Security Council: Meetings Coverage

The Security Council today welcomed the agreement achieved in Iraq on 11 November to form a national partnership Government.

The authorities and communities of Kosovo and Serbia must take advantage of United Nations and European facilitation to overcome differences through dialogue, the head of the Organization’s interim administration there, known as UNMIK, told the Security Council this afternoon, as members held that such talks would be a factor for peace, security and stability in the wider Balkan region as well.

The international community must urge the newly elected leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to end the stagnation and internal disagreements of the past four years, the top international official in the country told the Security Council today.

The Security Council today was briefed on legal issues and options regarding implementation of successor arrangements for the Development Fund for Iraq — due to expire by 31 December — by the United Nations Controller and the Head of the Committee of Financial Experts of the Government of Iraq.

The menace of piracy off the coast of Somalia was outpacing international efforts to stem it, B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the Security Council today, emphasizing: “Warships alone will not solve the problem.”

Plans to reform Guinea-Bissau’s security sector, reintegrate former combatants and end impunity in the country, if properly pursued, would create the conditions for wider international cooperation with the West African country, Joseph Mutaboba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, told the Security Council this morning.

The 31 October presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire were “marked as much by the enthusiasm of the population as by the respect for democratic principles”, the Head of the United Nations Mission there told the Security Council this morning, adding that voters’ turnout of around 80 per cent was one of the highest in the world.

Affirming the importance of the Peacebuilding Commission in addressing the needs of countries emerging from conflict, the Security Council requested the United Nations system this afternoon to take forward the recommendations contained in the recent review of the Organization’s peacebuilding support.

The Security Council this morning adopted its annual report to the General Assembly for the period 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010.

Marking the tenth anniversary of its landmark resolution on women and peace and security, the Security Council today expressed support for taking forward a set of indicators to measure progress in filling urgent gaps in the protection and empowerment of women. The Council noted with grave concern that, despite the normative framework and a wide range of activities spurred by the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), women and girls were still ravaged by violence.