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The United Nations Secretary-General is currently urging the Security Council to strengthen peace, particularly in the African Continent. 

On Thursday the 16th of November Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General, remarked to the Security Council the importance of UN operations as a means for ensuring peace and opening the way for political solutions. Moreover, the UN Chief focuses on the role of peacekeeping operations specifically to build resilience among communities affected by armed conflicts and most of all, to protect civilians. This important statement derives from the fact that in recent times, in numerous challenging contexts worldwide have been registered unimaginable violations of Human Rights, thus raising the necessity for the International Community to intervene.

“By acting early, engaging strategically, and speaking with one voice, this Council can mobilize the international community’s political and financial support and foster the commitment of conflict actors to secure peace”, the Secretary stated. Furthermore, as Gueterres underlined, it is also relevant to point out that growing climate catastrophe, growing hunger and poverty, and widening disparities are only a few of the powerful instability drivers that are continuously reinforced by rising geopolitical tensions, spreading insecurity, and other powerful instability drivers. Another relevant aspect that has been highlighted in the meeting has been the importance of the role of women and youth, and their participation in peacekeeping processes. 

Overall, the Secretary-General focused on the role of civilians and local communities in general in the restoration of peace, and on how the engagement of these people must represent a focal point in the establishment of peace. Finally, he appealed once again to the International Community to allocate more funds for peacekeeping operations.

To read more, visit:

• https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/11/1130162 
• https://theelders.org/news/un-security-council-must-speak-one-voice 
• https://gazettengr.com/guterres-urges-un-security-council-to-strengthen-peace-operations-in-africa/ 

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