Parties to the conflict in Yemen had yet to agree on extending their truce, resulting in fresh uncertainty and a heightened risk for violence, the United Nations top official for Yemen told the Security Council today as members urged all parties to the conflict, particularly the Houthi militia, to exhibit cooperation and flexibility, and return to the negotiating table.
While there is no direct link between climate change and conflict, the climate emergency is a danger to peace, especially in Africa whose high degree of vulnerability is exacerbating already existing risks, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today as the 15-member organ debated whether it is the appropriate forum to address the matter.
Colombia is experiencing a period of new expectations due to the total peace policy of newly elected President Gustavo Petro, anchored in the implementation of the Final Agreement with the former Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia‑Ejército del Pueblo (FARC-EP), the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council today.
Amid formidable challenges, including an uptick in terrorist attacks in the Sahel, unconstitutional changes of Government, increasing recourse to use of force to resolve disputes, and a dire humanitarian situation in several regions, all of it exacerbated by climate change, the unique partnership between the United Nations and the African Union remains a cornerstone of multilateralism, which must be adapted to local contexts, with the support of the international community, including the Security Council, the Secretary-General told the 15-member organ today.
A holistic approach, combining enhanced regulatory policies and law enforcement mechanisms, greater supply chain transparency, support for counter‑terrorism frameworks, as well as cross-border coordination and information-sharing, is required to clamp down on the illicit trafficking of natural resources and its fuelling of terrorism and violent extremism by armed groups and terrorists in African continent, speakers said during a debate on the issue, one of the signature events of Gabon’s presidency.
The ballistic missile launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 4 October was a reckless act and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions, a United Nations senior political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, as members demanded that Pyongyang refrain from further provocations, engage in meaningful dialogue and halt its nuclear and missiles programmes.
One year after elections were held, and three years after Iraqis took to the streets to protest a lack of political, economic and social prospects, the continuing absence of a functioning government is hard to justify, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, while stressing the need for Iraq’s leaders — “all of them” — to engage in dialogue and “pull the country back from the ledge”.
The international community must take steps to address the consequences of the recent leaks in the Nord Stream pipelines, while its causes are being investigated, Navid Hanif, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, told the Security Council today, in a meeting requested by the Russian Federation to discuss the incidents.
Meeting today following Russian Federation President Vladimir V. Putin’s proclamation of Moscow’s annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the Security Council rejected a draft resolution intended to condemn the referenda that preceded it.
Despite progress in preparations for its general elections, as well as in its financial governance, the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to face a deteriorating security situation amid ongoing violence by armed groups against civilians, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today ahead of ongoing plans for the mission’s withdrawal.
