
The strategic heritage plan being a major construc- basis of a standard schedule and proper analysis of
tion and renovation project, involved a variety of risks, rates, the Administration clarified that a professional
the Board stated. Risk assessment and mitigation thus cost consultant, in line with industry guidelines and
became a project area of concern. The primary risks practices, had developed a comprehensive project
identified currently included: management of foreign cost estimate using actual pricing data from nearby
currency exposure, since two currencies were in- projects.
volved in project funding and execution; maintenance The Secretary-General reported that a dona-
strategy for the assets created; the stringent timelines, tion policy had been included in his second annual
which involved coordinated actions by various inter- progress report which, if approved by the General
related parties; scope control, contingency spending Assembly, would be used as a framework to manage
and management of change orders; and protection future donations that might help offset project costs.
and preservation of art works. While a maintenance fund had been proposed as part
On the basis of its review, the Board recommended, of the donation policy, it had not yet been approved.
in order to strengthen the process going forward and The Administration intended to continue to re-
to mitigate the risks, that the Administration: monitor fine further the terms of reference of the Advisory
the implementation of various activities to minimize Board and the Steering Committee once the project
the overrun and take proactive remedial measures to was approved by the Assembly and over time as the
meet project timelines without any dilution of qual- project moved from preliminary design into tendering
ity and scope of the project deliverables; expedite and construction.
such activities as the development of project manu-
als, including change control, ensure the inclusion of Following review of the Secretary-General’s report,
security standards at the design stage, and maintain a the Advisory Committee, in December [A/70/608],
consultation process with all stakeholders to ensure a made a number of recommendations.
smooth transition; formulate specific risk mitigation On 23 December, the Assembly, in resolution
plans for each identified risk area; refine and update 70/248 A (sect. X) (see p. 734), welcomed the con-
the preliminary budget estimates on the basis of a tinued support of the Government of Switzerland for
standard schedule and proper analysis of rates; refine the strategic heritage project, and approved the pro-
the terms of reference of the Advisory Board and the posed project scope, schedule and estimated cost in
Steering Committee, with clear definition of their re- the maximum amount of 836,500,000 Swiss francs
sponsibilities and jurisdiction; and ensure adherence for the period from 2014 to 2023, and authorized the
to the Financial Regulations and Rules of the UN, renovation and construction phase to begin.
and the UN Procurement Manual. If deviations were
deemed necessary, there had to be clear and transpar- Addis Ababa
ent justification along with approval by the competent In September [A/70/363 & Corr.1], pursuant to
authorities. Assembly resolution 63/263 [YUN 2008, p. 1545], the
The Board noted that the Administration con- Secretary-General provided an update on the con-
curred with its recommendations and had accordingly struction of the new office facilities at the Economic
initiated various actions. Commission for Africa (eca) in Addis Ababa, and
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 759

provided an update on the renovation of conference ing and appointing the next Secretary-General of the
facilities there. The Secretary-General reported that UN, in accordance with Article 97 of the Charter of
the construction of the new office facilities was sub- the United Nations and guided by the principles of
stantially completed in June 2014. Immediately transparency and inclusivity.
following, the United Nations Office for Project The position of Secretary-General was one of great
Services (unops), the United Nations High Com- importance and required the highest standards of effi-
missioner for Refugees Liaison Office to the African ciency, competence and integrity and a firm commit-
Union (au) and the African Union-United Nations ment to the purposes and principles of the Charter.
Hybrid Operation in Darfur (unamid) (see p. 119), Candidates had to possess proven leadership and man-
the World Health Organization (who) and the agerial abilities, extensive experience in international
United Nations Children’s Fund (unicef) moved relations and strong diplomatic, communication and
into the new premises, which were fully occupied multilingual skills.
and operational by August 2014. The building, which Convinced of the need to guarantee equal opportu-
housed 650 staff, was renamed the Zambezi Building
nities for women and men in gaining access to senior
in early 2015.
decision-making positions, Member States were en-
The majority of the ancillary projects, approved by couraged to consider presenting women as candidates,
the Assembly in resolutions 56/270 [YUN 2002, p. 1458] as well as men. Also noted was the regional diversity
and 62/238 [YUN 2007, p. 1451] and related to access, in the selection of previous Secretaries-General.
safety and functionality of the new office facilities
Noting that some candidates had already emerged,
were completed in 2014. The remainder was substan-
Member States were invited to present candidates in
tially completed in August 2015.
a letter to the Presidents of the General Assembly and
The updated estimated costs to complete the the Security Council, who would then jointly circu-
new office facilities and ancillary projects remained late to all Member States, on an ongoing basis, the
unchanged as compared to those presented in the names of individuals who had been submitted for
Secretary-General’s 2014 report [YUN 2014, p. 1681]. consideration. The Presidents would offer the candi-
The report also covered different aspects of the dates opportunities for informal dialogues or meet-
Africa Hall renovation project, including its scope ings with the members of their respective bodies. The
and schedule, governance structure, cost estimates, informal dialogues or meetings could be held before
resource requirements and steps for the biennium the Council began its selection by the end of July 2016
2016−2017. For the renovation project, the Secretary- and might continue throughout the selection process.
General requested approval by the General Assembly
of the overall project scope, schedule and estimated Conditions of service
cost of $56.9 million, including approval of the es-
tablishment of a multi-year construction-in-progress International Civil Service Commission
account for the expenditures related to the project.
The International Civil Service Commission (icsc),
In November [A/70/7/Add.21], following review of a 15-member body established in 1974 by General
the Secretary-General’s report, acabq made a number
Assembly resolution 3357(XXIX) [YUN 1974, p. 875]
of recommendations to the General Assembly.
to regulate and coordinate the conditions of service
On 23 December, the Assembly, in resolution and the salaries and allowances of the UN common
70/248 A (sect. IX) (see p. 734), endorsed the con- system, held its eightieth (New York, 16–27 March)
clusions and recommendations of acabq, subject and eighty-first (Vienna, 27 July–7 August) sessions
to the provisions of the resolution. It approved the to examine issues that derived from decisions and
project scope, schedule and maximum overall cost for resolutions of the General Assembly as well as from
the Africa Hall renovation in the amount of $56.9 its own statute. Icsc deliberations, recommendations
million. and decisions were detailed in its annual report to the
Assembly for the year 2015 [A/70/30].
Staff matters Conditions of service applicable to both
categories of staff
Selection of Secretary-General Mandatory age of separation
By a joint letter dated 15 December [A/70/623- Pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/251 [YUN 2014,
S/2015/988] to all Permanent Representatives and Per- p. 1685],by which the Assembly decided to raise the
manent Observers in the UN, the Presidents of the mandatory age of separation to 65 years for staff re-
General Assembly and the Security Council, in line cruited before 1 January 2014, taking into account
with Assembly resolution 69/321 (see p. 718), solic- the acquired rights of staff, icsc reverted to the issue
ited candidates to set in motion the process of select- at its 2015 session to discuss an implementation date.
760 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

The executive heads of the organizations pointed Evolution of the net remuneration margin
to the negative impact that an increase in the manda- Under a standing mandate from the Assembly,
tory age of separation for staff would have on efforts icsc continued to review the relationship between
to rejuvenate and reprofile their workforce in terms of the net remuneration of UN officials in the Profes-
skills, gender parity and geographical distribution, as sional and higher categories in New York and that
well as efforts to reduce staff costs. They considered of the United States federal civil service officials in
a range of implementation dates from 2017 to 2020, comparable positions in Washington, D.C. For that
with the majority stating that the date could not be purpose, the Commission annually tracked changes
earlier than 1 January 2018, given that the budgets in the remuneration levels of both civil services.
and work programmes for 2016 and 2017 had already
The Commission noted that a 1.0 per cent increase
been approved.
was granted as at 1 January 2015 in the comparator civil
Acabq, in its October report on icsc decisions service. Other developments relevant to the comparison
and recommendations [A/70/7/Add.4], recommended were: revisions to the federal tax bracket and standard
that the implementation date for raising the manda- and personal deductions (see p. 759), a post adjustment
tory age of separation to 65 for staff recruited before multiplier of 66.7 in New York for the period from Jan-
1 January 2014 should be in 2016 and at the latest by uary to December 2015 and the new base/floor salary
1 January 2017. scale, which became effective on 1 January 2015.
Conditions of service of staff in the Professional On that basis, the Commission decided to report
and higher categories to the General Assembly that the margin between the
net remuneration of UN officials in the Professional
Base/floor salary scale and higher categories in New York and that of officials
The concept of the base/floor salary was intro- in comparable positions in the United States federal
duced by Assembly resolution 44/198 [YUN 1989, civil service in Washington, D.C., amounted to 117.2
p. 886], with effect from 1 January 1990. The scale both for the calendar year 2015 and for the five-year
was set by reference to the General Schedule salary (2011−2015) average.
scale of the comparator civil service, which was the
United States federal civil service, excluding any lo- Post adjustment
cality pay. Periodic adjustments were made on the Pursuant to article 11 of its statute, icsc continued
basis of a comparison of net base salaries of UN of- to keep under review the operation of the post ad-
ficials at the midpoint of the scale (P-4, step VI, of justment system and, in that context, considered the
the dependency rate), with the corresponding salaries report of the Advisory Committee on Post Adjustment
of their counterparts in the United States federal civil Questions (acpaq) on the work of its thirty-seventh
service. The adjustments were implemented by means session in 2015. Convened as part of the review of the
of a standard method of consolidating post adjust- common system compensation package (see p. 759),
ment points into the base-floor salary, namely, by in- as well as the methodological preparation for the 2016
creasing base salary while commensurately reducing round of cost-of-living survey, acpaq reviewed perti-
post adjustment. Icsc was informed that a 1 per cent nent studies and made a number of recommendations
increase had been implemented in the comparator’s for the Commission’s consideration.
General Schedule effective 1 January 2015. Icsc reviewed the recommendations, which cov-
The Commission, subject to the Assembly’s ered the list of items and specifications in the market
decision on a unified salary scale, decided to recom- basket to be used for price data collection in the next
mend to the Assembly for approval with effect from round of place-to-place surveys, the redesign of all
1 January 2016 the revised base/floor salary scale for survey data-collection forms, the modus operandi for
the Professional and higher categories, reflecting a the use of price data collected under the European
1.08 per cent post adjustment, to be implemented by Comparison Programme for purposes of establishing
increasing the base salary and commensurately reduc- post adjustment for the covered group I duty stations;
ing post adjustment multiplier points, resulting in no proposals for modifications to the operational rules
change in net take-home pay. governing the post adjustment system; a review of the
Subject to the decision on the unified salary scale rental subsidy scheme in the context of the restora-
with the implementation date of 1 January 2017, tion of the trade-off between rental subsidy and post
acabq in its October report [A/70/7/Add.4] noted that adjustment; and a review of the operation of the post
the Secretary-General estimated the related financial adjustment system for New York in the context of the
implications for the proposed programme budget for United Nations/United States net remuneration mar-
the biennium 2016−2017 at an increase of $232,100 gin management mechanism.
for the year 2016 and for peacekeeping operations at Following discussion, icsc decided: to retain the
an increase of $83,600 for the financial period from 5 per cent rule to account for excessive inflation in
1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 (six months). group I duty stations in a more timely manner. The
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 761

reference date for monitoring inflation should be reset lar duty stations, the Commission conducted a sur-
at the time of the statutory review of the post adjust- vey in New York, with a reference date of November
ment classification, whether or not there was a change 2014. There were five categories of locally recruited
in classification. The rule should be implemented only staff in New York: General Service, Security Service,
if triggered more than three months before the date of Trades and Crafts, Language Teachers and Public
statutory review of the post adjustment classification; Information Assistants. In accordance with an earlier
to modify the gap closure measures in determining the icsc decision, salary levels for four categories should
post adjustment multiplier applicable to a duty station be adjusted with the same percentage as that agreed
by abolishing the 5 per cent augmentation of the post for the General Service category.
adjustment index derived from negative place-to-place The recommended salary scales for all five cat-
survey results; to continue to apply the 0.5 per cent egories of locally recruited staff in New York were
rule, in accordance with existing operational rules; 5.8 per cent lower than the current scales, icsc said.
and to establish rental subsidy thresholds by applying The notional annual savings as a result of implement-
the threshold calculated using the proposed unified ing the salary scales were estimated at $12.13 mil-
salary scale to staff with no dependants and dividing lion. Since the recommended scales, however, were
it by the factor 1.06 to derive the threshold for staff
expected to be implemented only with regard to staff
dependants, with effect from the date of promulgation
on or after the date of promulgation by the New York-
of the unified salary scale for staff in the Professional
based organizations, there were no immediate savings
and higher categories.
associated with the recommendation.
Conditions of service of the General Service In resolution 68/253 [YUN 2013, p. 1491], in which
and other categories of staff the Assembly requested the Commission not to in-
Conditions of employment in Kingston
crease any of the allowances until the comprehensive
review of the common system compensation package
Following the entry of the International Sea- (see p. 762) had been submitted to the Assembly for
bed Authority (see p. 708) into the United Nations consideration, icsc decided to recommend that depen-
common system, icsc conducted a survey of best dency allowances for staff in the General Service and
prevailing conditions in Kingston, Jamaica, with a related categories of the common system organizations
reference date of September 2014. The Commission in New York be maintained at the same levels.
proposed to the Kingston-based organizations a
Acabq, in its October report [A/70/7/Add.4], noted
5.1 per cent increase in net salary scales for staff in
that the recommended salary scales were expected to
the General Service and related categories, resulting
in total annual financial implications estimated at be implemented only with respect to staff recruited on
$143,415 at the September 2014 exchange rate. A non- or after the date of promulgation by the New York-
pensionable component of 3.7 per cent would also be based organizations, while the salary scales would
established on the basis of the findings of the survey. be frozen for existing staff. The financial implica-
The Commission also recommended a 9.5 per cent tions resulting from the freeze of the salary scales for
salary scale increase for National Professional Officers. existing staff were estimated to be a reduction of ap-
proximately $16 million, with no financial implica-
In resolution 68/253 [YUN 2013 p. 1491], in which the
tions for the budgets of peacekeeping operations for
Assembly requested the Commission not to increase
the financial period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016.
any of the allowances under its purview until the com-
prehensive review of the common system compensa-
Conditions of employment in London
tion package (see p. 762) had been submitted to the
Assembly for its consideration, the Commission did On the basis of the methodology for surveys of
not recommend any adjustment to the dependency best prevailing conditions of employment of General
allowances. Service and other locally recruited staff at headquar-
The Secretary-General [A/C.5/70/3] and acabq ters and similar duty stations (survey methodology 1),
[A/70/7/Add.4] noted that as there were no General icsc conducted a survey in London, with a reference
Service and other locally recruited staff in Kingston date of May 2015. The revised net salary scale for staff
funded from the programme budgets or peacekeeping in the General Service category was annexed to the
operations budgets, there were no financial implications Commission’s report [A/70/30].
for the proposed programme or peacekeeping budgets Icsc noted that the revised scale called for a
with respect to Commission’s recommendations. 3.5 per cent increase. Taking into account Assembly
resolution 68/253, the Commission did not recom-
Conditions of employment in New York mend any adjustment to the allowance for the first de-
On the basis of the methodology for surveys of pendent child of staff in the General Service category
best prevailing conditions of the General Service and in London, but did, however, recommend that the
other locally recruited staff at headquarters and simi- allowance for each additional child be revised from
762 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

952 pounds to 614 pounds on the basis of the data the UN and other organizations once the proposed
collected during the survey. transitional measures had been phased out and the
Total annual financial implications of implement- proposed system was fully implemented. Icsc envis-
ing the recommended salary scale were estimated at aged that the full realization of that reduction would
$243,202, while notional annual savings as a result occur in the sixth year of implementation.
of implementing the revised allowance for each ad- Statement of Secretary-General. In his Octo-
ditional child after the first dependent child were esti- ber statement [A/C.5/70/3] on the administrative and
mated at $12,499. Given that the recommended level financial recommendations of icsc, the Secretary-
of allowance was expected to be implemented only General noted that should the effective implementa-
with regard to staff recruited on or after the date of tion date of the Commission’s recommendations be
promulgation by the London-based organizations, the 1 January 2016, the full net reduction would only
immediate savings would not be significant. be realized from 1 January 2021 onward, after the
The Secretary-General [A/C.5/70/3] and acabq transitional measures ended. Of the overall estimated
[A/70/7/Add.4] noted that as there were no General reduction, the financial impact on the UN programme
Service and other locally recruited staff in London budget and the peacekeeping budgets would amount
funded from the programme budget or peacekeeping to a net reduction of $42,830,000 per year from the
operations budget, there were no financial implications sixth year of implementation onward.
for the proposed programme or peacekeeping budgets Should the General Assembly approve the rec-
with respect to the Commission’s recommendations. ommendations, several actions would be required
to implement the elements of the proposed system,
Compensation package including amendments to staff rules and regula-
In 2015, icsc continued its review of the UN tions, and modifications required in the enterprise
common system compensation package begun in resource planning software (Umoja). As such, it was
2013 [YUN 2013, p. 1494], in accordance with Assembly projected that the earliest implementation date would
resolutions 67/257 [ibid., p. 1493], 68/253 [ibid., p. 1491] be on 1 July 2016 for the recommendations related to
and 69/251 [YUN 2014, p. 1685]. The Commission hardship allowance, additional hardship allowance/
observed that compensation was a major vehicle for non-family service allowance, mobility incentive and
staff motivation and engagement and played a signifi- relocation-related entitlements, which would require
cant role in aligning staff behaviours. Therefore, de- changes to the staff rules and relevant administrative
signing a remuneration system that reflected and pro- instructions. Other elements, including the unified
moted the values of the common system could be best salary scale, spouse allowance, accelerated home leave
achieved if a linkage was formed with the frameworks and repatriation grant, could only be implemented
for human resources management and performance on 1 January 2017, owing to related amendments to
management. the staff regulations requiring Assembly approval.
Following a process of analysis and consideration The education grant scheme was projected to be
in three working groups, icsc at its eighty-first session implemented for most staff on 1 September 2017.
finalized a proposal that called for a number of im- The Secretary-General said that the modifications
portant changes to the compensation package of staff required in Umoja were expected to entail additional
in the Professional and higher categories, namely, the costs, which would be determined after the Assembly
introduction of a single salary scale, a stronger link- had made the decision on the icsc recommendations.
age between performance and progression through Following consideration of the Secretary-General’s
the salary scale, and the redesign and simplification of statement, acabq, in October [A/70/7/Add.4], noted
specific allowances and benefits, such as the education that the financial impact on the proposed programme
grant, relocation-related elements, and field allow- budget for 2016−2017 under the comprehensive
ances and benefits. Some decisions and recommenda- review of the common system compensation package
tions, such as those on the performance framework was estimated at a reduction of $1,060,000.
and the introduction of recruitment incentives, would
provide organizations with more flexibility to adjust Other remuneration issues
the package to their specific programmatic needs.
The proposed package was cohesive and transparent, After-service health insurance
while contributing to overall cost containment and In December [A/70/590], the Secretary-General
sustainability. gave an overview and analysis of the key elements of
As a result of the comprehensive review, the the health insurance schemes applied across the UN
Commission submitted recommendations with pro- system, focusing on the management and actuarial
posed transitional measures for existing staff, as well liabilities of after-service health insurance (ashi).
as overall financial implications, which would amount He presented the data gathered through a survey
to a net reduction of $113,200,000 per annum for mandated by General Assembly resolution 68/244
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 763

[YUN 2013, p. 1497] and prepared by the Working Secretary-General’s statement on the administrative
Group on ashi of the Finance and Budget Network and financial implications arising from the decisions
of the High-level Committee on Management. and recommendations of icsc, as well as implica-
The working group undertook quantitative and tions for the budgets of peacekeeping operations. It
qualitative analysis of the design of plans, eligibility, endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of
coverage offered, demographics, costs and valuation acabq in its related report (see p. 734).
assumptions. The result was a specific set of 23 plans, Also, on 23 December (decision 70/544), the
grouped into 3 types: self-insured self-administered Assembly decided that the agenda item on the UN
plans, self-insured third-party administered plans, common system would remain for consideration dur-
and insured third-party administered plans. Based ing its seventieth (2015) session.
on that analysis, the working group developed a set of
complementary recommendations which would result
in cost and operational benefits across the UN system. Human resources management
Those recommendations consisted in undertaking On 24 March [meeting 26], the Fifth Committee re-
collective negotiations with third-party administra- jected a draft decision tabled by the Russian Federation
tors and health-care providers, underwriting reviews in 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1690], entitled “Human resources
and negotiations with insurers, depending on the type management”, by a recorded vote of 80 to 43, with
of administration and insurance of the plans. Another 37 abstentions. By the draft, the General Assembly
recommendation was to use, where possible, national would have requested the Secretary-General to with-
health plans as primary coverage for retirees and de- draw document ST/SGB/2004/13/Rev.1, entitled
pendants and leave UN plans as supplementary cover- “Personal status for the purposes of United Nations
age without decreasing the benefits. entitlements”, and to submit a report at the Assembly’s
seventieth session on the implementation of resolution
Administrative and financial implications 58/285 [YUN 2004, p. 1426] in all its aspects.
Statement of Secretary-General. In an October On 2 April (decision 69/553 B), the General
statement [A/C.5/70/3], the Secretary-General described Assembly deferred until its resumed seventieth
the administrative and financial implications arising (2016) session consideration of a number of reports
from the decisions and recommendations of icsc, in by the Secretary-General, issued in 2014, as well as
particular for the 2016−2017 programme budget, as the related report of acabq, under the agenda item
well as implications for the budgets of peacekeeping “Human resources management”.
operations for the 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial pe- On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
riods. Should the Assembly approve the Commis- decided that the agenda item on human resources
sion’s recommendations, the budgetary implications management would remain for consideration during
were estimated at a net reduction of approximately its seventieth (2015) session.
$16,827,900 under the proposed programme budget
for the biennium 2016−2017. The budgetary impli- Staff composition
cations for peacekeeping operations for the financial
period from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 were esti- Staff demographics
mated at a net increase of $83,600 and would be con- Report of Secretary-General. In December
sidered in the context of the performance reports for the [A/70/605], pursuant to General Assembly resolu-
period; the resource requirements for the peacekeeping tions 59/266 [YUN 2004, p. 1418], 60/238 [YUN 2005,
financial period 2016/17 were estimated at a net in- p. 1515], 61/244 [YUN 2006, p. 1691], 63/250 [YUN 2008,
crease of $40,000 and would be taken into account in p. 1616], 65/247 [YUN 2010, p. 1480], 66/234 [YUN 2011,
the preparation of the related proposed budgets. p. 1441], 67/255 [YUN 2013, p. 1498] and 68/252 [ibid.,
The Advisory Committee, in an October report p. 1503], the Secretary-General submitted a report on
[A/70/7/Add.4], took note of the financial implications the Secretariat’s staff demographics, which contained
and proposals by the Secretary-General. a demographic analysis of the composition of the
Secretariat staff from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
Giving an overview of the demographic trends
On 23 December [meeting 82], the General from 2011 to 2015, the Secretary-General stated that
Assembly, on the recommendation of the Fifth Com- the number of staff of the Secretariat and related en-
mittee [A/70/635], adopted resolution 70/244 (United tities in the UN system had increased by less than
Nations common system: report of the Interna- 1 per cent; the slight increase from 2014 (74,960 staff)
tional Civil Service Commission) without vote to 2015 (76,115 staff) was due mainly to increases
[agenda item 141]. in the staff of unicef and the Office of the United
On the same date, in resolution 70/248 A (sect. Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. During
XIII) (see p. 734), the Assembly took note of the the same time frame, the staff of the Secretariat had
764 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

