Security Council: Meetings Coverage

The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) until 3 December 2023.

Following the recently failed launch of what the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has described as a military reconnaissance satellite, a senior United Nations official today stressed to the Security Council that diplomacy — and not isolation — is the only way forward, as she underlined that the 15-nation organ’s lack of unity and action does little to slow the Korean Peninsula’s negative trajectory.

The Security Council today decided to renew measures designed to implement the arms embargo against Libya for another year, in particular those authorizing Member States — acting nationally or through regional organizations — to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast believed to be in violation of the arms embargo imposed on that country.

Avoiding a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest nuclear power station in Europe — is possible, the Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stressed to the Security Council today as he outlined, to that end, five concrete principles to ensure that plant’s nuclear safety and security.

Recent expanded diplomatic efforts must be matched with real action to build confidence on the ground and arrive at a political solution that restores Syria’s sovereignty and unity and meets the aspirations of its people, the United Nations senior official on the ground said today during his briefing to the Security Council.

The Security Council today extended for one year the sanctions regime imposed on South Sudan, including assets freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo, numerous members stressed that instead of sanctions, the country needs a carefully managed support system to facilitate its transitional journey and overcome its security issues.

The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) today for another year until 31 May 2024, retaining its core tasks.

The Security Council today unanimously adopted its annual report to the General Assembly covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2022.

African Union-led peace support operations need predictable, adequate and sustainable support in light of a demonstrably inadequate current international peace architecture, senior officials from both the United Nations and the African Union told the Council today, as members discussed how best to leverage the latter organization’s regional expertise to address current and future crises in a context-specific manner.

The recent deadly escalation between Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza was yet another reminder of the volatile security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the United Nations senior official for Middle East peace told the Security Council today, as members urged parties to observe the recent ceasefire and voiced alarm over the continued violence, settlement activities and inflammatory rhetoric.