DISCERNING THE TIMES ONLINE

Thank you, Mr President. Thank you to Germany for convening this important meeting and we wish you well for your Presidency of the Security Council. And it is important that we convene together to discuss this subject. And in doing so, I join others in paying tribute, particularly at this time of a global pandemic, to the leadership of the Secretary-General, and thank ICRC president Mr Maurer and Mrs Elfadil Mohammad for their very helpful and constructive briefings this morning. We all now know that with COVID-19 we face a crisis of unprecedented scope and indeed complexity. Across the world it has triggered health, humanitarian, economic, development and security challenges, with ramifications that are both immediate and indeed long-term. These challenges are interwoven. They require a coordinated, collaborative response. Therefore, may I first welcome the adoption unanimously of UN Security Council Resolution 2532 yesterday and in doing so wish to thank both France and Tunisia for their efforts in this respect. Mr President, the full extent of this pandemic is still unfolding before our eyes. I know we all fear its impact as it spreads in states that are both vulnerable or affected by conflict. As we see around the world, in places such as Yemen, Libya and the Central African Republic, contested or fragmented government authority severely restricts local capacity to respond effectively to the spread of this pandemic. Health systems are overstretched and under-resourced and cannot detect and indeed monitor the spread of the disease. As the impact becomes clearer, so we see evidence of COVID compounding existing problems, such as in the Lake Chad Basin and in the Sahel. Our efforts to prevent or resolve conflict, they are complicated by COVID-19. Peacekeepers themselves are quarantined, humanitarian access is restricted and impeded and peace processes have been paused. So it is important we must both act to tackle the pandemic and to give an effective response to prevent or resolve conflict. We must ensure a strong international health response led by the World Health Organisation. And in this regard, the United Kingdom has already committed 764 million pounds to support humanitarian and public health needs. We must ensure development and equitable distribution of a vaccine. And in this regard, the United Kingdom has already pledged over 300 million pounds in funding for research into vaccines, tests and treatment. And as many of you know, last month we hosted a very successful Global Vaccine Summit that raised over $8.8 billion to support immunisation of 300 million children against coronavirus and indeed other vaccine preventable diseases. At the same time, we must, of course, redouble our efforts on peace and security. This Council, the Security Council, has a key role to play. We welcome the Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire and we should all stand firm on our peacekeeping troop contributions and, importantly, the resources they need. The devastating impact of COVID-19 on fragile societies underlines the moral duty of outside parties that influence conflicts in Syria and indeed elsewhere. Importantly, everyone must come together to support peace. We need to also act smartly to prevent new peace and security crises from emerging. The pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of the coordinated and multi-dimensional international responses for which the UK has long argued. The United Nations must work smarter across its pillars and with partners. And we commend the UN system for delivering under immense pressure. I think we all acknowledge that more is needed to deliver a holistic response that limits instability in the face of complex challenges. We therefore recommend three actions: Firstly, UN responses must be more sensitive to conflict risk and build this into strategic planning, prioritisation and financing. Secondly, there needs to be a joint risk assessment and planning with the international financial institutions to combine macroeconomic, social and political considerations. And thirdly, we need to focus on what works to build a country’s resilience to shocks. Strong, inclusive and accountable institutions, the rule of law, good governance and human rights are the fundamental basis of that very resilience. We need to see this in our coordinated response and in our planning to build back better. Mr President, this pandemic has brought into sharp focus the urgent need for the development objective and sustainable peace and security cannot be solved as separate issues, and they cannot be solved alone. Together, we have this expertise. Together, we have the resources. We must use them and respond to this challenge. And together, we will succeed. Thank you. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/maintaining-international-peace-and-security

Pope Francis drew attention to the dramatic sociopolitical, economic and humanitarian crises in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen on June 28 when he greeted hundreds of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. He began by drawing attention to the Fourth Conference of the European Union and the United Nations on “ Supporting the future of Syria and the region ” that will take place (virtually) next Tuesday, June 30. He invited people “to pray for this important meeting, so that it may improve the dramatic situation of the Syrian people and neighboring peoples, particularly Lebanon, in the context of serious sociopolitical and economic crises that have been made even more difficult by the [Covid-19] pandemic.” He highlighted the fact that in Syria particularly, but also in Lebanon, “there are small children who are hungry, who do not have anything to eat.” He prayed that the leaders of these countries “may be capable of making peace.” https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/06/28/pope-francis-draws-worlds-attention-humanitarian-crises-syria-lebanon-and-yemen

The bill, called the National Cyber Director Act , would create a position to “serve as the President’s principal advisor on cybersecurity and associated emerging technology issues and function as the lead national-level coordinator for cyber strategy and policy, according to a press release from one of the bill’s sponsors, U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.). “ After more than a decade studying this issue, I can say with great certainty: cybersecurity policy is complicated,” said Langevin, who has co-chaired the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus since its founding in 2008. “By establishing a National Cyber Director with the policy and budgetary authority to reach across government, we can better address cybersecurity vulnerabilities and gaps holistically and prevent catastrophic cyber incidents.” Co-sponsoring the bill are U.S. Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), and Will Hurd (R-Texas). The creation of a National Cyber Director is a major recommendation of the Solarium Commission , a Congressionally-chartered group that includes members of Congress and the Trump administration, as well as private sector leaders. A federal advisor specializing in cyber-security issues is not a new idea, but the position has been marginalized under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump’s current cyber-security advisor is Rudy Giuliani, who months after being named to the post in 2017 had trouble unlocking his iPhone and is known to butt-dial members of the press . The position of a cyber-security advisor was first created during the George W. Bush administration. The first post was filled by both Howard Schmidt and Richard Clarke, who served as “special” cyber-security advisers. In December 2009, President Barack Obama created the position of White House Cybersecurity Coordinator, and appointed Schmidt. Two other men later held the position. The Trump Administration eliminated the position in 2018 at the advice of then-National Security Adviser John Bolton. According to Langevin, the National Cyber Director “would fulfill a similar policy role to the Cybersecurity Coordinator, but the position would be backed with additional statutory authority to review cybersecurity budgets and coordinate national incident response.” https://www.complianceweek.com/cyber-security/bill-proposes-national-cyber-security-czar/29126.article