decreased by 6 per cent. The decrease from 2012 to 2011 to 2015 and provided a detailed breakdown of
2013 was attributable mainly to a reduction of 1,180 Secretariat staff with geographical status by national-
staff of the United Nations Integrated Mission in ity, grade and gender, including information on ap-
Timor-Leste (unmit). The very slight decrease from pointments, separations and balances as at 30 June
2014 to 2015 of less than 1 per cent, or 345 staff, was 2014 and 30 June 2015, and provided a breakdown of
the result of a decrease in unamid staff and 29 other staff in posts with special language requirements by
entities, while 52 entities either had no change or nationality, grade and gender. In 2015, among the 193
increased. The ratio of staff in the Professional and Member States 18 were unrepresented, 37 underrepre-
higher categories had increased from 28 per cent to sented, 116 within range and 23 were overrepresented;
31 per cent over the past five years, while the ratio of the corresponding numbers in 2011 were 20, 56, 109
Field Service category staff to total staff had remained and 7, respectively. Staff at the P-4 level were the larg-
at approximately 10 per cent since 2011, and the ratio est group of staff with geographical status.
of General Service category staff had decreased from From 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, 179 Secretariat
62 per cent to 59 per cent. staff, having gone through the selection process, were
The ratio of staff on permanent/continuing ap- appointed to posts subject to geographical distribu-
pointments to total staff increased from 16 per cent tion. During the same period, 76 staff were appointed
to 23 per cent, while staff on fixed-term appointments through national competitive examinations or the
had decreased by a similar ratio, from 79 per cent to young professionals programme, with 73 being ap-
71 per cent, as a result mainly of the one-time per- pointed against posts subject to geographical distribu-
manent conversion exercise and the first continuing tion. The number of Member States that participated
appointment exercise. in the young professionals programme in 2014 was
Total population of the Secretariat staff as at 54; they were unrepresented or underrepresented or
30 June 2015 was 41,081, comprising all categories of might become so. Examinations were given for six oc-
staff holding permanent/continuing, fixed-term and cupational groups and the 107 successful candidates
temporary contracts, recruited both internationally were placed on the roster. During the period from
and locally from 189 Member States. 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, 32 male and 44 female
As at 30 June 2015, the overall percentage of female candidates from the national competitive examina-
staff was 34.4 per cent, with the percentages in non- tions and the young professionals programme rosters
field operations (departments/offices, regional com- were placed with various entities.
missions, tribunals) being 47.4 per cent and in field
operations 21.7 per cent. The average age for all staff as Disciplinary matters
at 30 June was 44.2 years. The number of Professional Report of Secretary-General. In August [A/70/253],
staff and higher was 12,590, among them 78 Under- pursuant to General Assembly resolution 59/287
Secretaries-General (usgs), 88 Assistant-Secretaries- [YUN 2005, p. 1474], the Secretary-General submitted
General (asgs), while 163 and 533 staff were at the his annual report covering the period from 1 July
Director-2 level and Director-1 level, respectively. The 2014 to 30 June 2015 on action taken in cases of es-
highest number of staff was concentrated at the P-3 tablished misconduct and/or criminal behaviour, as
level (4,265), followed by staff at the P-4 level (3,771). well as disciplinary action and, where appropriate,
Field level staff totalled 4,142, while General Staff and legal action taken in accordance with the established
related staff numbered 24,349. procedures and regulations. The Secretary-General
Of the entire Secretariat workforce, 38,376 staff gave a brief overview of the administrative machinery
were forecast to retire from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2020. in disciplinary matters, a summary of cases in which
Between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015, there were disciplinary measures were imposed, data on cases
4,406 appointments (2,176 of whom were women), received and completed during the reporting period,
75.6 per cent of which were in non-field operations. and cases of possible criminal behaviour.
Most appointed staff were in the 30- to 34-year old The cases for which the Secretary-General had
age group. Of the 4,378 separations during that same imposed disciplinary measures pertained to abuse
period, 73.8 per cent took place in non-field operations. of authority, harassment and discrimination; theft
Of the total number of separations, 2,776 were due to and misappropriation; misrepresentation and false
appointment expiration, while 754 staff resigned and certification; misuse of UN property or assets; mis-
463 retired. Agreed termination led to separation in 75 use of ict resources; unauthorized outside activities
cases, while death, termination for health reasons and and conflict of interest; assault and abusive conduct;
other were the cause for separation in 263 cases. Staff inappropriate or disruptive behaviour; and failure to
members who transferred to other UN organizations honour private obligations.
numbered 47 and reappointments totalled 1,639. During the reporting period, 148 cases were com-
The report showed the representation of Member pleted, a significant increase over the number of cases
States under the system of desirable ranges from completed during the previous two periods. Discipli-
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 765

nary measures imposed during the reporting period Secretariat. Pursuant to that responsibility, the Office
totalled 64, which were considerably higher than dur- continued its efforts to engage with as many staff as
ing the previous three periods. The increase during the possible across the Organization. In addition to con-
reporting period was most likely due to the increasing ducting outreach missions to multiple duty stations,
responsiveness of investigating entities to the requests the Office, among other things, launched a new and
from the Office of Human Resources Management mandatory online training course on ethics aware-
(ohrm) for further input. ness, designed and initiated the 2014 leadership dia-
The Secretary-General noted that the percentage logue programme across the Secretariat, and revised
of measures subject to appeals during the reporting and distributed ethics guidance and resource mate-
period was 11 per cent. rials. The Secretary-General also detailed develop-
The Secretary-General also provided information ments in the administration by the Ethics Office of
about the status and outcome of 39 cases before the the Organization’s financial disclosure programme
Dispute and Appeals Tribunal from 1 July 2009 to and protection against retaliation policy.
date. Of the total of cases, 30 resulted in an overall Requests received by the Office during the
win by the respondent or were cases withdrawn by reporting period concerned general ethics advice, the
staff members, 6 cases were settled and 3 resulted in a financial disclosure programme, protection against
loss by the respondent. retaliation, training and outreach, and standard-
For possible disciplinary action, 143 cases were setting and policy support. Ethics advice, including
referred to ohrm during the reporting period, 23 (or that relating to the financial disclosure programme,
16 per cent) of which related to staff based at UN continued with 60 per cent to account for the major-
Headquarters and offices away from Headquarters, ity of requests.
and 120 (or 84 per cent) related to field staff. The 2015 financial disclosure programme filing
Of the disciplinary action cases received during the cycle was successfully launched on 1 March 2015.
reporting period, 5 related to abuse of authority/har- As at 31 July, a total of 5,488 staff members of the
assment/discrimination; 14 to verbal and physical as- Secretariat, peacekeeping missions and UN entities
sault; 33 to misrepresentation and false certification; 2 were enrolled in the programme. Although filers from
to inappropriate or disruptive behaviour; 1 to misuse the Secretariat and peacekeeping operations continued
of ict resources and computer-related misconduct; 5 to constitute the majority of the total filer population,
to misuse of UN property or assets; 3 to failure to the number of filers from other UN entities that par-
honour private legal obligations; 1 to financial dis- ticipated in the financial disclosure programme on a
closure; 1 to retaliation; 6 to sexual exploitation and cost-sharing basis had increased considerably from
abuse; 32 to theft and misappropriation; 6 to un- 339 in 2006 to 2,253 in 2015.
authorized outside activities and conflict of interest; 2 The Ethics Office received complaints of retalia-
to violation of local laws; 2 to procurement irregulari- tion and conducted preliminary reviews to determine
ties; 1 to gross negligence; and 29 to others. whether a complainant had engaged in a protected
In response to resolution 59/287, the Secretary- activity and, if so, whether the protected activity was
General reported that eight cases involving credible a contributing factor in causing the alleged retaliation.
allegations of criminal conduct by UN officials or If the Office determined that a prima facie case of re-
experts on mission were referred to Member States. taliation had been established, the matter was referred
to the Office of Internal Oversight Services (oios) (see
Ethics Office p. 742) for investigation. The Ethics Office made a fi-
nal retaliation determination subsequent to its review
Report of Secretary-General. In August of the investigation report and supporting evidence.
[A/70/307], in accordance with Assembly resolution During the reporting period, the Ethics Office
60/254 [YUN 2006, p. 1633], the Secretary-General sub- received 40 inquiries concerning protection against
mitted his tenth annual report providing an overview retaliation policy, of which 4 were determined to fall
and assessment of the activities of the Ethics Office outside the mandate of the Office and 21 involved,
and the implementation of ethics policies from 1 Au- among other things, requests for policy advice and
gust 2014 to 31 July 2015. The report also included information. Staff members raising workplace concerns
information on the activities of the Ethics Panel of the not covered by the policy were advised of other available
United Nations, as requested by Assembly resolution resources and referred to the appropriate offices, in-
63/250 [YUN 2008, p. 1616]. cluding the Office of the United Nations Ombudsman
Mandated to promote the highest standards of and Mediation Services (see p. 783), the Management
integrity and to foster an organizational culture of Evaluation Unit (see p. 779), the Office of Staff Legal
respect, transparency and accountability, the Eth- Assistance (see p. 779) and ohrm. The 21 advice cases
ics Office provided advisory support on ethics and did not constitute allegations of retaliation pursuant to
other services to the global staff population of the the protection against retaliation policy.
766 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

Concerning the inquiries where staff alleged re- had been completed by 11,000 staff members. The
taliation, the Ethics Office initiated 15 preliminary course was also utilized as a model ethics programme
reviews. Of those, one staff member abandoned the by other UN entities updating or developing their
protection against retaliation request, one case was own online ethics training courses.
resolved informally to the satisfaction of the com- During the reporting period, the Executive Office of
plainant, and seven of the reviews did not raise prima the Secretary-General and the Ethics Office launched
facie cases of retaliation. The majority of those cases the 2014 leadership dialogue on treating one another
concerned workplace disputes between the claimants with respect and tolerance, which provided annual op-
and their colleagues or supervisor, wherein it was de- portunity to staff and managers at Headquarters and
termined that the complainant had not engaged in an in field locations to engage in a one hour discussion
activity protected by the policy. Six cases remained on ethics and integrity issues. The Office developed
under preliminary review. the 2015 leadership dialogue, entitled “Fulfilling our
During the reporting period, the Ethics Office mission: taking individual responsibility”.
further determined one prima facie case of retaliation The Office assisted various UN entities in
for a protection request review initiated in 2013/14. developing policies and standards regarding staff
With the advice provided by the Office and the con- conduct and integrity issues. Notably, it provided
sent of the complainant, however, the matter was re- policy advice in the areas of financial disclosure, con-
solved satisfactorily. flict of interest management and protection against
The Ethics Office, in collaboration with the retaliation. The Office provided advice to field offices,
Department of Management, the Office of Legal peacekeeping missions and regional commissions re-
Affairs and oios, prepared a proposal on a revised garding guidance to field staff. Support activities in-
protection against retaliation policy, which was cluded the provision of policy comments, proposed
presented at the April 2015 meeting of the Staff- revisions to staff guidance notes and advice on vetting
Management Committee (Bonn, Germany). An ad for conflicts of interest. The Office further collabo-
hoc working group was subsequently established by rated with other Secretariat departments in examining
the Staff-Management Committee to consider further issues relating to personal and organizational conflicts
the revised policy proposal. Composed of staff and of interest and provided policy advice on terms and
management representatives, the working group held conditions of service for certain types of personnel.
its first meeting in June 2015; it would present the During the reporting period, the Ethics Panel,
recommendations regarding the revised policy to the which was mandated to create a unified set of ethi-
Committee upon conclusion of its deliberations. cal standards and policies for the Secretariat and
Engagement in staff outreach and awareness- separately administered organs and programmes and
raising was essential to identifying and addressing consulted on important and complex ethics matters
the ethics-related concerns across the UN and to having system-wide implications, focused on estab-
strengthening a consistent and shared ethical culture. lishing coherence and consistency in applying ethics
Pursuant to that goal, the Ethics Office conducted standards and reviewed lessons learned. The Panel
various outreach missions engaging with more than identified and deliberated on emerging ethical chal-
1,000 individuals, holding townhall meetings, pro- lenges posing individual, institutional and process
viding confidential ethics consultations with indi- risks and consulted on matters concerning reputa-
vidual staff members, and conducted tailored ethics tional risk management, organizational and personal
briefings and presentations for specific field offices. conflicts of interest, outside activities, the use of social
As per Assembly resolution 65/247 [YUN 2010, media, the review of financial disclosure statements,
p. 1480], the Ethics Office conducted mandatory ethics intra-agency relationships, the parameters of confi-
induction briefings for senior leaders. The Director of dentiality and internal justice system challenges.
the Office personally conducted 13 confidential ethics The Ethics Office and members of the Ethics Panel
induction briefings with newly appointed asgs and continued to participate in the activities of the Ethics
usgs, including Special Representatives and Deputy Network of Multilateral Organizations, established
Special Representatives of the Secretary-General. The in 2010 to support the Secretary-General’s efforts to
briefings addressed personal ethical responsibility, set- promote system-wide collaboration on ethics issues.
ting the “tone from the top”, retaliation prevention, The seventh meeting of the Network (Washington,
and transparency and accountability practices. D.C., 7–10 July) was hosted by the Inter-American
In cooperation with ohrm, the Office launched a Development Bank.
new online ethics training course which was available The Secretary-General observed the efforts of the
on Inspira in English and French and was mandatory Ethics Office to engage with staff via enhanced out-
for all staff members. In addition, it was available to reach initiatives remained essential for preventing,
consultants and temporary appointments and served mitigating and managing ethical and reputational
as a refresher for existing staff; as at 31 July, the course risk within the Organization. The Office’s interac-
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 767

tion with staff worldwide consistently demonstrated some cases, viewed its presence as an impediment to
a strong staff demand for counselling, consultation their objectives.
and guidance on ethics and integrity issues. The rapid rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and the
The Secretary-General further added that the Eth- Levant was of great concern, in particular given the al-
ics Office remained a leading advocate for the values ready substantial threat by other extremist movements,
and principles enshrined in the Charter. By engaging such as Al-Qaida, Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab. In
directly with staff and other stakeholders on those val- 2014, out of 15 UN personnel who lost their lives
ues and promoting adherence to the highest standards as a result of violence, 6 were killed in terrorist acts
of efficiency, competency and integrity, the Office attributed to such groups. The persistent anti-UN
played a distinctive and indispensable role within the propaganda that they conveyed, including through
Organization. the Internet and various forms of social media, sug-
gested that the threat of targeted attacks against the
Organization would continue in the coming years.
Amendments to Staff Regulations and Rules Such groups, and their growing number of affiliates,
Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/135], threatened UN personnel and programmes in an in-
the Secretary-General presented amendments to the creasing range of geographic areas. Meanwhile, in
staff regulations and rules that he proposed to imple- Iraq, Mali, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic and
ment as at 1 January 2016. Yemen, the UN faced unprecedented security chal-
The amendments pertained to the Rule 4.15 con- lenges as armed conflict had become intertwined with
cerning senior review bodies (instead of the Senior terrorism and with violent extremists who exploited
Review Group) and central review bodies for staff local, national and regional vulnerabilities, including
selection and managed mobility; Rule 5.3 on special underlying ethnic, religious, sectarian or socioeco-
leave; and Rules 9.9 concerning commutation of ac- nomic tensions.
crued annual leave. The evolving global security environment had pro-
found impacts on the Organization, both in terms of
risks to personnel and the continuing implementation
Staff safety and security of programmes. While the dangers in the operating
Report of Secretary-General. In response to environment had increased, as demonstrated by a rise
General Assembly resolution 69/133 [YUN 2014, in the number of attacks against UN premises in the
p. 1693], the Secretary-General, in September [A/70/383], first six months of 2015 relative to 2014, the impact on
submitted a comprehensive report on the safety and personnel had been steadily declining, with less loss of
security of humanitarian personnel and protection life annually since 2011, most likely due to improved
of UN personnel, covering the period from January security management practices, including the increased
2014 to June 2015. use of armoured vehicles, safety and security training,
enhanced physical security measures, security threat
The Secretary-General gave an overview of the
analysis and the application of programme criticality
global security environment, associated security threats
as a tool to determine acceptable risk. Those practices
and challenges facing UN personnel, and the response
of the Organization to those threats and challenges. It had strengthened the safety and security of personnel
also contained an analysis of emerging security trends, around the globe, thereby enabling the UN to stay and
their key drivers and their implications for UN per- deliver its programmes, despite a zero-growth budget
sonnel, and highlighted the role of the Department of and with no increase in dss posts.
Safety and Security (dss) in strengthening safety and Fifteen UN personnel lost their lives and 65 were
security and, in turn, enabling the UN to deliver its injured in 2014 as a result of acts of violence. An ad-
programmes across the globe. ditional 8 personnel were killed and 42 injured during
The Secretary-General noted that UN personnel the first six months of 2015. The total of 23 person-
continued to work in environments with significant nel killed represented a decrease over the previous
security challenges marked by armed conflict, post- 18-month reporting period, during which 28 person-
conflict instability, the proliferation of violent extrem- nel were killed.
ism and terrorism, rising crime, civil disorder and Six personnel were killed in 2014 as a result of ter-
widespread human rights violations, most of which rorism and an additional five in the first six months of
were fuelled by underlying political, economic and 2015, the first recorded period in which deaths from
social crimes. The actors who represented the primary terrorism exceeded those resulting from other causes. It
threat were violent extremists, armed groups, organ- was too early, however, to determine whether that situ-
ized criminal networks and opportunistic individ- ation would develop into a trend. On 17 January 2014,
uals manifesting little or no respect for the mandate four personnel died in an attack at a restaurant in Ka-
or values of the UN. Such actors did not view the bul, Afghanistan, and on 4 July 2014, two were killed
Organization as a neutral or impartial entity and, in in Gaalkacyo, Somalia. On 13 February 2015, a UN
768 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

personnel was among the victims of a complex attack remained in detention and 3 were convicted of crimes
on a Shia mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. On 20 April in national courts. While a minority of arrests involved
2015, four personnel were killed and five injured in the legitimate criminal charges, a majority could be linked
bombing of a UN vehicle in Garoowe, Somalia. to misperceptions or misunderstandings of the UN
Nine armed attacks were launched in 2014 on UN mandate, failure to uphold the privileges and immu-
premises and 45 attacks on vehicles, and in the first six nities of the UN as recognized under international law
months of 2015, 16 armed attacks were launched on or poor coordination between local authorities and the
UN premises, 15 of which occurred in Yemen alone. UN, among other challenges. Most arrests occurred in
That significant increase in attacks compared with South Sudan, the Sudan and Syria.
the decreasing numbers of UN personnel killed dem- The declaring of UN personnel as personae non
onstrated the value of investing in physical security gratae had, in some instances, amounted to a form
measures. Strong perimeter defences and guards ena- of intimidation, including instances in which the
bled the Organization to repel attacks at Mogadishu declaration had come in response to the highlight-
International Airport. In a separate incident, one UN ing of human rights issues by the personnel. Member
personnel survived a car bombing against his convoy States were called upon to reaffirm their commitment
in Mogadishu because of the protection afforded by a to international law, the Secretary-General said, and
newly deployed armoured vehicle. to respect the privileges and immunities of the UN.
Crime accounted for 8 (53 per cent) of the 15 He urged Member States to act against all unlawful
deaths of UN personnel attributed to acts of violence detention or arrests of UN personnel or obstruction to
in 2014. There was concern about the increased their freedom of movement and to investigate all seri-
number of UN personnel who were victims of aggra- ous crimes and acts of violence against UN personnel
vated and sexual assaults, which had risen between within their respective jurisdictions and to seek the
2014 and 2015 almost three fold, from 39 to 112, prosecution of all perpetrators in that regard.
with 73 personnel victimized in the first six months Road traffic accidents remained a leading cause of
of 2015. A surge in armed conflict and civil unrest, death and injury. In 2014, all 15 safety-related deaths
combined with deteriorating economic conditions, and 91 of 101 safety-related injuries were associated
had been identified as a contributing factor. A new with road traffic accidents, with 30 per cent of those
residential security measures policy was approved by incidents involving UN vehicles. In addition, 29
the Inter-Agency Security Management Network to non-UN personnel were killed and another 202 in-
strengthen the safety and security of UN personnel jured in road traffic accidents involving UN vehicles.
in and around their residences. During the reporting period, the most important
Female personnel continued to be proportion- public health threat faced by UN personnel was the
ally more affected by crime and sexual assault than Ebola virus disease outbreak, which began in Guinea
their male colleagues, but less affected by incidents in December 2013 and later spread to neighbouring
overall. While female personnel represented approxi- countries in West Africa. Although the Organization
mately 40 per cent of all UN personnel in the field, had to reorient its efforts to address the outbreak, few
they accounted for 46 per cent of crime victims and disruptions to programme delivery were reported ow-
100 per cent of sexual assault victims and constituted ing to the implementation of alternate work modali-
13 per cent of deaths attributed to both violent acts ties and other proactive security management meas-
and safety-related incidents. ures, including the development of additional security
In 2014, six UN personnel were abducted, five of personnel.
whom were locally recruited. All were subsequently re- The challenging global security environment had
leased. Seven personnel were abducted during the first had a substantial impact on UN operations, with
six months of 2015, six of whom had been released, programmes temporarily disrupted, projects rede-
while one remained in captivity in Iraq. The successful fined, activities transferred and alternate work mo-
release of hostages was attributed to the professional dalities adopted in response. In some cases, unpredict-
hostage incident management capacity established able or large-scale hostilities necessitated a temporary
within dss and to the support of Member States. reduction or relocation of UN personnel from the
The number of incidents of intimidation and har- conflict areas. In all cases, the Organization was
assment, which occurred mostly in areas in which required to balance operational needs with security
parties to the conflict operated without regard to risks. While most evacuations had been of limited du-
the rule of law, increased from 108 in 2013 to 295 in ration, the sustained high-risk environment in Libya
2014. During the first half of 2015, 204 incidents were resulted in the prolonged evacuation of international
reported in these two categories. personnel from the country.
The number of UN personnel detained or arrested Inevitably, the Secretary-General noted, efforts to
had consistently decreased since 2010. Of 128 civilian conduct safe and secure operations had a financial
personnel arrested in 2014, 110 were released, while 15 price. In Somalia alone, one UN agency recently spent
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 769

