Security Council: No name

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Kacou Houadja Léon Adom (Côte d’Ivoire):

The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process expressed deep concern today over the weakening of the international consensus around a two-State resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as he briefed the Security Council on continuing violence, provocation and settlement activity on the ground.

Serbia and Kosovo must avoid steps that could further exacerbate tensions and set back dialogue towards normalizing relations, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council today.

Against the backdrop of increasingly complex and evolving threats to global peace and security, divisions within the Security Council – including between its five permanent and 10 elected members – continue to hamstring the work of the committees and working groups tasked with tackling them, said the Chairs of the 15-member organ’s subsidiary bodies in their annual briefing.

Despite undeniable threats to their safety, the Afghan people came out to vote for a better future for their country in the recent parliamentary elections, the top-ranking United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today.

On 17 December 2018, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1970 (2011) concerning Libya adopted an Implementation Assistance Notice entitled “Guidance to Member States on the application of the provisions of the resolutions regarding the asset freeze in relation to the payment of interest and other earnings on frozen assets”.

Violations of the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute – including failure to arrest fugitives as they cross international borders - are unlikely to end if the Security Council remains unwilling to take action against such non-compliance, the Court’s Chief Prosecutor said today, as she briefed the 15-member organ on her investigation into alleged crimes in the western Darfur region of Sudan.

On 3 December 2018, the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1988 (2011) adopted revised Guidelines for the Conduct of its Work (“Guidelines”).  The Guidelines were revised in compliance with paragraph 43 of Security Council resolution 2255 (2015), which directed the Committee to review its Guidelines.

Reporting on the newly reached agreement to demilitarize ports in Yemen, United Nations officials urged the Security Council today to take swift action to ensure full implementation of the accord in order to relieve the dire humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.

Ahead of a briefing later in December on assistance to civilians in Syria, the Security Council today renewed its authorization of the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the devastated country across borders and lines of conflict for a further 12 months, until 10 January 2020.