While upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have generated “great expectations” for shoring up the county’s stability, the electoral process continues to suffer from distrust between the political opposition and the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative in that country told the Security Council today.
Members of the Security Council joined the Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia today in welcoming progress in the implementation of the South American nation’s landmark peace agreement, while expressing worries over a rash of violence that risks imperilling hard‑won gains.
Opening the first meeting of its 2019 session today, the Economic and Social Council elected, by acclamation, Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) as its new President and adopted its provisional agenda and other organizational matters for its upcoming session.
The Security Council authorized a six‑month mandate renewal for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) today, and called upon the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities as well as all parties involved to commit fully to a settlement process, using United Nations consultations to restart negotiations.
The Economic and Social Council adopted 13 resolutions and 12 decisions on issues ranging from Haiti’s long-term development, to the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation, to non-governmental organizations and regional cooperation, as it concluded its 2018 Coordination and Management meetings today.
The outbreak of a new conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is “almost a certainty” unless the international community gets to work immediately to ease tensions on the ground, without losing sight of the broader aim of a sustainable peace, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.
Following expressions of condolences to the people of Argentina and Namibia for the recent deaths of two influential leaders, the General Assembly today unanimously adopted a resolution underlining the importance of the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), which highlights and encourages efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal targets related to hunger, undernutrition and extreme poverty.
The top United Nations human rights official voiced acute concern today over developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warning that any further violence risks inflaming the already fragile situation and may pose threats “across a far broader region”.
The General Assembly today unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the Economic and Social Council to continue strengthening its leadership and policy guidance role, while placing particular focus on addressing new and emerging economic, social and environmental issues.
The Security Council noted today the conclusion of the voter registration process in Afghanistan on 18 July, in which 8.9 million people registered — including more than 3 million women — to vote in parliamentary and district council elections on 20 October 2018, and in presidential elections in 2019.
