The Security Council underlined the need for more support and adequate resources for the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) today amid increased demands from Guinea-Bissau and post-transition countries in the region.
Calling attention to the plight of tens of thousands of children detained in war-torn countries and 420 million others growing up in conflict-affected places, delegates told the Security Council that much more must be done to ensure they fully enjoy their right to be protected.
The Security Council reiterated today its grave concern over the most recent outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting the urgent need to respond since the disease could spread rapidly, possibly with serious humanitarian consequences and impacting regional stability.
The Security Council’s failure to respond to the conflict in Syria, now in its ninth year, is a clear weakening of its responsibility to protect, a human rights advocate stressed today as briefers presented details of the humanitarian impact of fighting in Idlib, including attacks on medical facilities.
Several recent tragedies involving migrants and refugees in Libya have spotlighted the extreme vulnerability of those groups, the senior United Nations official in that country told the Security Council today, as he described a rapidly worsening conflict exacerbated by external support.
The international community must stand with the women of Afghanistan and ensure that their hard-won gains since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001 are not sacrificed in any peace agreement, a leading Afghan human rights activist told the Security Council today ahead of presidential elections in September.
Extending the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 31 January 2020, the Security Council today expressed regret over the lack of progress since 2017 and urged all sides to renew their political will to achieve a settlement under United Nations auspices.
Addressing potential sources of conflict is critical ahead of the high-stakes presidential elections scheduled for 2020 in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger and Togo, the top United Nations official for West Africa and the Sahel told the Security Council today.
More than six months after its presidential elections, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is making satisfactory progress along the road to peace and stability, but many concerns remain, particularly in the east where armed groups remain active amid a renewed outbreak of Ebola, the Security Council heard today.
Tangible steps are urgently needed to reverse a negative trajectory in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs told the Security Council today, urging Member States to do all they can to create the circumstances for advancing peace.
