With the formation of the Government of Iraq still incomplete, it is high-time for leaders to shift the focus from factional politics and invest in addressing the immediate needs of the citizens, the highest-ranking United Nations official in the country said today as she briefed the Security Council.
While the 2015 Minsk agreements are the only agreed framework for a negotiated peace in eastern Ukraine, they remain largely unimplemented, senior United Nations and other officials told the Security Council today, urging all parties to the conflict to uphold their commitments to uphold a permanent ceasefire.
Despite the decline in the number of international terrorist attacks in 2018, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) continues to evolve into a global covert network, with access to hundreds of millions of dollars and the demonstrated ability to exploit new technologies, the top-ranking United Nations counter-terrorism officials told the Security Council today.
Antagonistic gestures and accusations are prevailing over genuine efforts to resume political dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council today, calling on both sides to steady, rather than agitate, the atmosphere as a minimum requirement.
Extending for 13 months the mandate of the expert panel charged with overseeing the arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze imposed on those obstructing peace in Darfur, the Security Council today also heard from Sudan’s representative who called for an updated snapshot of the “reality of security” in his country.
Crime on the high seas is becoming increasingly sophisticated, endangering human life on land, the economic growth of entire regions and global safety, the head of the United Nations anti-crime agency warned the Security Council today, underscoring the vital role of international legal treaties in combating the scourge.
From illicit trafficking in the Sahel, to post-election violence in Côte d’Ivoire and innumerable abuses against civilians in the Central African Republic, mercenary activities in Africa are a serious concern and must command greater attention, senior officials told the Security Council today as they debated solutions to an often-invisible scourge.
The Security Council today decided to extend its sanctions regime on the Central African Republic — including an arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze — until 31 January 2020, while also extending the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Central African Republic Sanctions Committee until 29 February 2020.
Harsh winter conditions and ongoing hostilities in some parts of Syria have resulted in the forced displacement of tens of thousands more civilians across the war-ravaged country, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator warned during his briefing to the Security Council today.
The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 31 July 2019 today, unanimously adopting resolution 2453 (2019).