approximately $1 million to improve the physical as the Central African Republic (car) (see p. 83) and
security of its compounds and enhance the security Mali (see p. 106). Between November 2013 and Octo-
of its road movements. ber 2014, the number of direct attacks against peace-
Above all, disruptions to UN operations had had keepers had more than doubled, from 7 to 16 attacks,
a direct impact on local populations. For example, relative to the previous 12-month period. In the first
in the South Sudan, some humanitarian offices were two weeks of October 2014 alone, 14 peacekeeping
looted and destroyed, causing donor funding to de- personnel were killed in hostile incidents.
crease and, in turn, programmes to be suspended. Collaboration between the UN and host Govern-
Ultimately, the crisis in South Sudan had eroded ments formed part of the Organization’s strategic
development gains and had a severe impact on early response, as did steps internally to bring perpetrators
recovery initiatives. In Syria, the UN had had to of serious crimes and acts of violence against UN per-
take a cautious and flexible approach to providing sonnel to justice. Dss had been working to develop a
humanitarian assistance to civilians in need, and in centralized database to register all serious crimes and
Yemen, UN programmes had been resuming their acts of violence that resulted in the death of or seri-
work progressively in Sana’a since June 2015 owing ous injury to UN personnel. The data would be used
to the critical humanitarian situation in the country. to follow up with relevant host Governments so that
Turning to the security of locally recruited UN perpetrators could be brought to justice, and to main-
personnel, the Secretary-General reported that they tain contact with injured survivors or the families of
made up 65 per cent of all UN personnel affected deceased victims. In parallel, the UN had worked tire-
by safety and security incidents in 2014. While being lessly to secure the commitment of Member States to
involved in more incidents by absolute numbers, they protect human rights and respect the privileges and
were proportionally less affected than their interna- immunities of UN personnel. In negotiating head-
tional counterparts in incidents resulting in violent quarters and mission agreements, the Organization
deaths (53 per cent); in two specific areas, however, a made every effort to include applicable provision of
greater percentage had been affected, namely, safety relevant international conventions, including the
accidents (87 per cent) and arrest and detention 1994 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and
(90 per cent). Locally recruited personnel made up Associated Personnel [YUN 1994, p. 1289] and its Op-
the bulk of drivers and thus were more vulnerable to tional Protocol adopted in 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 1420].
road traffic accidents, and they were most vulnerable Integrating security management with programme
to the abuse of authority by State officials. delivery, the Organization had broadened its
The Secretary-General also analysed security inci- programme criticality framework, in combina-
dents affecting humanitarian and other UN person- tion with the security risk assessment, in order to
nel. From January 2014 to June 2015, 92 personnel determine an acceptable level of risk to personnel
of non-governmental-organizations (ngos) working operating in high-risk and very high-risk environ-
in close cooperation with the UN had lost their lives ments. The framework was a key element of the “stay
as a result of acts of violence, 84 were injured and and deliver” strategy. Since its introduction, it had
167 were abducted. Although likely to be incomplete, been implemented in 18 countries: Afghanistan, the
the data showed that the security environment had a car, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea,
disproportionate impact on ngo personnel as com- Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, the Niger, Ni-
pared to UN personnel as relocation or evacuation geria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, the State of
of UN personnel had resulted in the delivery of criti- Palestine, the Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
cal programmes and activities by local ngos, often at In line with its “stay and deliver” approach, the
great personal risk. UN had recognized the need to clarify its duty of
The loss of life and injuries to staff of the United care towards personnel operating in high-risk and
Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine very high-risk environments. In April 2014, the High-
Refugees in the Near East (unrwa) (see p. 212) as level Committee on Management had established a
a result of acts of violence were significantly worse working group chaired by the Under-Secretary-
in 2014 than in the previous year, increasing by General for Safety and Security, for a comprehensive
80 per cent. Unrwa area staff were not covered under review of key duty-of-care issues. Comprehensive
the security management system and, therefore, those studies had been undertaken in five distinct high-risk
incidents were not included in the overall statistics of environments (Afghanistan, Haiti, Mali, Somalia,
the report. The incidents, however, were symptomatic Syria and countries affected by Ebola).
of the environment in which the UN operated. Through the Inter-Agency Security Management
UN peacekeepers, likewise, were not included Network, the Organization was considering how
under the security management system, but they faced best to address the security needs of the personnel
threats similar to those encountered by UN civilian most vulnerable to gender-based violence, includ-
personnel, especially where they were co-located, such ing through the development of training courses
770 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

for female personnel, the reporting and recording of and Risk Assessment Service. It also worked to im-
gender-based incidents and the development of spe- prove the capacity of security professionals by enhanc-
cific guidelines for security personnel. A review of ing its analyst training, and it begun to work with
existing UN security policies was also required, with other components of the Organization to develop
a view to including gender-sensitive considerations. awareness programmes in areas with a high risk of
The Network was developing also new safety terrorism.
and security policies. It had undertaken efforts to The Department established a physical security
develop system-wide policies, guidelines and proce- unit to enhance the security of UN premises. As a
dures in order to strengthen guidance on safety and priority, a method and a tool for the assessment of
security issues. Three policies had been promulgated: physical security were developed to complement
an updated version of the “Saving Lives Together” existing security management system policies. The
framework, new policies for air travel, and the safety unit had also launched a broad community of practice
and security incident recording system. Two other interface, organized workshops and conducted
policies, concerning residential security measures (in- assessments of premises.
tended to replace the minimum operating residential In response to the increasing demand for the UN to
security standards), and the management of stress and prevent and mitigate security risks, dss increased the
critical incident stress, were recently endorsed. use of armoured vehicles and the provision of armed
According to the Secretary-General, the security services, including close protection services
development of a significantly improved security risk (e.g., in Yemen). The Department also strengthened
management process was nearly complete, along with its security surge capacity, including for emergency
relevant training and an e-tool module. Its roll-out response, with 94 surge deployments to 14 countries
had been set for December 2015 and it was expected in 2014 and 48 surge deployments to 11 countries in
that by December 2016 security professionals across the first six months of 2015.
all duty stations would be trained in the process. The Dss continued to focus efforts and resources on
Network intended to approve new policies in 2016 delivering training programmes for all UN person-
relating to field crisis management, gender inclusion nel. In 2014, the Department delivered more than
in security management, road safety, unarmed private 100 classroom-based courses to approximately 1,700
security services and residential security risks for lo- individuals, while around 95,000 enrolled in online
cally recruited personnel. courses. More than 8,000 individuals enrolled in the
During the reporting period, in order to strengthen Safe and Secure Approaches to Field Environments
partnerships with ngos or operational partners under courses in field locations.
the Saving Lives Together framework, dss coordinated The Department was also on schedule to deliver a
operational security assistance to ngos in Algeria, the robust package of security learning solutions by the
car, the Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, the end of 2015, with a particular focus on developing
Sudan and Syria. The security management system and implementing the Women’s Security Awareness
also provided relocation and evacuation assistance Training.
to ngos in Yemen. Seventeen security managers of During the reporting period, the Department’s
ngos enrolled in security certification programmes Critical Incident Stress Management Unit continued
designed for UN security professionals. That coopera- to strengthen its capacity and enhance its preparedness
tion was further reinforced following the inclusion of to respond to critical incidents around the globe, using
the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (dpko) a three-pronged strategy aimed at building staff resil-
and the Department of Field Support (dfs), along ience through training, building the capacity of the UN
with the United Nations Development Programme country offices and developing a security management
(undp), in the oversight committee of the newly system policy for the management of stress and criti-
approved Saving Lives Together framework. cal incident stress. Globally, dss provided psychosocial
Dss initiated a comprehensive strategic review of services to 10,923 personnel and eligible family mem-
its own goals and objectives, organization, structure, bers. The services included counselling, training and
functions, tasks and outputs. The review, the first of its technical advice to managers in response to 53 major
kind since its establishment in 2005 [YUN 2005, p. 1558], critical incidents around the world.
identified areas for immediate enhancement, such as The first air travel policy was recently endorsed and
threat and risk analysis, physical security, training and would be implemented by the end of 2015, with the
development, and surge capacity for the field. Dss also Department’s Aviation Risk Management Office serv-
recognized the need to implement rapidly the long- ing as the single source of information and guidance
outstanding integration of security resources. on the use of global air transport. Since 2011, dss had
In 2015, dss, in order to provide a more compre- provided information and guidance on aviation safety
hensive analytical service to stakeholders, especially in in response to some 6,200 requests from field duty
the field, reallocated internal resources to the Threat stations worldwide.
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 771

The Secretary-General observed that the global (Safety and security of humanitarian personnel
security environment remained complex, dynamic and protection of United Nations personnel) with-
and challenging, as old threats remained while new out vote [agenda item 73].
challenges had emerged. That dynamic security
environment constituted the new norm under which Investigation into the death
the UN had to operate. In that context, strengthening of Dag Hammarskjöld
the safety and security of UN personnel was para-
mount. The ability to stay and deliver in dangerous, In a letter dated 2 July [A/70/132], the Secretary-
high-risk environments required the Organization General transmitted to the President of the General
to continuously re-evaluate and enhance its security Assembly the report of the Independent Panel of Ex-
management practices and measures and to take in- perts which he had established on 16 March 2015,
novate approaches in responding to the changing pursuant to Assembly resolution 69/246 [YUN 2014,
security environment. p. 1698], to examine and assess the probative value
The Organization needed to assess continuously of new information relating to the deaths of former
whether the security management system was reflec- Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and those ac-
tive of the security environment and remained fit companying him.
for purpose. It also had to be assured that dss had The Panel was headed by Mohamed Chande Oth-
the adequate staff and resources. As a priority, the man (Tanzania), the other two members being Kerryn
Department required effective physical protection Macaulay (Australia) and Henrik Larsen (Denmark).
capabilities, enhanced information analysis capacity, In accordance with its mandate, the Panel reviewed and
broadly accessible training and a robust framework summarized the related information made available to
of security policies. Fulfilling those requirements de- it and assessed its probative value. The Panel reviewed
manded a continuous and consistent effort to imple- the report and materials submitted by the Ham-
ment existing safety and security policies, procedures, marskjöld Commission, as well as other information
practices and standards throughout the system, with received from Member States and other sources. It
the support of Member States. The Organization was travelled to Zambia to interview eyewitnesses and to
determined to undertake the continuous enhance- Belgium, Sweden and the United Kingdom to visit
ment of its security management system in order to various governmental and non-governmental archives.
allow for the consistent and holistic delivery of safety It proactively sought information from all Member
and security services. States and submitted specific information requests to
The Department would need operational and certain Member States.
deployment flexibility to ensure that the security It was the Panel’s ultimate conclusion that the fi-
workforce reflected the changing dynamics of the nal revelation of the whole truth would still require
security environment in terms of both skills and the the UN to further critically address the remaining
ability to deploy the right personnel, with the correct information gaps, including the existence of classified
equipment, where they were most needed. material and information held by Member States and
In addition, the Secretary-General said, the at- their agencies that might shed further light on the
tention of senior managers was required to ensure fatal event and its probable cause or causes.
that security remained a mainstream consideration The Panel made several recommendations on the
in all planning and implementation activities of the preservation of archives in a holistic manner, the contin-
Organization. Security had to be seen as an integral uation of the Secretary-General’s efforts to obtain clas-
component of all programmes and provided with ap- sified records or documents from Member States con-
propriate funding. cerned, and the disposition of new information that was
The Secretary-General noted, while the UN flag received after the completion of the Panel’s mandate.
should ensure protection, UN personnel and premises The report of the Panel constituted an indispen-
were too often the target of deliberate attacks. The sable step towards fulfilling the responsibility to
UN condemned in the strongest terms all forms of establish the facts and truth about the events of 17
crime and violence against its personnel and urged and 18 September 1961 [YUN 1961, pp. 63, 161], the
that perpetrators be held accountable. In that regard, Secretary-General said. He also expressed appre-
the collaboration between the UN and host Govern- ciation to the efforts of Member States to cooperate
ments remained fundamental for the security of UN with the Panel, but noted, however, that in some
personnel, assets and premises and should be main- cases, Member States had not provided a substantive
tained in an open and constructive manner. response, had not responded at all or had maintained
the classified status of the documents in question de-
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION spite the passage of time.
On 10 December [meeting 72], the General Assembly The new information appeared to uphold the
adopted resolution 70/104 [draft: A/70/L.25 & Add.1] propriety, findings and conclusions of the original
772 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

1961 post-mortem examination of the passengers of reach a conclusive finding. He urged that Member
se-bdy, the Secretary-General said, which would ap- States once again disclose, declassify or otherwise al-
pear to confirm that 15 passengers on board died of low privileged access to information they might have.
multiple or presumed multiple injuries sustained in the To that end, he had requested the Under-Secretary-
crash and that the sixteenth passenger died of similar General for Legal Affairs, who is the UN Legal
causes, albeit five days later. The lack of probative value Counsel, to follow up with Member States concerned
of new information relating to the cause or causes of on the unfulfilled requests for specific information.
death effectively puts to rest the claims that Dag Ham- In line with the Panel’s recommendation to maintain
marskjöld was assassinated after surviving the crash. contact with the various national and private archives,
Similarly, the Panel’s assessment of the new the Secretary-General had asked the Legal Counsel to
information relating to sabotage or hijacking as pos- explore the feasibility of the establishment of a central
sible causes of the crash also appeared to put those archival holding or other holistic arrangement that
two hypotheses to rest, absent any additional new would enable access by electronic or other appropriate
information that might emerge. The Panel also found means to those records or archives by the UN and any
that claims made by mercenaries, or their interlocu- other authorized parties with a view to ensuring their
tors, and other agents that they shot or otherwise continued and enhanced preservation and access.
forced down se - bdy in an aerial attack lacked cred- In conclusion, the Secretary-General considered
ibility. Finally, while the Panel did not receive any new it imperative to heed the words of the Head of the
information that was specifically related to pilot er- Panel in his transmittal letter of 11 June that the final
ror, the Secretary-General noted the Panel’s statement revelation of the whole truth about the conditions and
that that did not prejudice “the probative value of the circumstances resulting in the death of Dag Ham-
existing information concerning that hypothesis of marskjöld and of members of the party accompanying
the cause of the crash”. him would still require the UN, as a matter of con-
The Panel assigned moderate probative value to the tinuity and priority, to further critically address re-
following new information relevant to the hypothesis maining information gaps, including the existence of
of an aerial attack or information as possible cause or classified material and information held by Member
causes of the crash: nine new eyewitnesses accounted States and their agencies that might shed further light
that they observed more than one aircraft in the air at on the fatal event and its probable cause or causes.
the same time as se-bdy made its approach to Ndola, The Secretary-General recommended that the
and that any additional aircraft were jets, or that General Assembly remain seized of the matter as that
se - bdy was on fire before it impacted the ground or might be the last chance to find the truth. He called
that it was fired upon or otherwise actively engaged on the Assembly to reiterate its message to Member
by other aircraft present; the claims by two persons States to ensure that any relevant records that re-
regarding hearing alleged intercepts or reading tran- mained classified were declassified or otherwise made
scripts of intercepts of radio transmissions relating to available for review either by the UN Secretariat or by
a possible aerial or ground attack on se-bdy; additional any eminent person or persons whom the Assembly
information that had emerged on the air capability of might wish to entrust with that mandate.
the provincial government in Katanga in 1961 and its
use of foreign military and paramilitary personnel; the GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
possibility that communications from the cx- 52 cryp- On 19 November [meeting 58], the General
tographic machine used by Dag Hammarskjöld was Assembly adopted resolution 70/11 [draft: A/70/L.9 &
intercepted; the possible role of crew fatigue as a con- Add.1] (Investigation into the conditions and cir-
tributing factor to the crash; additional information cumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag
that called into question the official account of the Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party
time of discovery of the crash site and the behaviour accompanying him) without vote [agenda item 129].
of various officials and local authorities.
The Panel ultimately found significant new On 23 December (decision 70/554), the Assembly
information as having sufficient probative value to decided that the agenda item on the investigation and
pursue further aerial attack or other interference as a circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag
hypothesis of the possible cause of the crash. In par- Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party ac-
ticular, the Panel specifically concluded that the new companying him would remain for consideration dur-
eyewitness testimony, the claims of alleged intercepts ing its seventieth (2015) session.
and the new information concerning the air capability
of the Katanga forces might also “provide an apprecia- Other staff matters
ble lead in pursuing the truth of possible cause or causes Mobility
of the air crash and tragic deaths”. It was the Secretary-
General’s view that a further inquiry or investigation In July [A/70/254], pursuant to General Assembly
would be necessary to finally establish the facts and resolution 68/265 [YUN 2014, p. 1686], the Secretary-
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 773

General submitted his second annual report on The Secretary-General provided updated
mobility, providing an update on the progress made information on the staffing process under the mobility
towards implementation of the mobility and ca- and career development framework that, in essence,
reer development framework as at July 2015. The was a new staff selection system which would be intro-
framework would apply to all internationally recruited duced in a phased manner, by job network, beginning
staff of the Secretariat in the Field Service and Profes- with polnet (Political, Peace and Humanitarian
sional and higher categories up to and including the network) in January 2016. Staffing activities for net-
Director-2 level. It would include fixed-term, contin- works that had been launched would be managed
uing and permanent appointments, except those on through semi-annual staffing exercises consisting of
non-rotational positions, which required an advanced two parts; filling of vacancies: existing and anticipated
level of expertise, knowledge and qualifications in a vacant positions would be advertised and open to ap-
technical field. It would be launched in January 2016, plications from internal and external candidates; and
according to the Secretary-General, and preparations managed mobility: an internal process for lateral staff
for its implementation were continuing. movement, in which serving staff members would ex-
In accordance with Assembly resolution 67/255 press interest in encumbered positions. Staff partici-
[YUN 2013, p. 1498], mobility was defined as a change pating in the process would be those who had either
in position, which could include one or more of the reached their maximum position occupancy limit or
following: a change in role, function, department or reached their minimum position occupancy limit and
duty station, or a move to or from an agency, fund or chose to opt in.
programme. In accordance with the Assembly’s request in
As at 30 June 2014, there were 14,197 Professional, resolution 68/265 that the Secretary-General ensure
Director and Field Service staff in the “mobility that managed mobility would not have a negative
population”, while non-rotational positions were 109. effect on mandate implementation under the peace
Of the mobility population, 8,938 were male and and security, development and human rights pillars,
5,259 female. Staff at D or E duty stations (catego- the framework provided that vacancies arising from
rized by the International Civil Service Commission surge, start-up or human emergency situations might
as the most difficult) comprised 2,641 men and 870 be filled using any of the existing modalities, includ-
women. Of those, 1,475 men (or 56 per cent) and 503 ing through the posting of temporary job openings
women (or 58 per cent) had spent five years or more at or position-specific job openings and the selection of
the same duty station. The trend to move within the candidates from the semi-annual staffing exercises or
same duty station category continued, the Secretary- by recruiting from rosters of pre-cleared candidates
General observed, and the number of staff who had for entities authorized to do so, offering one-year
served in hardship locations for over five years con- fixed-term contracts as required. After that period,
firmed the need to improve opportunities for sharing vacancies would become a part of the semi-annual
the burden of serving in difficult duty stations, which staffing exercises. The foregoing would be evaluated
was one of the main objectives of the mobility and in 2016 and 2017 to assess effectiveness in meeting
career development framework. surge, start-up and humanitarian emergency recruit-
The Secretary-General also provided updated data ment requirements while also fulfilling the objectives
on the direct and indirect costs of moves, as well as on of the framework. Moreover, to preserve the ability
the number of positions open to external candidates of missions to deliver on their mandates, heads of
and the number of such candidates appointed. In mission would retain the authority to reassign staff
2013, recurrent payments for the duty station moves laterally within the mission area during situations of
of 1,254 staff members totalled $11,330,226, of which surge, start-up or humanitarian emergency.
$2.1 million was paid to staff members who made a The framework would be supported by Inspira; its
duty station move between departments, offices away existing recruitment module was being reconfigured
from Headquarters and regional commissions (i.e., to accommodate the new roles and workflows for the
non-field entities), while $9.2 million was paid to staff management of job openings for vacant positions,
members who moved to or from field missions. and an entirely new module was being developed to
The overall number of external appointments dur- manage the process of moving staff members later-
ing the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2014 was ally under managed mobility. A more streamlined
3,768, ranging from 637 to 857 annually. The pro- approach for the evaluation of applicants’ eligibility
portion of external appointments compared with the and suitability would also be included.
proportion of all job opportunities ranged from 30 During the reporting period a new staffing timeline
to 40 per cent. The highest number of external ap- had been developed; it was anticipated that it would
pointments was in the Professional category (3,046), take about 180 calendar days from the initiation of
followed by 541 external appointments in the Field a job opening to the date of selection and including
Service category and 181 at the Director level. the 60-day advertising period, to fill vacant positions
774 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

under the new framework. That represented a sub- the department or office in question, would now also
stantial improvement over the 2013-average of 273 be taken into consideration. A global central review
calendar days (213 days plus the 60-day advertisement board and a senior review board would be responsible
period). One of the steps causing delays in the recruit- for confirming the integrity of the process.
ment process was the evaluation and recommendation The Secretary-General provided more detailed
of candidates, the Secretary-General observed. With information on various aspects of managed mobility,
the number of applicants on the rise, hiring managers including the application process and the criteria
were spending significant time manually reviewing all for matching staff members in the compendium to
eligible applicants, conducting interviews and, where available positions, as well as a description of the
applicable, administering and marking written tests. process for the submission and review of special con-
Inconsistencies in the basis for job openings, includ- straints requests. He also briefly outlined the work-
ing generic job profiles and job descriptions, as well as force planning approach under the framework and
inconsistent screening questions, were cited as reasons the Organization’s response to the General Assembly’s
for the delays in the processing of job openings. The decision in resolution 68/265 to limit the number of
process for filling vacancies under the framework was geographic moves for the job networks in 2016 and
intended to resolve those issues by: conferring respon- 2017. He further described the roles and functions of
sibility for evaluating and recommending applicants the new staffing bodies and structures, such as the job
to dedicated network staffing teams and job network network boards and senior review boards; the special
boards, respectively; increasing the proportion of job constraints panel; and network staffing teams.
openings created using generic and/or standardized The framework would be implemented in a phased
job descriptions; and facilitating the evaluation of manner by job network, with one network (polnet)
suitability and eligibility by replacing the current going live in 2016, a second network following in
screening questions used at the application stage with 2017 and two networks going live each year there-
more detailed screening questionnaires. In addition, after, in a sequence to be determined. During the
the process of filling vacancies under the framework reporting period, the detailed workflows for the new
would include a new, centralized and standardized staffing processes under the framework were finalized,
assessment process. the requisite policy documents drafted and sent for
Those innovations and refinements were expected consultations, and the reconfiguration of Inspira com-
to reduce the time taken to evaluate and recommend pleted. The core polnet network staffing team, the
candidates. The economies of scale and efficiencies polnet job network board, the senior review board
created by advertising vacancies in batches, rather and the special constraints panel would be established
than individually, and the centrally managed re- in the last quarter of 2015. The first managed mobility
cruitment process should also allow for reductions in exercise for polnet would begin in January 2016,
the time taken to complete other steps in the staffing while the first job openings exercise for the network
timeline. To fully reap the benefits of the stream- would being in April 2016 with the publication of the
lined recruitment process under the framework and vacancy compendium.
to make further progress towards achieving the Throughout the reporting period, the global
120-day target for recruitment set by the General steering committee, the working-level technical
Assembly, the Secretary-General proposed that the advisory group and a dedicated working group of
advertising time for vacancies posted as part of the the Staff Management Committee on mobility had
semi-annual staffing exercises be reduced from 60 to met regularly to provide oversight and/or feedback
30 days. That would mean that it would take around on all aspects of the framework and its implications.
150 days, including the 30-day advertising time, to The mechanisms brought together representatives of
fill vacancies under the framework. The dates of up- Headquarters, field missions, regional commissions
coming semi-annual staffing exercises would be com- and offices away from Headquarters, thereby ensuring
municated to potential applicants as part of outreach that the diverse needs of the global Secretariat were
efforts and clearly indicated on the UN career portal. taken into account.
The advertising time for vacancies in job networks
not yet launched under the framework would remain
at 60 days. Multilingualism
The new process of filling vacancies would con- Committee on Information. At its April/May
tinue to ensure that internal and external candidates session [A/70/21], the Committee on Information (coi)
were given equal consideration, the Secretary-General discussed the issue of multilingualism. During the
said, and equal treatment would be assured through- general debate, coi representatives focused on multi-
out the various stages of the recruitment process. As lingualism in the work of the Department of Public
selection recommendations would be made by boards Information (dpi), including the use of the six official
rather than by individual hiring managers, the needs languages across social and new media platforms. The
of the Organization as a whole, and not just those of Under-Secretary-General for Communications and
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 775

