Security Council: Meetings Coverage

Stressing its continuing commitment to peace throughout Sudan, including the still-violent Western Darfur region, the Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts that helps monitor the arms embargo and sanctions on those who impede peace in the country, for the year ending 15 October 2010.

Expressing its strong concern over the increase in violence and criminality in Afghanistan, the Security Council today extended the authorization for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for 12 months beyond 13 October 2009. As its members unanimously adopted resolution 1890 (2009), the Council also called on Member States to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources in order to allow ISAF to meet security and assistance challenges.

Targeted sanctions could be an effective way to deal with “spoilers” in Somalia, but the approach must be flexible enough to allow them to change course and work for peace, B. Lynn Pascoe, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told the Security Council this morning.

The Security Council today called for a wide range of measures to strengthen the participation of women at all stages of peace processes, as it began an intensive day-long discussion on the topic. Through the unanimous adoption of resolution 1889 (2009), the Council reaffirmed its landmark 2000 resolution 1325 on “women and peace and security”, and condemned continuing sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

For global efforts to succeed in preventing mass destruction weapons from falling into the hands of non-State actors, individual countries needed practical, targeted assistance to close current dangerous gaps in the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), participants in a comprehensive review on that legally binding resolution said today as three days of meetings concluded.

Citing ever greater risks to the nuclear non-proliferation regime, which were challenging Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) to effectively bind every State to enforce domestic controls to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of non-State actors, concerned organizations grappled with the text’s far-reaching legislative and technical obligations today, as a comprehensive review of implementation continued at Headquarters.

With hundreds of instances of nuclear material going missing each year, the nightmare scenario of non-State actors gaining access to weapons of mass destruction made Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), and the work of its Committee, more critical today than ever before, stakeholders at all levels said today as a comprehensive review of that resolution’s implementation began.

The Security Council decided this morning to specifically mandate peacekeeping missions to protect women and children from rampant sexual violence during armed conflict, as it requested the Secretary-General to appoint a special representative to coordinate a range of mechanisms to fight the crime.

The formation of an effective Afghan Government and the development of its strategies demanded decisions that would determine prospects for ending the intensified conflict in the country, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council this morning.

The Security Council today expressed its concern at the delay in publication of the provisional voters list for the first round of free, fair and transparent presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire to be held on 29 November.