Recent United Nations political and peacebuilding events and developments featured updates and activities spanning various global contexts. The UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs reported events and developments spanning Somalia, Iraq, Kuwait, Colombia, and beyond.
The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) is set to conclude its mandate on 31 October following a two-year transition requested by the Federal Government of Somalia. A formal ceremony in Mogadishu on 26 October marked the milestone, featuring Officer-in-Charge Raisedon Zenenga and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Jama. With mandated functions officially transferred to Somali institutions and UN agencies, funds, and programmes, Secretary-General António Guterres commended the country’s progress toward national ownership in peacebuilding and State-building.
Marking 26 Years of Resolution 1325 Amid Shrinking Peace Agreement Metrics
Marking the 26th anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325, UN leaders addressed the Security Council on 27 October to warn that women’s leadership remains under severe strain globally.
From Afghanistan to Syria and beyond, women continue to lead, advocate, and build peace under difficult circumstances. Their determination should be matched by our action. Implementing the #WPS agenda means taking concrete steps that make a tangible difference in women’s lives. pic.twitter.com/0Kio0G8390
As part of Women, Peace and Security Month, Asif Khan, Director of DPPA’s Policy and Mediation Division, addressed a high-level side event on reimagining mediation on 29 October, highlighting the Secretary-General’s Common Pledge on Women’s Participation. Meanwhile, the Peacebuilding and Peace Support Office introduced the UN Portal on Women in Justice and Security on 26 October, presenting member state data on women’s representation in police, corrections, and military justice institutions.
Unresolved Humanitarian Legacies Between Iraq and Kuwait
Turning to outstanding regional files, Mari Yamashita, Senior Representative of the Secretary-General for the implementation of Security Council resolution 2792, briefed the Security Council on 26 October regarding missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals. More than 35 years after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, 315 individuals remain unaccounted for alongside missing national archives and property. Yamashita called for heightened cooperation between Iraq, Kuwait, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to identify witnesses and provide closure to affected families.
Renewed Mandates in Colombia and Diplomatic Missions Across Regions
On 30 October, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia for another year, running through 31 October 2027. The renewal secures continued international backing for the implementation of Colombia’s Final Peace Agreement. The verification mission also supported an academic forum at the University of Los Llanos in Villavicencio from 26 to 28 October, marking a decade of peace agreement implementation alongside 400 participants, including students, victims, and former combatants.
📽️ The Personal Envoy of the @UN Secretary-General on #Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, speaks to the media after meeting with @Christodulides. #uncyprustalks pic.twitter.com/jV56yENyIF
In London, Special Representative Hanna Tetteh met with UK Minister of State Stephen Doughty on 27 October before chairing the third follow-up meeting of the Smaller Convening to review implementation of the 30 August Agreement and discuss the unification of Libya’s judiciary for upcoming elections. Personal Envoy María Ángela Holguín engaged with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides on 30 October, with a scheduled meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman following early next week.
Latvia assumes the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of November.
