Sanctions imposed on Mali in December 2021 were upheld and new restrictions imposed, following an extraordinary meeting held by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) over the weekend to assess the situation in the strife‑torn country, the senior United Nations official for Mali told the Security Council today.
Piracy and armed robbery at sea are costing Gulf of Guinea States $1.94 billion annually, with an additional $1.4 billion being lost in port fees and import tariffs, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, as the 15-member organ explored ways to address recent security challenges in West Africa and the Sahel.
Due to persisting gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies that remain unresolved, Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons programme still cannot be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Security Council today, urging that country to cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) without delay.
The Security Council today adopted a resolution enabling the 15-member organ to consider during mandate renewals the role peace operations could play in helping States to stem the flow of illicit weapons, in line with related arms embargoes.
The Security Council today adopted a resolution providing for a humanitarian exemption to the sanctions regime established by resolution 1988 (2011), enabling the provision of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan as the country verges on economic collapse.
The Security Council today adopted a resolution reauthorizing the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 31 March 2022, ahead of a phased handover of responsibilities to Somalia’s security forces early next year.
Expressing concern over a fragile and deteriorating security situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the special coordinator for the region, in his briefing to the Security Council today, stressed that rising levels of violence should be a clear warning to the international community to take action in order to prevent further bloodshed.
The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan for six months, until 30 June 2022, requesting the Secretary-General to ensure that the mission has the required capacity and resources to fulfil its mandate in a safe and secure way.
Amid a worsening humanitarian situation in Syria, the Security Council must focus on its stated aim of maintaining international peace and security instead of tending to political objectives and geopolitical rivalries, Syrian-born paediatrician Amani Ballour told its 15 members today, as the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy called for a “step-by-step, step-for-step approach” to advancing the political process.
The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), alongside its Force Intervention Brigade, until 20 December 2022, also welcoming President Felix Tshisekedi’s efforts in the political and human rights arenas and demanding that all armed groups immediately cease all forms of violence and other destabilizing activities.
