With foreign interference surging, front lines between combatants shifting, tens of thousands fleeing their homes and the threat of COVID-19 looming large, a negotiated solution to the crisis in Libya — now in its tenth year — is more urgent than ever, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council in a 8 July videoconference meeting dedicated to the situation in the North African country.
The Security Council failed on 7 and 8 July to adopt draft resolutions that would have renewed its authorization for the cross-border mechanism that enables the United Nations and its implementing partners to deliver humanitarian aid into Syria via the country’s border with Turkey.
Addressing rights violations as warning signs of conflict is even more urgent in the COVID-19 era, the United Nations senior human rights official told the Security Council in a 7 July videoconference meeting, as she spotlighted the role peacekeepers can play in monitoring virus-related stigma, hate speech and the impact of containment measures on vulnerable groups.
The COVID-19 pandemic is “profoundly affecting” peace and security across the globe, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council in a 2 July videoconference debate, pressing the Chamber to use its collective influence to protect the millions of people affected by conflict and already facing acute vulnerabilities.
The Security Council, in a 1 July videoconference meeting, announced its decision to adopt a resolution expressing its support for the Secretary-General’s appeal for a global ceasefire, which he issued in March to help unite efforts to fight COVID-19 in the most vulnerable countries.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Christoph Heusgen (Germany):
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Christoph Heusgen (Germany):
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is facing many challenges, including the United States withdrawal from the 2015 landmark agreement and possible Iranian breaches of the arms transfer provisions of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), but it nevertheless remains the best way to ensure that Tehran’s nuclear programme is peaceful, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, told a 30 June videoconference meeting of the 15-member organ.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nicolas de Rivière (France):
Experts briefing the Security Council during a 29 June videoconference meeting warned that cases of COVID-19 are likely to spread “like wildfire” amid Syria’s displaced millions — already suffering from hunger, spiking food prices and a health system decimated by war — while urging members to promptly renew the country’s crucial cross-border aid mechanism amid the pandemic.
