The Security Council today extended until 30 April 2017 the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), reaffirming its commitment to help the parties achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution that would provide for self-determination.
Concerned by escalating violence and political gridlock in eastern Ukraine, senior officials of the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) called on all parties to the two-year old conflict to immediately lay down their weapons and make good on their commitments under the Minsk agreements, during a Security Council meeting this afternoon on the subject.
The situation in Syria was at risk of slipping backwards if the international community failed to work towards a sustainable political solution that would allow a more effective humanitarian response, the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council today.
Welcoming Côte d’Ivoire’s remarkable progress towards lasting peace, stability and economic prosperity, the Security Council renewed the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in that country for a final period, extending it until 30 June 2017.
Expressing deep concern about the high human cost and suffering caused by armed conflict, the Security Council stressed today that a comprehensive approach to transitional justice and an accountable security sector were critical to consolidating peace, reducing poverty and preventing countries from relapsing into conflict.
The arrival in Juba of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) leader and First Vice President-designate Riek Machar should clear the way for a real transition in South Sudan, but the overall situation in the country remained very worrying, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council today.
The Security Council today extended until 31 July the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), determining that the situation in that country constitutes a threat to international peace and security.
The Security Council today welcomed the nationwide cessation of hostilities in Yemen and the launch of peace talks, commenced on 10 April and 21 April 2016, respectively.
The Security Council today expressed its deep concern over piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach — led by States of the region, with international support — to address the problem and its root causes.
While Somalia was making progress on its long road back to peace and stability, with preparations well afoot for elections in August and a constitutional review, Al-Shabaab remained a potent threat that risked undercutting hard-earned gains, the senior United Nations official in that country told the Security Council today.
