Security Council: Meetings Coverage

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.

With less than three months remaining before the referendum in the south, the whole of Sudan was entering a crucial period, Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, told the Security Council today in a briefing that covered the situations in both Southern Sudan and Darfur.

Recognizing that the African Union was contributing towards the maintenance of international peace and security by undertaking peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council, members of that 15-nation body today reaffirmed the need to enhance the predictability, sustainability and flexibility of financing for regional organizations when they took on peacekeeping under a United Nations mandate.

During a Security Council meeting this morning on Somalia that also heard from high officials from the African Union and the Somali Transitional Government, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Council to take “bold and courageous decisions” to strengthen the African-led peacekeeping force and the transitional authorities of the faction-wracked country.

The Governments of Chad and the Central African Republic were doing their best to take over the tasks of the United Nations Mission there, known as MINURCAT, but needed continued support in that effort, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today. “We must not let MINURCAT’s hard-won achievements fade because of lack of funding and support,” said Youssef Mahmoud, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of MINURCAT.

Timor-Leste was entering a crucial period that would help determine whether the country had overcome the political and institutional weaknesses that had contributed to the violent events of 2006, the Head of the United Nations Mission there told the Security Council today.

Ahead of a debate on the Middle East that heard from some 40 speakers today, a top United Nations political official told the Security Council that, despite the impasse in direct peace talks, the international community must remain committed to the goal of an agreement on core issues within a year.