Public Information emphasized the Department’s ommended that the Assembly request the Secretary-
commitment to multilingualism, saying that it was General to intensify his efforts to limit the number
factored into all planning and decision-making to en- of exceptions and to strengthen internal controls in
sure that the Department reached as broad an audi- that regard, and to report on progress achieved in his
ence as possible. next report.
In June, in response to Assembly resolution 69/250 Acabq noted, among other things, that the criteria
[YUN 2014, p. 1665], the Secretary-General appointed for determining prominent traveller status should be
the Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly clarified and that definitions should be tightened and
and Conference Management as the new Coordinator consistently applied in order to allow for more stream-
for Multilingualism. The role of the Coordinator was lined, systematic and efficient process for responding
defined in Assembly resolutions 54/64 [YUN 1999, p. to requests for exceptions to the standards of accom-
1335] and 61/266 [YUN 2007, p. 1515] and set out in a modation for air travel. The Committee recommended
2006 report of the Secretary-General [YUN 2006, p. that the Assembly consider establishing a clear defi-
1701]. The responsibility of the Coordinator was based nition and a common set of criteria for determining
on the cooperation of all the departments concerned the prominent traveller status and that it request the
and the availability of the necessary input that needed Secretary-General to submit proposals in that regard.
to be defined in the context of the agenda item on the The Committee recommended that the Assembly
pattern of conferences. request the Secretary-General to broaden the scope
The Department continued to focus on support- and enhance the content of his report to include com-
ing multilingualism by concentrating on the simul- prehensive information on air travel activity across the
taneous and timely issuance of high-quality parlia- entire Secretariat, including offices away from Head-
mentary documentation in the official languages, and quarters and peacekeeping operations, as well as air
providing interpretation services to the meetings of travel-related costs under all sources of funding. In pre-
bodies entitled thereto. Dpi and other departments paring his report, the Secretary-General should take
and offices continued to manage and monitor the into account the provisions and requests contained in
public UN websites to ensure their adherence to the Assembly resolutions 65/268 [YUN 2011, p. 1378] and
principle of multilingualism. 67/254 A, the observations and recommendations
emanating from the audits of oversight bodies and all
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION other relevant factors.
On 11 September [meeting 103], the General Acabq also recommended that the Assembly re-
Assembly adopted resolution 69/324 [draft: A/69/L.86 & quest the Secretary-General to entrust oios to conduct
Add.1] (Multilingualism) without vote [agenda item 122]. a performance audit of all travel activities across the
Secretariat, including offices away from Headquarters
Travel-related matters and peacekeeping operations, on the proper applica-
tion of air travel rules and economical utilization of
ACABQ report. In a February report [A/69/787], travel resources under all sources of funding.
the Advisory Committee on Administrative and It encouraged the Secretary-General to continue
Budgetary Questions (acabq) considered the Decem- monitoring industry best practices and the experiences
ber 2014 report of the Secretary-General [YUN 2014, of national Governments with regard to the potential
p. 1700] on standards of accommodation for air travel. application of frequent flyer miles for official travel.
During its consideration of the report, the Committee
met with representatives of the Secretary-General
who provided additional information and clarifica- Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse
tion, concluding with written responses received on Report of Secretary-General. In February
20 February 2015. [A/69/779], pursuant to General Assembly resolution
Acabq also had before it, for information, the 57/306 [YUN 2003, p. 1237], the Secretary-General pro-
report of the Board of Auditors on UN peacekeeping vided data on allegations of sexual exploitation and
operations for the 12-months period ended 30 June abuse in the UN system for the period from 1 January
2014 (see p. 64), which contained information on the to 31 December 2014 and information on prevention,
audit of official travel for peacekeeping operations con- enforcement and remedial measures being taken to
ducted by the Board in response to a request of the strengthen the Organization’s response to sexual ex-
Advisory Committee. ploitation and abuse.
The Committee noted that the requests in Assembly The Secretary-General reported that the number of
resolution 67/254 A [YUN 2013, p. 1439] regarding the new allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse
exceptions to the standards of accommodation for air received from the Secretariat departments and offices
travel and the presentation of proposals for enhanc- and UN funds and programmes totalled 79 in 2014
ing controls in that area had not been fulfilled. It rec- compared with 96 in 2013. Although the number of
776 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

new allegations had decreased, much remained to be Paternity claims were associated with 12 allega-
done to embrace the Organization’s response to sexual tions, 7 of which were of sexual exploitation and origi-
exploitation and abuse. nated in minustah and 5 were of sexual abuse and
As at 31 December 2014, 28 allegations were made originated in monusco.
against UN staff members and related personnel other With regard to investigations into the allegations
than those deployed in peacekeeping operations and received in 2014: 19 allegations involving at least 25
special political missions. The Office of the United military personnel were referred to troop-contributing
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (unhcr) countries for investigation. In 12 of those instances,
reported 16 allegations, undp, 2; the United Nations the Member States involved elected to investigate the
Office for Project Services (unops), 4; and unrwa, 5. matter on their own or in coordination with the UN,
The World Food Programme (wfp) received an anony- while in 7 instances the absence of a reply or a reply
mous allegation of sex with a minor by a staff member, that the Member State had declined to investigate the
which was being investigated. matter meant that investigations were undertaken by
In 2014, 51 allegations were reported in nine the UN; 25 of the 51 allegations received in 2014 were
peacekeeping missions and one special mission. Of referred to the UN for investigation, with 11 allega-
those allegations, 14 involved staff members of United tions involving some 13 civilian personnel, 11 allega-
Nations Volunteers (unvs), 24 involved members of tions involving at least 15 police personnel, either UN
military contingents or UN military observers, and 13 police officers deployed individually or members of
involved UN police officers, members of formed police formed police units, 2 allegations involving the same
units and government-provided correctional person- number of government-provided correctional person-
nel. Of those allegations, 38 (75 per cent) were received nel and 2 allegations involving as many UN military
from three peacekeeping missions: the United Nations observers; 2 allegations were still being reviewed at the
Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic end of the reporting period, pending further verifica-
Republic of the Congo (monusco) and the United tion of information; information concerning 5 allega-
Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (minustah), tions was received by oios but deemed insufficient to
with 13 allegations each (51 per cent of the total); and allow for further investigations; as at 31 January 2015,
the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (unmiss), investigations into 18 allegations received in 2014
with 12 allegations (24 per cent). The remaining 13 were completed; the results of investigations into 26
allegations (25 per cent) were received from the allegations remained pending.
United Nations Mission in Liberia (unmil), with 5 In 2014, troop- and police-contributing countries
allegations, and the United Nations Multidimensional were informed that 16 military personnel and 5
Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (minusma), police personnel would be repatriated on disciplinary
with 3 allegations. The United Nations Assistance grounds and barred from field missions in the future
Mission in Afghanistan (unama), the United Nations for their connection to 18 substantiated allegations.
Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (unficyp), the United Dfs also received 11 responses from troop- or police-
Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (unifil), the United contributing countries on action taken through their
Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (unisfa) national accountability mechanisms regarding sub-
and the United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire stantiated allegations.
(unoci) all reported one allegation each. For allegations received in 2014, responses indi-
During the reporting period, 18 (35 per cent) of cated that disciplinary actions of an administrative
the total number of allegations involved the most nature were taken against two military personnel
egregious forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, concerning two separate allegations of sexual exploi-
with 13 allegations of sexual activities with minors tation, whereas two more military personnel were im-
(25 per cent) and 5 allegations of non-consensual sex prisoned for two substantiated allegations of sexual
with persons aged 18 or older (10 per cent). Those exploitation and abuse.
types of allegations originated in six peacekeeping For allegations received in 2013, disciplinary ac-
missions: monusco, with 9 of 13 allegations; unmil, tions of an administrative nature were taken against
with 3 of 5 allegations; unmiss, with 3 of 13 allega- one military personnel, while another was dismissed.
tions; minusma, with 2 of 3 allegations; minustah, One police personnel received disciplinary action of
with 1 of 13 allegations, and unoci, with 1 allegation. an administrative nature for a substantiated allegation
Of the 51 allegations received in 2014, 35 were re- of sexual exploitation.
corded as potentially involving 38 adults, another 9 For allegations received between 2010 and 2012,
involved at least the same number of minors, and one three military personnel were imprisoned and later
more allegation reportedly involved two adults and dismissed concerning one substantiated allegation of
one minor. Information concerning 6 allegations were sexual abuse in 2012, whereas one police personnel
insufficient to confirm the number of potential adult was dismissed following a substantiated allegation of
or minor victims. sexual exploitation in 2010. Proceedings against two
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 777

military personnel in connection with two substanti- consensual sexual relations, and matters were accord-
ated allegations of sexual exploitation had to be aban- ingly referred to investigation.
doned on procedural grounds. The other peacekeeping mission for which pater-
The Secretary-General expressed his commitment nity claims were recorded was monusco, where all
to ensuring that all reported allegations were inves- such claims were in connection with allegations of
tigated fully and properly, provided that sufficient sexual abuse, with four allegations involving sexual
information was made available to start an investi- relations with a minor and one concerning a non-
gation. When allegations were substantiated through consensual sexual relation with an adult. Nonetheless,
investigations, he would continue to take measures the significant decrease in the overall number of al-
within his authority and to request that Member legations recorded for monusco, from 23 in 2013 to
States ensure that those responsible were held ac- 13 in 2014, was to be underlined. Unmil also saw a
countable through disciplinary actions or criminal decrease in reported allegations, from seven in 2013
accountability measures when so warranted. to five in 2014.
For peacekeeping and special political missions, Between 2010 and 2013, information was deemed
the Secretary-General observed, the total number of sufficient to warrant the referral of 243 allegations for
allegations received (51) was the lowest recorded since investigation. Of 229 allegations, 87 (38 per cent) were
special measures for protection from sexual exploita- found to had been substantiated; of those, 43 were
tion and abuse were first put into place and represented established as sexual abuse and 44 were determined
a decrease compared with 2013. A significant decrease to be of sexual exploitation. The fact that a larger pro-
was observed in the number of allegations involving portion of allegations (62 per cent) had been found to
military personnel (24 allegations in 2014 compared be unsubstantiated was a positive development, the
with 37 in 2013), yet did not quite reach the lowest Secretary-General said, but there might be reasons
number, recorded in 2012 (19). The number of allega- for that, such as insufficient evidence and unavail-
tions against civilians (14) was the lowest recorded for ability of witnesses. The 87 substantiated allegations
that category of personnel. The number of allegations involved 34 individuals who were minors when the
involving policy or assimilated personnel (13) was alleged sexual abuse took place and 67 adults, all of
higher than that reported for that category since 2009. whom had been recognized as victims. In addition,
The percentage of allegations involving sexual there were 26 paternity claims associated with those
activities with minors, whether consensual or not, or substantiated allegations.
non-consensual activities with an adult decreased to During the reporting period, dfs took steps to ad-
35 per cent in 2014. Nonetheless, allegations of that dress pending paternity claims by systematically shar-
kind continued to represent 50 per cent of all substan- ing dna collection protocol with concerned Member
tiated allegations from 2010 to 2013. States. Yet hurdles remained as some of the alleged
Concerning the number of allegations recorded for fathers refused to be tested and judicial proceedings
unmiss, it appeared that the increase (from 6 in 2013 needed to be conducted to obtain legal recognition of
to 12 in 2014) resulted in part from UN personnel the identity of the father and a settlement for support
living in closer proximity with the South Sudanese to be provided to the children involved.
population that took refuge in or around unmiss Member States continued to provide a high level
premises following an outbreak of violence in Decem- of response concerning requests for the appointment
ber 2013. Furthermore, it was believed that outreach of national investigation officers or referrals for ac-
campaigns in 2013 and 2014, which included widely tions on substantiated allegations, with an overall
disseminating information on the standards of con- response rate of 85 per cent in 2014, compared with
duct expected of UN personnel, including definition 91 per cent in 2013, 57 per cent in 2012, 43 per cent
of sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as reporting in 2011 and 39 per cent in 2010. The response rate
mechanisms, led to an increase in reporting. Addi- to the specific communications regarding paternity
tional measures were taken to address the situation, matters was 20 per cent.
such as clearer scrutiny of the number of participants Information on the results of 33 pending
in mandatory training, regular refresher briefings and investigations was provided for allegations recorded
continued awareness raising. from 2010 to 2013. Unfortunately, information con-
In 2014, 7 of the 13 allegations originating in cerning disciplinary actions requested, mainly from
minustah could be attributed to complaints made Member States, remained pending in connection with
in order to seek a resolution with regard to paternity a number of substantiated allegations. Continued
claims and obtain child support. All allegations except efforts by Member States towards the timely comple-
one concerned sexual relation that took place some tion of investigations and the transmission of com-
years before, including two instances dating to 2009. prehensive information to the Secretariat on actions
When reviewed, those complaints also pointed to pos- taken remained critical to the implementation of the
sible instances of sexual exploitation stemming from zero-tolerance policy.
778 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

The Secretary-General put forward a number of and abuse to the full extent of the applicable legal
proposals for strengthening measures for protection framework, the Secretary-General emphasized. It was
from sexual exploitation and abuse which were expected that Member States would prosecute cred-
based on wide-ranging recommendations of an ible allegations of criminal offences brought to their
interdepartmental and inter-agency working group attention by the Secretariat; every individual alleged
whose report was considered in January 2015 at a to had committed sexual exploitation or abuse must
high-level meeting of UN senior leaders chaired by be made to answer to those allegations. The Secretary-
the Secretary-General. The proposals were aimed at General said he had presented wide-ranging recom-
forging a strengthened zero-tolerance policy to which mendations to strengthen accountability to cover
the Secretary-General remained fully committed. leadership command and individual responsibility, as
He concluded that, sexual exploitation and abuse in well as financial accountability.
particular were intolerable forms of misconduct that
could also represent criminal conduct and a violation
of fundamental human rights. Sexual exploitation Administration of justice
and abuse by UN personnel harmed the very people Note of Secretary-General. On 30 July [A/70/189],
who looked to the Organization for assistance and the Secretary-General reported to the General
adversely affected the reputation of the Organization Assembly on an amendment to Article 8 (Appeals),
and the noble work done by its personnel under dif- paragraph 6, of the rules of procedure of the United
ficult conditions. Nations Appeals Tribunal. The amendment had been
The Secretary-General had identified areas adopted by the Tribunal on 16 February, in accor-
where efforts could be made to strengthen further dance with article 32, paragraph 1, of its rules of
the response of the Organization in the prevention, procedure. The Assembly was requested to approve
enforcement and remediation of sexual exploitation the proposed amendment. Until then, the rule, as
and abuse. The proposals presented in his report re- amended, would apply provisionally.
flected an integrated approach and demonstrated a Report of Secretary-General. In a 31 July report
resolve to create a UN that was worthy of the trust [A/70/187], the Secretary-General reviewed the func-
the world placed in it. tioning of the UN system of administration of justice
In the area of prevention, emphasis was placed for the calendar year 2014.
on raising awareness and improving training. An The system had commenced operation in 2009
e-learning programme on sexual exploitation and [YUN 2009, p. 1474], pursuant to resolutions 61/261
abuse would be made mandatory in peacekeeping [YUN 2007, p. 1525], 62/228 [ibid., p. 1528] and 63/253
missions first, then in the Secretariat and through- [YUN 2008, p. 1637], by which the Assembly had de-
out the UN system. In addition, robust steps would cided that the system would be independent, trans-
be taken to ensure that the Organization deployed parent, professionalized, adequately resourced and
personnel who met the highest standards of integrity; decentralized, and would operate in a manner con-
therefore, it was critical to continue strengthening sistent with the relevant rules of international law and
efforts in vetting personnel. the rule of law and due process to ensure respect for
Dfs continued to take steps to ensure that pro- the rights and obligations of staff members and the
gress in addressing reported allegations was monitored accountability of managers and staff members alike.
and measured more closely. Additional information The first step in the formal system was management
on actions taken to address all allegations received evaluation, the Secretary-General said. Except in
would be provided to the public and periodically up- cases involving the imposition of a disciplinary or
dated. Nonetheless, additional efforts continued to non-disciplinary measure following a disciplinary
be required to reduce the time needed to complete process, or decisions taken pursuant to advice ob-
investigations and ensure that allegations were ad- tained from technical bodies, a staff member who
dressed comprehensively. wished to contest an administrative decision had to
The Secretary-General relied on Member States request a management evaluation of that decision.
to respond to and complete investigations promptly, That step was intended to give management an early
and to provide sufficient information on the results opportunity to review a contested decision, to de-
of those investigations and other actions taken when termine whether mistakes had been made or irregu-
allegations were substantiated. He requested that larities had occurred and to rectify those mistakes
Member States committed to a six-month timeline to or irregularities before a case proceeded to litiga-
conclude investigations and indicated that the same tion. Where an administrative decision was upheld
benchmark should be adopted by UN investigative at the management evaluation stage or a request for
entities. management evaluation was deemed not receivable
Leaders and commanders and Member States had or moot, the staff member had the statutory right to
to do their part to pursue cases of sexual exploitation file an application with the United Nations Dispute
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 779

Tribunal. Either the staff member or the Secretary- 2013, and disposed of 320 cases. As at 31 December
General might appeal against a judgement of the Dis- 2014, 317 cases were pending. Of the new cases, 248
pute Tribunal to the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (60 per cent) were filed by males and 163 (40 per cent)
on any of the grounds enumerated in the statute of the by females. The categories of applicants who filed
Appeals Tribunal. Decisions of the Appeals Tribunal cases in 2014 were as follows: Director (20); Profes-
were final and binding on the parties. sional (123); General Service (169); Field Service (21);
The Secretary-General noted a discernible link Security (6); Trades and Crafts (9); National Staff
in 2014 between decisions that affected large num- (45); and Others (18). The cases received during the
bers of staff members and recourse to the formal reporting period fell into six main categories: benefits
internal justice system. Those decisions related to a and entitlements (154); appointment-related matters
rostering exercise with approximately 35,000 written (non-selection, non-promotion and other) (96); sepa-
assessments for Field Service staff, which resulted in ration from service (non-renewal and other separation
over 600 requests for managerial evaluation and one matters) (54); disciplinary matters (14); classification
application to the Dispute Tribunal, and a periodic (2); and other (91).
salary survey that led to a temporary remuneration The Office of Staff Legal Assistance provided rep-
freeze for some staff, resulting in more than 100 ap- resentation in 104 of the 411 new cases received in
plications to the Dispute Tribunal. 2014. In 53 cases, staff members were represented
There was a numerical increase in recourse to the by private counsel; in 9 cases, staff were represented
Management Evaluation Unit, the Dispute Tribunal by volunteers who were either current or former staff
and the Appeals Tribunal. There was also an in- member; and in 245 cases, staff members represented
crease in the number of staff members seeking legal themselves.
assistance from the Office of Staff Legal Assistance. In 2014, 57 cases were decided in favour of the
As at 30 April 2015, some 75 per cent of the applicant either in full or in part. In 22 cases, only
management evaluation requests received in 2014 financial compensation was ordered. In 26 cases, both
had not been pursued beyond the management financial compensation and specific performance were
evaluation stage, and 135 cases had been settled at ordered. Specific performance was ordered only in 6
that stage in the Secretariat and in the separately ad- cases and in 3 cases no compensation was ordered.
ministered funds and programmes. At the Dispute Suspension of action was requested in 57 cases and
Tribunal stage, 31 cases had been settled between the granted in 12 cases; 14 requests were rejected on re-
parties following case management by the Tribunal. ceivability and 25 on the merits, 5 were withdrawn
A further 18 cases had been withdrawn by applicants and one was transferred.
following case management and 6 more cases had During the reporting period, the judges held one
been successfully mediated after case management. plenary meeting (Geneva, 28 April−5 May 2014).
Another 14 cases had been settled between the parties Judge Ebrahim-Carstens was elected President of the
without case management, one of which had been re- Tribunal for one year, from 1 July 2014 to 30 June
solved by formal mediation. One case had been settled 2015. As in previous years, the judges continued to
between the parties at the Appeals Tribunal. convene round-table meetings with stakeholders and
The Office of Staff Legal Assistance acted on behalf legal practitioners.
of staff members in the settlement of 110 cases in the The Dispute Tribunal was composed of eight
formal and informal system in 2014; of those, around judges, three of them full-time, two of them half-
50 were settled at the management evaluation stage. time and three of them ad litem. In resolution 69/203
The Management Evaluation Unit received a total [YUN 2014, p. 1703], the General Assembly had decided
of 237 management evaluation requests, from 1 Janu- to extend the three of the ad litem judges for one year,
ary to 30 April 2015. from 1 January to 31 December 2015. In view of the
Of the 1,541 requests received in 2014, the Unit increased case load before the Tribunal, the Secretary-
had closed 1,402 by the end of the year. Of the requests General recommended the extension of the three ad
closed, 125 (9 per cent) were resolved through efforts litem judges positions and the staffing complement
by the Unit itself, by the decision makers themselves that supported them, for one year, from 1 January
or with the involvement of the Office of Staff Legal to 31 December 2016. It was hoped that the interim
Assistance or the Office of the Ombudsman and Me- independent assessment of the system of administra-
diation Services. In 55 per cent of closed cases, the tion of justice would help to inform further consid-
contested decision was deemed not receivable. eration of the resource requirements of the Tribunal.
In 2014, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal re- The seven-member United Nations Appeals
ceived 411 new cases (44 per cent of which were re- Tribunal held three sessions in 2014: 24 March−2 April;
ceived from staff of agencies, funds and programmes; 16−27 June; 6−17 October. At those sessions, it heard
34 per cent from Secretariat staff, and 22 per cent from and passed judgements on appeals filed against judge-
field operations staff), an increase of 42 per cent over ments rendered by the Dispute Tribunal; on appeals
780 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

against decisions of the Standing Committee acting the Office of the Administration of Justice provided
on behalf of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension administrative and technical support to the Internal
Board (unjspb) alleging non-observance of the Regu- Justice Council, including with regard to its meetings
lations of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and teleconferences and the preparation of its annual
(unjspf); and on appeals against judgements and de- report to the General Assembly and the identification
cisions of entities that concluded special agreements of suitable candidates for the Tribunals.
with the Secretary-General. The Office of Administration of Justice also contin-
During the reporting period, the Appeals Tribunal ued to enhance online search capabilities, to enhance
received 137 new cases and disposed of 146 cases. As the court case management system platform for data
at 31 December 2014, it had 101 cases pending. The recording and reporting, and to update its website to
ratio of cases filed by staff members compared to those disseminate information on the UN formal system of
filed on behalf of the Secretary-General changed from justice. There were 115,741 visitors to the website in
2013 to 2014: In 2013, half of the cases were filed by 2014 of whom 32 per cent were new visitors.
staff members and half on behalf of the Secretary- The Office chaired the informal working group
General, whereas in 2014, 65 per cent of the cases were composed of representatives of staff, the Secretariat
filed by staff members and 35 per cent on behalf of the and the funds and programmes that met in 2014 to
Secretary-General. identify a pool of suitable candidates for considera-
The Appeals Tribunal also received 84 interlocu- tion by the Secretary-General for appointment to the
tory motions in 2014. Those included motions to panel to be entrusted with the conduct of the interim
extend time limits, to adduce new evidence, to file independent assessment of the system of administra-
additional pleadings, to strike, for interim relief, for tion of justice contemplated by the Assembly.
confidentiality, for oral hearings, for suspension of de- The Office also disseminated information regard-
cisions and for withdrawal of some claims. ing the system of administration of justice through
The Office of Staff Legal Assistance continued to outreach missions and at meetings and symposiums.
provide legal advice and representation to UN staff The Administrative Law Section, which com-
worldwide, at all levels, in a wide range of employ- prised the Appeals Unit and the Disciplinary Unit,
ment matters, from non-appointment to termination, represented the Secretary-General in the majority of
claims of discrimination, harassment and abuse of cases brought by Secretariat staff before the Dispute
authority, pension benefits, disciplinary and mis- Tribunal. The Section was also responsible for han-
conduct cases, and other matters and entitlements dling the implementation of the final judgement in
under the Staff Rules. The Office also provided ad- the case.
vice and representation to former UN employees and The Section, located in the Human Resources
their beneficiaries regarding rights that arose from Policy Service of the Office of ohrm, worked closely
employment, including claims for pension and post- with other ohrm offices, as legal challenges before
separation entitlements. the Dispute Tribunal often focused on the interpreta-
In 2014, the Office received 1,180 new cases and tion and application of the Staff Rules, the Secretary-
closed or resolved 1,171 cases and settled 110 cases. General’s bulletins and other administrative issuances.
There were 213 cases carried over into 2014 from pre- The Section also advised managers in the Secretariat
vious years. On 31 December 2014, there were 222 on the internal justice system and investigative and
cases pending. The relatively higher number of cases in disciplinary processes.
2014 was due to a number of “case clusters“, for exam- In 2014, the Section handled 430 applications
ple, staff members from the same UN entity similarly before the Dispute Tribunal brought by Secretariat
affected by the same issue or groups of staff members staff members against the Secretary-General. Of the
seeking summary legal advice on the same issue or in- matters handled, 168 were new applications received,
dividual cases resulting in numerous applications. compared to 176 in 2013. The applications handled
In cases before the Tribunals, the Office held con- in 2014 primarily concerned challenges relating to ap-
sultations and provided legal advice to staff members, pointment, separation from service, benefits and en-
drafted submissions on their behalf, provided legal titlements, imposition of disciplinary measures and
representation at oral hearings, held discussions with classification matters.
opposing counsel and, to the extent possible negotiated In addition to handling applications before the
settlements. It similarly provided advice and assistance Dispute Tribunal, the Section liaised with the Office
in submissions and processes before other formal bod- of Legal Affairs (ola) when the Tribunal issued a
ies and represented staff in formal mediation. judgement. Ola determined whether to appeal the
The Office of Administration of Justice was an judgement to the Appeals Tribunal. Subsequent to fi-
independent office responsible for the overall coor- nal judgements, the Section obtained the information
dination of the formal system of administration of necessary and conveyed the judgements to the rele-
justice. Through the Office of the Executive Director, vant officials, including the Controller, for execution.
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 781

