While the 2015 Minsk agreements are the only agreed framework for a negotiated peace in eastern Ukraine, they remain largely unimplemented, senior United Nations and other officials told the Security Council today, urging all parties to the conflict to uphold their commitments to uphold a permanent ceasefire.
Speakers threw a spotlight on the need for clear mandates, adequate training and resources, and a culture of performance whenever and wherever the United Nations deploys Blue Helmets in conflict zones, as the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations concluded its annual general debate today.
Inequality has become a defining issue of the present time that must be addressed through social protection policies, including progressive taxation in favour of low-income families as well as public spending to support vulnerable populations, delegates told the opening of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission for Social Development today.
Amid sweeping reforms occurring against a backdrop of increased security threats targeting Blue Helmets, partners must work more closely to ensure continued progress in making United Nations missions more safe, accountable, secure and effective, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations heard today as it opened its 2019 substantive session.
Despite the decline in the number of international terrorist attacks in 2018, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) continues to evolve into a global covert network, with access to hundreds of millions of dollars and the demonstrated ability to exploit new technologies, the top-ranking United Nations counter-terrorism officials told the Security Council today.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, concluding the first part of its 2019 session, today adopted a report that outlines the results of its substantive work over recent weeks, including its decision to recommend 236 groups for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.
Antagonistic gestures and accusations are prevailing over genuine efforts to resume political dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today, calling on both sides to steady, rather than agitate, the atmosphere as a minimum requirement.
Extending for 13 months the mandate of the expert panel charged with overseeing the arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze imposed on those obstructing peace in Darfur, the Security Council today also heard from Sudan’s representative who called for an updated snapshot of the “reality of security” in his country.
Crime on the high seas is becoming increasingly sophisticated, endangering human life on land, the economic growth of entire regions and global safety, the head of the United Nations anti-crime agency warned the Security Council today, underscoring the vital role of international legal treaties in combating the scourge.
From illicit trafficking in the Sahel, to post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire and innumerable abuses against civilians in the Central African Republic, mercenary activities in Africa are a serious concern and must command greater attention, senior officials told the Security Council today as they debated solutions to an often-invisible scourge.
