Since her last briefing to the 15-nation organ, the war in Ukraine has escalated while prospects for peace remain “desperately dim” amid a surge in Russian Federation missile barrages and drone attacks, a senior United Nations official warned the Security Council today, as members called for adherence to international humanitarian law and access to civilians impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam.
The Special Committee on Decolonization concluded its 2023 substantive session today, approving 17 resolutions to be forwarded to the General Assembly for adoption. It also approved the draft conclusions and recommendations and the procedural report of the 2023 Pacific regional seminar on the implementation of the Fourth International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism.
The Special Committee on Decolonization today approved a draft resolution reaffirming the inalienable right of the people of Puerto Rico to self-determination and independence and calling again upon the United States to assume its responsibility to promote a process to those ends.
Unequivocally condemning terrorism, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution on the eighth review of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, underscoring the importance of the road map adopted in 2006 in view of emerging new threats and evolving trends, as States detailed their national counter-terrorism measures and highlighted the importance of international cooperation.
While Somalia has made significant progress across multiple sectors over recent months, collective engagement was still critical to ensure the country was not only prepared to assume responsibility for its own security alongside the drawdown of international presence on the ground, but also supported in tackling a looming and complex humanitarian crisis, speakers told the Security Council today.
Providing encouraging news about the decline in piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, briefers from both the United Nations and regional organizations also stressed the need to address obstacles hindering the complete implementation of the interregional maritime security mechanism — the Yaoundé Architecture — as the Security Council took up the matter of peace and security in Africa today.
With women and girls facing “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan, excluded from all aspects of education and public life, speakers today urged the Security Council and the international community to compel the Taliban de facto authorities to cease its despotic and inhumane measures or remain isolated from global affairs.
The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples today adopted once again a resolution requesting the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom to consolidate the current process of dialogue and cooperation through the resumption of negotiations to swiftly find a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute relating to the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
The United Nations top official for South Sudan today warned the Security Council of a series of challenges impeding progress of the country’s Revitalized Peace Agreement, chief among them an influx of returnees from Sudan, escalating violence in Malakal and the need to establish civic and political space before conducting credible elections.
Following yesterday’s landmark adoption of the historic new maritime biodiversity treaty, the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction concluded its work today, as delegates underscored the importance of the agreement’s swift implementation and rapid ratification and called for funding towards this end.
