I had the honor to meet yesterday His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, to present my credentials as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom.   I conveyed to his Excellency my aspiration to build on the fruitful partnership between the United Nations and the Kingdom of Bahrain and the remarkable development of joint cooperation frameworks in recent years.   The United Nations in Bahrain will work with national partners from the government sector, the private sector, and civil society, within the Strategic and Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2021-2024 signed with the Government in May 2021, to achieve the sustainable development goals in Bahrain, in line with the Kingdom’s national priorities as defined by the Economic Vision 2030 of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.  

Every day, United Nations peacekeepers work to protect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the world’s most fragile political and security situations.   Our civilian and uniformed personnel support ceasefires, prevent and respond to violence, investigate human rights violations and abuses, and help build peace, recovery, and development in conflict-affected countries. There is no doubt that lives are saved and changed by their presence.   In South Sudan, more than 80 percent of respondents to a recent perception survey reported feeling safer due to the presence of UN peacekeepers. Communities in other conflict zones also testify about the impact of peacekeeping. During operation “Let Peace Reign” in the Central African Republic, local leaders reported that increased patrols were deterring armed groups while the provision of clean water, medical assistance, and road rehabilitation by peacekeepers had significantly improved their lives. “It prevents the enemies of peace in our region so that peace returns, allowing us to move freely,” said Iyo Feikoumon from Doyi Village.   In some peace operations, a primary task is to provide robust protection of civilians due to the nature of the threat on the ground. Our military and police personnel make every effort to carry out this mandate in challenging and, often dangerous, conditions. However, the ultimate objective is to create the conditions for political solutions and sustainable peace. That is the true measure of our success.   Achieving that outcome is becoming more difficult in an increasingly tense global political and security climate.    Conflicts are more complex and multi-layered with local tensions fueled by national, regional, and international forces acting in their own interests. An increasing number of actors are involved in violence, including criminal, terrorist, and other armed elements. It is difficult to engage with these individuals and groups, with diverse motives and objectives and often links to transnational organized crime, because they have no real interest in reaching political settlements that foster lasting peace.     We are witnessing a less united approach to conflict resolution among global powers due to widening political divisions which, in turn, takes the pressure off warring parties to end violence and make concessions. These divides are exposed in Security Council resolutions relating to peacekeeping mandates, with less unanimity in the decisions made by Member States, notably on mandate renewals, but also less support to our missions when they face challenges on the ground.   A surge in mis-and disinformation is also creating new and growing threats to the safety of UN personnel and the communities they serve. In places like Mali, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, fake news fuels fighting as well as hostility towards peacekeeping missions. We are experiencing an increase in attacks on our bases, ambushes of convoys, and the increased use of improvised explosive devices. In this environment, the iconic blue flag that should provide safety for peacekeepers now risks making them a target.   Despite our best efforts to keep personnel safe, more peacekeepers are being injured or killed in these volatile conditions. The frequency of malicious attacks against peacekeepers increased from 280 in 2020 to 463 last year. In 2021, there were 24 fatalities due to these violent acts.   Among those we have lost are eight peacekeepers who died when their helicopter went down in the eastern DRC in March, during a reconnaissance mission to help protect civilians. I attended a very moving memorial service alongside colleagues in Goma. We all understand that risk, and loss, are inevitable given the nature of our work, but coming together in these tragic circumstances reminds us of the immense price paid by fallen peacekeepers and their families. I want to pay tribute to them. Their sacrifice inspires us to redouble our efforts to build peace and stability. UN peacekeeping is not alone in this endeavor. Many partners work alongside us in the cause of peace.    Among them are humanitarians who provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable. Strong partnerships with communities are also critical. They inspire us with their resilience and persistence in helping resolve tensions, supporting reconciliation, and building peace. Women and youth are also vital partners as powerful champions for peace as are civil society and the media who shine light on the challenges and help promote solutions. We continue to strengthen our partnerships with the 122 Member States that contribute more than 75,000 military and police personnel to our 12 peacekeeping operations. We rely on the consent and active participation of host governments as well as the strong, united support of regional and international partners to persuade parties to put aside their differences and make the necessary concessions to reach political settlements.   That is why, this year, we are marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers under the theme “People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships”. It is a chance to thank partners for their contributions and to issue a fresh call to action in the pursuit of global peace and security.    Peacekeeping is an imperfect tool that can never meet all needs or expectations. There are times when we are prevented from, or fail to carry out our mandates, and let ourselves, and those we serve, down, including in cases of misconduct by our personnel.   When this happens, we will continue to be held accountable, to constantly interrogate our performance, and find ways to be more innovative and effective, particularly through the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, which establishes priority areas where progress is needed. This includes strengthening our capacity to advance political solutions and support sustainable peace, improving protection of civilians as well as the safety of peacekeepers, implementing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, and rigorously evaluating our own performance.   Our goals are ambitious and not all will be achieved.   Questions may sometimes be asked about the value and impact of peacekeeping.   But if not peacekeeping, what else? Does a better solution exist today to maintain ceasefires, protect civilians, prevent chaos, and support peace efforts in the complex, conflict-affected environments where our operations are deployed?   Despite these questions, and in the face of many challenges, UN Peacekeeping will persevere alongside our partners, to be a strong force for change in a collective effort to achieve peace and progress for all peoples. 

