The Security Council this morning renewed the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) for just over 10 weeks, until 7 August, pending consideration of a review of regional and international efforts in the country.
As Serbia and Kosovo strove to overcome the legacy of hostility and conflict by working together on subjects of common concern, they should avoid procrastination on implementing the remaining steps of the April 2013 agreement or allowing older issues to shackle opportunities to open new ground, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council today.
The Security Council this morning adopted a text urging stronger cooperation in stemming the “illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse” of small arms and light weapons, underlining the suffering they caused to civilians, although six members abstained, citing insufficient attention to keeping arms from all non-State actors.
With the Middle East facing a complicated and vicious tide of terror and extremism, it was even more critical for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a two-State solution and end actions that imperilled it, the incoming Special Coordinator for peace in the region told the Security Council this afternoon.
Following the end of a political crisis that had gripped Somalia for four months, the process of building a federal State had regained momentum, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council today, stressing that overcoming the prevailing environment of mistrust, accumulated over 25 years, deserved sustained support.
To end the worsening suffering in South Sudan, the international community must find a way to help its people bring about urgently needed peace, eliminate drivers of conflict and resume development, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council this afternoon.
In the face of “horrendous crimes” which continued to be perpetrated against civilians by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS), efforts to free Iraq from that common enemy must be rooted in bolstered unity and the acceleration of national reconciliation, top United Nations officials told the Security Council this morning.
Underscoring the human suffering caused by the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons in conflict zones at an all-day open debate in the Security Council today, speakers called for the urgent management of such deadly materiel through national action, implementation of treaties and strengthened international cooperation.
The international community must be more proactive in exploring solutions to tangibly help Libya restore stability and strengthen accountability for violations of international law, said the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court as she addressed the Security Council this afternoon.
With renewed momentum for European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and new Government components in place, national leaders should work together to end the “stagnation” of progress in time for the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the accords that ended fighting there, the High Representative for the country told the Security Council this morning.
