The armed groups in Darfur today had largely been defeated, the ferocity of intercommunal violence had declined, and there had been no new large‑scale displacements, Bintou Keita, Assistant Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council today.
The Security Council decided this morning to extend until 15 April 2018 the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and to limit support for the disputed territory’s border monitoring mechanism to a further five months, while awaiting implementation of measures agreed by Sudan and South Sudan.
The Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) until 15 November 2018, increasing its troop level to provide greater capabilities in protecting civilians and other mandated tasks.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved five draft resolutions today, four covering human rights situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria, Iran and Crimea, as well as one focused on a training centre for South-West Asia and the Arab region.
Kosovo’s peaceful and orderly municipal elections on 19 October had seen a significant increase in participation by ethnic Serbs in areas where they formed the majority, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations mission there told the Security Council today.
The Security Council today extended the modified arms embargo on Somalia and the authorization for maritime interdiction of illicit arms imports and charcoal exports until 15 November 2018, as well as the renewal of the arms ban on Eritrea for that same period.
Delegates spotlighted the need to engage fully and equally with all Member States in order to improve the General Assembly’s working methods, authority and transparency, as the 193‑member organ concluded its annual debate on the revitalization of its work.
The 193 Member States of the United Nations must resist every temptation to turn the General Assembly into a platform for “red lines” and “static positions”, the world body heard today, as it adopted its annual “Olympic Truce” draft resolution ahead of a debate on how best to revitalize its work.
The Security Council this afternoon, meeting independently from, but concurrently with the General Assembly, failed to elect the last of five members to the International Court of Justice for a nine‑year term, beginning on 6 February 2018.
Delegates expressed concern today about protection for whistle‑blowers and managerial accountability as well as staff’s lack of knowledge of dispute mechanisms at their disposal as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) examined the Organization’s track record for resolving conflict for tens of thousands of employees worldwide.
