Despite progress being made in Sudan — marked by the first International Criminal Court war crimes trial of a former Janjaweed commander — the nightmare for thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons has not ended, the Court’s top prosecutor stressed today, calling on the Security Council to urgently turn its words into action 17 years after resolution 1593 (2005).
The United Nations Secretary-General today urged Security Council members to update the diplomatic toolkit, used for decades to prevent catastrophic war, to meet the deteriorating global peace and security environment and move towards a world free of nuclear weapons. As António Guterres told Council members that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was ready to send a mission from Kyiv to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, Gustavo Zlauvinen, President of the Tenth Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, warned members that the norm against the use of such arms, one of the most important achievements of the post-Second World War era, is increasingly threatened.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the Security Council meeting on “Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Promoting Common Security through Dialogue and Cooperation”, today in New York:
Encouraged by the extension of a truce in Yemen until 2 October, the United Nations top official for the country told the Security Council today that he aims for an expanded agreement that would lead to a durable ceasefire and resumption of a Yemeni-led political process as speakers voiced their concerns about the ongoing humanitarian crises and the blocking of roads to Taiz.
On 10 June, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2140 (2014) was briefed by Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba on the situation of children and armed conflict in Yemen, upon invitation by the Committee.
The Security Council Committee pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) concerning Somalia considered the recommendations contained in the comprehensive midterm update of the Panel of Experts on Somalia during its informal consultations on 3 June 2022.
On 28 July, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) concerning Mali held informal consultations to consider the final report of the Panel of Experts on Mali, submitted in accordance with paragraph 4 of resolution 2590 (2021).
The situation at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has deteriorated rapidly to the point of becoming “very alarming”, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi warned the Security Council today, in a meeting requested by the Russian Federation and marked by resounding calls to allow the Agency’s technical experts to visit the area to address mounting safety concerns.
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Da’esh, and its affiliates continue to exploit conflict-related fragility to plan and conduct terrorist attacks while the international community faces a rash of overlapping challenges that risk complicating counter-terrorism responses and fuelling extremism, senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as members debated how best to address this proliferating threat.
Highlighting the links between effective governance, peace, security and development in Africa, speakers urged greater international investment and support for nationally led efforts, stressing “Africa knows best” how to resolve its own problems, as the Security Council concluded a two-day open debate on stopping violence and building the capacity for peace and growth on the continent.
