The international community must stand firm behind a peaceful, unified Bosnia and Herzegovina, the High Representative for that country told the Security Council today, citing rising tensions, a months-long political stalemate and increasing speculation about the possibility of yet another conflict in Europe.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Humanitarian needs across the Sahel region are at unprecedented levels due to escalating conflict, climate change, rising food insecurity and record-high food prices, United Nations officials report, saying that more than 30 million men, women and children in the Sahel will need assistance and protection in 2022.
Briefing the Security Council today, the High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the situation that now faces women human rights defenders, and prospects for women’s full participation in shaping and building peace, are vastly worse than they were before the pandemic got under way.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it is deeply concerned by recent incidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia that saw individuals glorify atrocity crimes and convicted war criminals target certain communities with hate speech, warning of a potential uptick in such acts in 2022, an election year.
The global level of undernourishment increased sharply last year, under the shadow of the COVID‑19 pandemic, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s annual Statistical Yearbook, released today. Nearly 10 per cent of the world’s population suffered from hunger in 2020, up from 8.4 per cent in 2019.
Meeting today amid heightened political tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Security Council extended the mandate of the European Union-led stabilization force in the Balkan country for another year, as members reviewed progress on implementation of the 26-year-old Dayton Peace Agreement.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says more children and women were abducted for ransom between January and August 2021 than during the entire 2020. UNICEF estimates based on official sources say 71 women and 30 children were abducted in the first eight months of 2021, and 59 women and 37 children in 2020.
Global foreign direct investment flows in the first half of 2021 reached approximately $852 billion, showing stronger than expected rebound momentum, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development said today (UNCTAD). Developed economies saw the biggest rise at an estimated $424 billion, UNCTAD noted.
The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would end the powers and close the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, effective 31 July 2022, as progress had been achieved.
The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat has a new draft Global Biodiversity Framework to guide actions worldwide through 2030 to preserve and protect nature, and its essential services to people. It will serve as the basis for negotiations at the Biodiversity Conference in Kunming, China, in October.