Since the start of the conflict in South Sudan, widespread and systematic sexual violence has been a pervasive tactic of war and terror, said a high-level United Nations envoy, after visiting the war-torn country and hearing “horrific” testimonies.

Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence and Conflict, told reporterss that she had been “alarmed to hear about the increasing climate of intimidation” in which civil society organisations work, “including attacks against those providing services to sexual violence survivors.”

The world’s youngest country, South Sudan has been wracked by violence and humanitarian crisis since late 2013, following a descent into faction fighting between forces loyal to the President and then Vice-President.

As part of a joint UN–African Union visit, led by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed from 3 to 7 July, Ms. Patten met government officials and religious leaders, among others.

She toured sites protecting displaced civilians in Malakal and around the capital Juba, and spoke with survivors of sexual violence, who continue to live in acutely vulnerable situations.

“The testimonies I heard were horrific: men being systematically killed, the elderly and sick being burned alive, the genitals of young boys being mutilated or cut off, and women and girls being gang-raped – often to death,” she continued.

“In this context, sexual violence serves as a lethal tactic of war and a ‘push factor’ for forced displacement,” she added.

Ms. Patten spoke to women in the protection camps who lamented the lack of food, health services and opportunities to make a living for themselves and their families. The main hope and desire of these women was “the desire for peace,” she stated.

Although the women walk in groups collecting firewood to reduce attack risks, they need to venture beyond camp, still frequently assaulted by soldiers lurking in the high grass.

“Yet,” she explained, “they have few alternatives, as they cannot ask male community members for help.”

In the words of one woman: “Our men would get killed, whereas we only get raped.”

“All of the women I spoke with said that they wanted to see the perpetrators punished,” said the Special Representative, “yet sexual violence is fueled and exacerbated by impunity on a massive scale.”

UNMISS

Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, gives a press conference during her visit to South Sudan, 6 July 2018.

Government officials affirmed their willingness to implement an agreed Joint UN Communiqué to end sexual violence and Cessation of Hostilities, she said, and to measure progress, an action plan had been drawn up to hold perpetrators of sexual violence within the army to account, she said.

This month, she said she would deploy experts to South Sudan to provide technical assistance; and also brief the Security Council and South Sudan Sanctions Committee on her findings, including sexual violence among the criteria for sanctions.

She underscored that a “permanent ceasefire” must be respected by all sides, and should also include the cessation of all forms of sexual violence.

Ms. Patten said it was “critical” that the authorities investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law committed, as well as other alleged atrocity crimes.

She commended the UN and AU efforts towards facilitating a lasting peace, recognizing the “extremely challenging” environment and called for increased donor support.

A disturbing report

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) released a report on Tuesday revealing indiscriminate attacks against civilians in Southern Unity State in which at least 120 women and girls, as young as four-years-old, were raped and gang-raped by the army and associated forces in Koch and Leer county. Witnesses indicate that those who resisted rape were shot.

The report further documented 15 incidents of abduction involving at least 132 women and girls, for the purposes of sexual slavery and forced labor.

A high-profile group of tech experts has been assembled at the request of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, tasked with putting the benefits of digital technology to more effective use, while also protecting against unwanted or unexpected negative impacts.

“This is the first such panel of its kind – and will be comprised of women and men at the frontiers of technology, public policy, science, and academia,” Mr. Guterres told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, which is to be co-chaired by US philanthropist Melinda Gates and China-based Alibaba founder Jack Ma, will have 20 members in total and include leaders from industry, civil society and academia, said the UN chief, announcing the panel on Thursday.

Mr. Guterres noted that digital technology is changing economies and societies “at warp speed” and the scale and pace of change is “unprecedented.”

“But the current means and levels of international cooperation are unequal to the challenge,” he said. “I see the United Nations as a unique platform for dialogue in our digital age.”

The Panel will map trends in digital technologies, identify gaps and opportunities, and outline proposals for strengthening international cooperation.

The initiative comes after approximately a year of consultations involving his team and more than 120 Member States, industry and civil society.

Representing the body on behalf of the UN Secretariat, Executive Director and co-chair, Ambassador Amandeep Gill, said that the UN chief wanted to avoid the “competitive” approach to digital issues that currently impacts on discussions around trade, data and security.

“That competitive spirit, that mindset, could pervade this domain and does impede the potential of digital technology to contribute to the achievement of the goals of the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development,” the Ambassador said.

Amid the increasing influence of digital technologies in everyday life, from cyber-attacks to fears of election-tampering, Ambassador Gill highlighted the “urgent” need to address the potential effects – positive and negative – on people’s social, economic and human rights.

“You see a certain proliferation of initiatives,” he said. “I think that shows you that the timing is right, that there is a feeling that this should be addressed urgently. And it’s not just Member States who are saying this,” he added, saying that leaders in the industrial sector had told him that “it’s time that someone at this level takes this initiative, to begin a global policy discussion on the increasingly digital world that we are living in.”

Acknowledging the panel’s “modest” budget and administrative support, Ambassador Gill – who also chairs an expert group at the UN examining emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) – said that its impact would be maximised by its cross-cutting approach.

“You cannot look at ‘web 3.0’ without looking at blockchain or without looking at AI (Artificial Intelligence),” he said. “So, our hope is that through this discussion of these various digital domains, the business models, the opportunities and the risks and the unintended consequences in terms of human rights, in terms of privacy, in terms of subversion of democracy, we are able to come out with some common principles…of strengthening cooperation across borders.”

In line with the panel’s nine-month mandate, its members will meet twice; first in New York in September during the UN General Assembly, and then in Switzerland next January. There will also be opportunities to consult with civil society.

