Africa

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Michel Xavier Biang (Gabon):

The Security Council today voted to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2023, calling on the parties to resume negotiations in good faith towards a mutually acceptable political solution for the region.

The deteriorating security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to stymie favourable developments in the wider Great Lakes region, the Security Council heard today, as members stressed the need to strengthen regional cooperation and dialogue on countering common threats and working towards shared goals, including combating the illicit trade of natural resources that fuels conflict.

A report by the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change shows that countries are bending the curve of global greenhouse gas emissions downward, but the report underscores that these efforts remain insufficient to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of the century.

Nearly a hundred experts from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda gather in Mombasa, Kenya, from 18 to 19 October for a two-day regional workshop to identify concrete ways to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention in Eastern African countries.

While there is no direct link between climate change and conflict, the climate emergency is a danger to peace, especially in Africa whose high degree of vulnerability is exacerbating already existing risks, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today as the 15-member organ debated whether it is the appropriate forum to address the matter.

The United Nations team in Cuba launched a $42 million Plan of Action to support authorities to address the needs of people impacted by Hurricane Ian. The plan is expected to benefit almost 800,000 people and includes $3.7 million repurposed from the team’s funding and an additional $7.8 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund.

Amid formidable challenges, including an uptick in terrorist attacks in the Sahel, unconstitutional changes of Government, increasing recourse to use of force to resolve disputes, and a dire humanitarian situation in several regions, all of it exacerbated by climate change, the unique partnership between the United Nations and the African Union remains a cornerstone of multilateralism, which must be adapted to local contexts, with the support of the international community, including the Security Council, the Secretary-General told the 15-member organ today.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations:  the African Union, in New York today:

The Secretary-General, marking the tenth anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child, stressed that the international community must renew its commitment to work together so that girls can play a full and equal part in their communities and societies. Investing in girls is investing in the world’s common future.