Sustainable Peace Cannot Be Built Where Rights of Women Are Ignored, Says Deputy Secretary-General at Security Council Open Debate

Jan 26, 2023 | UN
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Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Security Council open debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace, in New York today:

I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Japan for hosting this debate.

Peace is the core mission of the United Nations.  It is our raison d’être.  This mission is now under grave threat.

People’s sense of safety and security is at a low in almost every country, with six in seven worldwide plagued by feelings of insecurity.  The world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War.

Two billion people, one quarter of humanity, live in places affected by conflict.  This is causing grave human suffering, both directly in conflict zones and indirectly by adding to poverty and food insecurity and reducing access to education and health care.  It is imposing severe constraints on people’s ability to fulfil their potential and contribute to society.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict-affected countries were lagging on the Sustainable Development Goals.  Projections indicated that by 2030, more than 80 per cent of the world’s extreme poor would live in fragile and conflict-affected countries.  In other words, conflict and poverty are deeply intertwined.  The pandemic has only aggravated this dire situation.

The war in Ukraine is devastating the lives of millions of Ukrainians.  It has also compounded a food, energy and finance crisis worldwide, especially amongst the world’s most vulnerable people and countries.