Afghan Elections, Wallstrom in DRC, and New Special Envoy for Pakistan

Afghan Elections: Staffan de Mistura, SRSG for Afghanistan, briefed the Security Council this morning in an open debate, noting that while there were possibly widespread irregularities in last week’s legislative elections, nothing yet points to systematic fraud, and that it’s important that the UN allow for time to evaluate the electoral process before jumping to conclusions.  He added that UNAMA will continue to evaluate its priorities in accordance with the needs and priorities of the Afghans.

Wallstrom in the DRC: Margot Wallstrom, SRSG for Sexual Violence in Conflict, is currently visiting North Kivu in response to a request by the SG for a coordinated response to recent cases of mass rape.  Additionally, the OHCHR has created a panel to interview the victims of the rapes and set up a forum to provide legal, social, medical, and socioeconomic support. The panel will be chaired by Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.

New Special Envoy for Pakistan: on Monday, the SG named Rauf Engin Soysal (Turkey) as Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan, replacing Jean Maurice Ripert of France.  He previously held the position of Deputy Undersecretary for Bilateral Political Affairs responsible for the Middle East, South Asia and Afric