Security Council: Meetings Coverage

The Security Council today extended the authorization of measures to stop the illicit export of petroleum products from Libya and the mandate of the panel of experts helping to oversee this process.

In the aftermath of an air strike on a northern Gaza hospital that marked a sharp escalation in the ongoing Israel-Gaza crisis, the Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution put forth by Brazil that would have called for humanitarian pauses to allow full, safe and unhindered access for United Nations agencies and their partners, due to a veto cast by a permanent member of the Council, the United States.

The international community must urgently come together to secure an immediate cessation of hostilities, the unconditional release of all hostages and safe and unhindered humanitarian access, delegates heard today, during a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, following the 7 October invasion of Israel by Hamas and a 17 October attack against the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.

The Security Council entity overseeing sanctions on Somalia recently met twice for informal discussions on delivery of humanitarian assistance, maritime security, countering terrorism financing, security, and weapons and ammunition management and tracing, its Chair reported today.

Armed groups’ hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and any support to them must cease, the Security Council heard today, as members urged strengthened regional cooperation and dialogue to tackle the root causes of the conflict in the country and the wider region and arrive at a political solution.

The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution put forth by the Russian Federation that would have called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis.

Rival parties in Libya must mobilize through dialogue to finalize electoral laws and enable presidential and parliamentary elections to take place, a senior United Nations official told the 15-member organ today, in his first briefing since devastating floods caused widespread death and destruction in the north-east.

The Security Council today adopted a presidential statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commending the stabilizing actions of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and reiterating its call on all parties to continue their efforts to ensure full cooperation with it.

The issue of arms supplies to Ukraine was taken up again at the Security Council, putting on display divisions among briefers and Council members, with some contending that the unchecked flow of weapons dragged out the conflict, and many others defending Kyiv’s legitimate right to defend itself against the Russian Federation’s ongoing war of aggression.

The African Union and United Nations must deepen already expanding cooperation and mutual support to address the uptick and increasing complexity of conflicts across Africa, promoting regionally led solutions, speakers told the Security Council today during its annual debate on strengthening UN relations with the 55-member bloc.