The Disciplinary Unit provided recommenda- a key factor in the successful settlement of disputes
tions to senior management regarding the disposition within the formal system or the withdrawal of cases
of matters referred to ohrm for possible disciplinary by the applicants. Case management helped to iden-
action. In 2014, they handled 223 disciplinary matters. tify and narrow the issues in dispute, the Secretary-
Ola, as the central legal service of the Organiza- General said, as well as to identify jurisdictional and
tion, provided legal advice to the Secretary-General, receivability issues that lent themselves to fast-tracking
Secretariat departments and offices, funds and or preliminary determination, including through sum-
programmes, and other UN system organs, in a mary judgements. Case management also helped iden-
number of areas, including the administration of tify the evidence proposed in support of the claims
justice system. made and handle any other procedural or substantive
The function of the Division included reviewing issues for a fair and expeditious case disposal. Effective
each and every administrative issuance relating to case management significantly reduced the need for
human resources management policy for consistency lengthy hearing or hearings at all. In 2014, 31 cases
and accuracy prior to its promulgation; providing were settled by the parties as a result of the Dispute
legal advice, assistance and support concerning the Tribunal encouraging parties during case management
interpretation of the Charter of the United Nations, to engage in meaningful good faith consultations with
the General Assembly resolutions and decisions, a view to informal settlement. A further 18 cases were
the Staff Regulations and Rules, the mandates and withdrawn by applicants and 6 more were successfully
activities in which UN organs were engaged and mediated following case management.
other administrative issuances of the Organization; In Annexes to his report, the Secretary-General set
and providing legal advice on matters before an out a proposal for the harmonization of the privileges
administrative decision was taken, including by le- and immunities of the Tribunal judges, as well as a
gally clearing recommendations for the dismissal of refined proposal with respect to the mechanism for
staff members. addressing complaints regarding alleged misconduct
The Division reviewed and analysed each and or incapacity of the Tribunal judges. Also, under way
every judgement of the Tribunals, thereby developing was the preparation of a single code of conduct for all
a comprehensive view of the jurisprudence in the ad- legal representatives, which would be ready for pres-
ministration of justice system. The Division drew on entation to the General Assembly at its seventy-first
that analysis when providing legal advice during the session.
early stages of a claim by a staff member and used The Secretary-General further outlined a number
the analysis to provide case-specific advice to the en- of concrete steps at the management evaluation stage
tities representing the Secretary-General at the first in order to realize accountability of all individuals
level of the judicial process and to brief them generally where violations of the Organization’s rules and pro-
on legal developments, as well as when determining cedures had led to financial loss. He added that the
whether appealing a given judgement of the Dispute Organization continued to monitor the outcomes of
Tribunal was in the interest of the Organization. The both the management evaluation and litigation stages
Division reviewed all 248 judgements rendered by the in order to refine the measures taken towards personal
Tribunals in 2014. accountability.
The Division was also responsible for the repre- The Secretary-General requested the General
sentation of the Secretary-General before the Appeals Assembly, among other things, to approve the exten-
Tribunal, which included the filing of and responding sion of the three ad litem judge positions, including
to appeals, filing motions and responses to motions, as the extension of the three sitting ad litem judges, and
well as oral advocacy at hearings before the Tribunal. the staffing complement to support them, for one
Once judgements were released, the Division further year, from 1 January to 31 December 2016; to ap-
provided advice on their implementation. In 2014, the prove the proposal regarding the harmonization of
Appeals Tribunal rendered 82 judgements in cases in privileges and immunities of the Tribunals judges; to
which the Secretary-General was a party. approve the refined proposal for a mechanism to ad-
Pursuant to the Assembly’s direction, the dress complaints against judges; and to take note of
Secretary-General appointed a panel of independent the information with respect to the accountability of
experts to conduct an interim independent assessment all individuals where violations of the Organization’s
of the UN system of administration of justice. The rules and procedures had led to financial loss and the
final report of the five-member panel and his com- action taken with respect thereto.
ments would be transmitted to the Assembly at the Report of Internal Justice Council. In a report
main part of its seventy-first (2016) session. issued in August [A/70/188], the Internal Justice
In response to the Assembly’s request, the Council reviewed issues relating to effective access to
Secretary-General outlined the practice of proactive an independent, professional and accountable system
case management by the Dispute Tribunal, which was of justice, and summarized the steps the Council had
782 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

taken in making recommendations to the General flicts occurred within the workforce between staff
Assembly for the seven vacancies that would arise on and “non-staff ”, which had to be resolved through
the Appeals Tribunal and the Dispute Tribunal effec- a single mechanism. The arbitration clause that the
tive 1 July 2016. “non-staff“ had in their contracts was prohibitive, in
Annexed to the Council’s report was a letter from particular in the field, and costly for both parties if
the judges of the Appeals Tribunal (Annex II), regard- invoked; effective recourse had to be provided to all
ing resources for the Tribunal and its Registry, as well who were in an employment or contractual relation-
as the status of the judges. A memorandum from the ship with the UN.
judges of the Dispute Tribunal (Annex III) focused The new justice system was demanding for the
on systemic issues, including institutional instabil- Organization and in particular for its management.
ity, matters affecting the independence of the system Decisions were increasingly being challenged and les-
of administration of justice, the transparency of the sons had to be learned from the outcome of the pro-
system, adequate resourcing, adequate representation ceedings. That could result in improved management
of applicants before the Tribunal, status of the judges practices, in observance of rules and policies and in
and draft code of professional conduct for external early resolution of disputes or, even better, dispute
legal representatives. With regard to the latter, the prevention. People and conflict management was an
judges expressed the view that a proper consultation inherent part of modern management and managers
on the code was essential. They had not been con- had to be encouraged to respond positively to media-
sulted and had only been furnished with a draft copy, tion attempts.
the authors of which were unknown, in late June. A great number of cases going through the justice
Therefore, they were opposed to the approval of the system concerned career issues, as well as interpre-
code until they had been provided with the oppor- tation of rules and procedures. Better written rules,
tunity to comment on it in order to ensure that they clearer procedures, consistent practices and profes-
were indeed in a position to enforce the code. sionally conducted investigations could avoid most of
ACABQ report. The Advisory Committee, in them. Another matter that regularly led to appeals
October [A/70/420], commented and made recom- concerned investigations.
mendations on the Secretary-General’s report on ad- The justice system had become more transpar-
ministration of justice, as well as on the report of the ent, the Panel found, but more outreach was needed
Internal Justice Council. to increase knowledge of the system by all staff and
Letter of General Assembly President. On to make the system universally accountable. More
3 November [A/C.5/70/9], the President of the General transparency was needed on the part of the Tribu-
Assembly transmitted to the Chair of the Fifth Com- nals, with more consistency in the proceedings before
mittee a letter from the Chair of the Sixth (Legal) the Dispute Tribunal and more and better reasoning
Committee on the administration of justice at the by the Appeals Tribunal in its judgements. The Panel
UN. noted that the search engine of the Tribunals’ juris-
Report of Interim Panel. By a 11 December note prudence was being improved and emphasized that
[A/71/62], the Secretary-General transmitted the report the publication of guides with lessons learned from
of the Interim Independent Assessment Panel on the jurisprudence had to be resumed.
system of administration of justice at the UN. The The system was professionalized at almost all lev-
Panel was appointed in March 2015 and completed els, the Panel noted. It found, however, that the quali-
its assessment in October. fications required of potential judges were too limited
The Panel noted that the UN justice system func- and suggested that knowledge of human rights and
tioned in a special and challenging environment; it was international law, together with practical experience
designed to contribute to better accountability of the in administrative and criminal justice, be added. Fur-
Organization and its staff by resolving internal con- thermore, judges had to be more acquainted with the
flicts and dealing with misconduct. Very often, how- Organization’s structure, rules and procedures before
ever, the victims of conflict and misconduct were not they took up their duties. A single code of conduct
staff members and those victims turned to the UN needed to be introduced for all counsel acting before
for help and for remedies. Holding UN personnel ac- the Tribunals.
countable for their conduct and taking care of victims, The system was somewhat more decentralized
whether UN staff or not, were key responsibilities of than before, the Panel observed. Ombudspersons and
the Organization and its management. Not doing so Office of Staff Legal Assistance legal officers could be
entailed impunity, which was bad for the Organiza- found in the regions and the Dispute Tribunal at three
tion, for its mission, for staff morale and for justice. locations. Still too many functions were centralized at
Only about half of the UN workforce had access Headquarters, such as the Management Evaluation
to the justice system. Contract staff and consult- Unit and the Office of Legal Affairs in the area of dis-
ants, among others, did not have access. Many con- ciplinary matters. That had to be remedied as justice
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 783

needed to be closer to the people whom it served, Office of Ombudsman and Mediation Services
both through the physical presence of its components
and through better access to focal points, guides and Report of Secretary-General. In July [A/70/151],
resources, among others. the Secretary-General provided an update on the
activities of the Office of the Ombudsman and Media-
Where the rule of law and due process were con- tion Services. The report contained information on the
cerned, the Panel recommended that the Dispute activities carried out during the period from 1 January
Tribunal, in order to enhance consistency, lay down to 31 December 2014. It focused on Secretariat-specific
provisions for procedure, either in the rules of pro- activities, including dispute resolution services offered
cedure or in practice directions. Staff had to be pro- to staff, outreach activities and initiatives to promote
tected from retaliation for appearing as witnesses or greater conflict competence among staff and man-
for lodging an appeal. agers and observations on systemic issues. Detailed
The Panel concluded the justice system was playing information on the specific activities undertaken for
its part in securing a respectful workplace, which was the funds and programmes and unhcr was provided
the overall goal that had to be achieved so that the in separate reports that could be found on the intranet
Organization could fulfil its mandate. A number of pages and/or websites of the respective entities.
measures had to be taken to achieve that. Only a few, The Office was headquartered in New York and
however, concerned the justice system directly. had seven regional offices and a mediation service.
The regional offices were located in Bangkok, Entebbe
United Nations Dispute Tribunal and United (Uganda), Geneva, Goma (Democratic Republic of
Nations Appeals Tribunal the Congo), Nairobi, Santiago and Vienna. The
ombudsmen for the funds and programmes and for
Appointment of judges unhcr provided services to their global constituencies
On 18 November, the General Assembly appointed from New York and Geneva, respectively.
two full-time judges and one part-time judge to the The Office opened 2,236 cases in 2014, an increase
United Nations Dispute Tribunal (decision 70/417) of 7 per cent over the previous year. Of those cases,
and four judges to the United Nations Appeals 1,671 originated in the Secretariat, 431 in the funds
Tribunal (decision 70/418), for a seven-year term of and programmes, and 134 in unhcr.
office beginning on 1 July 2016 and expiring on 30 Progress continued in promoting mediation as an
June 2023. effective and informal way of resolving workplace
By decision 70/554 of 23 December, the Assembly disputes while enhancing harmony and collabora-
decided that the item on the appointment of the tion. The case volume in 2014 (64) was slightly be-
judges of the United Nations Dispute Tribunal would low that of the previous year (73). Of the cases re-
remain for consideration during its resumed seventi- corded, 57 emanated from the Secretariat and 7 from
eth (2016) session. the funds and programmes and unhcr. Of the 64
cases received, 46 were completed, including 2 group
Amendment of rules of procedure processes. Of those completed cases, 33 resulted in a
Report of Secretary-General. In a 30 July settlement. Six cases opened during the year were con-
report [A/70/189], the Secretary-General referenced tinuing as at July 2015. In 2014, 12 mediation cases
the General Assembly’s adoption of the statutes of (19 per cent) were referred by the Dispute Tribunal,
the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and the United 37 (58 per cent) were self-referrals and 15 (23 per cent)
Nations Appeals Tribunal by resolution 63/253 in were referred by other sources, including the Office of
2008 [YUN 2008, p. 1637] and the Assembly’s approval Staff Legal Assistance, the Management Evaluation
of their respective rules of procedure by resolution Unit and case officers within the Office of the Om-
64/119 in 2009 [YUN 2009, p. 1476]. He informed that budsman and Mediation Services.
on 16 February 2015, in accordance with article 32, The increased rate of self-referrals signalled a height-
paragraph 1, of its rules of procedure, the United ened awareness of the benefits of mediation as a conflict
Nations Appeals Tribunal had adopted an amend- resolution mechanism, the Secretary-General said, add-
ment to article 8 (Appeals), paragraph 6, of its rules ing that mediation activities conducted in 2014 often
of procedure, which was annexed to the report, and included resolution of long-standing litigation.
he requested that the Assembly approve the proposed In accordance with Assembly resolution 64/233
amendment. [YUN 2009, p. 1474], the Office identified broad-based
On 14 December, by its resolution 70/112 (see systemic issues as root causes of conflict and ongoing
p. 784), the Assembly decided to amend that para- efforts and opportunities to deal with them. Those
graph of the rules of procedure of the United Nations issues included abusive behaviour and incivility at the
Appeals Tribunal, stating that the filing of an appeal workplace; the need for the Organization to improve its
should suspend the execution of the judgement or investigative capacity; staff serving in dangerous regions;
order contested. and the lack of effective communication with staff.
784 Part Five: Institutional, administrative and budgetary questions

While much progress had been made, contin- one of the few solidly-funded, defined-benefit pension
ued efforts were needed to promote a culture where plans in the world.
informal resolution and mediation were resorted to As at 31 December 2015, unjspf had direct in-
more naturally. From both the staff and management vestments in 41 countries, 7 international/regional
sides, knowledge and experience of mediation as a institutions and 24 currencies.
conflict resolution tool remained limited. The Office Unjspf had an Emergency Fund, financed by the
was advocating that informal resolution processes, assets of the Fund and any voluntary contributions
including mediation, were incorporated into relevant up to an amount not exceeding $200,000 each bien-
administrative instructions, guidelines and rules so nium. It was utilized to provide financial assistance
that they could become part of the Organization’s to beneficiaries who were currently receiving benefits
management fabric. The Office would continue to from the Fund and was intended to provide relief in
promote the value of early action and prevention, cases of proven hardship owing to illness, infirmity
together with measures to help foster conflict compe- or similar cases.
tence and harmonious working environments.
In 2015, the Fund completed its third asset-liability
ACABQ report. In an October report [A/70/420], management (alm) study which provided additional
the Advisory Committee expressed support for the con- confirmation of the Fund’s sound actuarial valuation
tinued involvement of the Office of the Ombudsman position and favourable funded status. The results of
and Mediation Services in the progressive development the alm study also served as a key input for developing
of human resources policies and practices. the Fund’s new Strategic Asset Allocation. The United
Nations Joint Staff Pension Board (unjspb) also
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTION
approved an update to the Fund’s Risk Management
On 14 December [meeting 75], the General Assembly, Policy. The unjspb Audit Committee continued to
on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee provide assistance in fulfilling the Board’s oversight
[A/70/593], adopted resolution 70/112 (Administra- responsibility dealing with such areas as internal and
tion of justice at the United Nations) without vote external audit, financial management and financial
[agenda item 143]. statements, risk management and internal control
framework.
UN Joint Staff Pension Fund In August 2015, the Fund launched the new, cus-
tomized Integrated Pension Administration System
As at 31 December 2015, the United Nations (ipas).
Joint Staff Pension Fund (unjspf) recorded 126,892
active participants, compared to 122,759 at the end
of 2014 [YUN 2014, p. 1705]. The number of member Administrative expenses
organizations remained unchanged at 23. Report of UNJSPB. In August [A/70/325],
The Fund recorded 71,474 periodic benefits at unjspb presented a report on the administrative ex-
year’s end, a slight decrease from the previous year of penses of the Pension Fund containing the Fund’s
72,367 benefits [ibid.]. The distribution was as follows: revised budget for the biennium 2014−2015, which
26,275 retirement benefits; 15,525 early retirement indicated a reduction in appropriation amounting
benefits; 7,536 deferred retirement benefits; 10,843 to $1,115,700. That reduction comprised amounts
widow benefits; 901 widower benefits; 1,409 disabil- under expenditures for investment costs ($3,815,100)
ity benefits; 8,947 child benefits; and 38 secondary and audit costs ($68,800), offset in part by increased
dependent benefits. administrative costs of $2,768,200. The revised ap-
The payroll for benefits was $2.2 billion. Benefits propriations for the biennium would then amount
were paid in 15 different currencies. During the year, to $176,550,800, divided into administrative costs
the net assets available for benefits decreased by $617 ($93,768,500), investment costs ($79,898,50), audit
million as the expenditure for benefits of $2.4 billion costs ($2,475,000) and Board expenses ($408,800).
exceeded contributions by approximately $105 mil- Of that amount, $154,954,100 would be apportioned
lion. The value of the Fund’s assets decreased by about to the Fund and $21,596,700 would be chargeable to
1.2 per cent, from $53.1 billion on 31 December 2014 the UN under the cost-sharing arrangement. The re-
to $52.4 billion on 31 December 2015. vised estimate for extrabudgetary costs in 2014−2015
The Fund’s assets were valued at more than $54 was $148,100.
billion and, as at 31 December 2015, had an actuarial The report also contained budget estimates for the
surplus of 0.16 per cent of pensionable remuneration. period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017,
That represented a marked improvement from the def- which amounted to $178,211,300 (before recost-
icit of 0.72 per cent at the end of 2013. More impor- ing), to cover administrative costs ($90,361,400),
tantly, it highlighted the reversal of the negative trend investment costs ($83,856,400), audit costs
observed in the last decade and meant that unjspf was ($2,893,500), Pension Board expenses ($944,200)
Chapter III: Administrative and staff matters 785

and extrabudgetary costs ($155,800). The report pro- that amount be attributable to the regular budget,
vided for a total of 257 continuing established posts, with the balance to be reimbursed by the funds and
21 new established posts, 1 extrabudgetary post and programmes. On the basis, however, of the latest data
the reclassification of 6 posts. on the number of unjspf participants, the percentage
The Board recommended that the General share of the regular budget would need to be revised
Assembly approve the revised appropriations for the to 64.4 per cent. In applying the revised distribution
2014−2015 biennium, and for the 2016−2017 bien- rate to the proposed overall requirements, an amount
nium an estimate amounting to $180,714,200, com- of $14,328,900 (at 2016−2017 rates) would represent
prising administrative costs ($91,666,500), investment the revised regular budget share, as compared with
costs ($85,180,200), audit costs ($2,902,600) and the provision of $13,385,300 already included in the
Pension Board expenses ($964,900). Of that amount, proposed programme budget. Accordingly, an addi-
$158,464,400 would be apportioned to the Fund tional amount of $493,600 would be required.
and $22,249,800 to the UN under the cost-sharing ACABQ report. The Advisory Committee, in a
arrangements. In addition, the Board also recom- November report [A/70/7/Add.6], declared that it was not
mended approval of $164,700 for extrabudgetary in a position to recommend approval by the General
costs, funded by a number of member organizations, Assembly of the additional appropriation of $493,600
as well as an amount not exceeding $225,000 to sup- proposed by the Secretary-General. The Committee
plement contributions to the Emergency Fund. trusted that the Secretary-General would provide the
The Board’s report included a summary of additional information in that regard to the Assembly
follow-up action taken to implement requests and at the time of its consideration of the administrative
expenses of unjspf for the biennium 2016−2017.
recommendations of acabq. Annexed to the report
were: a summary of discussions in the Board on the On 23 December, the Assembly, in resolution
revised estimates for 2014−2015 and the budget es- 70/248 A (sect. VI) (see p. 734), endorsed the conclu-
timates for 2016−2017; the approved organization sions and recommendations of acabq, subject to the
chart for unjspf for 2014−2015; the proposed organi- provisions in the resolution. It accepted the report of the
zation chart for the Fund for 2016−2017; the number Board of Auditors and approved its recommendations,
of unjspf participants by member organization as at requesting the Pension Board to ensure that all recom-
31 December 2014; the financial statements of the mendations were implemented in full and in a timely
Fund for the year ended 31 December 2014; and the manner. The Assembly noted with concern the delays
report of the Board of Auditors on unjspf for the year in the receipt of payments by some new beneficiaries
ended 31 December 2014 (audit opinion). and retirees and stressed the need for appropriate action.
Stressing the need to avoid any action that would com-
Report of Secretary-General. In a September promise the fiduciary responsibilities and long-term sus-
report [A/C.5/70/2] on the administrative and financial tainability of the Pension Fund and emphasizing the
implications arising from the unjspb report, the importance of the Fund meeting its target annual real
Secretary-General noted that the total amount to be rate of return of 3.5 per cent over the long term, the
reimbursed by the UN for the central secretariat of Assembly requested the Secretary-General to make all
the Fund was estimated at $23,869,500, based on efforts to improve the Fund’s investment performance
one third of specific elements of the administrative and to continue diversifying its investments between
budget of unjspf, and that the estimated require- developed, developing and emerging markets. It de-
ments of $13,220,300 ($13,835,300 at 2016−2017 cided to establish 14 additional posts and approved
rates) related to the share of the regular budget in revised estimates of $176,550,800 for 2014–2015 for
the expenses of the central secretariat, excluding the administration of the Fund; expenses, chargeable
reimbursements anticipated from UN funds and directly to the Fund, totalling $157,213,000 for 2016–
programmes. 2017, with $21,865,300 as the UN share of the cost of
The Secretary-General noted that the overall the administrative expenses of the Fund for 2016–2017;
resources amounting to $22,249,800 (at 2016−2017 and the increase of $246,000 in the UN share of the cost
rates) represented the UN share in the administrative of administrative expenses of the central secretariat of
and audit costs relating to unjspf. In accordance the Fund for 2016–2017, representing a charge against
with established procedures, that overall amount the contingency fund. Lastly, the Assembly authorized
would be shared among the regular budget of the the Pension Board to supplement the voluntary contri-
UN and the funds and programmes. The distribu- butions to the Emergency Fund for 2016–2017 by an
tion would require that an estimated 58 per cent of amount not to exceed $225,000.
Appendices
Appendix I

Roster of the United Nations

(There were 193 Member States as at 31 December 2015.)

