Meetings Coverage

Recalling that Member States committed to assisting the world’s 48 least developed countries with an overarching goal of enabling half of them to meet the criteria for graduation from that status by 2020, the General Assembly today adopted a consensus resolution reiterating that graduation not disrupt development progress already achieved.

Painting a picture of a country at a crossroads, the top United Nations official in Guinea-Bissau told the Security Council today that, while all basic conditions for genuinely advancing national dialogue and reforming the security sector were in place, durable progress was being hampered by the authorities’ uncertain commitment to addressing impunity, drug trafficking and organized crime, despite their potentially devastating impact on stability.

Stressing the significant challenges posed by the ongoing presence of armed groups in the restive eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Security Council today decided to extend for one year the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in that country, while demanding that the groups demobilize.

BRUSSELS, 28 June — The viability of the two-State solution, the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative and the effectiveness of the Quartet’s Road Map in bringing about a just and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict — along with Europe’s role in reaching that goal — were examined this afternoon as the United Nations International Meeting in Support of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process held its first plenary session in Brussels.

BRUSSELS, 28 June — Given the frozen state of Middle East peace negotiations at the present critical time, the international community must do its part to bring the parties back to the table, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message to the United Nations International Meeting in Support of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, which opened this morning in Brussels.

With gaps in the world’s multilateral frameworks hindering the international community’s ability to comprehensively and equitably meet the most critical global challenges, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for improving the multilateral system’s coherence and efficiency today as the General Assembly convened a day-long informal thematic debate on the United Nations in global governance.

Deeply concerned by the violence, escalating tensions and population displacement in Sudan’s Abyei region and recognizing that the situation demanded an urgent response, the Security Council today authorized the deployment of a peacekeeping force to the disputed area, which straddles Northern and Southern Sudan and is claimed by both.

While Libyan authorities and opposition leaders remained far from agreement, a nascent negotiation process had started and “must be given space to grow and bear fruit”, the top United Nations political affairs official told the Security Council today as he called for a clear, consistent and coherent message on a political solution.

Warning that illicit drugs and organized criminal networks were wreaking havoc in many countries — even holding hostage the stability and development of entire regions — the top United Nations anti-drugs and crime official told the Security Council today that tackling those scourges required “urgent action” supported by a coordinated response, led by the world body.

Reiterating the need for a comprehensive strategy to foster peace and stability in Somalia, the Security Council called today on the signatories of the 9 June Kampala Accord to honour their obligations under that agreement and ensure “cohesion, unity and focus” in completing the transitional tasks set forth in the Djibouti Agreement and the Transitional Charter.