A spike in violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Israel showed once more that Palestinians and Israelis must make hard the compromises needed for a sustainable peace, a top political affairs official told the Security Council this morning.
Hostilities in eastern Ukraine had reignited, and for the past several days, artillery fire was exchanged between the Government and separatists amid reports from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe of large convoys of heavy weapons and troops flowing into rebel-held areas, the Security Council heard today in step with the fast-breaking developments.
Even as the international community scaled up its response to the Ebola crisis in Liberia, it might also need to consider how best to support the rebuilding of the West African nation in the wake of that epic health emergency, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council today, stressing that the opportunity must be seized to spur positive transformation.
Expressing continued grave concern over piracy off the coast of Somalia despite a sharp decline in attacks, the Security Council today renewed for another year authorizations, first agreed in 2008, for international action to fight the crime in cooperation with Government authorities.
After four years of Government performance that had fallen “way short of the mark”, newly elected leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina had a fresh opportunity to make real economic gains and set the Balkan nation back on track towards European integration, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today.
The Security Council this afternoon renewed the authorization of the European Union-led multinational stabilization force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, known as EUFOR ALTHEA, for a further 12 months.
Given the upsurge of violence in Libya and corresponding lack of progress on accountability for serious crimes, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court this morning urged the Security Council to take a more proactive stance in assisting the country to address those issues.
The Security Council, meeting independently from, but concurrently with the General Assembly, today failed to elect the final judge for the International Court of Justice. The vacancy must be filled in February 2015, when the terms of five members will expire.
The Security Council, meeting independently from but concurrently with the General Assembly, elected four judges to the International Court of Justice for nine-year terms, beginning on 6 February 2015.
As the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB) prepared to withdraw at the end of 2014, the Office’s Head stressed to the Security Council the need for continued international support ahead of critical elections and in face of development challenges.
