With Syrian civilians being killed on a horrific scale and displaced in large numbers, the United Nations top representative for Syria warned the Security Council today of the grave risks posed by the recent string of dangerous and worrying escalations of violence in the country.
Speaking today on the protection of critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks, Security Council members noted the need to strengthen international cooperation and information sharing between countries, while also highlighting the importance of regional and national initiatives and counter-terrorism strategies.
More than five months since the start of the violence that forced 688,000 Rohingya to flee Myanmar into Bangladesh, a dangerous new crisis loomed, while restrictions on humanitarian access to the conflict areas posed a serious concern, the Security Council heard today, as it was briefed on the most recent developments in the region.
Despite military setbacks and loss of territory last year, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) was a present and continuing threat, the senior United Nations official for counter‑terrorism told the Security Council today, as he presented the Secretary‑General’s sixth report on the international and regional threat posed by that group (document S/2018/80).
The Security Council, acting unanimously under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, today adopted a resolution extending for 13 months the mandate of the Panel of Experts appointed to monitor the arms embargo, travel ban and asset freeze imposed on those impeding peace in Sudan’s Darfur region.
The establishment of the Specialist Chambers in Kosovo had been a major achievement, and recent attempts to abrogate the 2015 law supporting its work were cause for grave concern, the senior United Nations official in the Balkans told the Security Council today, adding that the assassination of a Kosovo-Serb politician in January had shaken the region.
Amid complex crises faced by peacekeepers, and ongoing strategic reviews of those operations, now was an ideal time to examine the Security Council’s working methods, delegates said today in an open debate focused on improving efficiency, transparency, inclusiveness and accountability.
There was still work to be done before the international community could have shared confidence that the Government of Syria’s chemical weapons programme had been eliminated, the Security Council heard today, as it was briefed by the United Nations top disarmament official on recent events in the war-torn country.
A ministerial debate on building regional partnership in Afghanistan and Central Asia was among the signature events of a January packed with meetings and discussions, Security Council President Kairat Umarov (Kazakhstan) told members during an end-of-month “wrap-up” meeting today.
The Security Council today welcomed improvements in the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, but remained concerned about outstanding challenges, as it expressed its support for a review that would consider a new mission concept for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).
