While operational and technical preparations for the upcoming 28 September presidential election are on track, deep concerns such as voter security, turnout and possible fraud still remain, the top United Nations official for Afghanistan told the Security Council today.
Fostering more flexible peacekeeping operations, building stronger partnerships, improving rapid deployment and ensuring stable funding for mandates are part of measures required to enhance safety and security of the blue helmets and improve results on the ground for the people who depend on them, the Under‑Secretary-General for Peace Operations told the Security Council today.
The international community must build on August’s Eid al-Adha humanitarian truce in Libya with a strong and unequivocal message that emphasizes respect for the arms embargo, non-interference in Tripoli’s affairs and support for whatever political future Libyans might agree to, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today.
The Security Council today extended the mandate of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until 31 August 2020, reiterating its call for Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution based on the principles and elements set out in resolution 1701 (2006).
With the delicate political process intended to resolve the crisis in Syria entering a critical phase, senior United Nations officials called today for immediate Security Council action to ensure a ceasefire is in place in that country’s north-western Idlib Governorate amid a surge in civilian casualties and ongoing attacks on key infrastructure.
Expressing concern by recent developments in south Yemen, including the violent attempt to take over State institutions, the Security Council today called on all involved parties to show restraint and preserve the country’s territorial integrity.
The Security Council decided today to renew until 31 August 2020 sanctions — including a travel ban and assets freeze — that it imposed through resolution 2374 (2017) on individuals and entities actively stymying progress in implementing the 2015 Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.
The leadership of Iraq is hard at work building on progress made since the territorial defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), but the recent flare-up in regional tensions could potentially undermine ongoing efforts to restore stability and prosperity, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country warned the Security Council today.
Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) may have lost its territorial foothold in Syria, but it remains a global threat through a network of affiliates stretching from West Africa to South-East Asia and residual wealth estimated at up to $300 million, senior counter-terrorism officials told the Security Council today.
Scattered violence, rising death and injury tolls, and the ongoing construction of settlements in occupied territory continue against a backdrop of stalled negotiations on how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.
