We also announce the planned opening of a New York office and recruitment of a New York team.
ICO has held a series of high-level meetings in New York over the last few days to draw the world’s attention to forgotten disputes in Cyprus and Cameroon.
The meetings with member states and high-level UN officials including United Nations Secretary General H.E António Guterres, Deputy Secretary General H.E Amina Mohamed, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas H.E Miroslav Jenča and Under Secretary General H.E Guy Ryder and the President of ECOSOC H.E Robert Rae. These discussions were led by the former President of the UN General Assembly 76th Session and current ICO International Ambassador H.E. Abdulla Shahid. Further engagements included meetings with the Permanent Missions of Angola, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Georgia, Kuwait, Malta, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore and Tunisia to highlight ICO’s work and the challenges facing millions of people in Cameroon and Cyprus.
The high-level meetings took place following the Summit of the Future where the Pact for the Future was adopted by world leaders. ICO’s model of “on the ground” working, bottom-up consultation and economic revitalisation was welcomed by the UN
During his time as the 76th UNGA President, known as the Presidency of Hope, Mr. Shahid championed global peace, security and the inclusion of underrepresented voices and the key role of civil society organisations, values that ICO now continues to implement through its ground-level peace initiatives.
In light of the recent tragedies in Ukraine and the Middle East, ICO calls upon the United Nations and its member states to remain mindful of ongoing disputes and conflicts worldwide, recognising their humanitarian impact and the suffering they cause.
“I am delighted to see the principles and vision of my UNGA Presidency continue through this engagement at the most senior levels of the United Nations and to have met a further 13 member states in our short visit. For the newly adopted Pact of the Future to be successful, the UN will need to develop new ways of working, new models for peacebuilding and new outreach to the civil societies who can help. I am certain that the ICO has a big role to play here in the years ahead.”
H.E Mr Abdulla Shahid.
“We were delighted to present the details of our work in Cyprus and Cameroon. To receive so much encouragement and to begin a process of ongoing dialogue and exchanges of information in the weeks and months ahead. We are also excited to be announcing today the planned opening of our new office in New York and recruitment of a New York based team”.
Mr James Holmes.
James Holmes commented further, noting that the Pact for the Future recognises the lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East, which indicate that unresolved disputes will only worsen over time. We believe our model of peace-making can play a significant role in implementing the Pact for the Future adopted by the member states.
The ICO team in New York was led by HE Mr. Abdulla Shahid (ICO International Ambassador), Mr. James Holmes (Secretary General, ICO), Dr. Meltem Onurkan Samani (founder and general coordinator, CPDC), Ms. Kenza Camara (Associate Director, ICO); Ms. Mia Sawjani (ICO United Nations Programme Manager) and Yameen Shahid ( Associate, ICO).
High-level meetings took place with Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, UN; Bob Rae, President of ECOSOC; Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, UN; Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy, UN; Permanent Missions of Angola, Australia, the Bahamas, Canada, Georgia, Kuwait, Malta, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore and Tunisia; the International Peace Institute; Pablo Castillo Diaz, Policy Specialist from UN Gender, Women, Peace and Security with a representative from UN Women.
HE Mr. Abdulla Shahid is a Maldivian politician who has served formerly as the Speaker of Parliament (2008 – 2014) and Foreign Minister of Maldives (2007-2008 and 2018-2023) as well as the President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (2021 and 2022) and is the current President of the Maldivian Democratic Party.
The Pact for the Future includes several actions that align with ICO’s model for peace-building including:
- Action 13. We will redouble our efforts to build and sustain peaceful, inclusive and just societies and address the root causes of conflicts.
- Action 16. We will promote cooperation and understanding between Member States, defuse tensions, seek the pacific settlement of disputes and resolve conflicts.
- Action 17. We will fulfil our obligation to comply with the decisions and uphold the mandate of the International Court of Justice in any case to which our State is a party.
- Action 18. We will build and sustain peace.
- Action 19. We will accelerate the implementation of our commitments on women, peace and security.
- Action 20. We will accelerate the implementation of our commitments on youth, peace and security.
The full text can be found here.
