The Security Council today extended the mandate of its subsidiary 1540 Committee, for a period of ten years until 30 November 2032. The Committee monitors implementation of Council resolution 1540 (2004) that aims to prevent non-State actors from developing, acquiring, manufacturing, possessing, transporting, transferring or using nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and their means of delivery.
Worrying and dangerous developments in Syria risk triggering a military escalation that would threaten nearly three years of relative calm, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council today, calling on all parties to de-escalate immediately and to focus on the stalled political process instead.
Warning that current trends could worsen the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, briefing the Security Council today, called on all parties to rein in violence and incitement and, together with the international community, take urgent steps towards achieving the two-State solution.
Hours after the Russian Federation launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure across Ukraine overnight, a United Nations senior official condemned such attacks and demanded they stop, stressing to the Security Council that they are prohibited under international humanitarian law, as that 15-nation organ held an emergency meeting on the matter today.
The Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2374 (2017) concerning Mali briefed the Security Council today on its activities in 2022, noting that for the first time since its establishment in 2017, the Committee updated its Sanctions List, which currently comprises eight individuals deemed to obstructing the country’s peace process.
The Security Council heard the annual briefing from the Chairs of its three counter-terrorism Committees today, as members underlined the need for greater cooperation among the three bodies to better address evolving global threats.
Recent attacks by the Houthi militia in two Yemeni cities risk triggering a military escalation and could further worsen a dire humanitarian situation, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen told the Security Council today as he called on the parties to exercise restraint and urgently agree to renew the nationwide truce that expired on 2 October.
Although the Gulf of Guinea has witnessed a steady decline in incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea, more needs to be done to fully operationalize the maritime security architecture, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as speakers called for renewed action to tackle the root causes of piracy.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must take immediate steps to resume dialogue, cease its provocative actions and fully comply with its international obligations, a United Nations senior official stressed, as she briefed the Security Council today and urged the 15-nation organ to address, as a united body, another launch by Pyongyang of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
As the General Assembly today concluded its discussion on Security Council reform, Member States once again broadly agreed on the need to modernize the 15-member body to maintain the relevance of the United Nations in the twenty-first century but diverged over the appropriate use of the Council’s veto authority, especially in instances of mass atrocities.