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) congratulates the Government of Bahrain on the presentation of its National Report before the General Assembly High-Level Meeting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and commends its support to a joint multilateral effort to revitalize the New Urban Agenda in order to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of urban public spaces and parks for public health. The density of urban areas did not exacerbate the COVID-19 crisis, in fact, walkable neighborhoods provided better social safety nets and liveability during the lockdown[1]. Nevertheless, urban sprawl continues to accelerate over the last decades. It threatens sustainable urban financing and biodiversity while increasing car dependency, emissions-related diseases, and traffic accidents. The contribution of cities to the realization of the global targets on climate change is therefore essential. Cities that account for 67-76% of global energy use and for 71-76% of man-made CO2 emissions can also offer the most sustainable form of human settlement [2]. While climate impacts are mostly felt in urban communities, sustainable urbanization can provide an opportunity to advance climate-resilient development [3]. Generating specialized and cutting-edge knowledge in support of urban climate change mitigation and climate resilience has never been more critical. Cities must strive to harness the benefits of technology, and ensure that people are at the center to ensure automation, digitalization, and other structural economic changes do not lead to unemployment. Bahrain’s commitment to the New Urban agenda is critical to the achievement of the SDGs and its own Vision 2030. Participation in the High-level meeting in New York was a valuable opportunity for Bahrain to take stock of its efforts and exchange knowledge on how to achieve more sustainable cities. There is an increased understanding amongst all sectors of government and society on the importance to look at how cities are planned and how they can be a catalyst for sustainable development. UN-Habitat strongly advocates for resilient urban planning and design. Low-carbon plans for infrastructure and basic services are needed to promote local economic development and to protect cities from further contributing to environmental degradation. Concurrently, it is critical to pay particular attention to green spaces, water management, mobility, and energy efficiency as key pillars of sustainable urban development. UN-Habitat has recently joined the UN family in Bahrain and stands ready to support the country to further explore opportunities to establish the linkages between urban planning and sustainability, in terms of cities as hotspots of vulnerability, but equally as well as drivers and opportunities for prosperous and sustainable urban development.   Dr. Fernanda Lonardoni is the Head of the UN-Habitat Country Programme in Bahrain. [1] UN-Habitat (2021). Cities and Pandemics: Towards a More Just, Green and Healthy Future. [2] IPCC Working Group III AR6 (2022). Chapter 8: Urban Systems and other settlements. In: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. [3] IPCC Working Group III AR6 (2022). Chapter 8: Urban Systems and other settlements. In: Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.  

 The United Nations Country Team in Bahrain published today its 2021 Country results report. The report spotlights significant achievements in implementing the Sustainable and Strategic Cooperation Framework (SCF) signed with the Government of Bahrain in May 2021. "Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we managed to move forward with implementing most of our projects and initiatives and developing new ones for the future, achieving significant results in the process," said UN Resident Coordinator for Bahrain a.i, Mohamed El Zarkani. In 2021, UN activities in Bahrain focused mostly on capacity development, the provision of policy advice, and thought leadership across the four priority outcomes of the plan, closely matching Bahrain’s national priorities. The support provided spanned all Sustainable Development Goals. "As we are approaching a year since the signing of the Strategic Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (SCF), the first to be signed in the Gulf region, this report provides a comprehensive brief of the work that has been carried out in the first year of the SCF. We look forward to the path ahead and to continuing our very important work with UN agencies to ensure that our development process is holistic, sustainable, and leaves no one behind", said Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Political Affairs, His Excellency Ambassador Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. "We in the Kingdom of Bahrain are strong supporters of advancement, and the UN development system reforms launched by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres initiated the evolution of a more transparent, more effective, and a more coherent partnership. Our work, together with the United Nations Country Team is driven by our joint ambition to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development while realizing our national priorities, and the Economic Vision 2030 as well as the 2019-2022 Action Plan of the Government of Bahrain", His Excellency said. "The actual test of our work is measured by the tangible results achieved for the people we serve. In 2022, we look forward to building on our previous success by continuing with the implementation of the Cooperation Framework in close partnership with the Government of Bahrain, placing a strong emphasis on leaving no one behind in the development process," said UN Resident Coordinator a.i in Bahrain.