With women and girls facing “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan, excluded from all aspects of education and public life, speakers today urged the Security Council and the international community to compel the Taliban de facto authorities to cease its despotic and inhumane measures or remain isolated from global affairs.
The United Nations top official for South Sudan today warned the Security Council of a series of challenges impeding progress of the country’s Revitalized Peace Agreement, chief among them an influx of returnees from Sudan, escalating violence in Malakal and the need to establish civic and political space before conducting credible elections.
The political situation in the Central African Republic remains fragile amid the announcement of a constitutional reform — with a referendum scheduled for 30 July 2023 — senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today as members voiced disappointment that historic local elections have been deprioritized and delayed in favour of a referendum that risks destabilizing the country.
A senior United Nations official today told the Security Council — intent on ensuring Libya’s progress towards elections later this year to unify the country’s divided Government — that success hinges on a legal framework and a political agreement involving all stakeholders.
Amid a worrying security situation, especially endless violence against civilians unleashed by Da’esh in the north-east of Mali, the renewal of MINUSMA’s mandate ‑ which expires on 30 June — is essential for the region’s stability, the Organization’s senior official in that country told the Security Council today, as he highlighted the significance of the coming referendum for advancing the political transition.
The worsening violence in Darfur would not have happened if resolution 1591 (2005) — which has undermined the strength and sovereignty of the State and the protection of civilians — had not been implemented, Sudan’s representative asserted to the Security Council today as the head of its Committee established pursuant to that resolution presented her quarterly update.
Briefing the Security Council today, the Chair of the committee concerning the sanctions regime for Somalia gave an overview of its activities, including concerns regarding the confidentiality of its proceedings and follow-up actions on the Panel of Expert’s recommendations on humanitarian matters.
The declaration “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” — co-authored by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb — is a model for compassion and human solidarity, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, as speakers warned against a groundswell of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, anti-Muslim hatred, virulent antisemitism and attacks on minority Christian communities.
Recognizing that hate speech, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, intolerance, gender discrimination and acts of extremism can contribute to conflict, the Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution that, among other things, urged Member States to publicly condemn violence, hate speech and extremism and encouraged them to prevent the spread of intolerant ideology and incitement to hatred.
With the climate crisis generating an increasing threat to global peace and security, the Security Council must ramp up its efforts to protect the Organization’s peace operations around the world and lessen the risk of conflicts emanating from rising sea levels, droughts, floods and other climate-related events, briefers, ministers and delegates told the 15-nation organ.
