At the start of a year in which the world continues to be destabilized by an ever-raging pandemic and multiplying conflicts and crises, Secretary-General António Guterres briefed the General Assembly today on his urgent priorities for 2022, calling upon countries to mobilize against a “five-alarm global fire”, referring to COVID-19, the climate crisis, an unprincipled global financial system, lawlessness in cyberspace, and a rise in violent conflict.
Rejecting and condemning Holocaust denial, the General Assembly urged Member States today to develop educational programmes that will inculcate future generations with the lessons of the atrocity to prevent acts of genocide.
Five years after its signing, the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace in Colombia is setting down ever deeper roots, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council today, as he called on the Government, political parties, former combatants and Colombians across the diverse nation to intensify implementation of the landmark accord ahead of congressional elections.
Eight months after a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip, the senior United Nations official for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council that the situation is once again characterized by daily clashes and rising tensions, as he warned delegates against piecemeal approaches and diplomatic “half measures” that will only let the conflict fester further.
Despite best efforts to ensure that peace is built by and for women, the prospects for their participation in the very negotiations intended to secure their future are “vastly worse” than before the pandemic, the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council today, as she and other experts warned of an insidious uptick in a host of actions by spoilers aimed at silencing their voices.
While Sudan remains at a delicate stage of its political transition following its 2018 popular uprising and an October 2021 military coup, accelerated cooperation with the International Criminal Court is the only viable path to ensuring long-delayed justice for the survivors of crimes against humanity in Darfur, the body’s top prosecutor told the Security Council today.
With warring parties locked in a cycle of distrust and disagreement over competing priorities, efforts to resolve the conflict in Yemen — now in its eighth year — are hitting the same obstacles as in years past, the senior United Nations mediator told the Security Council today as delegates explored ways to harness the power of women in charting the country’s future.
Sanctions imposed on Mali in December 2021 were upheld and new restrictions imposed, following an extraordinary meeting held by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the weekend to assess the situation in the strife‑torn country, the senior United Nations official for Mali told the Security Council today.
Piracy and armed robbery at sea are costing Gulf of Guinea States $1.94 billion annually, with an additional $1.4 billion being lost in port fees and import tariffs, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as the 15-member organ explored ways to address recent security challenges in West Africa and the Sahel.
Due to persisting gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remain unresolved, Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons programme still cannot be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, urging that country to cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) without delay.