Member State Date of admission Member State Date of admission

Afghanistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Nov. 1946 Côte d’Ivoire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Albania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Croatia2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 May 1992
Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Oct. 1962 Cuba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Andorra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 July 1993 Cyprus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Angola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Dec. 1976 Czech Republic4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Jan. 1993
Antigua and Barbuda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Nov. 1981 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991
Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Democratic Republic of the Congo5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Armenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992 Denmark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Nov. 1945 Djibouti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1977
Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Dominica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dec. 1978
Azerbaijan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992 Dominican Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Bahamas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1973 Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Dec. 1945
Bahrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1971 Egypt6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Bangladesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1974 El Salvador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Barbados . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dec. 1966 Equatorial Guinea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nov. 1968
Belarus1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Eritrea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 May 1993
Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Dec. 1945 Estonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991
Belize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Sep. 1981 Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Nov. 1945
Benin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Oct. 1970
Bhutan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1971 Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Nov. 1945 France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Bosnia and Herzegovina2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 May 1992 Gabon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Botswana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Oct. 1966 Gambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1965
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 July 1992
Brunei Darussalam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1984 Germany7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1973
Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Ghana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Mar. 1957
Burkina Faso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Greece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Oct. 1945
Burundi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1962 Grenada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1974
Cabo Verde3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sep. 1975 Guatemala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Nov. 1945
Cambodia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Guinea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Dec. 1958
Cameroon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Guinea-Bissau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1974
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Nov. 1945 Guyana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1966
Central African Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Haiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Chad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Dec. 1945
Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Hungary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Iceland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Nov. 1946
Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Nov. 1945 India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Oct. 1945
Comoros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nov. 1975 Indonesia8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sep. 1950
Congo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Iran (Islamic Republic of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Costa Rica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Nov. 1945 Iraq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Dec. 1945

1
On 19 September 1991, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic informed the 4
Czechoslovakia, an original Member of the United Nations from 24 October 1945,
United Nations that it had changed its name to Belarus. changed its name to the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic on 20 April 1990. It
2
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was an original Member of the was dissolved on 1 January 1993 and succeeded by the Czech Republic and Slo-
United Nations, the Charter having been signed on its behalf on 26 June 1945 vakia, both of which became Members of the United Nations on 19 January 1993.
and ratified 19 October 1945, until its dissolution following the establishment 5
The Republic of Zaire informed the United Nations that, effective 17 May 1997,
and subsequent admission, as new Members, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the it had changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, the former Yugoslav Republic of 6
Egypt and Syria, both of which became Members of the United Nations on 24 Oc-
Macedonia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Republic of Bosnia tober 1945, joined together—following a plebiscite held in those countries on
and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Slovenia were 21 February 1958—to form the United Arab Republic. On 13 October 1961, Syria,
admitted as Mem­bers of the United Nations on 22 May 1992. On 8 April 1993, having resumed its status as an independent State, also resumed its separate
the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations membership in the United Nations; it changed its name to the Syrian Arab Republic
the state provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations on 14 September 1971. The United Arab Republic continued as a Member of the
as “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, pending settlement of the United Nations and reverted to the name Egypt on 2 September 1971.
difference that had arisen over its name. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 7
Through accession of the German Democratic Republic to the Federal Republic
was admitted as a Member of the United Nations on 1 November 2000. On of Germany on 3 October 1990, the two German States (both of which had
12 February 2003, it informed the United Nations that it had changed its name become Members of the United Nations on 18 September 1973) united to form
to Serbia and Montenegro, effective 4 February 2003. In a letter dated 3 June one sovereign State. As from that date, the Federal Republic of Germany has
2006, the President of the Republic of Serbia informed the Secretary-General acted in the United Nations under the designation Germany.
that the membership of Serbia and Montenegro was being continued by the 8
On 20 January 1965, Indonesia informed the Secretary-General that it had de-
Republic of Serbia following Montenegro’s declaration of independence from cided to withdraw from the United Nations. On 19 September 1966, it notified
Serbia on 3 June 2006. On 28 June 2006, Montenegro was accepted as a United the Secretary-General of its decision to resume participation in the activities
Nations Member State by the General Assembly. of the United Nations. On 28 September 1966, the General Assembly took note
3
On 25 October 2013, the Republic of Cape Verde informed the United Nations of that decision, and the President invited the representatives of Indonesia to
that it had changed its name to the Republic of Cabo Verde. take their seats in the Assembly.

789
790 Appendix I

Member State Date of admission Member State Date of admission

Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Republic of Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991
Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 May 1949 Republic of Moldova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992
Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Romania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955
Jamaica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1962 Russian Federation10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dec. 1956 Rwanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1962
Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Saint Kitts and Nevis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sep. 1983
Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992 Saint Lucia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1979
Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Dec. 1963 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sep. 1980
Kiribati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sep. 1999 Samoa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Dec. 1976
Kuwait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 May 1963 San Marino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992
Kyrgyzstan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992 Sao Tome and Principe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sep. 1975
Lao People’s Democratic Republic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Saudi Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Latvia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991 Senegal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sep. 1960
Lebanon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Serbia2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Nov. 2000
Lesotho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Oct. 1966 Seychelles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1976
Liberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Nov. 1945 Sierra Leone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sep. 1961
Libya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Singapore9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1965
Liechtenstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1990 Slovakia4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Jan. 1993
Lithuania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991 Slovenia2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 May 1992
Luxembourg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Solomon Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Sep. 1978
Madagascar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Somalia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Malawi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Dec. 1964 South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Nov. 1945
Malaysia9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1957 South Sudan11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 July 2011
Maldives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1965 Spain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955
Mali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sep. 1960 Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955
Malta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Dec. 1964 Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nov. 1956
Marshall Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991 Suriname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Dec. 1975
Mauritania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Oct. 1961 Swaziland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Sep. 1968
Mauritius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Apr. 1968 Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Nov. 1946
Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Nov. 1945 Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sep. 2002
Micronesia (Federated States of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Sep. 1991 Syrian Arab Republic6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Monaco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 May 1993 Tajikistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992
Mongolia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Oct. 1961 Thailand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Dec. 1946
Montenegro2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 June 2006 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia2 . . . . . . . . 8 Apr. 1993
Morocco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nov. 1956 Timor-Leste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Sep. 2002
Mozambique . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sep. 1975 Togo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960
Myanmar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Apr. 1948 Tonga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sep. 1999
Namibia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Apr. 1990 Trinidad and Tobago . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Sep. 1962
Nauru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sep. 1999 Tunisia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Nov. 1956
Nepal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Netherlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Dec. 1945 Turkmenistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992
New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Tuvalu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Sep. 2000
Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Uganda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Oct. 1962
Niger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1960 Ukraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Oct. 1960 United Arab Emirates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dec. 1971
Norway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Nov. 1945 United Kingdom of Great Britain
Oman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Oct. 1971 and Northern Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Pakistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Sep. 1947 United Republic of Tanzania12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1961
Palau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Dec. 1994 United States of America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945
Panama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Nov. 1945 Uruguay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dec. 1945
Papua New Guinea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Oct. 1975 Uzbekistan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mar. 1992
Paraguay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Vanuatu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sep. 1981
Peru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Oct. 1945 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Nov. 1945
Philippines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Viet Nam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sep. 1977
Poland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Oct. 1945 Yemen13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Sep. 1947
Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Dec. 1955 Zambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Dec. 1964
Qatar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Sep. 1971 Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Aug. 1980

9
On 16 September 1963, Sabah (North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore joined was admitted as a new Member State by the United Nations General Assembly
with the Federation of Malaya (which became a Member of the United Nations on 14 July 2011.
on 17 September 1957) to form Malaysia. On 9 August 1965, Singapore be- 12
Tanganyika was admitted to the United Nations on 14 December 1961, Zanzibar
came an independent State; on 21 September 1965, it became a Member of on 16 December 1963. Following ratification, on 26 April 1964, of the Articles of
the United Nations. Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two States became represented
10
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was an original Member of the United as a single Member: the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; it changed
Nations from 24 October 1945. On 24 December 1991, the President of the Russian its name to the United Republic of Tanzania on 1 November 1964.
Federation informed the Secretary-General that the membership of the USSR in 13
Yemen was admitted to the United Nations on 30 September 1947, Democratic
all United Nations organs was being continued by the Russian Federation. Yemen on 14 December 1967. On 22 May 1990, the two countries merged and
11
The Republic of South Sudan formally seceded from the Sudan on 9 July 2011 as were thereafter represented as one Member of the United Nations under the
a result of an internationally monitored referendum held in January 2011, and designation Yemen.
Appendix II

Structure of the United Nations

GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly is composed of all Member States of the Seventieth session4
United Nations. First Committee
SESSIONS • Chairperson: Karel Jan Gustaaf van Oosterom (Netherlands)
• Vice-Chairpersons: Abiodum Richards Adejola (Nigeria), Abdulaziz
• Resumed sixty-ninth session: 16 January–14 September
Alajmi (Kuwait), Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria)
• Seventieth session: 15 September–23 December (suspended)
• Rapporteur: Tasha Young (Belize)
OFFICERS
Fourth Committee
Resumed sixty-ninth session
• Chairperson: Brian Bowler (Malawi)
• President: Sam Kutesa (Uganda) • Vice-Chairpersons: Abdulaziz Aljarralah (Kuwait), Danijel Medan
• Vice-Presidents: Argentina, Burkina Faso, China, Cyprus, Democratic (Croatia), Jose Eduardo Proaño (Ecuador)
Republic of the Congo, France, Georgia, Grenada, Iceland, Kiribati, • Rapporteur: Clotilde Ferry (Monaco)
Libya, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saint
Lucia, Swaziland, Tajikistan, United Kingdom, United States Second Committee
• Chairperson: Andrej Logar (Slovenia)
Seventieth session
• Vice-Chairpersons: Purnomo Ahmad Chandra (Indonesia), Enrique
• President: Mogens Lykketoft (Denmark)1 Carrillo Gómez (Paraguay), Reinhard Krapp (Germany)
• Vice-Presidents2: Azerbaijan, Benin, Cameroon, China, Colombia, • Rapporteur: Chantal Uwizera (Rwanda)
Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mozambique,
Nauru, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Togo, Third Committee
United Kingdom, United States, Yemen • Chairperson: Omar Hilale (Morocco)
The Assembly has four types of committees: (1) Main Commit- • Vice-Chairpersons: Tamta Kupradze (Georgia), Shiraz Arif Mohammed
tees; (2) procedural committees; (3) standing committees; (4) sub- (Guyana), Greg Dempsey (Canada)
sidiary and ad hoc bodies. In addition, it convenes conferences to • Rapporteur: Adele Li (Singapore)
deal with specific subjects. Fifth Committee
• Chairperson: Durga Prasad Bhattarai (Nepal)
MAIN COMMITTEES • Vice-Chairpersons: Bachar Bong Abdallah (Chad), Omar Castañeda
By resolution 47/233, the General Assembly rationalized its Com- Solares (Guatemala), Yotam Goren (Israel)
mittee structure as follows: • Rapporteur: Gert Auväärt (Estonia)
• Disarmament and International Security Committee (First Com- Sixth Committee
mittee);
• Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Com- • Chairperson: Eden Charles (Trinidad and Tobago)
mittee); • Vice-Chairpersons: Natalie Y. Morris-Sharma (Singapore), Andreas
• Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee); Motzfeldt Kravik (Norway), Boris Holovka (Serbia)
• Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (Third Committee); • Rapporteur: Idrees Mohammed Ali Mohammed Saeed (Sudan)
• Administrative and Budgetary Committee (Fifth Committee); PROCEDURAL COMMITTEES
• Legal Committee (Sixth Committee).
General Committee
The General Assembly may constitute other committees, on which
all Members of the United Nations have the right to be represented. The General Committee consists of the President of the General
Assembly, as Chairperson, the 21 Vice-Presidents and the Chair-
OFFICERS OF THE MAIN COMMITTEES persons of the six Main Committees.
Resumed sixty-ninth session
Credentials Committee
Fourth Committee3 The Credentials Committee consists of nine members appointed
• Chairperson: Durga Prasad Bhattarai (Nepal) by the General Assembly on the proposal of the President.
• Vice-Chairpersons: Tishka Francis (Bahamas), Tarik Iziraren Resumed Sixty-ninth session
(Morocco), Aleksandra Stepowska (Poland) Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Denmark, Jamaica, Namibia, Russian
• Rapporteur: Borg Tsien Tham (Singapore) Federation, Senegal, United States
Fifth Committee3 Seventieth session5
• Chairperson: František Ružička (Slovakia) Argentina, Austria, Barbados, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Kazakhstan,
• Vice-Chairpersons: Paula Coto-Ramírez (Costa Rica), Aline Mu- Russian Federation, South Africa, United States
kashyaka (Rwanda), Chamithri Jayanika Rambukwella (Sri Lanka)
• Rapporteur: Matthias Dettling (Switzerland) STANDING COMMITTEES
The two standing committees consist of experts appointed in
their individual capacity for three-year terms.
1 Elected on 15 June 2015 (General Assembly dec. 69/421).
2 Elected on 15 June 2015 (General Assembly dec. 69/423). 4 Elected on 15 June 2015 (General Assembly dec. 69/422).
3 One of the Main Committees that met during the resumed session. 5 Appointed on 16 September 2015 (General Assembly dec. 70/401).

791
792 Appendix II

Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

Questions (ACABQ) • Sessions: Sixty-third, Geneva, 28–30 January; sixty-fourth, New
• To serve until 31 December 2015: Mohanad Al-Musawi (Iraq), York, 29 June–1 July
Jasminka Dinić (Croatia), Babou Sene (Senegal), Tesfa Alem • Chairperson: István Gyarmati (Hungary)
Seyoum (Eritrea) • Membership: 15 (plus 1 ex-officio member)
• To serve until 31 December 2016: Takeshi Akamatsu (Japan)6, Richard • Report: A/70/186
Moon (United Kingdom), Carlos Ruizmassieu (Mexico), Devesh Ut- Advisory Committee on the United Nations Programme
tam (India), Catherine Vendat (France), Ye Xuenong (China) of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination
• To serve until 31 December 2017: Pavel Chernikov (Russian Federa- and Wider Appreciation of International Law
tion), Fernando De Oliveira Sena (Brazil), Ali A. Ali Kurer (Libya), • Session: Fiftieth, New York, 13 October
Dietrich Lingenthal (Germany), David Traystman (United States) • Chairperson: Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee (Ghana)
On 13 November 2015 (dec. 70/407 A), the General Assembly ap- • Membership: 25
pointed the following persons for a three-year term beginning on • Report: A/70/423
1 January 2016 to fill vacancies occurring on 31 December 2015: Ihor
Board of Auditors
Humennyi (Ukraine), Conrod Hunte (Antigua and Barbuda), Eihab
Omaish (Jordan), Babou Sene (Senegal), Tesfa Alem Seyoum (Eritrea). • Session: Sixty-ninth (regular), New York, 22 and 23 July
• Chairperson: Mussa Juma Assad (Tanzania)
Committee on Contributions • Membership: 3
• To serve until 31 December 2015: Andrzej T. Abraszewski (Poland), • Decision: GA 70/409
Syed Yawar Ali (Pakistan), Edward Faris (United States), Ihor Committee on Conferences
Humennyi (Ukraine), Toshiro Ozawa (Japan), Josiel Motumisi • Sessions: New York, 22 April and 29 June (organizational); 8 Sep­
Tawana (South Africa) tem­ber (substantive)
• To serve until 31 December 2016: Jean Pierre Diawara (Guinea), • Chairperson: Marcelo Eliseo Scappini Ricciardi (Paraguay)
Gordon Eckersley (Australia), Mohamed A. Elshakshuki (Libya), • Membership: 21
Bernardo Greiver del Hoyo (Uruguay), Pedro Luis Pedroso • Report: A/70/32
Cuesta (Cuba), Ugo Sessi (Italy) • Decisions: GA 69/412 B, 70/406 A
• To serve until 31 December 2017: Fu Daopeng (China), Kunal
Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights
Khatri (United Kingdom), Nikolay Lozinskiy (Russian Federation),
of the Palestinian People
Henrique da Silveira Sardinha Pinto (Brazil), Thomas Schlesinger
(Austria), Yoon Seongmee (Republic of Korea)7 • Meetings: Throughout the year
• Chairperson: Fodé Seck (Senegal)
On 13 November 2015 (dec. 70/408 A), the General Assembly ap- • Membership: 26
pointed the following persons for a three-year term beginning • Report: A/70/35
on 1 January 2016 to fill the vacancies occurring on 31 December
2015: Syed Yawar Ali (Pakistan), Jasminka Dinić (Croatia), Edward Committee on Information
Faris (United States), Toshiro Ozawa (Japan), Tõnis Saar (Estonia), • Session: Thirty-seventh, New York, 27 April–8 May
Josiel Motumisi Tawana (South Africa). • Chairperson: Kaha Imnadze (Georgia)
• Membership: 115
SUBSIDIARY AND AD HOC BODIES • Report: A/70/21
The following is a list of subsidiary and ad hoc bodies functioning Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space
in 2015, including the number of members, dates of meetings/ • Session: Fifty-eighth, Vienna, 10–19 June
sessions in 2015, document numbers of reports (which generally • Chairperson: Azzedine Oussedik (Algeria)
provide specific information on membership) and relevant deci- • Membership: 77
sion numbers pertaining to elections. • Report: A/70/20
• Decision: GA 70/412
Ad Hoc Committee on the Administration of Justice
at the United Nations Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC)
• Session: Did not meet in 2015 • Sessions: Fifty-fifth, New York, 23 April (organizational); 1–26 June
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States or members of the (substantive)
specialized agencies or of IAEA • Chairperson: Yuri Ambrazevich (Belarus)
• Membership: 34
Ad Hoc Committee on Criminal Accountability • Report: A/70/16
of United Nations Officials and Experts on Mission • Decisions: GA 69/404 B, 70/414
• Session: Did not meet in 2015
Committee on Relations with the Host Country
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States or members of the
specialized agencies or of IAEA • Meetings: New York, 11 February, 1 May, 30 July, 5 and 30 October
• Chairperson: Nicholas Emiliou (Cyprus)
Ad Hoc Committee established by General Assembly • Membership: 19 (including the United States as host country)
resolution 51/210 of 17 December 1996 • Report: A/70/26
• Session: Did not meet in 2015
Committee for the United Nations Population Award
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States or members of the
specialized agencies or of IAEA • Chairperson: Edita Hrdá (Czech Republic)
• Membership: 10 (plus the Secretary-General and the UNFPA
Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean Executive Director as ex-officio members)
• Meeting: 456th, New York, 22 July • Report: A/70/140
• Chairperson: Amrith Rohan Perera (Sri Lanka) • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
• Membership: 43
Disarmament Commission
• Report: A/70/29
• Sessions: New York, 19 January (organizational); 6–24 April (sub­
6 Appointed on 30 July 2015 (General Assembly dec. 69/407 B) to fill stantive)
the vacancy created by the resignation of Toshihiro Aiki. • Chairperson: Fodé Seck (Senegal)
7 Appointed on 5 March 2015 (General Assembly dec. 69/408 B) to fill • Membership: All UN Member States
the vacancy created by the resignation of Yoo Dae-jong. • Report: A/70/42
Structure of the United Nations 793

High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation • Chairperson: Odo Tevi (Vanuatu)

• Session: Did not meet in 2015 • Membership: Open to all UN Member States
• Membership: All UN Member States • Report: A/70/33
Human Rights Council Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting
• Sessions: Twenty-third, 1 April; twenty-fourth (special), 17 Decem­ the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other
ber; twenty-eighth, 2–27 March; twenty-ninth, 15 June–3 July; Arabs of the Occupied Territories
thirtieth (regular), 14 September–2 October; all in Geneva • Chairperson: Amrith Rohan Perera (Sri Lanka)
• President: Joachim Rücker (Germany) • Membership: 3
• Membership: 47 • Report: A/70/706
• Reports: A/70/53 & Add.1
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
• Decision: GA 70/413
• Session: New York, 17 February–13 March
Independent Audit Advisory Committee • Chairperson: U. Joy Ogwu (Nigeria)
• Sessions: Twenty-ninth, 18–20 February; thirtieth, 27–29 April; • Membership: 151
thirty-first, 8–10 July; all in New York; thirty-second, 9–11 Decem­ • Report: A/69/19
ber, in Geneva
• Chairperson: Joseph Christopher Mihm, Jr. (United States) Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the
• Membership: 5 Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of
• Reports: A/70/284, A/71/295 Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples
• Session: New York, 19 February (first part); 15, 22, 23, 25 and
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) 26 June (second part)
• Sessions: Eightieth, New York, 16–27 March; eighty-first, Vienna, • Chairperson: Xavier Lasso Mendoza (Ecuador)
27 July–7 August • Membership: 29
• Chairperson: Kingston P. Rhodes (Sierra Leone) • Report: A/70/23
• Membership: 15
• Report: A/70/30 United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
(UNCITRAL)
Advisory Committee on Post Adjustment Questions
• Session: Forty-eighth, Vienna, 29 June–16 July
• Session: Thirty-seventh, Brindisi, Italy, 22 February–2 March • Chairperson: Francisco Reyes Villamizar (Colombia)
• Chairperson: Wolfgang Stöckl (Germany) • Membership: 60
• Membership: 6 • Report: A/70/17
International Law Commission • Decisions: GA 69/420, GA 70/405 A
• Session: Sixty-seventh, Geneva, 4 May–5 June, 6 July–7 August United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine
• Chairperson: Narinder Singh (India) • Membership: 3
• Membership: 34 • Report: A/70/319
• Report: A/70/10
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Investments Committee
(UNCTAD)
• Chairperson: Michael Klein (United States)
• Session: Did not meet in 2015
• Membership: 9 (plus ad hoc members)
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States or members of the
• Decision: GA 70/415
specialized agencies of IAEA
Joint Advisory Group on the International Trade Centre • Secretary-General of UNCTAD: Mukhisa Kituyi (Kenya)
UNCTAD/WTO
Trade and Development Board
• Session: Forty-ninth, Geneva, 26 June
• Chairperson: Patricia O’Brien (Ireland) • Sessions: Twenty-ninth (special), 26 November; sixty-first (execu­
• Membership: Open to all member States of UNCTAD and all tive), 24–26 June; sixty-second (annual), 14–25 September; all in
member States of WTO Geneva
• Report: ITC/AG(XLIX)/260 • President: Alberto Pedro D’Alotto (Argentina)
• Membership: Open to all members States of UNCTAD
Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) • Report: A/70/15 (Part II-IV)
• Chairperson: Jorge T. Flores Callejas (Honduras)
Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission
• Membership: 11
• Report: A/70/34 • Session: Seventh, Geneva, 20–24 April
• Decision: GA 69/419 • Chairperson: Christopher Onyanga Aparr (Uganda)
• Membership: Open to all members States of UNCTAD
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for • Report: TD/B/C.II/31
Refugees (UNHCR)
Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme Trade and Development Commission

• Session: Sixty-sixth, 5–9 October • Session: Seventh, Geneva, 18–22 May

• Chairperson: Pedro Comissário (Mozambique) • Chairperson: Humberto Jimenez Torres (Ecuador)
• Membership: 98 • Membership: Open to all members States of UNCTAD
• Report: A/70/12/Add.1 • Report: TD/B/C.I/38 & Corr.1
• High Commissioner: António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (Portugal) Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy
• Decisions: ESC 2015/201 B, GA 69/417, GA 70/410 • Session: Did not meet in 2015
Panel of External Auditors Working Party on the Strategic Framework and the Programme
• Meeting: Fifty-sixth, Geneva, 7–8 December Budget
• Membership: Members of the UN Board of Auditors and the • Sessions: Seventieth, 9–13 March; seventy-first, 7–9 September;
appointed external auditors of the specialized agencies and IAEA seventy-second, 30 November–2 December; all in Geneva
Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations • Chairpersons: Aleksandr Tselyuk (Belarus) (seventieth); Alfredo
and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization Suescum (Panama) (seventy-first); Fredrick Matwang’a (Kenya)
• Meetings: New York, 17, 18, 19 and 25 February (seventy-second)
794 Appendix II

