The unrelenting violence in the Middle East is further diminishing the prospects for a sustainable resolution in the region, warned Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, as he urged all efforts to de-escalate the situation towards an immediate ceasefire and, ultimately, the two-State solution, as Member States joined the Security Council during its quarterly open debate on the situation in the region and the question of Palestine.
At an emergency meeting held at the Security Council, on the heels of reported mass casualty incidents in villages in eastern Sudan, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres voiced alarm over the “utter humanitarian catastrophe” engulfing the country, underscoring the urgent need for “decisive action”, including an immediate cessation of hostilities and unfettered humanitarian access.
All parties must exercise maximum restraint and immediately de-escalate to break the dangerous cycle of retaliation and prevent a full-blown war in the Middle East, speakers told the Security Council today during yet another emergency meeting on the escalating crisis in the region, following Israel’s 25 October air strikes against Iran, which earlier in the month launched missile strikes against Israel.
This morning, the Security Council met to hear from the remaining speakers in its annual open debate on women and peace and security.
Women remain starkly under-represented from peace talks and conflict resolution efforts, including in some of today’s most intractable conflicts, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the Security Council today, opening its annual day-long open debate on women, peace and security.
While there has been some recent momentum stemming from the dialogue between the Government and armed groups, the Central African Republic needs a recommitment to positive energy ahead of its elections set for 2025, several United Nations officials told the Security Council today.
“Syrians need today the urgent protection provided by de-escalation and the support needed to face crises upon crisis,” the UN’s senior mediator told the Security Council today, underscoring the need for a restoration of the country’s sovereignty and a resumption of the long-stalled UN-facilitated political process, amid a spiralling of regional tensions and conflicts..
Criminal gangs continue to sow violence and terror in Haiti, where more than 700,000 are now internally displaced, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, calling for Member States’ support for the still under-resourced Multinational Security Support Mission, which was authorized by the 15-member body in October 2023 to assist the Haitian National Police in restoring law and order in the strife-torn Caribbean nation.
Early understanding of today’s rapidly emerging scientific and technological advances may be the best way to ensure these cutting-edge developments enhance international peace and security, rather than create new human-made horrors and security threats, experts told the Security Council today. The Council heard from four experts who stressed the Council’s crucial role in staying on top of quantum technology, artificial general intelligence and other scientific developments to maintain global security.
More than two and a half years into the war on Ukraine, the Russian Federation’s unrelenting attacks continue to cause death and destruction, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, describing an uptick in civilian deaths and daily damage to critical civilian infrastructure.
