With “the clock ticking” on all-important elections in Iraq scheduled for 10 October, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country stressed the importance of a free, inclusive and safe process as she briefed the Security Council today.
Against the backdrop of escalating conflict and deepening economic crisis in Syria, senior United Nations officials briefed the Security Council today on the urgent need for a nationwide ceasefire and increased humanitarian access.
The crisis in Yemen is worsening on all levels, especially for children, United Nations experts warned the Security Council today, as delegates called on parties to uphold an urgent ceasefire and guarantee unimpeded humanitarian access to stave off famine.
Amid growing fears that terrorists will again nest in Afghanistan and increase attacks in Africa, India’s foreign minister called today for the adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism.
The Security Council today encouraged the United Nations to make greater use of the rapidly expanding array of new technologies — including digital technology — to make its peacekeeping missions more effective in some of the world’s most complex political and security environments, as it held a ministerial-level open debate on the topic.
The Security Council today called upon Member States hosting or having hosted United Nations peacekeeping operations to take all appropriate measures to protect United Nations mission personnel, requesting the Secretary-General to establish a comprehensive online database of attacks against them.
The Security Council today expressed concern at growing insecurity, terrorism and maritime piracy in West Africa, the Sahel and the Gulf of Guinea and encouraged further national and regional efforts to counter those threats, as it welcomed efforts by countries in the region, as well as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to tackle security challenges amid a grim humanitarian situation made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an emergency Security Council meeting on Afghanistan following the Taliban’s seizure of the capital city, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today sent a firm message that the world body will not abandon the people of the war-torn country, and its personnel will stay and continue to deliver critical services.
With Upper House of Parliament elections having begun in four of Somalia’s federal member states and broader electoral plans back on track following a political crisis earlier in 2021, speakers told the Security Council today that the process must be inclusive and credible, and meet the 30 per cent quota agreed for women’s representation.
Swift action must change the current catastrophic trajectory of violence and humanitarian suffering in Afghanistan, briefers warned the Security Council today, as delegates called for an immediate halt to the recent Taliban offensive that has led to record numbers of civilian casualties and targeted killings.