• Membership: Open to all members States of UNCTAD • Chairperson: Per Örnéus (Sweden)
• Reports: TD/B/WP/270, TD/B/WP/275, TD/B/WP/277 • Membership: 27 (plus 3 observers)
• Report: A/70/13
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA
Executive Board • Meetings: New York, 1 July, 15 July, 6 August and 2 September
• Session: New York, first (regular), 9 February (annual), • Chairperson: Y. Halit Çevik (Turkey)
30 June–2 July; second (regular), 15–16 September • Membership: 9
• President: Ib Petersen (Denmark) • Report: A/70/379
• Reports: UNW/2015/3, UNW/2015/7, UNW/2015/12 • Commissioner-General of UNRWA: Pierre Krähenbühl (Switzerland)
• Executive Director: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (South Africa) United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 C Atomic Radiation
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) • Session: Sixty-second, Vienna, 1–5 June
UN Environment Assembly • Chairperson: Yoshiharu Yonekura (Japan)
• Membership: 27
• Session: Did not meet in 2015
• Report: A/70/46
• Membership: 10
• Executive Director: Achim Steiner (Germany/Brazil) United Nations Staff Pension Committee
United Nations Human Settlements Programme • Membership: 8
(UN-Habitat)
United Nations University (UNU)
Governing Council
Council of the United Nations University
• Session: Twenty-fifth, Nairobi, 17–23 April
• President: Ján Ilavský (Slovakia) • Sessions: Sixty-third, Paris, 5–6 May; sixty-fourth, Tokyo, 30 No­
• Membership: 58 vember–1 December
• Report: A/70/8 • Chairperson: Mohamed Hassan (Sudan)
• Executive Director of UN-Habitat: Joan Clos (Spain) • Membership: 12 (plus the UNU Rector and 3 ex-officio members
• Decisions: ESC 2015/201 B, C & D (UN Secretary-General, UNESCO Director-General, UNITAR
Executive Director))
United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) • Rector of the University: David M. Malone (Canada)
Board of trustees • Report: E/2015/7
• Sessions: Sixty-third, New York, 28–30 January; sixty-fourth, United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Populations
Geneva, 29 June–1 July
Board of Trustees
• Chairperson: István Gyarmati (Hungary)
• Membership: 15 (plus 1 ex-officio member) • Session: Twenty-eighth, Geneva, 26–30 January
• Report: A/70/186 • Chairperson: Anne Nuorgam (Finland)
• Director of UNIDIR: Jarmo Sareva (Finland) • Membership: 5
• Report: A/71/228
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Board of Trustees
United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture
Board of Trustees
• Sessions: Special, 13 April; fifty-sixth, Geneva, 19–20 November
• Chairperson: Henri Lopes (Congo) • Sessions: Forty-first, 13–17 April; forty-second, 28 September–
• Membership: 16 2 October; all in Geneva
• Reports: UNITAR/BT/SS/2015, UNITAR/BT/56/2 • Chairperson: Adam Bodnar (Poland)
• Executive Director: Taous Feroukhi (Algeria) • Membership: 5
• Reports: A/70/223, A/HRC/31/23
United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board
• Session: Did not meet in 2015 United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary
• Membership: 33 Forms of Slavery
Board of Trustees
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
• Session: Twentieth, Geneva, 23–27 November
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
• Chairperson: Nevena Vučković-Šahović (Serbia)
Advisory Commission of UNRWA • Membership: 5
• Meeting: Amman, Jordan, 15–16 June • Report: A/71/272

SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council consists of 15 Member States of the United On 15 October 2015 (dec. 70/403 A), the General Assembly
Nations (five permanent members and ten non-permanent mem- elected Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay for a two-
bers), in accordance with the provisions of Article 23 of the United year term beginning on 1 January 2016, to replace Chad, Chile,
Nations Charter as amended in 1965. Jordan, Lithuania and Nigeria whose terms of office expired on
31 December 2015.
MEMBERS
• Permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, United PRESIDENT
Kingdom, United States The presidency of the Council rotates monthly, according to the
• Non-permanent members: Angola, Chad, Chile, Jordan, English alphabetical listing of its Member States. The following
Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Spain, Venezuela served as President during 2015:
Structure of the United Nations 795

Month Member Representative PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS

January Chile Cristián Barros Melet United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)
February China Liu Jieyi • Head of UNTSO and Chief of Staff: General Michael Finn (Ireland)
March France François Delattre (until July); Major General Arthur David Gawn (New Zealand)
April Jordan Dina Kawar United Nations Military Observer Group in India and
Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
May Lithuania Raimonda Murmokaitė
• Chief Military Observer: Major General Delali Johnson Sakyi (Ghana)
June Malaysia Ramlan Bin Ibrahim
July New Zealand Gerard Jacobus van Bohemen
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
August Nigeria U. Joy Ogwu
UNFICYP: Lisa M. Buttenheim (United States)
September Russian Federation Vitaly Churkin • Force Commander: Major General Kristin Lund (Norway)
October Spain Román Oyarzun Marchesi United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF)
November United Kingdom Matthew Rycroft • Head of UNDOF and Force Commander: Major General Purna
December United States Samantha Power Chandra Thapa (Nepal)

MILITARY STAFF COMMITTEE United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

• Force Commander: Major General Luciano Portolano (Italy)
The Military Staff Committee consists of the chiefs of staff of the
permanent members of the Security Council or their representa- United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western
tives. It meets fortnightly. Sahara (MINURSO)
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
STANDING COMMITTEES MINURSO: Kim Bolduc (Canada)
Each of the three standing committees of the Security Council is • Force Commander: Major General Imam Edy Mulyono (Indone­
composed of representatives of all Council members: sia) (until September); Major General Muhammad Tayyab Azam
• Committee of Experts (to examine the provisional rules of (Pakistan)
procedure of the Council and any other matters entrusted to United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
it by the Council); (UNMIK)
• Committee on the Admission of New Members; • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK:
• Committee on Council Meetings Away from Headquarters. Farid Zarif (Afghanistan) (until August); Zahir Tanin (Afghanistan)
• OSCE Head of UNMIK in Kosovo: Jean-Claude Schlumberger (France)
SUBSIDIARY BODIES
• Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Jennifer
Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) Brush (United States)
• Chairperson: Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta (Egypt) United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the
• Membership: 15 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)
United Nations Compensation Commission • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
Governing Council MONUSCO: Martin Kobler (Germany) (until October); Maman S.
• Sessions: Seventy-ninth and eightieth, Geneva, 9 June and Sidikou (Niger)
28 October • Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General: David
• President: Ana María Menéndez Pérez (Spain) Gressly (United States)
• Membership: 15 • Force Commander: Lieutenant General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos
• Reports: S/2015/473, S/2015/863 Cruz (Brazil)
United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
1540 Committee
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIL:
• Chairperson: Román Oyarzun Marchesi (Spain)
Karin Landgren (Sweden) (until July); Farid Zarif (Afghanistan)
International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) • Deputy Special Representative Recovery and Governance: Antonio
• President: Carmel Agius (Malta), Theodor Meron (United States) Vigilante (Italy)
(until No­vember) • Deputy Special Representative for Rule of Law: Mark Kroeker
• Under-Secretary-General, Prosecutor: Serge Brammertz (Belgium) (United States) (until September); Waldemar Vrey (South Africa)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar: John Hocking (Australia) • Force Commander: Major General Salihu Zaway Uba (Nigeria)

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI)
• President: Vagn Joensen (Denmark) • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
• Under-Secretary-General, Prosecutor: Hassan Bubacar Jallow UNOCI: Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane (Niger)
(Gambia) • Deputy Special Representative: M’Baye Babacar Cissé (Senegal)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar: Bongani Majola (South Africa) • Force Commander: Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed
(Pakistan) (until June); Major General Didier L’Hôte (France)
ADVISORY SUBSIDIARY BODY
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH)
Peacebuilding Commission (PBC)8 • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
Organizational Committee MINUSTAH: Sandra Honoré (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Session: Ninth, New York, 1 January–31 December • Deputy Special Representative for Rule of Law: Carl Alexandre
• Chairperson: Olof Skoog (Sweden) (United States)
• Membership: 31 • Deputy Special Representative and the Resident Coordinator and
• Report: A/70/714 Humanitarian Coordinator: Peter de Clercq (Netherlands) (until
• Decisions: GA 70/416; ESC 2015/201 A July); Mourad Wahba (Egypt)
• Force Commander: Lieutenant General Jose Luiz Jaborandy, Jr.
(Brazil) (until August); Lieutenant-General Ajax Porto Pinheiro
8 Also an advisory subsidiary body of the General Assembly. (Brazil)
796 Appendix II

United Nations Mission in South Sudan • Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and
(UNMISS) Deputy Head of MINUSCA: Diane Corner (United Kingdom)
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of • Force Commander: Major General Martin Chomu Tumenta
UNMISS: Ellen Margrethe Løj (Denmark) (Cameroon)
• Deputy Special Representative (Political): Moustapha Soumaré
(Mali) Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator
• Deputy Special Representative and Resident and Humanitarian of the Secretary-General for Lebanon (UNSCOL)
Coordinator: Toby Lanzer (United Kingdom) (until May); Eugene • Special Coordinator of the Secretary-General for Lebanon: Sigrid
Owusu (Ghana) Kaag (Netherlands)
• Force Commander: Lieutenant-General Yohannes Gebremeskel • Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon: Ross Stewart Mountain
Tesfamariam (Ethiopia) (New Zealand) (until April); Philippe Lazzarini (Switzerland)
African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation
in Darfur (UNAMID) Office of the Special Representative
• AU-UN Joint Special Representative for Darfur and Head of of the Secretary-General for West Africa (UNOWA)
UNAMID: Abiodun Oluremi Bashua (Nigeria) (until October), • Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Mohammed Ibn
Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi (Nigeria) Chambas (Ghana)
• Deputy Joint Special Representative for Operations and Manage­
ment: Abdul Kamara (Sierra Leone) (until October); Bintou Keita
(Guinea) United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
• Force Commander: Lieutenant General Paul Ignace Mella (UNAMA)
(Tanzania) • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
• Police Commissioner: Brigadier Hester Adriana Paneras (South UNAMA: Nicholas Haysom (South Africa)
Africa) (until June); Brigadier-General Mutasem Almajali (Acting) • Deputy Special Representative (Resident and Humanitarian Coordi­
(Jordan) nator): Mark Bowden (United Kingdom)
• Deputy Special Representative (Political) for Afghanistan: Tadamichi
United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei Yamamoto (Japan)
(UNISFA)
• Head of UNISFA and Force Commander: Major General Birhanu United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
Jula Gelalcha (Ethiopia) (UNAMI)
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization • Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head
Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) of UNAMI: Nickolay Mladenov (Bulgaria) (until February); Ján
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head Kubiš (Slovakia)
MINUSMA: Mongi Hamdi (Tunisia) • Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs: György Busztin
• Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Arnauld (Hungary)
Antoine Akodjènou (Benin) (until September); Koen Davidse • Deputy Special Representative for Resident and Humanitarian
(Netherlands) Coordinator: Lise Grande (United States)

POLITICAL, PEACEBUILDING AND OTHER MISSIONS United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive
United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA)
in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS) • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA: Miroslav Jenča (Slovakia) (until March); Petko Draganov
UNIOGBIS: Miguel Trovoada (São Tomé and Príncipe) (Bulgaria)
United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM)
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia and United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa
Head of UNSOM: Nicholas Kay (United Kingdom) (UNOCA)
• Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia: • Special Representative of the Secretary-General: Abdoulaye Bathily
Raisedon Zenenga (Zimbabwe) (Senegal)
Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator
for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) United Nations Support Mission in Libya
(UNSMIL)
• Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal
Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation • Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of
Organization and the Palestinian Authority: Robert H. Serry UNSMIL: Bernardino León (Spain) (until November); Martin
(Netherlands) (until February); Nickolay Mladenov (Bulgaria) Kobler (Germany)
• Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process:
James W. Rawley (United States) (until May); Robert Piper United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency
(Australia) Response (UNMEER)10
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization • Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola: David Nabarro (United
Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA)9 Kingdom)
• Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of • Special Representative and Head of UNMEER: Anthony Banbury
MINUSCA: Babacar Gaye (Senegal) (United States)

9 On 28 January 2014, the Security Council extended (resolution

2134(2014)) the mandate of BINUCA until 31 January 2015. On
10 April 2014, the Council (resolution 2149(2014)) subsumed the pres-
ence of BINUCA into a newly established peacekeeping operation, the
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in 10 UNMEER, the first-ever UN emergency health mission, was estab-
the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). lished on 19 September 2014 and closed on 31 July 2015.
Structure of the United Nations 797

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

The Economic and Social Council consists of 54 Member States of Commission on Population and Development
the United Nations, elected by the General Assembly, each for a • Session: Forty-eighth, New York, 13–17 April
three-year term, in accordance with the provisions of Article 61 of • Chairperson: Bénédicte Frankinet (Belgium)
the United Nations Charter as amended in 1965 and 1973. • Membership: 47
MEMBERS • Report: E/2015/25
• To serve until 31 December 2015: Albania, Australia, Benin, Bolivia, • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
Colombia, Croatia, Haiti, Italy, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Nepal, Commission on Science and Technology for Development
San Marino, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, United • Session: Eighteenth, Geneva, 4–8 May
States. • Chairperson: Omobola Johnson (Nigeria)
• To serve until 31 December 2016: Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, • Membership: 43
Botswana, China, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, • Report: E/2015/31
Finland, Georgia, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Panama, Republic of
Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Commission for Social Development
United Kingdom. • Session: Fifty-third, New York, 4–13 February
• To serve until 31 December 2017: Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, • Chairperson: Simona Mirela Miculescu (Romania)
Cuba, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, India, • Membership: 46
Ireland, Japan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, • Report: E/2015/26
Uganda, Zimbabwe. • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
On 21 October 2015 (dec. 70/404 A), the General Assembly elected Commission on the Status of Women
the following for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2016 • Session: Fifty-ninth, New York, 9–20 March
to fill the vacancies occurring on 31 December 2015: Afghanistan, • Chairperson: Kanda Vajrabhaya (Thailand)
Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Chile, Czech Republic, Guyana, Iraq, • Membership: 45
Italy, Lebanon, Nigeria, Peru, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, So- • Report: E/2015/27
malia, South Africa, United States, Vietnam. By the same deci- • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
sion, on 9 November 2015, the Assembly elected Ireland for the
Statistical Commission
remaining term of office of Austria, beginning on 1 January 2016.
• Session: Forty-sixth, New York, 3–6 March
SESSIONS • Chairperson: John Pullinger (United Kingdom)
• Organizational session: New York, 13 January, 4 March, 15 May, • Membership: 24
10 June, 24 July, 17 September, 12 November and 10 December • Report: E/2015/24
• Substantive session: New York, 30 January; 23–25 February; • Decisions: ESC 2015/201 B & D
30 March–1 April; 8–10 April; 8–10 and 29 June; 6–10 and 20–23 July
United Nations Forum on Forests
• Special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions,
WTO and UNCTAD: New York, 20–21 April • Session: Eleventh, New York, 4–15 May
• Annual special meeting: New York, 22 April • Chairperson: Noel Nelson Messone (Gabon)
• Membership: Open to all UN Member States and members of the
OFFICERS specialized agencies
• President: Oh Joon (Republic of Korea) • Report: E/2015/42 & Corr.1
• Vice-Presidents: Vladimir Drobnjak (Croatia), María Emma Mejía
Vélez (Colombia), Mohamed Khaled Khiari (Tunisia)11 REGIONAL COMMISSIONS
SUBSIDIARY AND OTHER RELATED ORGANS Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
• Session: The forty-eighth session of the Commission/Eighth Joint
SUBSIDIARY ORGANS
Annual Meetings of the AU and ECA Conference of Ministers,
• The Economic and Social Council may, at each session, set Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 30–31 March
up committees or working groups, of the whole or of limited • Chairperson: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (South Africa)
member­ship, and refer to them any item on the agenda for study • Membership: 53
and report.
• Other subsidiary organs reporting to the Council consist of Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)
functional commissions, regional commissions, standing • Session: Sixty-sixth, Geneva, 14–16 April
committees, expert and ad hoc bodies. • Chairperson: Mukhtar Tileuberdi (Kazakhstan)
• The inter-agency United Nations System Chief Executives Board • Membership: 56
for Coordination also reports to the Council. • Report: E/2015/37
FUNCTIONAL COMMISSIONS Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC)
Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
• Session: Did not meet in 2015
• Sessions: Twenty-fourth, Vienna, 18–22 May and 10–11 December • Membership: 44
• Chairperson: Luis Alfonso de Alba (Mexico)
• Membership: 40 Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
• Reports: E/2015/30 & Add.1 (ESCAP)
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 B • Session: Seventy-first, Bangkok, Thailand, 25–29 May
Commission on Narcotic Drugs • Chairperson: Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama (Fiji)
• Membership: 53
• Session: Fifty-eighth, Vienna, 9–17 March and 9–11 December • Report: E/2015/39
• Chairperson: Arthayudh Srisamoot (Thailand)
• Membership: 53 Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
• Reports: E/2015/28 & Add.1 • Session: Fifth (special), Amman, Jordan, 8 June
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 B • Chairperson: Fuad Sadiq Albaharna (Bahrain)
• Membership: 17
11 Elected on 13 January 2015 (ESC dec. 2015/200 A). • Report: E/2015/41
798 Appendix II

STANDING COMMITTEES • Membership: Representatives of the 24 geographical/linguistic

divisions of the Group of Experts
Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations
• Sessions: New York, 26 January–4 February (regular);
26 May–3 June and 12 June (resumed)
AD HOC BODY
• Chairperson: Jorge Dotta (Uruguay) United Nations System Chief Executives Board for
• Membership: 19 Coordination (CEB)
• Reports: E/2015/32 (Part I & II) • Sessions: First, Paris, 29–30 April; second, New York, 18–19 November
• Chairperson: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) • Membership: 29
• Sessions: Fifty-fifth, New York, 23 April (organizational), 1–26 June • Reports: CEB/2015/1, CEB/2015/2
(substantive)
• Chairperson: Yuri Ambrazevich (Belarus) OTHER RELATED BODIES
• Membership: 34
Joint United Nations Programme on Human
• Report: A/70/16
Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency
• Decisions: ESC 2015/201 B & D
Syndrome (UNAIDS)
Programme Coordinating Board
EXPERT BODIES • Meetings: Thirty-sixth, 30 June–2 July; thirty-seventh, 26–
Committee of Experts on International Cooperation 28 October; all in Geneva
in Tax Matters • Chairperson: Pagwesese David Parirenyatwa (Zimbabwe)
• Session: Eleventh, Geneva, 19–23 October • Membership: 22
• Chairperson: Armando Lara Yaffar (Mexico) • Reports: UNAIDS/PCB (36)/15.14, UNAIDS/PCB (37)/15.26
• Membership: 25 • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
• Report: E/2015/45 • Executive Director of UNAIDS: Michel Sidibé (Mali)

Committee for Development Policy United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

• Session: Seventeenth, New York, 23–27 March Executive Board
• Chairperson: José Antonio Ocampo (Colombia) • Sessions: First and second (regular), 3–5 February and
• Membership: 24 8–10 September; annual, 16–18 June; all in New York
• Report: E/2015/33 • President: Masood Khan (Pakistan)
• Membership: 36
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights • Report: E/2015/34/Rev.1
• Sessions: Fifty-fourth, 23 February–6 March; fifty-fifth, • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
1–19 June; fifty-sixth, 21 September–9 October; all in Geneva • Executive Director of UNICEF: Anthony Lake (United States)
• Chairperson: Waleed Sadi (Jordan)
• Membership: 18 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/United
• Report: E/2016/22 Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)/United Nations Office
for Project Services (UNOPS)
Committee of Experts on Public Administration Executive Board
• Session: Fourteenth, New York, 20–24 April • Sessions: First and second regular, 26–30 January and
• Chairperson: Margaret Saner (United Kingdom) 1–4 September; annual, 1–12 June; all in New York
• Membership: 24 • President: Fernando Carrera (Guatemala)
• Report: E/2015/44 • Membership: 36
• Report: E/2015/35
Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous • Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of • Administrator of UNDP: Helen Clark (New Zealand)
Classification and Labelling of Chemicals • Associate Administrator: Tegegnework Gettu (Ethiopia)
• Session: Did not meet in 2015 • Executive Director of UNFPA: Babatunde Osotimehin (Nigeria)
• Membership: 66 • Executive Director of UNOPS: Grete Faremo (Norway)

Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
International Standards of Accounting and Reporting The UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board acts as the Executive
• Session: Thirty-second, Geneva, 4–6 November Board of the Fund.
• Chairperson: Ewald Müller (Qatar) • Managing Director: Helen Clark (UNDP Administrator)
• Membership: 34 • Report: DP/2015/21
• Report: TD/B/C.II/ISAR/75
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 B United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
• Report: DP/2016/15
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Session: Fourteenth, New York, 20 April–1 May United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
• Chairperson: Megan Davis (Australia) (UNRISD)
• Membership: 16 Board of directors
• Report: E/2015/43
• Session: Fifty-third, Geneva, 17 April
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
• Chairperson: Maureen O’Neil (Canada)
• Membership: 11
United Nations Group of Experts • Reports: Board/15/3, Board/16/3
on Geographical Names • Director of UNRISD: Sarah Cook (United Kingdom) (until July),
• Session: Did not meet in 2015 Paul Ladd (United Kingdom)
Structure of the United Nations 799

United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research • Director: Jafar Javan (United States)
Institute (UNICRI)
World Food Programme (WFP)
Board of Trustees
Executive Board
• Membership: 7 (plus 4 ex-officio members)
• Director of UNICRI: Jonathan Lucas (Seychelles) (until March), • Sessions: First and second (regular), 9–10 February and
Cindy Smith (United States) 9–12 November; annual, 25–28 June; all in Rome
• President: Samuel Beever (Australia)
United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) • Membership: 36
Board of Governors • Report: E/2016/36
• Chairperson: Edmond Mulet (Guatemala) • Decisions: ESC 2015/201 A & B
• Membership: 8 (plus 3 ex-officio members) • Executive Director of WFP: Ertharin Cousin (United States)

TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL
The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 Novem- considering that the Council no longer met and had no re-
ber 1994, following the independence, on 1 October 1994 of maining functions, decided that Chapter XIII of the United
Palau, the last remaining United Nations trust territory. The Nations Charter and references to the Council in Chapter XII
General Assembly, in resolution 60/1 of 16 September 2005, should be deleted.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

