The perspectives of Africa, Asia-Pacific, Western Asia, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean are critical in the collective push to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and bring countries “back on track” in efforts to measurably improve well-being across their societies by 2030, speakers in the high-level political forum on sustainable development stressed today, as they discussed recommendations emerging from a series of regional dialogues to that end.
Invest in people, Secretary-General António Guterres told delegates and leaders at the Economic and Social Council today, underscoring the importance of universal social protection as well as equitable and high-quality education.
The Security Council today extended the authorization of measures against the illicit export of petroleum products from Libya in addition to the mandate of the panel of experts helping to oversee them, also expressing concern over continuing violations of the arms embargo imposed on that country and demanding compliance with that prohibition.
The Security Council decided today to extend, until 14 July 2023, the mandate of the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) established on 16 January 2019 following intra-Yemeni peace consultations held in Stockholm, Sweden.
Following days of protracted negotiations, the Security Council today adopted a compromise resolution extending the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Syria’s north-west for six months, leaving the door open for a subsequent six-month renewal, until 10 July 2023, pending the adoption of another resolution.
The General Assembly adopted this morning, by consensus, an oral decision by which it decided to “immediately” continue intergovernmental negotiations on reform of the Security Council.
Underscoring the importance of strategic communications in implementing United Nations peacekeeping mandates and ensuring the safety and security of both troops and civilians on the ground, the Security Council today welcomed the Secretary-General’s ongoing efforts to include such communications in planning and decision-making, noting that a whole-of-mission approach facilitates confidence-building with local communities.
The voices of the truly marginalized must be incorporated into public policymaking, the high-level political forum on sustainable development heard today during its consideration of the role of civil society in post COVID-19 recovery and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The General Assembly was unable this afternoon to elect either the Russian Federation or North Macedonia to sit on the United Nations Economic and Social Council, despite running through five rounds of voting. As neither of the two States obtained the two-thirds majority required to be elected, the General Assembly postponed the continuation of the process to a later date, while also adopting a resolution on strengthening connectivity between Central Asia and South Asia.
Buoyed by the endurance of a truce in Yemen that expires in three weeks, yet concerned with the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations top official for the country told the Security Council he would push to extend and bolster the truce as speakers stressed the importance of opening roads around the city of Taïz and ensuring adequate funding of United Nations humanitarian programmes.
