The recent prison attack in north-east Syria serves as a reminder that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) still poses a grave threat in the region, across Africa and beyond, the Head of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism told the Security Council today in a late-breaking meeting called by the Russian Federation.
Amid a bitter winter, continuing outbreaks of violence and an ever-deepening economic crisis, humanitarian needs in Syria are dwarfed by the funding available to meet them, the United Nations humanitarian chief informed the Security Council today, as speakers expressed concern about a harrowing siege in a prison in the north-east of the country.
The Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for six months — until on 31 July — expressing serious concern about several issues, including the continued violations of the military status quo along the ceasefire lines.
An attempted prison break by detainees with suspected links to Islamic State groups — and subsequent clashes involving international forces — have once again raised the spectre of resurgent terrorism in Syria’s decade-long civil conflict, the senior United Nations official in the country warned the Security Council today, as he briefed members on recent developments.
Now is the time for the Taliban to expand opportunity for the people of Afghanistan and demonstrate a real commitment to be a part of the global community, delegates in the Security Council stressed today, amid calls from the Secretary-General and other briefers to reverse sharp curtailments of human rights, first and foremost for women and girls.
Urban warfare will continue to devastate, kill and maim civilians around the world unless States adopt effective tools to reverse the current trend of impunity and all parties abide by international humanitarian law, briefers told the Security Council today during an open debate on war in cities and protecting civilians.
Libya’s newly established road map committee aims at advancing the electoral process following postponed December 2021 elections and moving the nation along the path towards stability, United Nations and civil society briefers told the Security Council today.
Five years after its signing, the Final Agreement for Ending the Conflict and Building a Stable and Lasting Peace in Colombia is setting down ever deeper roots, the Special Representative for the country told the Security Council today, as he called on the Government, political parties, former combatants and Colombians across the diverse nation to intensify implementation of the landmark accord ahead of congressional elections.
Eight months after a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale fighting in the Gaza Strip, the senior United Nations official for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council that the situation is once again characterized by daily clashes and rising tensions, as he warned delegates against piecemeal approaches and diplomatic “half measures” that will only let the conflict fester further.
Despite best efforts to ensure that peace is built by and for women, the prospects for their participation in the very negotiations intended to secure their future are “vastly worse” than before the pandemic, the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Security Council today, as she and other experts warned of an insidious uptick in a host of actions by spoilers aimed at silencing their voices.