Geneva would be a suitable venue for the 2019 event, Ambassador Gill said, underlining the opportunity there of consulting with several UN agencies already based in the Swiss city that had specialist knowledge of digital issues, including the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

The Ambassador said the panel would involve “deep and substantive” work that will result in a report that serves as “a reference for future digital discussions”.

Although cities are often characterized by stark socioeconomic inequalities and poor environmental conditions, they also offer growth and development potential – making them central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a main focus of the third day of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Wednesday.

Through the inherently integrated nature of urban development, the 11th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) impacts a wide range of 2030 Agenda issues from sustainable consumption and production to affordable and clean energy along with health, sustainable transportation, clean water and sanitation. Basically, life on land.

According to the UN, cities are where the struggle for global sustainability “will either be won or lost.”

“Urbanization is one of the most important issues when it comes to sustainable development,” Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, told journalists on Wednesday.

“We must make sure we do it right if we are to achieve the SDGs and move towards a world where we see an end to poverty, the protection of our planet and everyone enjoying peace and prosperity,” she added.

While SDG 11 pledges to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable by 2030, local and national authorities are making uneven progress towards achieving that goal, according to the UN.

A new report by UN-Habitat and partners tracking SDG progress since their 2015 adoption coincides with the first review of SDG 11 at the HLPF.

At the current rate of expansion, over 700 cities will have populations of more than one million by 2030.

Cities are the spaces where all SDGs can be integrated to provide holistic solutions to the challenges of poverty, exclusion, climate change and risks – UN-Habitat Executive Director

While cities can be powerhouses of economic growth and development, without proper planning and regulation, they could, among other things, suffer soaring levels of poverty, crime and pollution, says UN-Habitat.

“Cities are the spaces where all SDGs can be integrated to provide holistic solutions to the challenges of poverty, exclusion, climate change and risks,” affirmed Ms. Sharif.

Leilani Farha, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, told the HLPF that although there are no global homeless statistics, “housing conditions are fraught.”

She underscored that some.6 billion people are inadequately housed worldwide and that close to 900 million people are living in informal settlements and encampments in both the global North and South.

“If we do not find housing solutions, no State will be able to meet their Agenda 2030 commitments because without access to adequate, secure and affordable housing there is no equality, there is no end to poverty, to health and well-being, to sustained access to education, to employment,” she added.

Historic Step

Meanwhile in the afternoon, New York City took the distinction of becoming the first city in the world to report directly to the international community on its efforts to reach global benchmarks in addressing poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.

Among other accomplishments, its Voluntary Local Review (VLR) showcased significant achievements in cleaner air and water, record job and wage growth, and tripling the number of children in free pre-Kindergarten.

“We encourage cities and communities to join the urgent discussion about what is working on the local level, and how we can address the shared challenges that remain on the way to reaching the Global Goals,” said Penny Abeywardena, NY Commissioner for International Affairs.

Moreover, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared Wednesday, 11 July 2018, as Global Goals Day in New York City, to welcome HLPF participants and express local solidarity with efforts worldwide to achieve the goals.

Applauding the Mayor’s leadership and New York on the SDGs, Secretary-General António Guterres noted that the UN recently launched the Local2030 platform for cities and local governments to pursue new pathways for low-emission growth and climate action, poverty alleviation and inclusion of the most vulnerable residents.

“This Voluntary Local Review is a first step towards such progress and I urge other cities and local governments to follow suit,” he said.

Deeply concerned about the continuing and intensifying violence in Nicaragua, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday deplored the loss of life in the protests and the attack against Catholic Church mediators in the National Dialogue.

“The Secretary-General recognizes the important mediation role of the Nicaraguan Catholic Bishops Conference, “said a statement issued by his Spokesperson.

Media reports from the region suggest that Nicaraguan bishops and clergy were attacked by armed groups on 9 July as protest in the Central American country continued.

The Secretary-General urged all parties to respect the role of the mediators, to refrain from the use of violence, and to fully commit to participating in the National Dialogue in order to de-escalate violence and find a peaceful solution to the current crisis.

In early July, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Nicaraguan authorities to “take real steps” to prevent further loss of life in the country.

The United Nations is seeking to raise $111 million to meet humanitarian needs in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), where millions of people face malnutrition, a shortage medicines, and lack of access to safe drinking water, the Organization’s top relief official said on Wednesday.

“There is a humanitarian need, we can meet it and we can tell people a convincing and persuasive story about how their money is used if they provide us with more funds,” said Mark Lowcock, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, at a press conference held in the country’s capital, Pyongyang.

During the visit, he was able to see first-hand both progress that has been made on the humanitarian front and the persisting challenges.

“There are though large numbers of people who still need assistance; there is a significant problem of malnutrition with something like 20 per cent of children stunted because of malnutrition which impairs their life chances,” he said.

Mr. Lowcock also said that about half of all children in rural areas of the country are not drinking safe water. “Too much of the water is contaminated, which is a cause of disease and threatens the development of too many children,” he said.

He also noted that there is a shortage of drugs and medical supplies and equipment, making it very difficult for medical authorities to meet the needs of all the people “in a way that would pass basic humanitarian thresholds.”

He said that North Korean authorities are “keen to work with humanitarian agencies and are open to additional humanitarian assistance, and are also keen to deal with humanitarian issues separately from political dynamics.”

According to the Needs and Priorities Plan published by the UN a few months ago, $111 million is needed to meet humanitarian needs in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and food security for about 6 million people.

“One of things I will be doing when I return to New York in talking to the Member States of the UN is trying to draw people’s attention to the very real humanitarian challenges here, and to say to them that the UN has good programmes, which can save lives, and we have better access across the country for UN staff than we have had in the past,” he said.