JUDGES OF THE COURT Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Gambia, Georgia, Germany,
The International Court of Justice consists of 15 Judges elected for
Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India,
nine-year terms by the General Assembly and the Security Council.
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithu-
Country End of ania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands,
Judge
of nationality term Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria,
Ronny Abraham, President France 2018 Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Vice-President Somalia 2018 Portugal, Romania, Senegal, Slovakia, Somalia, Spain, Sudan,
Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, Togo,
Hisashi Owada Japan 2021
Uganda, United Kingdom and Uruguay.
Peter Tomka Slovakia 2021
Mohamed Bennouna Morocco 2015 United Nations organs and specialized and related agencies
authorized to request advisory opinions from the Court
Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade Brazil 2018
• Authorized by the United Nations Charter to request opinions on
Christopher Greenwood United Kingdom 2018
any legal question: General Assembly, Security Council
Xue Hanqin China 2021 • Authorized by the General Assembly in accordance with the Charter
Joan E. Donoghue United States 2015 to request opinions on legal questions arising within the scope of
Giorgio Gaja Italy 2021 their activities: Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council,
Julia Sebutinde Uganda 2021 Interim Committee of the General Assembly, FAO, IAEA, ICAO,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMO, IMF, ITU, UNESCO, UNIDO, World Bank,
Dalveer Bhandari India 2018 WHO, WIPO, WMO.
Patrick Lipton Robinson Jamaica 2024
Committees of the Court
James Richard Crawford Australia 2024
BUDGETARY AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE
Kirill Geyorgian Russian Federation 2024
• Members: Ronny Abraham (Chairperson), Abdulqawi Ahmed
• Registrar: Philippe Couvreur (Belgium) Yusuf, Peter Tomka, Christopher Greenwood, Xue Hanqin, Julia
• Deputy Registrar: Jean Pelé Fomété (Cameroon) Sebutinde, Dalveer Bhandari
Chamber of Summary Procedure LIBRARY COMMITTEE
• Members: Ronny Abraham, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, Xue Hanqin, • Members: Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade (Chairperson),
Joan E. Donoghue, Giorgio Gaja Giorgio Gaja, Dalveer Bhandari, Kirill Geyorgian
• Substitute members: Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, Kirill
RULES COMMITTEE
Geyorgian
• Members: Hisashi Owada (Chairperson), Antônio Augusto
Parties to the Court’s Statute Cançado Trindade, Joan E. Donoghue, Giorgio Gaja, Patrick
All Members of the United Nations are ipso facto parties to the Lipton Robinson, James Richard Crawford, Kirill Geyorgian
Statute of the International Court of Justice.
OTHER UNITED NATIONS-RELATED BODIES
States accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court The following bodies are not subsidiary to any principal organ
Declarations made by the following States, several with reserva- of the United Nations, but were established by an international
tions, accepting the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction (or made treaty instrument or arrangement sponsored by the United Na-
under the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Jus- tions and are thus related to the Organization and its work. These
tice and deemed to be an acceptance of the jurisdiction of the bodies, often referred to as “Treaty organs”, are serviced by the
International Court), were in force at the end of 2015: Australia, United Nations Secretariat and may be financed in part or wholly
Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, from the Organization’s regular budget, as authorized by the
Cameroon, Canada, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic General Assembly, to which most of them report annually.
800 Appendix II

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Office of Legal Affairs

Women (CEDAW) • Under-Secretary-General, Legal Counsel: Miguel de Serpa Soares
• Sessions: Sixtieth, 16 February–6 March; sixty-first, 6–24 July; • Assistant Secretary-General: D. Stephen Mathias
sixty-second, 26 October–20 November; all in Geneva
• Chairperson: Yoko Hayashi (Japan) Department of Political Affairs
• Membership: 23 • Under-Secretary-General: Jeffrey D. Feltman
• Reports: A/70/38, A/71/38 • Assistant Secretary-General: Miroslav Jenča (from March)
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) Office for Disarmament Affairs
• Sessions: Eighty-sixth, 27 April–15 May; eighty-seventh, 3–28 Au­ • Under-Secretary-General, High Representative: Angela Kane, Kim
gust; eighty-eighth, 23 November–11 December; all in Geneva Won-soo (Acting High Representative) (from June)
• Chairperson: Anastasia Crickley (Ireland)
• Membership: 18 Department of Peacekeeping Operations
• Reports: A/70/18, A/71/18 • Under-Secretary-General: Hervé Ladsous
• Assistant Secretary-General: Edmond Mulet
Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant • Assistant Secretary-General, Military Adviser: Lieutenant General
Workers and Members of Their Families Maqsood Ahmed
• Sessions: Twenty-second, 13–24 April; twenty-third,
31 August–9 September; all in Geneva Department of Field Support
• Chairperson: Francisco Carrión Mena (Ecuador) • Under-Secretary-General: Atul Khare
• Membership: 14 • Assistant Secretary-General: Anthony Banbury
• Reports: A/70/48, A/71/48
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Committee on the Rights of the Child
• Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Emergency
• Sessions: Sixty-eighth, 12–30 January; sixty-ninth, 18 May– 5 June; Relief Coordinator: Stephen O’Brien
seventieth, 14 September–2 October; all in Geneva • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator:
• Chairpersons: Kirsten Sandberg (Norway), Benyam Dawit Kyung-wha Kang
Mezmur (Ethiopia)
• Membership: 18 Department of Economic and Social Affairs
• Report: A/71/41 • Under-Secretary-General: Wu Hongbo
Committee against Torture • Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development: Lenni
Montiel
• Sessions: Fifty-fourth, 20 April–15 May; fifty-fifth, 27 July–
• Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-
14 August; fifty-sixth, 9 November–9 December; all in Geneva
Agency Affairs: Thomas Gass
• Chairperson: Claudio Grossman (Chile)
• Membership: 10 Department for General Assembly and Conference
• Reports: A/70/44, A/71/44 Management
Conference on Disarmament • Under-Secretary-General: Tegegnework Gettu, Catherine Pollard
• Meetings: Geneva, 19 January–27 March, 25 May–10 July, (from November)
3 August–18 September • Assistant Secretary-General: Catherine Pollard (until November)
• President: Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, Department of Public Information
New Zealand
• Membership: 65 • Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Informa­
• Report: A/70/27 tion: Cristina Gallach

Human Rights Committee Department of Safety and Security

• Sessions: 113th, 16 March–2 April; 114th, 29 June–24 July; 115th, • Under-Secretary-General: Peter Thomas Drennan
19 October–6 November; all in Geneva
Department of Management
• Chairperson: Fabián Omar Salvioli (Argentina)
• Membership: 18 • Under-Secretary-General: Yukio Takasu
• Reports: A/70/40, A/71/40 OFFICE OF PROGRAMME PLANNING, BUDGET AND ACCOUNTS
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) • Assistant Secretary-General, Controller: Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas
• Sessions: 112th, 2–6 February; 113th, 4–15 May; 114th, 27 October–
OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
13 November; all in Vienna
• President: Werner Sipp (Germany) • Assistant Secretary-General: Carole Wainaina
• Membership: 13 OFFICE OF CENTRAL SUPPORT SERVICES
• Report: E/INCB/2015/1
• Assistant Secretary-General: Stephen Cutts
• Decision: ESC 2015/201 B
OFFICE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
PRINCIPAL MEMBERS OF THE UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARIAT • Assistant Secretary-General: Atefeh Riazi
Secretariat CAPITAL MASTER PLAN PROJECT
• Secretary-General: Ban Ki-moon • Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director: Michael Adlerstein
• Deputy Secretary-General: Jan Eliasson
Office of the United Nations Ombudsman
Executive Office of the Secretary-General • Assistant Secretary-General, Ombudsman: Johnston Barkat
• Under-Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet: Susana Malcorra
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Chef de Cabinet: Kim Won-soo Peacebuilding Support Office
• Assistant Secretary-General: Oscar Fernández-Taranco
Office of Internal Oversight Services
• Under-Secretary-General: Carman L. Lapointe, Heidi Mendoza United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
(from October) • Assistant Secretary-General, Chief Executive Officer: Sergio B. Arvizú
Structure of the United Nations 801

Economic Commission for Africa Office of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Carlos Lopes for Myanmar
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Vijay Nambiar
Economic Commission for Europe
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Christian Friis Bach Office of the Special Representative
(from July) of the Secretary-General for West Africa
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean • Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative: Mohammed Ibn
Chambas (from September)
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Alicia Bárcena
Office of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
on the Prevention of Genocide
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Noeleen Heyzer
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Adama Dieng
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Office of the Special Representative
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Rima Khalaf
of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
United Nations Office at Geneva • Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative: Leila Zerrougui
• Under-Secretary-General, Director-General of the United Nations
Office at Geneva: Michael Møller Office of the Special Representative
of the Secretary-General for Violence against Children
United Nations Office at Vienna
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Representative: Marta Santos
Under-Secretary-General, Director-General of the United Nations Of- Pais
fice at Vienna and Executive Director of the United Nations Office on
Drugs and Crime: Yury Fedotov Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights
United Nations Office at Nairobi • Under-Secretary-General, High Commissioner: Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein
• Under-Secretary-General and Director-General of the United (from June)
Nations Office at Nairobi: Sahle-Work Zewde • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy High Commissioner: Flavia
Pansieri, Kate Gilmore (from December)
International Court of Justice Registry
• Assistant Secretary-General (New York Office): Ivan Šimonović
• Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar: Philippe Couvreur
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
SECRETARIATS OF SUBSIDIARY ORGANS, SPECIAL • Under-Secretary-General, High Commissioner: António Manuel
REPRESENTATIVES AND OTHER RELATED BODIES de Oliveira Guterres, Filippo Grandi (from November)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy High Commissioner: Alexander
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) Aleinikoff, Kelly T. Clements (from June)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director: Jean-Paul Laborde • Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant High Commissioner (Protec­
tion): Erika Feller, Volker Türk (from June)
International Civil Service Commission • Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant High Commissioner (Opera­
• Under-Secretary-General, Chairperson: Kingston Papie Rhodes tions): George Okoth-Obbo
• Assistant Secretary-General, Vice-Chairperson: Aldo Mantovani
Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator
International Trade Centre for the Middle East
• Executive Director: Arancha González • Under-Secretary-General, Special Coordinator for the Middle East
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General
to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Michel Sidibé Authority: Robert H. Serry, Nickolay Mladenov (from February)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Programme: • Deputy Special Coordination: James W. Rawley, Robert Piper
Luiz Loures (from May)
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Manage­
ment and Governance: Jan Beagle Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa: for the Greece-FYROM Talks
Speciosa Wandira-Kasibwe • Under-Secretary-General, Personal Envoy: Matthew Nimetz
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and
the Pacific: Prasada Rao Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in the • Under-Secretary-General, Personal Envoy: Christopher Ross
Caribbean: John Edward Greene
Personal Representative of the Secretary-General on
Office of the Administration of Justice the Border Controversy between Guyana and Venezuela
• Executive Director: Linda Taylor • Under-Secretary-General: Vacant
Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Senior UN System Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza
Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small
• Assistant Secretary-General, Senior UN System Coordinator: David
Island Developing States
Nabarro
• Under-Secretary-General, High Representative: Gyan Chandra
Acharya Special Advisers to the Secretary-General
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Iqbal Riza
Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Envoy: Ray Chambers Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Espen Barth Eide
Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
on Africa Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Innovative
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Maged Abdelfatah Financing for Development
Abdelaziz • Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Philippe Douste-Blazy
802 Appendix II

Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Legal Issues • Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau of Management: Jens
related to Piracy off the Coast of Somalia Wandel
• Special Adviser: Jack Lang • Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Policy and
Programme Support: Magdy Martinez-Soliman
Special Adviser to the Secretary-General and Mediator in • Assistant Administrator and Director of Regional Bureau for Africa:
the border dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon Abdoulaye Mar Dieye
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Nicolas Michel • Assistant Administrator and Director of Regional Bureau for Arab
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the States: Sima Sami Bahous
implementation of Security Council resolution 1559(2004) • Assistant Administrator and Director of Regional Bureau for Asia
and the Pacific: Haoliang Xu
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy: Terje Roed-Larsen • Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for
Special Representative of the Secretary-General Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States: Ayse Cihan
on Food Security and Nutrition Sultanoğlu
• Special Representative: David Nabarro • Assistant Administrator and Director of Regional Bureau for Latin
America and the Caribbean: Jessica Faieta
Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative: Zainab Hawa United Nations Environment Programme
Bangura • Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Achim Steiner
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director: Ibrahim
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Migration Thiaw
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative: Peter Sutherland • Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Secretary United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change: Christiana Figueres
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Sudan
and South Sudan United Nations Global Compact
• Under-Secretary-General, Special Envoy: Haile Menkerios • Executive Director: Georg Kell, Lise Kingo (from June)
Special Court for Sierra Leone United Nations Human Settlements Programme
• Under-Secretary-General, Prosecutor: Brenda Hollis • Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Joan Clos
• Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar: Binta Mansaray • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director: Aisa Kirabo
Kacyira
Special Tribunal for Lebanon
• Under-Secretary-General, Prosecutor: Norman Farrell United Nations Institute for Training and Research
• Assistant Secretary-General, Registrar: Daryl A. Mundis • Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director: Sally Fegan-Wyles,
Nikhil Seth (from June)
Staff-Management Coordination Committee
• Assistant Secretary-General, President: Veronica Luard United Nations International School
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Representative: Michael
United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Adlerstein
• Under-Secretary-General, High Representative: Nassir Abdulaziz
al-Nasser United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
• Assistant Secretary-General, Special Representative: Margareta
United Nations Children’s Fund Wahlström, Robert Glasser (from November)
• Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Anthony Lake
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, External United Nations Office for Project Services
Relations: Johanna (Yoka) Brandt • Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Director: Grete Faremo
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Pro­
grammes: Geeta Rao Gupta United Nations Office for Partnerships
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director, Manage­ • Executive Director: Ann de la Roche
ment: Fatoumata Ndiaye United Nations Office of the Special Envoy to Haiti
United Nations Compensation Commission • Special Envoy: William J. Clinton
• Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Mojtaba Kazazi United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development • Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser: Wilfried Lemke
• Under-Secretary-General, Secretary-General of UNCTAD: Mukhisa United Nations Population Fund
Kituyi • Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Babatunde Osotimehin
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy-Secretary-General: Joakim • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director (Management):
Reiter Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, Laura Londén (from October)
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director (Programme):
• Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Braulio Ferreira Kate Gilmore
de Souza Dias United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
• Under-Secretary-General, Commissioner-General: Pierre Krähenbühl
• Assistant Secretary-General, Executive Secretary: Monique Barbut
• Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Commissioner-General:
United Nations Development Programme Margot B. Ellis, Sandra Mitchell (from March)
• Under-Secretary-General, Administrator: Helen Clark United Nations University
• Under-Secretary-General, Associate Administrator: María Eugenia • Under-Secretary-General, Rector: David M. Malone
(Gina) Casar, Tegegnework Gettu (from November)
• Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Crisis Prevention World Food Programme
and Recovery: Jordan Ryan • Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director: Ertharin Cousin
• Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau External Relations • Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director: Amir
and Advocacy: Michael O’Neill Mahmoud Abdulla
Appendix III

Agendas of the United Nations principal organs

This appendix lists the items on the agendas of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic
and Social Council during 2015. For the Assembly, the column headed “Allocation” indicates the assignment of
each item to plenary meetings or committees.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Agenda items remaining for consideration at the Item No. Title Allocation
resumed sixty-ninth session (16 January–14 September 2015) 33. Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and Plenary
[decision 69/554, A/69/49 (Vol. II)] their implications for international peace,
Item No. Title Allocation security and development.
9. Report of the Economic and Social Council. Plenary 34. Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Plenary
10. Implementation of the Declaration of Plenary Atlantic.
Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the Political 35. The situation in the Middle East. Plenary
Declarations on HIV/AIDS. 36. Question of Palestine. Plenary
12. 2001–2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Plenary 38. The situation in the occupied territories of Plenary
Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa. Azerbaijan.
13. Integrated and coordinated implementation Plenary 39. Question of the Comorian island of Mayotte. Plenary
of and follow-up to the outcomes of the
41. The situation in Central America: progress Plenary
major United Nations conferences and
in fashioning a region of peace, freedom,
summits in the economic, social and related
democracy and development.
fields:
42. Question of Cyprus. Plenary
(a) Integrated and coordinated
implementation of and follow-up to 43. Armed aggression against the Democratic Plenary
the outcomes of the major United Republic of the Congo.
Nations conferences and summits in the 44. Question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). Plenary
economic, social and related fields; 45. The situation of democracy and human rights Plenary
(b) Follow-up to the Programme of Action in Haiti.
of the International Conference on 46. Armed Israeli aggression against the Plenary
Population and Development. Iraqi nuclear installations and its grave
14. Culture of peace. Plenary consequences for the established
17. Macroeconomic policy questions: 2nd international system concerning the peaceful
uses of nuclear energy, the non-proliferation
(c) External debt sustainability and of nuclear weapons and international peace
development. and security.
18. Follow-up to and implementation of 47. Consequences of the Iraqi occupation of and Plenary
the outcome of the 2002 International aggression against Kuwait.
Conference on Financing for Development
and the 2008 Review Conference. 52. Comprehensive review of the whole question 4th
of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.
19. Sustainable development: 2nd
62. New Partnership for Africa’s Development: Plenary
(a) Implementation of Agenda 21, progress in implementation and international
the Programme for the Further support:
Implementation of Agenda 21 and
(a) New Partnership for Africa’s
the outcomes of the World Summit
Development: progress in
on Sustainable Development and of
implementation and international
the United Nations Conference on
support;
Sustainable Development;
(b) Causes of conflict and the promotion
(c) International Strategy for Disaster
of durable peace and sustainable
Reduction;
development in Africa.
(h) Harmony with Nature.
63. Report of the Human Rights Council. Plenary,
20. Implementation of the outcome of the 2nd 3rd
United Nations Conference on Human 69. Strengthening of the coordination of Plenary
Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening humanitarian and disaster relief assistance
of the United Nations Human Settlements of the United Nations, including special
Programme (UN-Habitat). economic assistance:
28. Report of the Security Council. Plenary (a) Strengthening of the coordination of
29. Report of the Peacebuilding Commission. Plenary emergency humanitarian assistance of
30. Elimination of unilateral extraterritorial Plenary the United Nations;
coercive economic measures as a means of (b) Assistance to the Palestinian people;
political and economic compulsion. (c) Special economic assistance to individual
32. Prevention of armed conflict. Plenary countries or regions.

803
804 Appendix III

Item No. Title Allocation Item No. Title Allocation

108. Report of the Secretary-General on the work Plenary 130. Financial reports and audited financial 5th
of the Organization. statements, and reports of the Board of
111. Elections to fill vacancies in principal organs: Plenary Auditors:
(b) Election of eighteen members of the (a) United Nations;
Economic and Social Council. (b) United Nations peacekeeping operations;
112. Elections to fill vacancies in subsidiary organs Plenary (c) International Trade Centre;
and other elections: (d) United Nations University;
(a) Election of twenty members of the (e) Capital master plan;
Committee for Programme and (f) United Nations Development
Coordination; Programme;
(b) Election of five members of the (g) United Nations Capital Development
Organizational Committee of the Fund;
Peacebuilding Commission;
(h) United Nations Children’s Fund;
(d) Election of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees; (i) United Nations Relief and Works Agency
for Palestine Refugees in the Near East;
(e) Election of members of the United Nations
Commission on International Trade Law. (j) United Nations Institute for Training and
Research;
113. Appointments to fill vacancies in subsidiary Plenary
(k) Voluntary funds administered by the
organs and other appointments:
United Nations High Commissioner for
(b) Appointment of members of the Refugees;
Committee on Contributions;
(l) Fund of the United Nations Environment
(f) Appointment of members of the Programme;
Committee on Conferences;
(m) United Nations Population Fund;
(g) Appointment of members of the Joint (n) United Nations Human Settlements
Inspection Unit; Programme;
(i) Appointment of the judges of the United (o) United Nations Office on Drugs and
Nations Appeals Tribunal; Crime;
(j) Appointment of ad litem judges of the (p) United Nations Office for Project Services;
United Nations Dispute Tribunal.
(q) United Nations Entity for Gender Equality
114. Admission of new Members to the United Plenary and the Empowerment of Women
Nations. (UN-Women);
115. Follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Plenary (r) International Criminal Tribunal for the
Summit. Prosecution of Persons Responsible for
116. Follow-up to the commemoration of the two- Plenary Genocide and Other Serious Violations
hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the of International Humanitarian Law
transatlantic slave trade. Committed in the Territory of Rwanda
and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for
117. Implementation of the resolutions of the Plenary
Genocide and Other Such Violations
United Nations.
Committed in the Territory of
118. Revitalization of the work of the General Plenary, Neighbouring States between 1 January
Assembly. 1st, 4th, and 31 December 1994;
2nd, 3rd,
(s) International Tribunal for the Prosecution
5th, 6th
of Persons Responsible for Serious
119. Question of equitable representation on and Plenary Violations of International Humanitarian
increase in the membership of the Security Law Committed in the Territory of the
Council and related matters. Former Yugoslavia since 1991;
120. Strengthening of the United Nations system. Plenary (t) International Residual Mechanism for
121. United Nations reform: measures and Plenary Criminal Tribunals.
proposals. 131. Review of the efficiency of the administrative 5th
122. Multilingualism. Plenary and financial functioning of the United
Nations.
124. Global health and foreign policy. Plenary
132. Programme budget for the biennium 5th
125. International Criminal Tribunal for the Plenary 2014–2015.
Prosecution of Persons Responsible for
Genocide and Other Serious Violations of 133. Programme planning. Plenary,
International Humanitarian Law Committed 1st, 4th,
in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan 2nd, 3rd,
Citizens Responsible for Genocide and Other 5th, 6th
Such Violations Committed in the Territory of 134. Improving the financial situation of the 5th
Neighbouring States between 1 January and United Nations.
31 December 1994. 135. Pattern of conferences. 5th
126. International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Plenary 136. Scale of assessments for the apportionment 5th
Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of of the expenses of the United Nations.
International Humanitarian Law Committed
137. Human resources management. 5th
in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia
since 1991. 138. Joint Inspection Unit. 5th
129. Seventieth anniversary of the end of the Plenary 139. United Nations common system. 5th
Second World War. 140. United Nations pension system. 5th
Agendas of the United Nations principal organs 805

Item No. Title Allocation Item No. Title Allocation

141. Administrative and budgetary coordination 5th 164. Financing of the United Nations Supervision 5th
of the United Nations with the specialized Mission in the Syrian Arab Republic.
agencies and the International Atomic 165. Financing of the United Nations Mission for 5th
Energy Agency. the Referendum in Western Sahara.
142. Report on the activities of the Office of 5th 166. Financing of the African Union-United 5th
Internal Oversight Services. Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur.
143. Review of the implementation of General 5th 167. Financing of the activities arising from 5th
Assembly resolutions 48/218 B, 54/244, Security Council resolution 1863(2009).
59/272 and 64/263.
Agenda of the seventieth session, first part
144. Administration of justice at the United 5th, 6th
(15 September–23 December 2015) [A/70/49 (Vol. I), Annex I]
Nations.
145. Financing of the International Criminal 5th Item No. Title Allocation
Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons 1. Opening of the session by the President of Plenary
Responsible for Genocide and Other Serious the General Assembly.
Violations of International Humanitarian Law 2. Minute of silent prayer or meditation. Plenary
Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and
Rwandan Citizens Responsible for Genocide 3. Credentials of representatives to the Plenary
and Other Such Violations Committed in the seventieth session of the General Assembly:
Territory of Neighbouring States between (a) Appointment of the members of the
1 January and 31 December 1994. Credentials Committee;
146. Financing of the International Tribunal for 5th (b) Report of the Credentials Committee.
the Prosecution of Persons Responsible 4. Election of the President of the General Plenary
for Serious Violations of International Assembly.
Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory
of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. 5. Election of the officers of the Main 1st, 4th,
Committees. 2nd, 3rd,
147. Financing of the International Residual 5th 5th, 6th
Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals.
6. Election of the Vice-Presidents of the General Plenary
148. Administrative and budgetary aspects 5th Assembly.
of the financing of the United Nations
7. Organization of work, adoption of the Plenary
peacekeeping operations.
agenda and allocation of items: reports of the
149. Financing of the United Nations Interim 5th General Committee.
Security Force for Abyei.
8. General debate. Plenary
150. Financing of the United Nations Mission in 5th
the Central African Republic and Chad. A. Promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable
development in accordance with the relevant resolutions
151. Financing of the United Nations 5th of the General Assembly and recent United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization conferences
Mission in the Central African Republic.
9. Report of the Economic and Social Council. Plenary
152. Financing of the United Nations Operation in 5th
10. Retur